Distinguishing the attitude of the poster

While using the internet, a person must be able to interpret the attitude of the individual or group posting the information. In this video, we see a person has made a video of what not to do while attempting to remove scratches from a compact disc. In the video however, it is presented as the best way to remove scratches. It is important for internet browsers to distinguish factual information from false or "joke" information. Some individuals, such as the ones in the video use the false information as humour rather than fact and it is up to the person viewing it to know the difference. This one is more blatant than others and makes it easy for us to understand the ficticious nature of it.

Keep an open mind!

When trying to decipher information on the internet you need to keep an open mind. Remember that most often the information you are receiving is one person's opinion and not necessarily good information. An example below is a link to a review on iBank, Apple's software for managing personal financial accounts and balances. Some of the reviews tell us that the product is great, fantastic and terrific. Other reviews tell us not to waste our money.

http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/TQ161LL/A?fnode=NDY2NDA5Ng&mco=MTA5MTg0NjU

So what does one do with this information? Is it buyer beware? After reading several reviews of the iBank software I found that I was no more sure about the product as I was before I read the reviews. Another ideal way to sort out the good information from the bad information would be to find some way to test the product if possible. One of the reviewers on the Apple review site mentions a free trial period of the product, this would be a great way to find out for yourself what the product is like.

Fact or Fiction?

With the internet being a major source of information, determining whether what we gather is valid or not raises different issues. I recently found out in a class I'm taking at Nait, not everything thing you search for on the internet is accurate as it would appear. Let me just explain what I mean.

Here is a link of a website that seems very legitimate:

http://www.martinlutherking.org/

The information from this website seems very organized and detailed, yet once you scroll through the site, you would find out from some of the links that this website is not official. It is a website that was created by a biased individual and most of the information is opinionated oppose to facts.

My main point is this; although such a convenient way to find answers to your daily questions, the internet must be used with your own discretion. Use your own judgement and don't always believe everything you read.