While doing some initial research for a forthcoming book on using blogs in market research, I’ve noticed that, not surprisingly, the issue of trust (and whether to trust) what bloggers do and say is at the forefront of any discussion when it comes to relying on bloggers’ postings for any kind of important decision.

It seems that the matter of whether to trust blogs, or even whether or not to trust a particular blogger (even if a well known and trusted one) is not the best question. What is important to discuss, though, is a timeless issue for journalists, historians, academics, and researchers of all types. And that is simply: verification. How does one go about the process of verifying a statement, claim, data, etc made by another person?

I have some favorite old time sources here. One is a classic book, titled The Modern Researcher by scholar Jacques Barzun and co-authored by Henry J. Graff, which has a traditional approach to verifying information and devote entire chapters to the art of verification.

I’m thinking that it’s time to both go back to the basics on what it means to have the skill and knowledge to verify claims; and to update and apply those traditional techniques to some of the newer, specific concerns that new digital interactive technologies have brought about, which include but also go beyond blogs.

I’ll be posting a few here and would be very happy to get others’ contributions here as well.