Trusting the Internet

I was reminded of the famous 1993 New Yorker cartoon "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog" when I saw Thomas Crampton's post today. There is a dog's behind at the top of his blog page, but that wasn't the reason why. The post is headed "Chinese trust the Internet above all information sources".

Given the issues of authenticity on the Internet, this may be worrying. For those who celebrate the anarchic information flows, it's probably very good news.

Tom's piece is based on a study done by Harris Interactive for Edelman. To my mind, it has very interesting implications for publishers choosing how to enter the market: go with a Chinese partner or, as some have done, come in directly from over-seas and online? For general consumer media, there isn't too much choice. You have to go local. But, for non-controversial B2B and technology publishers, there are options.

I struggled with the jargon for a few minutes (the coffee not yet kicking in I assume). Being a PR amateur, it took me a while to work out the MSM must stand for mainstream media.