Interpreting user-generated content: What makes a blog believeable?

Blogs have democratized participation for everyone who wants to publish on the Internet.This trend, however, is problematic for readers trying to determine trustworthy and believeable sources.This blog diary study, allowed us to understand what aspects influenced believability and ultimately utililt...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ahmad, Rahayu, Lutters, Wayne G.
Other Authors: Ozok, A. Ant
Format: Book Section
Published: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2011
Subjects:
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Summary:Blogs have democratized participation for everyone who wants to publish on the Internet.This trend, however, is problematic for readers trying to determine trustworthy and believeable sources.This blog diary study, allowed us to understand what aspects influenced believability and ultimately utililty through capturing routine blog-surfing behaviors.We found that literary appeal constituted by authentic and personalized stories positively influence the believability of blogs.Blogs that stimulated readers’ desire for novel and rare information also enhance their believability.Other factors that significantly correlated with believability included aesthetics, matching information needs and user expectations.