AIDS Websites Comparing Two Websites

AIDS Websites

Comparing Two Websites

This paper will compare and contrast two websites, truthaboutaids.com and "The True but Little Known Facts about Women and AIDS," analyzing both for accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage; and ultimately identifying neither as a good source for initiating a study of AIDS information.

The problem with both websites is that each fails to pass the first criteria necessary for a good website: accuracy. The True but Little Known Facts website offers a plethora of sources, which are clearly identified but are also obviously ridiculous and false. The site is allegedly written by Dr. Juatta Lyon Fueul of the Departmnet [sic] of Public Health and Public Interest Enrichment -- a flashy sounding title that could easily escape the notice of a peripheral inspection. As for editors or fact checkers, the site does not appear to have evidence of either -- nor is the site free from grammatical errors (as already seen above) and meaningless slogans: "University of Santa Anita: Pro-actively serving the largest metropolitan area in the United States with no major institution of higher learning."

Truthaboutaids.com fails in an altogether different way: the site is nothing more than a search engine that gives no information on AIDS, but instead offers only suggestions for other websites, which sometimes only marginally have anything to do with the disease: several links provided take one to dubious sites that ask for money or attempt to sell some sort of medication. A quick perusal of the website leaves one annoyed and frustrated -- especially when a search engine like Google will give better and faster results for AIDS information.

The problem of authority affects truthaboutaids.com in a major way: one would have better luck finding good and accurate information about AIDS from a more authoritative source like avert.org/aids.htm, which was found simply by typing "aids" into a Google search engine (the world's most trusted search engine). The truthaboutaids.com website -- which carries no authority with it whatsoever -- is far from being recognized as a legitimate search engine and brief experience with it tells one all there is to know about it: it is little better than a Redirect Virus.

The True but Little Known Facts site at least makes an attempt to appear reputable, but a thorough reading of the site reveals that it is a complete hoax designed by an Ithaca college professor and therefore should not be taken seriously at all. The site appears, at first glance, to be authoritative -- but with statements like, "A recent study in Pittsburgh proves that women who eat hot oatmeal twice a day are significantly less likely to contract AIDS than women who eat breakfast with unprotected spoons," reveals the absurdity at the heart of the website.

There also appears to be no objectivity with truthaboutaids.com -- only random links to sites that may or may not have a passing reference to HIV. There is no persuasive element whatsoever. True but Little Known Facts, however, attempts to be objective and its bullet by bullet approach has the style of a persuasive site -- but, again, because its points are ridiculous, its "minimum bias" and "objectivity" cannot be relied upon.

The content, on the other hand, of True but Little Known Facts appears to be moderately up-to-date, with sources from 2009, 2005, 2001, 1999, and 1993 -- but the sources themselves are incredible (Fybb R. Magee writes an article whose title, in a mix of French and German, can be roughly translated to mean "AIDS in the women and the man; making a hoax") and the documentation ("works sited" [sic]) is poor ("September2005" [sic]) cannot be trusted. Two copyrights exist (another peculiarity) -- one of them being a "copywrite" [sic]; but apparently the hoax website was first created in 1996 and last updated in 2009. Yet, if one stops only at the "copywrite" found under the last source (Donat-Blief, A. Ward), he will find what appears to be the fact that a reputable University (which actually does not exist) has actually produced this website through the "Departure" (not Department) "of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt." All of these details should expose the website as fraudulent and lead one to pursue actual information elsewhere.

But that information should not be pursued at Truthaboutaids.com simply because it boasts a 2011 copyright -- for other than that, nothing at all is revealed about who maintains the search engine and with whom it is affiliated; therefore, it can hardly be considered a credible source for information and should be regarded skeptically.