Hypertext vs. Papertext: Establishing Credibility

The World Wide Web is truly world-wide. As part of the Internet, it is very easy for almost anyone to gain access to. It is also very easy to publish on. You don't need any special credentials or a lot of money or anything else. All you need is a few dollars a month for an account that will let you put up a Web page. This brings up the very important question of how to establish credibility on the WWW? How does one establish the difference between someone with good intentions versus someone with bad intentions? Or how does one tell the difference between something put up by a college student and something put up by a large company? Then again, who is to say which source is more credible? In this way, the WWW can act as an equalizer; you don't have to be rich or famous to be there.

So we return to the main topic: How does one establish credibility in a medium where anyone can publish with an equal voice? One way is through the rhetoric you use. Webster's New World Dictionary defines rhetoric as "the art or science of using words effectively in speaking or writing." In the case of rhetoric on the WWW, I would consider organization and graphics as part of your rhetoric also. So, in essence, you give yourself credibility based on your presentation.

Aristotle defined three types of rhetoric (or rhetorical appeals): ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ethos is an appeal based on emotion. This is generally the main feeling you get from a Web site. If you go onto a site that has a dark background and pictures with Gothic architecture and bats, you might get an eerie feeling. This is the site's ethos. But how can you use this to establish credibility? By putting emotion into your presentation, you can make people feel how you want them to. If you do this well, you can draw them in and make them believe in your site and your group or company.

Pathos is an appeal based on character. One of the biggest ways to use pathos to your advantage is if you already are a big company or a well-known group. If your name means something to most people, then you already have pathos on your side. Credentials are another good way to use pathos to your advantage. If you were writing a site on contract law and you were a lawyer, you would automatically have more credibility than, say, a writer. Along the same lines, recommendations from others aid in your credibility. If you are rated one of the Top 5% Web sites by Lycos, this adds to your pathos. Lastly, one way which enhances your credibility on the Web in particular is if you have your own domain name. The domain name is that part of your email address after the @ symbol, or that part of your URL directly after the http://. If you were an experienced Web user, and you were to come across this web at www.kotmel.com rather than www.rpi.edu, then I would instantly have more credibility with you.

Logos is the last of Aristotle's three forms of rhetoric. Logos is an appeal based on logic: hard and true fact. Ethos and pathos do lend to your credibility, but, in many settings, logos is where the real burden is needed. Academia is one example of this. If you write a paper (or a web!), your name (pathos) and the ethos you create may get someone to read your paper (web), but if you don't say anything valuable or if your arguments are not valid, then your logos is bad, and your paper will quickly be forgotten. Don't count out ethos and pathos, though. In some places, such as advertising, they can be much more important than logos.

Keep in mind that the Web can be an equalizer. If your name is well-known, it may mean less on the Web. If your name is not well-known, you can make it well-known if you make a good presentation on the Web. Rhetoric and presentation are what make or break your credibility on the Web.

Which path would you like to follow?

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