Trust+Online

Overview
People read blogs because they can be informative, funny, opinionated, etc. They are looking to join a community of people who are interested in discussing the same thing they are interested in. The question is, why do these people trust what they are reading? Why do they join a discussion, or read a discussion, and trust what is being said. In an online environment, such as a blog, there is no face-to-face communication. This makes how we trust people different from how we trust people offline. Offline, we can use our instincts and other factors to decide whether or not to trust a person. Online, there is only a name, or a screenname even, and what that person has written. What makes people feel like they can trust what people are saying online, and what helps them decide to trust people online is a combination of things. They look at what is being said and what they are reading, any possible background of the person writing, and they are skeptical.

Individuals who participate in online blogs are most likely interested in the topic being covered. They are visiting that specific online environment to discuss their opinion and converse with others. This makes people assume that most people participating are truly interested in adding to the conversation. The exception to this would be trolls. However, trolls are often easy to spot, and are usually dealt with appropriately. Therefore, one thing that helps individuals to gain trust on an online environment is looking at what is being said by the participants. If someone is rambling on about something that does not connect to the discussion, then that is a clue that they may not be very trustworthy. What people say online is a very important aspect to making people trust them.

A second thing that people look for when deciding if they should trust what is said in a blog, is background information. Usually the author of the blog will give a background about him or herself that talks about why they are writing the blog, and any experience that they’ve had with the topic. This helps to gain an understanding of the author and who that person really is. Looking at the backgrounds and profiles, if available, of the other participants in the blog can also be helpful to determining whether or not what they say should be trusted. Backgrounds and profiles of individuals participating in the online environment help people connect, even though they cannot see each other.

A final key to trusting people online is to be skeptical. People may trust people quickly, but they it is not the type of trust we develop with face-to-face connections. Individuals may choose to trust what someone is saying based on their own prior knowledge, or what they have found about the that person. However, people are careful about what they trust. Knowing that it is an online community automatically means not being able to fully trust what anyone says, since it is possible to say anything.

Online environments, such as blogs, are places where many people come together to discuss different topics. Whether or not people should trust what they read involves being aware of what it means to be in an online environment. It means that people have to use other sources than they would use in face-to-face conversation, in order to trust others.

**History**
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**Opinion**
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**Future Trends?**
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