what is the first, most important element that you need to have before you even begin to think about building a community? the answer is undoubtedly trust. without trust, platform owners cannot get community members to participate, content producers can’t create audiences (and have the community members share their content), and community members will have no desire to socialize if there is a lack of trust. without trust there is no participation, no contribution, and no collaboration.
that said, it is also one of the easiest things to acquire. human beings are by nature social beings, and social interactions are impossible to maintain without the existence of trust. we realize the potential benefits of trusting others, but even more important, we recognize the benefits of being trustworthy ourselves. as a community, we also know that there are punishments for betraying someone’s trust, and likewise if someone betrays ours. but as much as our social interactions are dependent on trust, building confidence and trust are equally dependent on social interactions, namely maintaining long-term relationships rather than one-off encounters.
(for more discussion, check out what james surowiecki has to say in his book the wisdom of crowds.)
take, for example, a blog, or a social news site. if you know that your interaction with your audience was going to be a one-time occurrence, you might be very tempted to use a bait-and-switch strategy. however, when you know that you are going to have repeat interactions with the same people (assuming you plan on being a part of the blogging or social news community), you are much more likely to be a trustworthy citizen.
rather than starting as skeptics, the social web starts by assuming that everyone is trustworthy and testing that assessment as the relationship progresses. so in essence, the problem is not even getting someone to trust you, rather it is maintaining trust. so how do we do that?
- don’t build to sell: the biggest mistake most people make is that they build/write/participate to turn a profit. while you obviously cannot blame anyone for wanting to make a living, you have to tread lightly between selling your product and letting the product sell itself. don’t create an identity purely for monetary gain. the relationships you build, the branding you get from personal interactions, and what you learn just from your conversations with others are gains that shouldn’t be overlooked.
- be a humanoid: while you should take care in determining what information you are comfortable divulging, make sure that you are yourself. it’s difficult for the average person to imagine why someone would want to be anonymous if they don’t have something to hide. you can create this additional confidence by creating about pages, using your real name, geographical location, pictures, and so on.
- take the next step: while continuing the conversation with people on your blog, or with your friends on a site, is a great idea, take it one step further. continue the conversation via email, instant messenger, or even telephone. even better, if you get the chance, go out for coffee, or collaborate on a post or on your next project.
- reciprocate: you should give at least as much as you get; to your readers, community members, other people in your space. the social web is not a zero-sum game. everyone learns from everyone else, and ultimately the experience is better for the entire community.
these are the four simplest things that i base my interactions on, and use to evaluate with whom i will have continued interactions. you probably have other checks (if so, please let me know). your value and standing in a community is determined not only by your integrity, but also by how much you give to the community, and you will be fairly rewarded for your efforts. don’t think in terms of just yourself and your community, but think of your community as a part of the larger ‘social web community’.
this post is a part of my journey through james surowiecki’s the wisdom of crowds.
Technorati Tags: trust, social web, blogging, social news, participation, james surowiecki, the wisdom of crowds
You nailed it.
One thing that you need to be careful of is who your friends are. As more people move to the social sites, who your friends are and what they are posting or linking to is almost just as important as what you do.
Jennifer Laycock wrote about this at http://www.searchengineguide.com/jennifer-laycock/are-your-social-networking-connections-h.php
Hi Muhammad
I would add that if you do not have that much time for social media then make sure that you spend that time wisely.
Also, cultivate lasting relationships by [always] giving more than you are asked for.
Kind regards,
Mark
Great post! The wisdom of crowd is a great book for someone looking to make a name both offline and online.
I have written about trust earlier, and I too considered it the most important value online, from the marketers/business/site owners perspective.
I’d think that to build trust, you need to resemble the real life version of you. You need to be seen as vividly as you are in real life, and that means making plenty of real life stuff visible online.
I think consistency is a better word than trust as far as group interaction. An audience comes to expect what has come before. People generally don’t like change. Look what is happening at this moment with Digg for an example relevant here. I just think people get used to something, not necessarily trusting it, just accustomed to it. Any break in that consistency is called a breach of trust.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think the content or whatever is the actual creative effort underlying any hype, image, or promotion eventually speaks for itself and audiences will respond. Consistency, or maintaining trust, just makes it easier for people to palate.
That said, following through and being genuine about connecting to people is vital. It’s the point of the Internet in the first place. Feedback is what it’s all about, building relationships. So thanks for your take on this, Muhammad.
Peace.