On the internet, nobody knows you're an expert.

It's probably one of the most quoted statements about the internet. I've already quoted it twice in these pages (here, and here), but until now haven't credited the source. It dates back to 1993 (July 5, to be exact), which by internet standards is rather ancient, but it still holds true. The cartoon is from The New Yorker, and though ordinarily I don't have many qualms about reprinting a cartoon here, when the New Yorker web site tells me that they want $19.95 for their permission for me to use it in a presentation (and $29.95 for a T-shirt), I think it's a bit more prudent to simply link to it, or take my chances and leave it where it is, but still display it. The idea can, after all, be conveyed by a simple description:

Two dogs are sitting in front of a computer, and one explains to the other: "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog".

Which suggests that you might as well tell the truth - nobody is going to believe you anyway. But that's a whole different topic.

Go to: One more time: in cyberspace ..., or
Go to: Too Common Knowledge.