Website Evaluation #5 - Wikipedia

What web browser are you using?	Explorer
Does the site suggest that it is better viewed with one kind of web browser in particular?	No
What is the URL of the Web page you are evaluating?	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Have a look at the domain name of the URL. How does the fact that the site is an .edu; .com; .gov; or .org influence your opinions about the site?	.org - Yes
Who put this information here?	Special Interest Group
Does the source of the information have any influence on your judgement about the usefulness of this site?	Yes
How often is the site up-dated?	Updated Daily
Can you tell when was the last time particular page/section was changed?	Yes
Does the currency of the information have any influence on your judgement about the usefulness of this site?	Yes
How old is the material?	Most of the material is relatively new
Who wrote the information?	"Wikipedians" - both moderators and subscribers
Is the author’s signature on the page?	Yes
Is the author’s e-mail address included?	Yes
Is there any other way of identifying the author?	Yes
If you can’t identify the writer does this have any effect on your judgement about the usefulness of this site?	-
Does the institutional affiliation have any effect on your judgement about this site.?	Yes
Why is this material here?	To provide information for the readers, from the readers.
Is the purpose of this page indicated clearly in a prominent place?	Yes, through a link
Is there any evident bias in the information at this site?	Yes
Does the reason for this have any influence on your judgement about the usefulness of this site?	The matter of whether the information on Wikipedia is accurate is very sketchy. There have been debates about this issue and Wikipedia believes it's method is reasonable.
Can I do a cross check?	Other resources anywhere
Do I have any doubts about the accuracy of the material?	Yes
If so, is there any way I can cross-check the accuracy of the information?	Books and other websites are the first places I'll look to to verify the information's accuracy.
Is the information available anywhere else?	Encyclopedias On the Internet.
Would it have been easier to get the information in some other way?	Maybe, but it's very conveinient to just look it up on this website.
Does the site include links to other sites?	Yes
Is there any selection process for the links?	Yes
Are the links organised (i.e. by subject category)?	Yes
Are the links described?	Yes
Are the links all still active?	No, but most are and the ones that are not are correctly quickly.
Do the links seem relevant to the subject of the web page?	Yes
Is the page only viewable by a specific browser or release of browser?	No
Is the site often busy and difficult to access?	No
Does the page download in a reasonable time?	Yes
Does it include any large graphics or files which take a long time to download?	In some places, but not all.
Is it organised in a way that makes it easy to navigate?	Yes, but it is slightly cluttered, and to read through it the info you want to read sometimes takes paitience.
Are the navigational links clear?	Yes.
Do you have to scroll through the entire document to find information you want?	Yes
Is there any provision for searching the site?	Yes
Is the page viewable by a text-based browser only?	Yes
Do all the graphics have a text explanation?	Yes
Does the design complement the content?	Yes