From the Editor:

As a reminder of just how irrational we really are, this week we return to a favourite topic of mine: persuasive web design. Once again, we've got six simple tricks that you can use to tip the odds in your favour when designing for the web including: using images of people, shaping trust, creating commitment, and more.

And this month, back by popular demand, we're putting on another round of (Really) Understanding Google Analytics. This two day course taking place July 21st and 23rd takes an in-depth look at Google Analytics, teaching you how to assure your data's reliability, and find meaningful information about your visitors.

Using Images of Common People

Using images of real people, as opposed to models, can help minor retailers build trust with their audience. However, there are a couple of exceptions...

Three Levels of Trust

While studying health websites, Elizabeth Sillence suggested that there are three levels of trust: first impressions, careful evaluation, and long term. What do these mean for ecommerce sites?

Over-Estimation of Big, Unlikely Events

People tend to overestimate the likelihood of big but extremely unlikely events, such as lotteries or insurable accidents. Your customers will pay more for the most unlikely things.

Fostering Commitment Via Written Public Statements

Once people have put something in writing they find it difficult to . If you want to extend customer lifetime value, why not try getting them to write something positive about you, including produce reviews, posts in discussion forums, etc.

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance can play a huge role in easing relationships. How could this be used to make your website more persuasive? Michael isn't going to tell you, but it isn't hard to figure it out.

From the Net:
Crossing the Red Line

We will not cross the red line. You don't even need a rope, just a line. People will stay outside of it, thinking that they should not cross. In this post from Ittybiz.com, Chris Anthony explains how the Red Line is more than just a line on the floor, its a mental and social construct that transcends any actual line. We create red lines throughout our lives, borders that we don't cross because we feel we shouldn't, even if there's no reason for us not to. But most of the time, nothing bad will happen if we cross the red line...