How to Know If the Website Is Reliable

The internet is a gift that was bestowed upon us since it blessed us with knowledge and information that can be easily accessed with just the click of a button. Unfortunately, not all of these blogs or websites are made equal or in this case, trustworthy. There are also lots of misinformation being spread throughout the internet but if you're aware of it, then you can easily distinguish which is real and which is not. If you're following someone like a self-proclaimed health expert since they have lots of followers, just have the benefit of the doubt that whatever information they're sharing may not always be true. In fact, outlandish stories shared online are sometimes the ones that gets the most attention.

So before you follow the advice of a so-called "guru", make sure you evaluate the reliability of that website. Check out these tips by top Vacaville Chiropractor on how you can be careful of following people or blogs online:

Helpful Tips from Vacaville Chiropractor Alex Tam

1. Look for sites from established institutions - Every hour, websites are built which means that a new set of information is ready to be shared on the internet. The websites that you should consider are the ones that are associated with trusted institutions that have existed for quite a while and has a solid reputation. You can refer to institutions that are run by foundations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, or colleges and universities.

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   Stay away from commercial sites - These websites are usually owned by companies and businesses wherein one of their main goals is to sell you something. Since they're selling something to you, there's a possibility that they're presenting it in a way that their product is more favorable than the competition. Of course, this is a normal practice in business, but some companies will do whatever it takes to make their products a hit even if it has false claims. This doesn't mean that you have to exclude corporate sites completely, but you should at least be wary about them.

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   Avoid anonymous authors - In most articles or studies, the names of the author are included to ensure reliability among readers. However, there are also those that wants to remain anonymous which could arouse some suspicion. If someone wants their name to be publicly known on something that they're written, it means that they stand by on the information that they shared. To be sure of it, you can always do a quick search on Google to verify the credibility of the said author.

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   Go beyond the headline - There are websites that starts out with a headline that seems sensational or radical. However, don't just settle for the headline alone and go read the article to see if it lives up to what the headline says. If the information presented doesn't come with a solid scientific research, it's an indication that the website is more concerned on the clicks rather than the correctness.

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   Beware of bias - Reporters love to write about politics so you shouldn't wonder why there are lots of political websites out there. Just be aware that these websites are sometimes owned by groups who are bias in which they favor only a single political party or philosophy. If the website is conservative, they won't report something that is objective about a liberal politician and vice versa. So your best bet is to steer clear of websites that have a political ax to grind and consider the ones that are non-partisan instead.

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   Check the date - When seeking out information, it's recommended that you choose the ones that are more up-to-date. If the website you've visited looks old or doesn't have any recent updates, you should click away immediately. Most websites also have articles and those posts would normally include a date on when it was posted so check on that to find out if what you're about to read is the latest trend or not.

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   Be mindful of the website's appearance - Sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover and as for websites, the appearance alone can indicate if it's been made by amateurs. There's also a chance that the information shared on those websites aren't backed by factual research and can even be made up. But even if a website looked like it's professionally made, it doesn't mean that it's reliable as well.

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   Audience - Websites, especially blogs, would have a comment section wherein readers will get to react on the article in mind. In these comment sections, you should check out who's engaging. You should try to see if it's filled with reputable professionals especially those who carries the title of MDs, RDs, PhDs, etc. If majority of them also shared the article, then you can guarantee that the article has the approval of those professionals.

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   Ask questions - If you feel that something's not right with the website, then what your gut is telling might be true. There are information that seems too good to be true so the ideal course of action to take is to leave a comment or email the author to inquire about their sources. Your comment can also help others and may even make them think twice. Just remember that selling something online could make the author or admin give out a biased opinion. If the blogger or writer has a good reputation, then they will freely disclose the relationship they have with the product or company that they mentioned.

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    Check the links - If a website has a good reputation, then they would link out to other websites that are also trustworthy. You should give those links a click to see where it leads you. You can even do a quick search on Google to research on those links even more. If the results show that there are also other websites that are linking to them, then it can be a good sign.

Hopefully, searching through the internet has been made easier and safer for you. Just take these cautionary tips into consideration and you'll surely won't be a victim of fraud.

Call Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine in Vacaville today to schedule an appointment.