The document discusses evaluating two websites, www.10best.com/destinations/georgia/atlanta/ and www.atlanta.net, to find information about attractions in Atlanta, Georgia. The evaluation criteria used are authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. Based on the criteria, www.atlanta.net is determined to be the most authoritative, accurate, current, and objective source. It is published by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, provides accurate author and contact details, and content is updated regularly by local experts, with only Atlanta-related advertising.

1. Andrea Davis
EDTL 6360: Internet in the Educational Community

2.  Evaluating My Needs
 Introduction of Websites
 Criteria for Effective Evaluation
 Authority
 Accuracy
 Currency
 Objectivity
 Most Trusted Site Award
 Credits

3.  I am a member of the National Business Education
Association, which holds a yearly conference in different
cities each year. This year I will be going to Atlanta, Georgia
and want to learn more about:
 The history of Atlanta
 What attractions I can visit
 Maps and tours of Atlanta
What should I do next?!?

4. I have decided to use the following two web sites to find
information on the city of Atlanta.
Website A Website B
http://www.10best.com/destinations/
http://www.atlanta.net/
georgia/atlanta/

5.  Authority
 The author’s credentials (titles, certifications, etc.) are
included on the page
 The domain of the website is preferred (.edu, .gov, .net, etc.)
 Accuracy
 Page should list (at a minimum):
 The author and institution that published the page
 Contact information of that author or institution
 Currency
 Page states last date it was altered or edited (should be
done regularly)
 The links (if any) on the page are also up-to-date
 Objectivity
 Page provides accurate information
 Includes limited advertising
 Is objective in presenting the information

6.  While the site lists who published the site
(10best.com), the “team of local experts” who publish
the site are never identified by name, profession, or
with credentials
 The website domain is “.com,”
the most popular and
unreliable domain on the
Internet

7.  This page is published by the Atlanta Convention &
Visitor’s Bureau
 Additionally, bloggers can contribute
information to the site, but only after Atlanta native Jan
Butsch Schroder is a
creating a profile listing their professional journalist
and book author. She is
credentials managing editor of
Travelgirl magazine
and author of "Just A
Stage" and "Murphy's:
25 Years of Recipes and
 The domain of this page is .net and Memories." Read more
about Jan at
www.janschroder.com.
often more credible than .com sites

8.  Page does not include authors or institutions that
published the site
 Contact information is not provided for the “local
experts”

9.  This page offers accurate author contact information
including:
 Who published the site
 The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
 Where they are located
 233 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 1400 Atlanta GA 30303
 Phone number
 (800) ATLANTA or (404) 521 6600
 The site also includes links to individual contributor
and author information

10.  Page displays “2012” as last copyrighted date
 Links on page take viewers to updated websites on
weather, hotels, attractions, food, etc.

11.  Page displays “2012” as last copyrighted date
 Links on page take viewers to updated websites on
weather, hotels, attractions, food, etc.
 Authors who contribute to the page visit and
update posts weekly, even daily

12.  The page provides information on:
 Traveling
 Attractions
 Hotels
 Restaurants
 Nightlife
 Shopping
 Page is covered with numerous scrolling advertisements
and pop-ups for related and unrelated travel products and
services

13.  Site provides objective information from citizens of the
city, and experts in the fields of food, travel, and
attractions
 Page includes only advertising for Atlantic events

14.  Website B: Atlanta.net
 Most Authority
 Published by the Atlanta Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
 The domain of this page is .net
 Most Accurate
 This page offers accurate author contact information including who published
the site, where they are located, and the author’s phone number
 Most Current
 Links on page take viewers to updated websites
 Authors contribute to the page weekly, even daily
 Most Objective
 Page includes only advertising for Atlantic events
 Site provides objective information from citizens and experts of the city

15.  Wolfgram Memorial Library Reference Department. (2004). How to
evaluate information on the Web. Widener University. Retrieved
January 6, 2011 from
http://www.widener.edu/libraries/wolfgram/evaluate
 Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for
library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523.
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html
 http://www.10best.com/destinations/georgia/atlanta/
 http://www.atlanta.net/