Liane - 5:22 am on Jun 18, 2006 (gmt 0)

I would dispute that quality or authority are things you can "just know." Sometimes that happens, especially if you yourself are knowledgeable in the subject, but sometimes it takes a while to get past first impressions to discern what's really good or not-so-good about a site.

True ... to a degree. But there are times when after really delving into a site or topic, one can be reasonably confident that the information provided was top notch!

It's often easier to spot fakes and wannabe's than it is to discern true authority.

Very true! If it were easy to spot authority, my site would be number one for everything to do with my topic(s)! :)