Web Of Misinformation

December 23, 2003 | 3 Comments

I read a whole bunch of Web sites on an almost daily basis. I also post quite a bit of my own content daily as well. With the advent of blogging and other types of content management technology it’s become ridiculously easy to publish your own content and the independent content publisher is slowly taking over the Web.

For the most part I see this as a very good thing. However, I am cautious and take most that I read with a grain of salt. Lately I’ve seen quite a bit of misinformation, opinion stated as fact and plain old bad advice out there on our Web. It’s not just the independent Web publisher that is guilty of this, in fact, some of the worse cases of this that I’ve seen come from “established” or “sponsored” Web publishers.

I’m not going to name names, or point out any examples, but I assure you it’s out there. I’m sure most of it is either unintentional or simply due to a lack of knowledge. I’ve been guilty of this myself. Face it — with the amount of publishing going on there is bound to be quite a bit that is just plain wrong.

Because I’ve noticed that there are many cases where misinformation is perpetuated by folks who just don’t know any better I though it might be a good idea to give some advice (oh the irony) on how best to wade through the vast amounts of information out there on the Web.

Question everything. If you come across something you aren’t sure about — question it. Contact the author or check with other credible resources. Even the most respected publisher is wrong from time to time and most will admit and correct their blunders.
Get to know the publisher and author. Look at who is publishing the information you read. Are they a credible resource? Do they have the experience and frame of reference to speak on a particular subject. Think about who is doing the talking. Do they have an agenda? Are the respected in their community?
Make an author prove it. If you are reading a statement of fact with no evidence to back it up — call the author on it. There are sometimes when this might be less of an issue, for example, if Jakob Nielsen is giving usability advice, I’m reasonably sure he’s got the data to back that up. If it’s me giving the advice without evidence, you’d better ask. Although I’ll usually state that I don’t have data to back something up if thats the case.
Comment often. If possible, comment on what you read. If you know something to be inaccurate, let the author know. Feel free to correct misinformation — send the author an e-mail — a responsible publisher will be glad you did. Lots of times publishing is a two-way learning process, I know it’s that way for me.
Don’t confuse opinion with fact. This goes double for those of us in the Web design community. There are times when authors will state a particular design method is the only way to go, and this is often nothing more than an opinion. Most times there are more than one way to do something and there may be another side to the issue.
Do your research. If you read something that you feel is important and want to share it, check with other credible resources and see what they have to say. Often times there are two sides to an issue and it’s ok to choose one, just make sure you understand what your talking about.

The Web is a great place to gather information and conduct research and independent publsihers have made it that much better. Just be aware that, in today’s independent Web, just about anyone can publish anything and prepare accordingly.

Filed under: Web General

Comments

1. Scrivs said:

Excellent post.

Whenever I write an entry I try to make it sound as though I am speaking my opinion and not the facts of design. As you state many times over there are no rules to Web design, but merely different ways people see things. When readers post comments and argue their points these are the best type of conversations simply because they open your eyes to different viewpoints. Sometimes when writing something you have only seen something done one way and therefore perceive that as the facts. This especially holds true in our community. There are so many new designers out there who look up to head bloggers for information and advice.

I think it may be more important as writers to ask ourselves the questions that you present above, way before our readers even have to.

Posted on December 23, 2003 01:25 PM | #

2. Egor Kloos said:

I must admit that when I post a comment I would only do so if I think the site itself is credible. No point in letting your point of view going to waste on a site that’s not worth it. Posting comments on other peoples weblog seems to take up more time than posting on my own. Hmm, I’m not sure what to think of that :)

It does however take just that bit more effort in getting my own posts right. Experience in getting it wrong will do that to you. Especially if it’s in print, that’s a killer. The web is very forgiving because it’s rectifiable and the consequences are not as severe as they are in other mediums. The more I think about it the more I believe that this is not entirely true. Bad content has an effect on your brand and what it represents. The web is not a passive medium like television, so users are more likely to switch off if you’re full of it. And that’s a fact…. or is it?

Posted on December 23, 2003 04:35 PM | #

3. Rafaela said:

Where I come from, a “journalist wannabe” has to go through four years of college, get a BA and have a credential in order to apply for a position. While we’re studying, the better teachers try their best to strip down any personal opinions (especially those not funded) and clear up any lines of prejudice.

Anyhow, if all students left college keeping in mind what is explained above by the “Web General”, we would be living in a better world. Unfortunately, what seems to matter the most to some writers is that thought of puking words onto the media and waiting for acclamation. Truth and accuracy have turned into a smaller detail.

Posted on December 29, 2003 03:08 PM | #