How do I know what websites I can trust?

Question

How do I know what websites I can trust?

Answer

Knowing what content to trust on a web page can be a difficult task since anyone regardless of his or her age or knowledge is capable of creating a web page or making a post on a forum. However, following the steps below, can help give you a better understand and the security of knowing what to trust.

Spelling / grammar

A web page or forum posting that contains multiple spelling or grammar errors is likely to be either written by someone who is young, wasn't concerned about the quality of the content, or is someone who is not well educated.

If what you're reading contains spelling or grammar errors take caution when following their advice.

Where posted

A web site that has been setup exclusively for a specific topic is more likely to contain good and correct information than one that has not. For example, a web site such as this one that is dedicated to computer help and support, is more than likely going to have better information than a page containing information about computers, cooking, and shopping.

Third-party tools

Use third-party Internet browser add-on such as Web of Trust (WOT), which is a great way to freely verify the content as well as the reliability of the web site.

However, a tool such as this will verify the quality of the site and not the individual post on a forum you may be reading.

Forum, bulletin board, and chat

Web site forums, bulletin boards, chat, blogs, and other methods that allow visitors to easily post and communicate with other visitors are a great resource and often contain a wealth of good information. However, when relying on these pages, its important to realize that it's often other visitors and not the actual company or person behind the site creating the post.

When reading a forum post try to keep the below suggestions in mind.

  • Complexity of post - A post that's a paragraph or more often means more time has been spent composing the post and will help increase its authenticity.
  • Other posts - If the forum has hundreds or thousands of other posts from other users, it's likely other users are finding good help or information and that you're visiting a well-established forum.
  • Moderated forum - Not all forums are moderated, if you see a lot of spam or garbage posts it's likely no one is making sure the forum is safe.
  • Post counts - A user who has several hundred or thousand posts is a contributing member and has likely been around the forums for a while.

Extent of information

A page that has a wealth of information regarding a subject or question is more than likely going to be more accurate and in-depth than a page that has a paragraph of text. Usually when more time is spent about the subject the author has spent more time researching the subject and has a better understanding of it.

Too good to be true rule

When reading anything on the Internet always keep the golden rule in the back of your head. "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is."

Additional information