Trust in online communities

Since the beginning of time I have always been told that the most important thing in the world is trust. I still believe this is true whether it be personal or professional relationships. When you enter into a personal relationship the other person is trusting you to be a partner. When you enter a professional relationship the employer is trusting you to do your job.
In online communities it is vital to instill trust in participants so that people are willing to participate. If you are comfortable in your network you will be able to fully engage in the community. This is why social media tools like Facebook and Twitter are wildly successful. You build your networks yourself so you are more likely to be comfortable with those you interact with. This is trust 101. The friend model or follow model of the sites allows you to be more comfortable with people in these communities. If you are thinking about building your own network you should make sure that people have a sense of trust to participate in your network. We are all scared of starting something new. This causes hesitation that makes us overthink how we will be viewed by others. If we can take away that hesitation then we can see collaboration and community flourish on Web 2.0 tools.
Have you ever felt hesitation when joining a community? How did you get over that fear? Share thoughts and ideas below!! Have a great week!

Comments

  1. V DiwanjiJuly 28, 2018 at 8:13 AM

    Wonderful post! A key ingredient for successful knowledge sharing is trust. This trust amounts to the extent to which the community is a valid source of knowledge and that the community is also a safe and reliable place for interaction. Furthermore, trust within a CoP involves the extent to which individuals rely on the community for knowledge. For a community to risk the creative dynamics of individual expression they must overcome shadow issues to achieve mutual trust and shared meaning. I read a very interesting article on Michelle's blog about Fake News on social media, which goes in line with whether or not to trust the information you receive on social media, both from inside and outside of your network. Do read: https://mfuto64.wixsite.com/michellefuto/single-post/2018/07/27/Who-to-trust-in-a-Web-20-world

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  2. UnknownJuly 29, 2018 at 8:41 AM

    Yes...I have definitely hesitated because I don't know the other people and what associated posts I might get by friending them. This happened to me on LinkedIn...I accepted a connection with someone I actually knew in person and started getting political posts she had recommended which were offensive. I had to quietly disconnect.

    Take a look at trust through a cultural lens on this website...the way we as Americans build trust is quite different from the way different cultures do it. Here's a test to see where you stand: http://www.erinmeyer.com/self-assessment-questionnaire/?oldlink
    You can also read about the trust component on the website.

    There's also a great TED talk on the subject: https://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_currency_of_the_new_economy_is_trust

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