Food for thought

[CMcG]

In the academic world, a person considered an expert would usually have earned a doctorate from an established university and publish in peer reviewed journals. To receive a PhD they have to perform original research that gets vetted by people who already have a doctorate to ensure that it meets the standards of their discipline. Journal articles are reviewed anonymously by researchers/professors in the same field to ensure that they are up to snuff, original, and showing expertise in the topic area.

On Xmarks, it is a rather different story.

Some people demonstrate their expertise by sharing photos of themselves or of other kilt wearers. Other people prefer to use a 1000 words in place of a picture.

Not everybody chooses to divulge their off-line identity, so sometimes we only know of their expertise through their active, sustained presence on the forum. Some members give their real names and are also active in the area of Highland attire outside of Xmarks: retailers, kilt-makers, authors, etc.

We are also lucky to have a few people who have deep family traditions of kilt-wearing, whether they live in Scotland or abroad, so they bring not only their own opinions, but also the experience of previous generations. We are lucky to have people who have been wearing the kilt their whole lives despite not having a family kilt tradition and even people who wear the kilt so often -- despite starting to wear the kilt later in life, that they have developed a lot of experience in a short amount of time.

Apparently on a forum like Xmarks, expertise can be defined a bit more broadly than in the academic world