Web+Site+Evaluation

The Internet is a very valuable source of information but we always have to have in mind that some websites are not completely reliable. Some websites have information that is not true. It is very important to know how to critically evaluate websites.

Here are some characteristics of good and reliable websites:
 * There is a name of an **author** or **sponsor** of the site (top or bottom of the page).
 * There is an **e-mail** or **address** of the author (top or bottom of the page).
 * The site **loads quickly**, the information is **easy to read**, and all **links are active**.
 * There is a **date** that shows when the site was created or updated.

It is very useful to check the website DOMAIN name. It shows who sponsors the site. Some sponsors are more reliable then others. The most reliable websites are the ones sponsored by educational institutions and governments.


 * The most common domain names are:**


 * edu** - educational institutions
 * gov** – government
 * org** - usually non-profit organizations, but not always
 * net** - organizations involved in Internet services
 * com** - commercial organizations (usually will be trying to sell you something)
 * int** - international organizations