1. What is the author’s expertise on the topic?
The author of this web page is Ray Weber. Mr. Weber works for Weber Publications
out of Santa Clarita, CA. I assume by this Mr. Weber’s occupation is web
page publishing. I could not find any further information on his occupation
or educational background. Every time I tried to search for his name (in google,
yahoo, askjeeves etc.) I was always linked to web pages that led back to 50states.com.
He had links from library sites like The University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill (Davis Library) and Political Science and Public Policy Resources as well
as other sites that had been produced by him. The only information I could find
on his “reputation” was a site that stated:
“The web page debuted in 1990 by Ray Weber of Santa Clarita, CA and has
since garnered awards from The School Page, Online Education, Yahoo, and Cyber
Angels for its outstanding information for elementary students as well as adults.
The site is clearly and simply navigated by state and links to over 15,471 other
sites on the web”
2 How reliable is the publisher (site) of the web page?
This site is a commercial site. It focuses on information regarding the 50
United States.
The Publisher is Weber Publications out of Santa Clarita, CA. From the web site,
there were no links to the publishing company so I tried to search the web to
find out more about the company. Again, as I did with my search of Ray Weber,
I had the problem of locating any additional information on the web searches
I conducted. There was an address to the publishing company so I thought I might
try to send a letter and see what type of response I get. There is no contact
for further information that was frustrating for me.
3. How reliable are the pages that the author’s page link to?
The pages that the author’s page linked to appeared to be valid in the information provided. The pages supported facts regarding our 50 United States. The pages provided new information on every page. Each state has several links on the same site to further your knowledge about each individual state. There are also links for teachers that provide handouts and/or worksheets, as well as lesson plans to be used.
4. Do other reliable (or unreliable) pages provide links to the author’s page?
There are other sites that link to the 50states.com web page that I mentioned
earlier. These links do support the information that is provided on Mr. Weber’s
web page. Some links are from library sites such as, “The University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill” and “Political Science and Public
Policy Resources.” The links that I found did not give any additional
information, they just linked back to Mr. Weber’s web page.
5. What information on the topic is available from traditional sources such
as newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias or library resources on the web?
Most if not all of the information found on this web site can be found in encyclopedias, magazines (travel guides/brochures), and newspapers and in abundance on the www. In reviewing this website I feel the information presented is accurate and thus just as reliable as the traditional sources. Therefore, since there is a great deal of information on this website I would tend to look at the web page instead of the traditional sources solely based on convenience. Everything the student would be right there for them. I guess it depends on the purpose. If you want kids to work on the Internet, it is an awesome site. If you wanted kids to look at traditional sources as well, you would probably want them to look at those first and then go to the Internet as a secondary source.
6. How recently was the page published or updated?
Date of publication is usually a factor unless the information is historical in nature. When looking at information regarding the 50 states, much of the info. Will stay the same but items like population, weather etc. change frequently and therefore will be outdated. 50 States.com was created in 1996 and was updated as recently as Feb. 21, 2003. The site also states that 21,784 web sites can be linked to through the 50 states.com web page. I did notice that when you are on web pages that link to the 50 states.com web page, these pages differ in the claim of how many pages can be linked to through 50states.com. I would imagine the increased number stated on the 50states.com web page was due to the updates over time.
7. Assess the accuracy of the information in the document.
It appears that the content of this site is in fact a true reflection of what it says it is. Based on my own knowledge and checking with traditional sources it appears that the facts presented here are indeed correct. In my viewing I did not find any typographical or grammatical errors. However, I did not take time to visit each individual state, I only checked a few.
8. Does the page show signs of bias in its perspective or presentation?
On this site, each state appears to be represented equally. As I stated earlier, I did not go through every one of the 50 states, but the ones I did go to were equally represented in information provided. I would say that some information is limited (take government for example) and could be better-understood if researched further either on other web sites or by using the more traditional means of research.
9. What evidence is provided to support opinions and conclusions expressed in the document?
The data presented at 50states.com could be considered both qualitative and quantitative. The reader is given both a great deal of information as well as accurate information. Unfortunately there is not information on the page that would allow me to contact the author and/or publisher to check information. As stated previously, I did find a mailing address for Weber Publications but I found it on another web page and site, not the 50states.com web page.
10. Can you contact someone with expertise in the area to validate the opinions or conclusions expressed in the document?
I do know people who could be considered experts in the field for certain states, but probably not an expert that would know about every state. There are also publishing companies that produce hard copies of the information provided on this website that I could contact or look at their resource.