Module 3

The article I chose to evaluate the sources of is about social media bots and how individuals as well as organizations are using them to create a perception of popularity and influence. This article is from the New York Times, which is widely accepted as a credible source and is a well-known and world-renowned news site. The author, Nick Bilton, has published 1082 articles in the New York Times, and has his own website, www.NickBilton.com. Nick is associated with the New York Times and has his New York Times contact email listed, as well as his Twitter handle. He is obviously widely published with the New York Times, but is also about to release a book that he wrote, which means he does have publications in peer reviewed situation. Based on all this author information, it seems safe to say that Nick Bilton is a credible source in the areas of technology and business, specifically related to social media topics. 

In this particular article, there appears to be no bias or outdated information, which also lends to the credibility of the article as well as the author. Most of the sourcing for this article was first hand from the author, but there were also cited sources and quotes from Tim Hwang, chief scientist at the Pacific Social Architecting Corporation. A link to their website is provided, confirming that Tim Hwang is associated with their organization, and providing information to prove the credibility of the organization itself. 

Based on the number, credibility, and up-to-date status of all of the sources in and relating to this article, it's safe to say that this is a credible piece of information and that the author of this piece uses proper sourcing and is expert enough in this field to report on the subject.

SOURCES:
http://timhwang.org/2013/05/17/pacific-social-architecting-corporation/
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/friends-and-influence-for-sale-online/?ref=business
http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm
http://www.nickbilton.com/