Finding Information on the Internet

6. The Pitfalls

Although the Internet is a useful and ever-expanding resource, it does have a number of drawbacks.

6.1 There is no quality control on the Internet. It can be difficult to know if information is correct or reliable.

• Only base important decisions on information from well-known sources.

6.2 The abundance of information sources can lead to time wasting.

• Define the sort of information you want, how much data you really need to answer your question, and how much time you are prepared to spend looking.
• The information specialist at your local Business Link may undertake Internet searches for you. There may be a fee for this service.

6.3 There can be too much information to evaluate and assimilate.

• Newsgroups and mailing list servers often generate hundreds of messages in a day. Always make a note of the instructions when you join a mailing list, so you have them in case you want to unsubscribe.
• Use your email software's filter function to organise email into folders and to delete irrelevant messages automatically.

6.4 It may be difficult to determine that there is simply no information which is relevant.

• You can be fooled by the limitless amount of information that appears to be available on the Internet.