Trust is not something you can launch with a Web site. Just as in the off-line world, trust is built with consistency and over time. You can’t “buy” trust; you have to earn it.

Search algorithms have trust factors. For example, Google determines trustworthiness of a site by the number and quality of sites that link to a particular site. Although this isn’t the end all be all, Google uses this as just one of many ways to try and determine trust.

Why trust? Because of the reasons stated above… You can buy it; you can’t install it. You have to earn it over time. That is also why domains registered for longer and that have been online longer are trusted more.

Same goes for Social Media and Networking — which you should be involved in and if you are not yet; get your butt in gear! From being involved on trusted sites, to being trusted by site visitors who can reflect their trust by virtue of their actions, once again it is clear that trust is gold online. Build trust and you build your reputation, exposure, business, network and even friends.

Here is a great article written by one of my fav writers by Jeff Quipp, that covers the trust issue in Social Networking:

4 Pillars of Social Media Algorithms … Trust x4

Then, when you are done reading the above article, read his next article that goes into the top trusted sites:

25 of Digg’s Most Trusted Sites

Between these two articles, you’ll have a good idea of why you need a Social Media plan and where to start implementing it. I’ve been doing this from the start — over 13 years now and I have to tell you that right now is one of the most exciting periods in the Webolution. If you have an static Web site — you are simply glorified brochureware. You need interactivity components where you can reach out to visitors and they can do the same to you — and I’m not talking a contact form.

The possibilities and opportunities are endless — right now — due to all the ways you can share information and interact with like minds! Time to get Social!

At your service,
Judith

Just a quick note to everyone who commented on my Blog in the past couple of days. I think there were a handful of comments that accidentally were deleted. I figured out what was going on, ran some tests, had some friends run some tests and all seems to be working just fine. So please do feel free to comment away!

I don’t care if you agree with me or not; your comments if part of a constructive exchange of ideas will always be approved. I don’t claim to know everything, nor do I think I ever will and it is just those type of exchanges where we are exposed to other’s POVs and share our experiences that I value most.

So my humble apologies for any inconvenience — there were some great comments that were deleted and I hope that won’t happen again.

BTW, Antony was my beautiful maroon/blue Betta Splendin fishy that died overnight. I had saved him and Cleopatra (she preceded him by about 6 months) from Walmart when I saw them in those little plastic containers filled with dirty water. I only had him a little less than 3 years and could tell he wasn’t feeling well this week. I had hoped that the fishy drugs would pull him through as they had in the past — but not this time.

Bettas are beautiful fish filled with personality and I am taken aback more than I thought by his death. He was always here on my desk wigglying around in his tank and seemed to act excited by my talking to him and feeding him. He would make me smile almost on a daily basis and when on the phone with someone who may be difficult or if I was having a bad day, I would just look over at him and it seemed as though he knew and would do a little dance and flare his gills. But I’m glad his suffering is over.

So sad over a $3 fish…..

At your service,
Judith