Wil Hammond - Review #3

General Comments – While this site isn’t very "slick" I think there is some wonderful information available. You need to look a little closer and spend some more time looking at the links. Once again there are some typos and general problems that have caused you some problems.

  1. If you look at the links at the bottom of the page you will find a lot of useful information and it may give you some insight into what this site is all about.
  2. If you go to this web site; http://www.friends-partners.org/ccsi/info/whoswho.htm – you will find a list of people involved with this web site. However in looking at their credentials you might question how their involvement is an asset to the organization.
  3. This site is a combination of a couple of different categories – Archival, Secondary Sources and a Discussion list.
  4. "CSI is an information clearinghouse focused on American voluntary organizations, nonprofits, and independent associations--our so-called "third sector"--and their collaborations with similar organizations overseas. CSI publishes materials both in print and electronically and distributes them worldwide. A private, nonpartisan educational organization, incorporated in the state of Washington, CSI is registered as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and receives the great majority of its funding from voluntary donations and foundation grants. "
  5. I am not sure what is going on with these pages – but if you look at some of the links off of this page you will see they have been updated as recently as last week – they just have not made any changes to this page since 1997.
  6. While you should question all web information – this site is so obviously partial that I would be looking at any material for the bias.
  7. Once again a more in-depth look would have been helpful as well as a follow up email to the site director or other administrative types and try to get a feel for the basic problems with the site>
  8. Again you should use specific examples whenever possible and include assignments, in the very least include specific courses.

 



Web Site: http://www.friends-partners.org/ccsi/eeurope/poland/idee.htm

1. What is the scope of the site?
1. The only thing that is included on this site is the reason for there existence, and an archive of old newsletters. There are plenty of links off of this page some, which are outdated. The site is organized in a very basic manner with little information on what The Institute for Democracy in  Eastern Europe is. It is a very easy navigate due to its basic nature.

2. Who are the sites authors? (person, institution)
2. The authors of this site seem to be the organization itself from the best I can tell. There are neither credentials listed nor the author themselves. The site seems to be affiliated with the Institute for Democracy in Eastern  Europe.


3. What category does the site fit in (what type of information are you getting from that site)?
3. This site does not really fit in any category to speak of; it only gives a few links that link all to the same site.

4. What is its focus: American, non-Western, etc., time-period or general
4. The focus of this web site I believe was intended to be Eastern Europe judging by the title of the site.

5. Rate the information contained in the site:
5. The few facts listed on the site may or may not be true one would be smart to do a little more research on them. The information is listed in about three paragraphs. The last time this site was about four years ago leading one to believe with the ever-changing climate of Eastern Europe that  this information is not current. There are no sources for backing up the  little facts that they present on this site, leaving one thinking that it could be biased. There is no list for the criteria appearing on this site.  Furthermore this site does not seem to be well researched at all. This site  contains little to no information on the subject they claim to cover, there  are several sites on the web that are more current and contain more  information on this subject.

6. Rate the site:
6. The information on this site is not stable through time, due to the ever-changing situations in Eastern Europe. This site was last updated in  April 1997. It has not received any awards.

7. How does this site relate to the course you are currently taking?  How helpful/not helpful is it?  Would you recommend it to other students?
7. The only connection I could find between this site and European affairs would be the few links it provides. Which could be helpful in researching  Eastern European struggles for democracy post cold war. 

8. Write a brief narrative summary of the site.  What courses and kinds of research would this site be most useful for?
8. There is not much to say about this site besides the fact it is out-dated  and only contains a limited amount of information. I would not suggest this  site for a main source you may be able to get some information off of its  links that’s about it.