Posted by Shar on November 1, 2001, at 21:38:00
In reply to Re: Is everyone really so careful all the time?, posted by Dr. Bob on October 31, 2001, at 23:34:40
I am very careful...probably more now than a few years back. I take what I read on the internet with a grain of salt, unless I personally know the individual or group to be well-educated about the topic at hand. I still read from different sources, I don't only go to a few sites, but I use the trusted sites as confirmatory evidence.
Now that everyone and their dog can build a web site and put just about anything they want on it, quality seems more important than ever. I could have a web site saying (untruthfully) it is supported by Harvard Mental Health Group, and nobody would be too likely to come down on me about it, my being a tiny cog in a huge wheel.
And, when you consider that the population in general is trying to find information that is comprehensible (ie, lay language) some of the more trustworthy research/education sites may not have much appeal. So, constant monitoring does not seem to me to be too much.
One should also consider that the data on the internet, for even most trusted sites, still has random error based on the subjects in an experiment, or the researchers, or the typist, or ... etc. Thus, caveat emptor is very applicable.
Shar
> Hi, everyone,
>
> Thanks for all your responses -- and positive feedback!
>
> But is everyone really so careful all the time? If so, are concerns about the quality of information online exaggerated? Do we not need to worry about unreliable information because it'll just be ignored?
>
> I realize another issue is that people here might not be a representative sample of all people online...
>
> Bob
poster:Shar
thread:82639
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011025/msgs/82932.html