"Just Google it"? Not so fast...

According to a brand new study out of Northwestern University, many college students place too much trust in sites such as Google, Wikipedia, AOL, Yahoo!, etc.:

Not as Web Savvy as You Think

Thinking back on our past discussions on the intersection of the digital divide and credibility, it's interesting that this segment of the population, which is commonly considered as the most Internet savvy and connected, is not quite as discerning as we might expect when it comes to credibility.

An Internet Hoax

Below is the link to an online hoax that I randomly came across recently and thought was relevant to this week's reading on credibility. Apparently the page's creator was a college professor trying to teach his students that you ctan't always trust information you come across on the internet. Also interesting is that it's an example of rather poor design and usability, which we're learning are predictors of perceived credibility. It hasn't stopped some for beliving the site, though.

http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.html

Have you come across any other examples of outright hoaxes or pages that appear less than credible? How do you determine credibility when doing research? When using the net for personal use?