Web Credibility

I like BJ Fogg. I like what he does. It just makes sense. He is doing research in Web Credibility over at Stanford. His goal is to understand what leads people to believe what they find on the Web.

As part of this ongoing project he is:

- Performing quantitative research on Web credibility.
- Collecting all public information on Web credibility.
- Acting as a clearinghouse for this information.
- Facilitating research and discussion about Web credibility.
- And finally, helping designers create credible Web sites.

I have been involved in this business for 12 years now and all I can say is, 'It's about time someone started to take this seriously!'

The healthcare industry doesn't take this seriously and, if anyone should take this serious, they should. Health information can save lives but to these guys, it's all about the website - check off the project, job well done, bonus.

As Gerry McGovern says, 'It's all about the content.' Gerry's insight into quality web content has become a standard by which we will be building our next generation web presence. Believe it. I do.

Gerry and BJ are a new breed of researchers that see the web as an information channel. One that differs from the other traditional channels. One that can integrate offline and online to impact individuals all along their decision making pathway. In the end, what are we trying to do? What do we want our readers to do? Modify behavior, right? Impacting individuals to positively change their behavior. Right? Let me know.

JDG