What is a website?
I thought that this was an interesting question to begin the “Getting Started” section entitled “Web, Websites, and Web pages.” It is a question that, in many ways, we’ve beaten to death while trying to classify some websites/web pages worthy of historical citation, copyright protection, etc. I think that very soon the MLA handbook and other writing manuals will produce a specific checklist that all websites must meet in order to meet their standards. The question I think one should ponder is not “What is a website,” but rather, “What is a good website?”
February 20th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
The question I think one should ponder is not “What is a website,” but rather, “What is a good website?”
So true. So true. But I think it will be very hard to create a checklist that measures quality. How do you ensure that multiple people define “good,” “well-researched,” etc. the same way? After all, we all know those people who think that one source = research!
February 21st, 2006 at 8:02 am
I remember back in the day when we were only allowed to use one “website” as a source for a research paper…we’re talking grade school and maybe even a little of high school. It’s amazing how fast things change. I rely almost completely on the web for research information in some cases. You definitely pose a good question. We’ve moved beyond what classifies a website and if it is a legit source of information in general.