Online news portals continue to be one of the most popular sources for obtaining information, which means the credibility of website is dependent on the articles that are posted – or rather, the sources of the articles they post. According to a new study by researchers at Penn State (published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly), those who access news articles from credible sources through online portals such as Yahoo News or Google News tend to view the portals themselves as much more credible. Yet findings also showed that unfortunately for sources that were perceived as having low credibility, reading an article on a trusted portal was unlikely to make the reader view the source more favorably. The recap of the study concluded by reiterating the point how it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for consumers to trace the sources of information – particularly in instances when an original article has changed hands multiple times, circulating through online portals, emails, social media outlets – the works. Researcher S. Shyam Sundar summed it by saying, “With traditional media, it’s fairly clear who the source is, but in online media, it gets very murky because there are so many sources.”      

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Every day, we’re bombarded with information whether we want to be or not – advertisements, local and world news, groundbreaking research, blogs – the list goes on. With so much out there, it can be hard to determine what information is reliable and what information is for the birds – but with the rise of user-generated content, having the ability to vet and evaluate the credibility of the sources is more important than ever. Following are a few tips to keep in mind when sifting through all of the clutter: 1)   First and foremost, determine how reliable you need the information to be. Everyone is going to have varying standards for credibility, so typically, what the information is ultimately going to be used for should dictate what kind of sources you need. 2)   Second, research the author. A source is more credible if someone who possesses a degree and/or credentials, or is recognized as a reputable subject matter expert, writes it. If the author is presenting original work, you can also evaluate the merit of the ideas since credentials don’t necessarily guarantee innovation. 3)   Third, find out when the source was published or revised. In some subject areas, having current...

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In our last blog, we talked about the importance of determining which interactive tools will be most effective for your business. Once you’ve made that determination, the next step entails actually integrating and leveraging the tools. To ensure that your business website and social media platforms are working together to maximize your online exposure, we thought it’d be helpful to share the following tips for integrating social media on your website (found on socialmediaexaminer.com): 1)   Include visible social media buttons 2)   Integrate social where it makes sense 3)   Include up-to-date buttons 4)   Include share buttons 5)   Use analytics 6)   Pay attention to Terms & Conditions 7)   Don’t overdo it 8)   Stay knowledgeable 9)   Use social media insights alongside Google Analytics

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Although there’s a wide range of social media tools that businesses can use to become more interactive, not all of them are necessarily going to be the right tools for your business. Defining and understanding both your business’ and users’ goals is key in determining which tools will be most effective. Five basic interactive tools that businesses are using include: Blogs Essentially, a blog is a website that’s built by blog software such as WordPress or Blogger. Traditionally, they’re used as something like an online diary – entries are short and to the point, and usually include personal insights. As blogs became more and more popular, businesses started to use them for a variety of purposes. Microblog Platforms The term “microblogging” refers to the posting of very short updates (think a few hundred characters versus a few hundred words) about oneself. There are several platforms – or services – that businesses can use to elevate their presence in the online world, including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Social Networks Social networking websites have been around since the mid-90s, but their popularity has skyrocketed in recent years – one reason for this is because they’ve become easier to use. Last year, Facebook...

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