IIRC, one of the comments on Dig_Ref regarding this article was that the
only place libraries were mentioned was in the title. Libraries are not
included in the the article discussion.
Bob Koreis
Librarian
Hockinson High School
bob.koreis@hock.k12.wa.us
The library is not a shrine for the worship of books. It is not a temple
where literary incense must be burned or where one's devotion to the bound
book is expressed in ritual. A library, to modify the famous metaphor of
Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas - a place where
history comes to life. Norman Cousins
-----Original Message-----
From: Josephine Dervan <dervan@OPTONLINE.NET>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2008 20:31:49 +0000
Subject: [LM_NET] GEN: Yahoo! Answers- disaster as reference tool
A Librarian's Worse Nightmare: Yahoo! Answers, where 120 million users can
be wrong.
When it does battle on the Web, Google rarely loses. Last year's closure of
Google Answers, however, marked a rare setback for the search giant. An even
bigger shock is that Yahoo! succeeded where Google failed. Yahoo!
Answers—a site where anyone can post a question in plain English,
including queries that can't be answered by a traditional search
engine—now draws 120 million users worldwide, according to Yahoo!'s
internal stats. The site has compiled 400 million answers, all search-able
in its archives. According to the Web tracking company Hitwise, Yahoo!
Answers is the second-most-visited education/reference site on the Internet
after Wikipedia.
The block-buster success of
Yahoo! Answers is all the more surprising once you spend a few days using
the site. While Answers is a valuable window into how people look for
information online, it looks like a complete disaster as a traditional
reference tool. It encourages bad research habits, rewards people who post
things that aren't true, and frequently labels factual errors as correct
information. It's every middle-school teacher's worst nightmare about the
Web.
http://www.slate.com/id/2179393
Josephine Dervan, MLS -Online Instructor
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout
dervan at optonline.net
He who has a library and a garden, wants for nothing- Cicero
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
* LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
* LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home