Why do so many interesting pages have no owner? There are countless articles on the web that have left the reader wondering: "Who wrote this? What is their background?
Sometimes, the only available link is author’s email, which doesn't say anything about them. Sure, contact info is often a good part of the biography, but it should not be the primary or only piece of data about the author.
Different article layouts can be:
- Articles with a column and no authors listed - Very Bad
- Articles with authors but no link to their biographies - Bad
- Articles with authors but only a "mailto:" link for direct email - Average
- Articles with an acknowledgements section and a link to the biographies - Good
Users often want to know the people behind information. Biographies and photographs of the authors help make the web a less impersonal place and increase trust. Personality and point-of-view always win over anonymity.
So every web page or document should have an owner and include a link with more information about the author.
