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Coastal managers are increasingly using the Internet to find information and resources for their programs. Given the time constraints in our busy lives, it's important to be able to move through the Internet effectively and efficiently. "Surfing the Web" or searching the Internet is not as easy as everyone assumes. It can be difficult to find the site that has the information that you are actually seeking.
The following lists the benefits and limitations of using the Internet:
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Benefits
- Access to current news
- Ability to view some, if not all, content of magazines and journals, as well as "e-zines"
- Access to government information
- Universities and research groups offer data for further analysis
- Specialized information such as metadata, spatial data, etc.
- Access to a large volume of information
- International information from private and government sites affiliated with foreign countries
- Access to obscure information. Often the pet project of a single researcher or hobbyist
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Limitations
- Lack of archival access
- Might be a fee to log in to certain sites
- Limited to partial text of books and newspapers
- Often difficult to distinguish credibility of information
- Vast quantities of useless information
- High potential for inaccuracy
- Lack of permanence. Sites frequently change content, move to a different URL, or are deleted altogether
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