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Evaluating Websites

Six Criteria

Six Criteria for Evaluating Web Resources

1- Quality, depth and usefulness of content

clear statement of the content, including any intended biases

provides appropriate links to other Web sites

attention to detail; absence of grammatical errors, absence of spelling erros, and so on

2- Uniqueness of content –– Currency of content

uniqueness of the resources as a whole; creativity

links are kept up-to-date

update frequency is appropriate for the subject matter

3- Authority of producer

authority and legality clearly stated

if not easily recognizable, an explanation of the history and purpose of the organization

4- Ease of use—Customer Service

user-friendly design; easy navigation

good search engine

attractive; graphic design leaves good impression

easy output (downloading or printing)

contacts are responsive; e-mail addresses readily available

5- Efficiency

graphics load quickly or are not so intensive as to seriously degrade access

any required plug-ins are available for easy download

reliable, speedy server

6- Appropriate use of the Web as a medium

components are well integrated (audio, video, text, and so on)

useful information is still available, even if the user does not have all the plug-ins and media components [example: Flash should not be required for the site to operate effectively]