Amarillo Globe-News A whale of a tale about Mankato, Minn., underscores concerns that unsuspecting surfers sometimes swallow Internet information hook, line and sinker. Eder is the director of the Canyon Public Library. Writer A whale of a tale about Mankato, Minn., underscores concerns that unsuspecting surfers sometimes swallow Internet information hook, line and sinker. The professor created a Web page fabricating details about local attractions, such as bogus whale-watching along the Minnesota River. The exercise proved several points.
People often fail to thoroughly investigate Internet information.
They often ignore fine print. Students weren't the only surfers who visited the Web site. The projected image of an Internet Web site flashes across the faces of Melissa Eder, left, director of the Canyon Public Library, and Mary Kay Wells, coordinator of the Texas Panhandle Library System. A disclaimer, now at the top of the professor's hoax page, apparently didn't get many hits. This includes information related in text and subjects shown in images and graphic misrepresentations.