Judging Quality

When choosing a web site to recommend to your patient there are a few additional details to keep in mind. There are:

• Is the site well maintained?  Does the web site appear current?  Have you found any dead links on the site?  Is there a way to contact the Webmaster to report problems?
• How is the information selected?  Does the site have an editorial board?  Is the information reviewed before it is selected?
• What information does the site collect about you and why?  What types of questions were you required to answer before you could view their content?  Do they have a privacy policy?
• Is it easy to navigate?  How difficult is it to find the information you need?  Does the site download quickly?  Are the pages laden with unnecessary graphics that could make it slow on a dial-up telephone line?
• Is there a clear distinction between advertisements and content?  When you look at a page on the site is it clear when the content is coming from a non-biased source and when it is provided by an advertiser?