Infomation or Information?

My sister teases me about my near-obsession for researching any topic--from a sixties TV actor to the pitfalls of bank transfers.

I love the immediacy and availability of millions of pages of information. The task? Wade through them to find accurate, up-to-date, and well-researched data. No easy job. How can you determine who or what is a credible source?

Just as words take on importance on the printed page, web sources (including blogs) might be considered authoritative just because they're on the Internet.

According to free access advocates, the beauty of the web is that new voices can be heard. I agree to some extent; however, a source should have either the education, experience, or personal knowledge that lends weight to a viewpoint or assertion.

Better yet, seek multiple sources to broaden the scope of research or to uncover various aspects of complex issues or problems.

Otherwise, surf wisely and learn.