Although it may be clear to some people, there are many of us who don’t usually realize when we are looking at an official Website or just a random site that provides a list of credible, authoritative resources. There may be no reason to distrust a privately operated Website that takes the time to create a detailed list of links but sometimes we find that official repositories are better maintained. Here are a few good examples for you to consider.

Some private Websites select small groups of articles to promote that have a common or similar theme. These article lists are very seldom comprehensive directories of all the major resources on a topic. They usually reflect personal interests and the extent of an individual’s knowledge of the extent of work in a field. Quite often these lists are taken directly from search results for common terms, and therefore don’t mean much.

But then some government organizations, like the Library of Congress, are charged with indexing and organizing knowledge in as many ways as possible. The Library of Congress government resources directory is an example of an officially maintained site that provides a lot of information for people who need to find out where to look on the “government Web” for specific services or areas of responsibility.

Finally, there is actually a comprehensive FedWorld Website that documents all the Federal government’s activities on the Web. The FedWorld site is probably the Web’s largest dedicated resource for finding U.S. government Websites and understanding their roles in the government Web sector.

With adequate funding, the right motivation, and proper supervision some official resources can become truly useful resources that everyone benefits from. By emphasizing the user experience over the need to satisfy bare bones public scrutiny, some Websites are virtually ensured places in the top 20 Web sites.