A helpful Web site

The Internet, in a sense, is a double-edged sword when it comes to tracking down sources. Keyword searches are helpful, but so many results pop up that I never sift through each and every page, nor would I want to do that. Also, the results may lead you to a page that looks unofficial and unrelated to any big name corporation or institution. When this happens, how do you check the site's credentials?

As we discussed this in lecture, the usual methods, like checking to see if the author's contact is listed or when the page was last updated, were brought up.

A more important technique I learned was about the site's URL domain. I was unaware that people could check domains. I assumed if the domain was .edu, .gov, .org or .net, that everything on the site was good, and for the most part, it is. But, there is a way to further establish a site's credentials at InterNIC.com.

By checking a domain name in InterNIC's "Whois" look-up, you can find out who or what company registered the domain. Sometimes, InterNIC will even list a contact that can be reached about the Web site's content.

I'm excited to add InterNIC into my toolbox of techniques for tracking down sources.