ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides tools and techniques to help meet the sometimes straightforward and sometimes convoluted evaluation challenges posed by the Web. It describes the basic elements that all Web resource creators, new or experienced, need to address when developing online content. The book discusses web resource evaluation strategies and outlines five traditional evaluation criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, coverage, and objectivity. It also discusses the more complex evaluation questions necessitated by characteristics unique to the Web—features such as the use of hypertext links and frames as well as the need for specific software to access certain materials. The book examines several popular Web-based social media tools and addresses the unique evaluation challenges associated with these tools. It explores advertising and sponsorship on the web and presents a variety of techniques for analyzing and presenting Web-based information.
