I have started using the term estantiate. It’s a made up word, my own personal derivative of instantiate:
instantiate (v) – To represent (an abstract concept) by a concrete or tangible example.
This my observed phenomenon in the blogosphere of validating a fact, concept, or other trend via hyperlink:
estantiate (v) – To validate a concept, idea, or fact by hyperlinking to a source on the internet.
It’s funny how much credibility bloggers have. They can come up with a theory and link to a couple sources and their idea instantly become validated. In this study from Chu and Kamal they document how likely people were to believe a blogger. It’s a good read on what factors seem to influence blogger credibility.
