Commenting on the Parliamentary debate about the content of a blogger’s posting, SMU Academic Director of Executive Development and social media expert Michael Netzley said that this is a sign of the increased influence of bloggers. He added that as most bloggers are amateurs and lack professional training, it is tough for them to verify their own content before getting it published. Despite this, Dr Netzley advised that bloggers exercise judgment and think critically about the information that they receive before posting them up, or they might risk losing credibility.