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How
to Select Web Sites
Some web sites may have
information that is not accurate, but how can
you tell, who do you trust?
Ask yourself these questions about web sites:
What is the source of
the information? Have you ever heard of the person
or the organization?
Many well known government and health organizations have good web sites. Sites
that end in .gov (government), .org (organization), .edu (educational institution)
tend to be more reliable. Sites that end with .com are probably sponsored by
a company (usually for profit), although some health organizations use .com.
These sites may be connected to reputable organizations or they may be written
by your next-door neighbor.
Can you understand the information?
Some web sites are written for health care professionals and may not be easy
for lay people to understand. Sometimes this can be more confusing than helpful.
Good consumer web sites are written with you in mind. They don't use a lot of
unnecessary medical terms or statistics. Sometimes disreputable sites throw that
stuff around just to impress you.
Is the information current, when was it written?
Sometimes a date at the bottom of the page or at the end of an article will tell
you when it was written or last updated.
Is the information balanced or very one-sided, does it
make outrageous claims? Is there any advertising?
Advertising should be kept to a minimum and be clearly separate from the information
on the site.
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