I just Googled "under the weather" - for two reasons. First, because I've been sick all week (sorry I haven't written). Second, if I use a phrase, I want to speak with authority about its origins and uses.
Google returned a variety of sites claiming etymological expertise. Most say that "under the weather" is a nautical term describing how a sick sailor was kept below deck, away from (but literally "under") the weather. Sorry, but I can tell you this from experience: below deck on a boat is the very last place you want to be when you're sick!
So it got me to doubting the reliability of the sites. Lucky for me, D is an expert in sailor history. If the phrase is a nautical one, he will know it. What's more, he will go to his substantial library about sailoring, and hand me a primary source to prove it. (Ah yes, going to the source. Another lost art.)
Too sick to work, but well enough to surf, I thought I'd use this down time to do some research on blog-to-book publishing. I was quickly overwhelmed by the websites promising instant fame and fortune to any dumb ass who thinks she can write.
So I emailed KC. Because she's in the book biz, I knew she'd lead me to sources of reliable information on the Net. One of her recommendations was a blog dedicated to exposing publishing scams and helping would-be authors navigate the mine fields. Pay dirt.
In the absence of expert guidance, the Internet is flat, no one set of information appearing more valuable than another. KC's insider knowledge helped me to distinguish The Truly Valuable from The Totally Useless.
Readers, please tell me about your experiences when searching for experts and expertise. What methods do you use to separate wheat from chaff? How do you know valuable service when you see it? How do you evaluate web information?
I'm asking this because I'm wondering if, like the blog exposing scammers in the publishing industry, I should be offering you my take on some of the dime-a-dozen sites that claim to offer therapy/counseling/coaching, along with some tips about what to avoid. Your opinion?
While you're thinking, let me go ahead with my first tip.
Be wary of therapists/counselors/ coaches (hereafter known as tcc's) with too many letters after their names. People with the hard-earned credentials like PhD and MD seldom add strings of additional initials with commas in between. A long string indicates padding: trying to look impressive when there's little of substance there.
Copyright starfishdoc 2007
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9 comments:
This lack of information was a huge challenge when I was in college researching my career. As you demonstrated, every website was an advertisement, hawking something but not a true resource of knowledge. Five years later, the web still proves to disappoint as I am researching a new career in Interior Design.
My experience in searching for expertise was basic stalking ;) I went straight to the hiring sources: recruiters, hiring managers, etc. to get info.
It seems as if you did the same thing consulting KC. As you've said earlier; to get to the source, go to the experts.
I think your readers would be thrilled to have your opinion about what is useful information and what is bunk!
"Under the weather" doesn't make the cut, but this site: http://www.etymonline.com/is my go-to source for entymology questions. Of course the fact that I have a go-to source for entymology questions is... well... sad. Ah, well.
Reading your story reminded of some sage advice I received from my ob while pregnant w/ my second child. I spent evenings on "Dog Pile" search engine this was 12 years ago (Google was not yet Google) searching for methods to make my labor easier. I read nightly massages of the perineum was a way to guarantee an easy birth. On my next appointment I immediately reported this technique to my doctor. He giggled ~ letting me know that while it would cause no ill effects & I could certainly give myself a massage nightly ~ he could not guarantee any positive outcome.
His words have stuck with me since then. "Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true"
Thanks, Court. I see that your experiences validate my point. And going to the experts still makesd sense to me, but how to know one when you see one?
Katie,
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement about making bunk-finding one of my blog objectives. Question: Why are you sad to have a go-to source? Isn't that a good thing?
Anonymous,
So glad to have your ob story. It's an excellent example of the problem, and also perhaps, of our gullibility that the internet can deliver up exactly what we need. What do you think?
I guess it's not so much that I'm sad I have a go-to source. It's that I have one for something as word-dorky as entymology. :)
Here are some things came to mind for me after reading the original entry.
I think its a matter of caveat emptor -let the buyer beware. Sites on the internet are unfiltered and anyone can post anything.
There are "reliable" sites or ones that we consider reliable - newspapers, companies selling their wares, universities and medical entities, etc.
I filter any sites I go to based on my own value system and experience. If its a site I haven't heard of before I try to validate the information at another site or by someone else I consider an expert in the field. I also might do another search to see the credibility of the site itself.
For example, I would go to webmd.com to get information about taking out a splinter. If I was looking for some information about accupunture I might find several sites. I would review the info in each site and validate against the other sites.
How you find out about a site is also important. I have found sites by reading magazine articles or listening to the radio. So I have some idea that the site I'm going to is credible.
Also remember that the internet is dynamic and information can change quickly. But it can also become obsolete if the site is not maintained so its important to check any date references on the site.
In discussing this topic with my husband he pointed out its also important to check both sides of a story - for example, the Drudge Report and the Drudge Retort.
Stratolynne,
Thanks for these great suggestions for determining credibility. I agree with using your values and experience as well. I think I'll go check out both Drudges!
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