The Internet has brought about a revolution in terms of information availability and accessibility in the course of its short but eventful life so far. Today, all one has to do to look up a fact or research a topic is to “Google” it. Any search engine throws up a multitude of options, which means the savvy Internet user has to decide for himself which site best matches his search criteria. Besides this, there are other factors to consider when accessing free information on the web:

1. Some sites that claim to offer free tutorials have been known to demand passwords to be able to proceed to the next lesson. The password obviously has to be bought at a minimal cost, but this is an anomaly to the very concept “free”.
2. Some of the content on some sites are free only in specific countries; in others, they’re either blocked altogether or available at a price.
3. In this age of free and easily available information, online content is often uncensored, unedited and unchecked for authentication. The reader has no way of knowing which sites offer genuine study material and which are bogus unless the reputation of the site owners is impeccable in the field of education. For instance, there’s not a soul in the world who would doubt the genuineness of MIT’s open courseware.
4. One genuine problem with taking online courses that are not monitored by qualified teachers is that you do not get any feedback on your performance or progress. There are also no exams or grades awarded, so this option is worth pursuing only if you are truly passionate about widening your education and increasing your knowledge or if you are looking to brush up your skills as part of another course you’re studying (in lieu of using textbooks).
5. Sites that offer free tutorials by linking to other sites often fail to check if the links are still active.
6. Some sites may get you to click on links that lead to malware being installed on your computer.

The origin of the information you access is as important as the content itself, especially when the media offers total anonymity as the Internet does. One thing is certain – browsing the Internet to gain an education is an educating experience in itself.