Can I Trust You?

A lot has been written about lately about trust. Chris Brogan’s post about buying a car off the internet was essentially about: TRUST.  I’ve read 3 posts just this week about trust.  Is it me or is it odd that after 15 years of this “www” thing and nearly a legitimate decade into the social media era, (remember virtual communities?), we are still talking about building trust?  Maybe it’s a general human response to fall into one of two camps: trusting vs. skeptical and admittedly, I lean toward the trusting camp.  Yes, I’ve been burned a few times, but I find it goes a long way in building relationships to assume the best until proven otherwise.

I often talk about being authentic or “having a soul”.  I don’t mean that cliched form of authenticity, but a genuineness that comes from the soul and being truly human.  Last time I checked most companies were still made up largely of human beings.  If this is true, then why do so many businesses find it difficult to engage their customers, clients, partners or whatever label they might prescribe to in meaningful ways online?  Having been a part of some of those businesses I would say the single biggest factor is fear.  Fear of saying something stupid, damaging or can we say even illegal or in violation of some industry or government regulation.

At some point we must all drop our fear and our proverbial guard in order to trust one another.  When we do this great things happen, businesses grow, new markets are developed, products are improved and countless many other things.

So, can I trust you? You can trust me.  I promise.