Lecture Summary:
Below are some of the key points from the lecture this week.
-The difference between the Internet and the Web was the first thing we discussed in the lecture this week. The difference between the two is that the Internet is the framework which allows the web to function. However, the Web consists of everything within the Internet.
- The World-wide Web is a universe of accessible information stored on computers throughout the world.
- Some of the Protocols related to the World-wide Web include of :
- TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
- HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
- DNS - Domain Name System
- URL - Universal Resource Locator
It is important to recognise some of the WWW resources so that information we look for can be easily understood and time can be saved when looking up information. The DNS sometimes can help us pin point the exact information we need to be looking for. For example:
- .com, .org, .net are top-level domains
- .au, .uk, .nz are all country codes
All domains have a particular purpose in regards to the information that might appear on them. For example :
- .com - commercial (of a commercial nature)
- .org - organisatoin (usually non-profit)
- .net - network (when ".com" is not available)
- .gov - government and
- .edu - education
The above can help us narrow down the websites we visit when looking for information. For instance, if we were to look up on the education system in a particular field, we woudl rather go to a website that had the domain at the end ".edu" since that shows it is a website related to education.
To get on to the WWW and using it, it is essential to have some key tools. These include of:
- Computer
- Modem and
- Telephone line
Week 7 Workshop - Finding and Using Web-based Resources
www.ImageShack.usThis weeks workshop activities required us to have a look at some websites and evaluate them to see if they were authentic websites or spoofs.
Authenticatoin of websites :
http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/
http://www.molossia.org/
Haggishunt website has attempted to look authentic in the ways that authentic sites are suppose to have some sort of a LOGIN box or a members area.
www.ImageShack.us" />1a) The website http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ gives away several clues that trigger the mind of the user to think its a spoof website. Some of these clues include of:
- the URL - the URL has a funny name
- The language used in the webpage - Some words such as "MOORS" and "ghillie, Farqhuar Farqhuarson," are not commonly heard in the english language. Most readers will not understand what these words mean or if they are names of places, where these places are.
Below is a screen shot showing the unusual language and names used to give away spoofyness of the site. The words highlighted in RED are the funny words that seem unformally unsual to the reader.
www.ImageShack.us" />- The other clue includes of "false information." This is evident when we try to ask the question who or what is "Farqhuar Farqhuarson" and we click on the link leading to that name. When taken to another page this link says that......
"Farquhar Farquharson is the Haggis Hunt’s Chief Ghillie. He is the man who will check the validity of your sightings and make sure your details are added to the draw for our great prizes.
Sadly we cannot identify him pictorially lest his impartiality be compromised in a “drams for prizes” scandal."
Below is a screen shot showing that there is some extensive sort of lies in the site informatoin about this person called "Farqhuar Farqhuarson."
www.ImageShack.us" />- The other clue giving the site away as a spoof, is that the website has many different links that lead to another topic that is not logical to the users/readers of the webpage. Use of humour in the names of their organisation such as "Haggisclopedia" can instantly hint to the users of the site that this site is a spoof.
SITE NUMBER II (www.molossia.org )
The above website also looks spoofed to the user because of several clues provided in the site. These clues include of:
- the independence of this "country" - 26 May 1977 1 - 26 May 2007 XXX??
- New national anthem 19 April 2007??
- Use of the decades ago figures and dates mixed with present dates. For example "In August 2003 XXIV"??? such numbers can confuse the readers to think there have been presidents to the lenght mentioned "XXIV"
- the site is not consistent with its use of language, for example roman numbers mixed with plain numbers . Below is a screen shot that highlights and backs my argument .
www.ImageShack.us" />- The name of the country sounds made up to the readers because of backup reasons behind such names. This is evident in the statement below :
ABOUT THE NAME:"Molossia" is a corruption of the Spanish word "morro", which means small rock or small hill, the suffix "ssia" being added because it sounds "good"....???
Below is a screen shot that backs up my argument about countries named because of a reason that is "sounds good".
www.ImageShack.us" />Therefore, these clues definitely give away the site's spoofyness.
In addition to that, the final activity from this week's workshop required us to have a look a website and write down what we would expect from the website and then actually visit it and compare our impressions.
The web address for this activity was http://www.martinlutherking.org/
www.ImageShack.us" />My first impression before I visited the website were:
My first impression of this website was that it was going to be a website of a biographical nature on Martin Luther King. From the URL, I gathered that this website would be created by an organisation and therefore, it will be "selling" an idea, in this case Martin Luther King's life achievements.
After having visited the website, I actually found that my first impressions without looking at the website were correct. It does seem to be a website selling out an idea i.e. "the greatness of Martin Luther King."
My first impression after looking at the website was that it looked a little bit too dark for a website that is suppose to show the life achievements of a man with the stature of Martin Luther King. This in turn made my decision on evaluating it's authenticity even clearer, because halfway through the home page, there was a video clip of some African American men fighting each other which seemed extremely inappropriate for this website.
In addition to that, the writing in the website seemed negative and foul. This also helped make my evaluation of the website easier.
Readings:
This week's readings come from the website listed below:
http://www.w3.org/History.html
www.ImageShack.us" />This website shows how the WWW came about and brief history in chronological order beginning from 1945 when Vannevar Bush writes an article in Atlantic Monthly about a photo-electrical-mechanical device called a Memex for memory extension, which could make and follow links between documents on microfiche and up to today when WWW has become an everyday thing in everybody's lives. Its interesting to read that so much had started changing in the early years, when I thought all these had happened recently.
The second reading comes from the website below:
http://searchenginewatch.com/resources/article.php/2156611
www.ImageShack.usThe above website provides links a link to collection of articles from search engine watch that give advices the proper use of search engines. Personally, after having learnt and gone through a week's lecture on search engines, I felt confident in not reading further as I have now the skills good enough to use search engines myself.
The final reading comes from the website below:
http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/ivh/frame_theorie.html
www.ImageShack.usThe above reading is similar to the first reading as it provides history of the internet and how it came about and also the history of search engines. However, this website looked more interesting because it covers the history in a greater depth.
This was basically this week's session.
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