Different Types of Sites

Although not all web resources can be easily catogorized, there are some basic distinctions between different types of sites that can be useful. Generally, people categorize web sites based on what organization is responsible for them.

Personal web sites are sites provided by an individual; these sites do not represent a larger organization, but the interests of the person who created them. Personal sites run the gamut from sites featuring photographs of family, to “blogs” or online journals, to sites containing professional information. Sometimes these sites contain extremely useful information; for instance, people working in the academic world often post copies of their publications. However, many personal sites contain highly unreliable information, either because the authors are trying to mislead users, because the site is a “joke site,” or because the authors are themselves misinformed.

Commercial web sites represent private organizations. Often commercial web sites exist to sell products online, although sometimes they merely contain information about a company or product. Information from commercial web sites can sometimes be useful, but remember that these sites usually exist to sell something. Users should be alert for bias and misleading information.

Nonprofit web sites represent non–governmental organizations. Nonprofit web sites often contain useful information for students and researchers, as many nonprofit organizations see education as part of their mission. However, it is important to note the mission of the nonprofit providing the information, and decide if that is influencing the way in which the information is being presented. As with both commercial and personal sites, information from nonprofit organizations can be biased and incorrect.

Governmental web sites represent the views of government agencies. US government web sites usually have a “.gov” or “.mil” ending, but some goverment sites end in “.com” (for example, the U.S. Postal service is located at http://usps.com).

Academic web sites represent academic institutions; most have a “.edu” ending. Information from academic institutions is usually reliable, but you should always consider the biases of the organization posting the information before accepting it. In addition, many students and academic employees have web sites through their employer; sometimes personal web sites hosted by an academic institution can look like academic web sites. Finally, be alert for joke sites. There are sites that look like they are from academic institutions, but are actually personal web sites.

So how can we tell one type of site from another? A common misconception is that one can distinguish web sites based on their endings; for instance, many people believe that a web site ending in “.org” must belong to an NGO, one ending in “.edu” will belong to an academic institution, and one ending in “.com” will indicate a commercial organization. While this used to be true, it is no longer the case. In the USA, anyone can create a web site with any ending. There are three exceptions to this rule: “.gov” sites are always US government sites; “.mil” sites are always military sites; and “.edu” sites are always affiliated with an academic institution. In general, though, looking at the end of a web address is not a good way to distinguish between different types of sites.

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to distinguish between different types of web sites or, more broadly, tell who is responsible for a web site. This tutorial will give you some hints, but always remember to use your judgement. If something seems too weird to be true, it probably is, in fact, not true.

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