Thing #4

Technorati - I read something interesting about Technorati this week. Because it's getting easier and easier for the average joe to post on the internet without any regard to truth or accuracy, you must be on your toes for reliable information! You must find out as much as you can about the author of the weblog. What is their profession, their title, where does their authority on the topic come from, and what's their background? You can find out at technorati.com what kind of reputation the blogger has among his peers. Enter the URL at technorati into the search form. The results will show you how many other bloggers have linked to that particular blogger (weblog). The article says that any site that has more than 100 links to it has earned a reputation as a good source of information by its community. That is quite good to know since the reliability of web content and getting a handle on it takes so much time!! It is these discussions that I worry about in Middle School w/students (about reliable sources) when they are researching their topics. Most of them will be comfortable using the first source they find that supports their thesis. If they are going to start using bloggers for their research efforts, this would be a good tool to show them!