Brief evaluation of Villagehealer.com
Note: The version of the site I evaluated is no longer up.
Do you find it interesting?
Yes, I found the site interesting. I especially liked the section on job stress.
Is it credible?
The good: First, the fact that this site was developed by
professionals (Ernst and Allen) gives the site instant credibility. Having links to its
privacy policy and disclaimer off of every page is another nice touch. Additionally,
allowing you to opt out from their marketing list is another plus. The bios on the "who
we are" page gave me a sense that the people behind the site were quite competent, and
the inclusion of a phone number and personal email for Gloria Keeling is a very nice
touch. The contact form's inclusion of query categories shows that this site tries to
make contact with the desired people easy. Finally, the site's content is well written.
The not so good: While the "who we are" page is pretty good, it has
some faults. First, the link to gloriakeeling.com is broken. Including more phone
numbers and/or physical contact addresses would also increase the site's credibility.
Also, it would have been nice to include some links to outside sources that could help
verify and support the validity and authority of the site. After a few quick searches,
I found a number of sites that could have been used to support the authority of those
involved with villagehealer.com. Including links to these outside, yet supporting,
sources could increase the credibility of the site significantly in the eyes of some
users. For example, they could have included a link to an unaffiliated site that also
mentioned Dr. James Anderson's study of the effects of soy protein on blood lipids.
Another possible source of concern is that the site appears as if it hasn't been
updated in a while (1999 copyright, no overt signs that the site has ever been updated,
and the gloriakeeling.com broken link--the domain registration has expired). This lack
of currency, along with the fact that the site's domain name is for sale[found it for sale on Great Domains],
damages the perceived stability of the company.
In what life stage would you find it most helpful?
I would think that this site would be relevant at many stages of life.
Would you recommend it to friends?
Overall, this site seems credible enough and, technically, it functions pretty well,
so, yes, I would recommend this site.
Would you revisit it from time to time?
Yep. Although, the frequency of my revisits would depend on how often the site's
content is updated.
Would you buy any of the products it recommends?
Probably. Although I would most likely look to outside sources to back up any
questionable claims made by the site concerning their products.
What else would you expect/like to see in such a web site?
Improvements in the deficiencies mentioned above and a little more original
content.
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