Valuing Information

Information Quality Over Volume

With the googlisation of the world, the currency (importance) of information is decreasing. People are happy to know that they can put a search term into Google and it can bring back 24,000 hits. Means that you are on the right track – you are getting the right information.

Right?? ……….WRONG

Just because you are getting 24,000 hits doesn’t mean that the information you have is correct or has meaning. It certainly doesn’t mean that the first hit you have from google is also the best. Your best “answer” maybe down the screen, or on page 3.

What you need to remember when you are evaluating the currency of the information you have acquired is the background of the submitter: it could be a person, or an organisation. Do they have a bias? Are they trying to sell the product or service? Or are they a disgruntled ex-employee who is upset. You also need to evaluate the date of the piece of information, is it recent or does it have a date at all? If it doesn’t have a date then don’t trust it.

My advice is to always use data and information that you can find the date of (just like packaged food).