While the design of this website appears old, it uses a lot of technical languages that may make it seem that the site\u2019s owner is a knowledgeable and trustworthy source. Chief among this jargon is the term \u201cdihydrogen monoxide,\u201d which the site outlines the plethora of negative outcomes associated with it. However, this site preys on the fact that many likely do not know that dihydrogen monoxide is simply the chemical name for water (H2<\/sub>O). Knowing this fact explains why dihydrogen monoxide is so pervasive and makes it obvious that the claims made on this site are simply fear-mongering. It is also a red flag that the homepage prominently features links that can be used to purchase merchandise. Additionally, the homepage implies that the website is associated with an organization called the United States Environmental Assessment Center (EAC). However, some research using Google suggests that the EAC is fictional and non-existent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FDA\u2019s website is a reputable place to find up-to-date information on risks pertaining to the safety of ingredients included in foods and pharmaceuticals. Having a \u201c.gov\u201d top-level domain (TLD) provides confidence in the accuracy of the information provided because \u201c.gov\u201d TLDs can only be used by US government agencies, public entities, or approved government officials (CISA, n.d.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This website has a professional design that looks similar to other reputable e-commerce websites, which likely lures in customers and gives a false feeling of authenticity. One notable sign this site is likely illegitimate is that it prominently uses Nike\u2019s logo and branding but is not officially affiliated with Nike (Raath, 2023). Additionally, a Google search for \u201cSue Whitehurst\u201d does not return this website or people named \u201cSue Whitehurst\u201d who are associated with footwear. It is also suspicious that it uses a \u201c.shop\u201d TLD instead of using a more common TLD. Other issues with this site include having contact information, a newly registered domain, and poor customer reviews (Raath, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast to suewhitehurst.shop, Zappos is a well-established shoe retailer owned by Amazon that has been around for years (IWD Agency, 2020). This assures customers that Zappos is a legitimate business that does not sell counterfeit merchandise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One major flaw of this website is that in most of the articles and blog posts where the authors make claims to prove the earth is flat, they either omit references altogether or do not pull from scholarly sources. The website\u2019s authors also do not include any citations for the claims made in the FAQs. Additionally, the \u201cAbout Us\u201d page discussing the Flat Earth Society\u2019s leadership does not show actual pictures of the people. Instead, they use generic stock images. Furthermore, the biographies underneath the leadership\u2019s names provide limited detail and lack information about their qualifications to make authoritative claims about earth science. Finally, the website seems unprofessional and lacks attention to detail in specific aspects, such as missing favicons on tabs and having tab names like \u201cTeam :: concrete5\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compared to the Flat Earth Society\u2019s website, NASA\u2019s site is more professional and has considerably more attention to detail in its design. When making specific claims in articles with detailed scientific information, NASA provides reference lists with many scholarly sources. This article<\/a> about measuring global sea-level rise is an example of using quality citations to back claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CISA. (n.d.). Sign up for a .gov domain: Information for election officials<\/em>. https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-11\/DOTGOV_Domain_Fact-Sheet_508_0.pdf<\/p>\n\n\n\n IWD Agency. (2020, June 8). How Zappos went from an unpopular idea to $1.2 billion in just 10 years<\/em>. https:\/\/www.iwdagency.com\/blogs\/news\/zappos-success-storyRaath, S. (2023, March 11). List of scam websites in 2024: 25 suspected fake shopping sites<\/em>. ExpressVPN. https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com\/blog\/list-of-scam-shopping-websites\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raath, S. (2023, March 11). List of scam websites in 2024: 25 suspected fake shopping sites<\/em>. ExpressVPN. https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com\/blog\/list-of-scam-shopping-websites\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prompt: How can you spot fake websites? Compare three fake websites (don\u2019t access those sites, of course) to three real websites. What makes the fake websites fake? Fake site 1 (https:\/\/www.dhmo.org\/): While the design of this website appears old, it uses a lot of technical languages that may make it seem that the site\u2019s owner… <\/p>\nReal site 1 (https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/):<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFake site 2 (suewhitehurst.shop)<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Real site 2 (https:\/\/www.zappos.com\/)<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFake site 3 (https:\/\/theflatearthsociety.org\/)<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Real site 3 (https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n