website credibility, trust & behavioural change
10:00, 15 June 2009
.. Posted in Communication, Outreach and General Mngmt.. Link
My good friend Brian Cugelman has recently published his latest journal paper on website credibility, trust and behavioural change. The paper is called "The Dimensions of Web Site Credibility and Their Relation to Active Trust and Behavioural Impact", and it's co-written with Mike Thelwall and Phil Dawes. The abstract says:
This paper discusses two trends that threaten to undermine the effectiveness of online social marketing interventions: growing mistrust and competition. As a solution, this paper examines the relationships between Web site credibility, target audiences’ active trust and behaviour. Using structural equation modelling to evaluate two credibility models, this study concludes that Web site credibility is best considered a three-dimensional construct composed of expertise, trustworthiness and visual appeal, and that trust plays a partial mediating role between Web site credibility and behavioural impacts. The paper examines theoretical implications of conceptualizing Web sites according to a human credibility model, and factoring trust into Internet-based behavioural change interventions. Practical guidelines suggest ways to address these findings when planning online social marketing interventions.The keywords used to describe the paper are: Web site credibility, trust, behaviour, social marketing, advocacy, social exchange, Internet, online, Web, persuasion, and captology (interactive technologies that motivate and influence users).
Credibility in online activities is something every nonprofit organization/mission-based organization needs to be acutely aware of. In my opinion, NO online activity by a nonprofit organization, whether its sending out an email newsletter or hosting an online discussion group or presenting live online video presentations or blogging or whatever, will be sustainable and successful over the long-term without building credibility and trust among its audiences and intended participants. It's another example of a human element that's absolutely fundamental to tech use success.
And a reminder: if you ever have been a volunteer, OR if you have worked with volunteers in *any* capacity -- side-by-side or as a manager/primary staff contact -- I invite you to complete this survey regarding the use of online tools to support volunteers, to help me in my efforts to revise the Virtual Volunteering Guidebook.
