O'Callaghan Middle School

BEWARE of the pitfalls

When researching on the internet, there are a few things you should avoid.

1) The website is not easy to navigate or you need to follow more than 2 links to get your information.

If a website is too hard to navigate after 30 seconds, then this is not a good research website. The design and navigation of the site is a key component on helping a student get the best content possible for his or her project.

2) The website has too much BLING on it.


If you see lots of pictures or blinky things on a website, it may not be the right website. Distractions are not good for anyone who has a short attention span. Flash! Flash, Java games, etc. do have their place on a website but should not be the only thing there.


3) The website is old, outdated, does not grab your interest or has very little REAL content.

Hello? We are now in the 21st century. It doesn't have to have too much color but it does have to at least look like it belongs to this century. A little BLING goes a long way. A website should have enough content to help you in your research. There should be enough flash, java and pictures to not only keep your interest but also enhance your learning experience.

4) The site may also have too many large pictures or advertisements on it.

Who wants to click advertisements or wait for pictures to load? If the site does not load in 15 seconds, go ahead to another site.

5) Is it a HOAX?

Beware of sites that are not truthful. These sites are more detrimental than they are helpful. NEVER just take the word of one author to be the absolute truth. Look at more websites to discover if that website has given you misinformation.

Information from 10 Reasons for bad website, Unsuccessful websites and Evaluating Web sites.

(Animation from WebDeveloper and FreeFever)

Better Searches 1 (PAGE 5)