[ed298] My Web2.0 Diary, part 3 of 5

Chinapod is helping me study for my final exam in my Chinese class. Besides the good content, I'm noticing a subtle reference in some of the shows to attractivesness and beauty. I find it odd that you would need to drop these cues on a virtual community. Is it still so important that we need some idea of whether to "like" or "trust" or "esteem" someone based on their appearance. I think it would be an interesting experiment to track whether people listen to the podcast beause the announcer flirts with his host? I wonder if you can gain authority in community by making yourself seem attractive. The "Do I look good in this?" podcast had a large number of comments 39, the highest on the page.