How important is evaluating an author’s qualifications?
I think evaluating an author’s qualifications depends on the reason for being there. If you are at a site just for pleasure and fun, I don’t know that the qualifications matter so much. But for sites where you hope to gain information, the author’s qualifications are very important. For example, I could never have a blog on journalism in the Arab world, as Justin, a fellow classmate, has. I have no knowledge whatsoever of that. But reading Justin’s blog, you find that he has spent a considerable amount of time in the Arab world and is also a journalist, therefore I feel his qualifications definitely cause me to trust his blog.
How do you think blogrolling will evolve?
I think blogrolling is a way to allow you to share with others what you find online. Linking someone else’s blog to your blogroll will enable you to have a connection with someone with similiar interests, which will inevitably lead someone else to that person’s blog or vice versa. If you go to someone’s blog and like what they have to say or their interests, chances are, you’ll like the links they provide on their blogroll. Blogrolling others also increases your chances of being linked on someone else blog, which allows more people to visit your site. I think as blogrolling becomes more popular and understood, it will be a very similar concept as Myspace or Facebook.
