In my work as an academic librarian, one thing I frequently teach is how to identify a trustworthy source. For research purposes, Google and Wikipedia have their limitations but they are almost always the first step for students. Because of this, one strategy is to take aggressive steps to prevent students from using them. I […]
What Is Google Analytics Direct Traffic And Where Does It Really Come From?
One of the core benefits of Google Analytics is its ability to show you where your website visitors are coming from. How many are arriving from Google? What about from links on Facebook or another online community? These are vital questions that any webmaster needs to be able to answer. Within Analytics, the total number […]
How Does Google Scholar Work and How Can I Use It Better?
Google is great for its convenience and quick answers but much more hit or miss when you need authoritative sources. It’s important to critically evaluate your search results to figure out who each author is and why he or she might be a good person to write about the subject at hand. But another thing […]
The Shift from Tools to Platforms on the Web
Several weeks ago, Google announced it would shut down its popular RSS service Google Reader on July 1, leading to a mad scramble for alternatives. Some people remarked on how the replacements could not quite replicate their familiar workflow, forcing them to change their news-seeking routines. Others could not even sign up, as the flood […]
Standalone GPS vs. Google Maps or Waze on Smartphone: Which to Use?
Not too long ago traveling by car in a new area meant consulting unwieldy print maps, stopping to ask locals for directions or even just making educated guesses and hoping you eventually reach your destination. But with the proliferation of devices that receive GPS signals, the game has radically changed. At their most basic level, […]
Concerns Over Google’s Social Features and the Loss of Objective Search
Google’s key feature has always been simplicity: a clean, uncluttered search interface that returns the most relevant webpages for any query. The search giant would weigh a variety of factors to measure a page’s authority, most importantly its inbound links, and rank the list of results accordingly. But recently, Google’s quest to increase personalization and […]