Mark's CV and Clients

Let's Talk About Trust

After 20+ years in the online world, it sticks as being the single most important commodity that a community has to trade.

There are of course many different levels of trust, and we'll not discuss the cash register implications here, but rather how trust relates to an entire transaction, and focus on how it comes into play on the web.

To save time, I'll make a couple of assumptions which may or may not be 100% certain, but certain enough to hang a conversation on. Few if any customers do not understand that you are in business to make a profit. Any who don't understand this, are probably not your ideal customer.

That said, I think that the concept of true value is one that we should use as an operating principle. Here in the U.S., it's hard to visit a public bathroom without some advertising message, and most of them appeal to the lowest common denominator.

What is Online Community?

Community What Is It?

Well, this is a pretty good place to start. For the sake of conversation, let's turn to Webster's and see what they have to say:

Main Entry: comOmuOniOty
Pronunciation: k&-'my°-n&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English comunete, from Middle French comunet/, from Latin communitat-, communitas, from communis
Date: 14th century

a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

1 : a unified body of individuals: as a : STATE, COMMONWEALTH b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society e : a group linked by a common policy f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

2 : society at large

3 a : joint ownership or participation b : common character : LIKENESS c : social activity : FELLOWSHIP d : a social state or condition

Now that's a mouthful, but I think that there is value in almost every single definition that they offer. For our purposes, let's focus in on one particular point.

g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society