"We often look at blogs, web sites, etc. and pass judgment about them as outsiders, not as members of their specific communities. While there may be aspects of a blog, for example, that we can judge, as an outsider we cannot judge the blogs authority. We need to turn to members of the community in order to discern that.... If members of the community see that site as being important, then it is.

Authority does not mean that others don't disagree with the information or that it doesn't carry can authoritative voice in other circles. It means that within that community the site/blog/? is considered an authority.

Trust -- The community also judges whether the blog/site can be trusted. Notice that trust is different than authority. Yes, these qualities can and do function independently of each other. What we want are blogs and web site that are seen by their communities as being authoritative and trustworthy. We want to know that we can rely on the information.

While you may not be a blogger, you need to be aware that whatever you do online is being judged by your community - those people who have the same subject area expertise, same point of view, etc. Are your efforts being seen as authoritative? Can people trust your efforts? If not, what do you need to change?"