How to Avoid Tree Octopus Websites

In class on Wednesday, September 3, our class completed various activities that involved finding reliable information on the internet. By doing these, we were taught what we should and should not do when looking for information on the web.

One of these activities that I alluded to above was A Google a Day. This activity involves obscure questions which can be answered by doing google searches. These questions can span many different topics, and can also be very obscure. There was one question regarding biological classification, while another asked for John Waters’ inspiration for Divine’s makeup in his films. It was fun tackling these obscurities, but eventually it became frustrating how difficult it was to find the answers. In doing this exercise, the most valuable piece of information I learned is that finding answers to your questions is not always as simple as typing a question into the search bar. Sometimes, you have to use other information that is related to what you’re researching to find what you are actually looking for. In addition to that, I also learned 3 obscure facts which could (or could not) come in handy in the future.

Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

In the second activity, we were told to decide whether or not the website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus could be used as a source for research. In doing this, we were given three words to apply to what we were reading: accuracy, authenticity, and reliability. Accuracy is whether or not the information on a website is actually true, and does not include false data. If a site is authentic, it says what it claims to be saying, while also not copying another site. And, in order to be reliable, a site has to have been written by a credible author, who is a master in his/her field. The website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus passes just one of these three criteria. First, there is no such thing as a Tree Octopus, so the website is definitely not accurate. The site is also not reliable, as the author, Lyle Zapato, has no college degree (however, he claims to have a degree from “Kelvinic University”, which does not exist). However, the site is authentic, because it delivers on what it says it is: a site about how to save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Due to not being accurate and reliable, the site would not be a source fitting for a research assignment.

Image Citation: 
Zapato, Lyle. Rare Photo of the Elusive Tree Octopus. Digital image. Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus from Extinction!N.p., 3 Aug. 1998. Web. 7 Sept. 2014.