Evaluating Web Sites 3: Relevance

I'm learning a tremendous amount about women in the blogosphere, U.S. women on politics, and about international organizations that are focused on promoting women's rights around the world. I'm having a little trouble keeping focused on the combination of international women blogging on politics. I confess, it's easy to get off on tangents and go tumbling down the rabbit hole on any one of the subjects. And, in doing so, I've stumbled onto some pretty good resources that are on topic. But, the goal here is to be specific and find sites that support t

How unique is the content and the opinions of the authors/commentators? Do they write about politics around the world? Are the writings focused on politics or is political commentary an occasional component of the blog or website? Does the site broaden the scope of the topic or does it target the specific goal of the topic?

I’m looking for are sites that can succinctly direct me to a wealth of information.

Evaluating Web Sites 2: Timeliness

Information from earlier than 2007 won't be the best information for the current impact of women bloggers. While some information pre-07 may prove useful to see how a blogger or website has developed as a resource, it's not the best way to find out what's happening in current political arenas. As far as looking for information relating to what women are writing now and what they're doing to influence the current election and political climate, I need websites that provide the most current and up to date information.

Studies that examine historical data can prove useful for studying trends over time. But information needs to be updated to include statistics from recent events. I've already found one international women's rights group that stopped publishing in 2005. Some of the information on that site might still be relevant in that it was pertinent at that point in time. However, the two year time gap is significant in that much has happened politically - both domestically and abroad - in that time period.

Out-dated material, posts, studies, discussions can be useful for background research. Current materials provide the most relevant picture of the impact women are having on today's political landscape.

Evaluating Web Sites 1: Accuracy

Accuracy ranks as the most important issue for me when I'm evaluating the quality of a website. I've found volumes of information about women and politics; women and international politics; and political blogs written by women. If the information found on these sites isn't true or is filled with spelling and grammatical mistakes, I'm not likely to believe what I'm reading. Likewise, if the information on a site is erroneous, I'm not as likely to use that site's links to additional resources. If I can't trust the validity of the source, why should I trust the source's recommendations?

Additional questions: Does the site provide the most accurate information available? Does the site incorporate a variety of accurate information? Does the site frequently spell words incorrectly or have serious flaws in grammar or editing? Does the site link to existing sites or have the links expired? Has the author updated the website recently to include more recent statistics and information? Are links to information that is also still relevant to the topic?