I spend a lot of time checking out the newest web services. Microblogging? Let me at it. Video plugins for blogging software? Yes please. A new way to aggregate multiple RSS feeds? Clear my calendar. In spending much of my time hunting for the new, the cool, and the interesting, I notice patterns. And one of the recurring question I come to whenever I sign up for a new beta is “Do I trust them?”

Whenever I’m about to fill out yet another profile I ask:

1. Do I trust that the information I provide will be safe?
2. Do I trust that what I give up will be less painful than what I receive in return?
3. Do I trust that the time I spend with the service will be rewarded with an adequate benefit? Or will this thing shut down in two months? If so, will all my efforts be in vain?

Trust Factors

So, what makes me answer “yes” to the above questions? I’m glad you asked. I see the entire “do I trust this?” process as a gigantic case statement in my mind. Lots of “If, then” statements. A few of the factors involved:

1. Familiarity- Have I heard of this thing before? Have I heard of the company behind it?
2. Prior Experience- Have I used a similar service?
3. Social Reputation- What do people I know say about it? How about people I see as experts?
4. Benefit Ratio (Cost)- Will the benefit I receive outweigh my costs, whether in terms of dollars, time or effort?
5. Sustainability- Will this thing be around in a month? If it is, will I still be using it?
6. Instinct- How does it make me feel?

A great example is a new google service. Let’s pretend that google just announced a service that combines microblogging, IM, and it’s completely open. Like twitter, you can send short updates, but you can create groups, do real-time IM messaging, etc., and you can plug your profile into any site you want (facebook, twitter, etc.). Going down the list I think:

Yup, I’m very familiar with google. I have had a great experience with their products in the past. I’ve used similar services, but they don’t exactly do what the new google product says it can do. I’m likely to have learned about the service from tech blogs, so I’m sure I’d have read reviews. I then wonder “can I import my contacts from the other services I use?” Or will I have to start over and build a new network? Since it’s made by google, it’s likely to be around for a while, so it sounds sustainable. And if it is made by google, I feed good about it. They’ve always came through on the promises they’ve made in the past.

But what about new companies? The vast majority of startups out there are not google (I’d say 100%), so how do I trust a company that’s brand new? When numbers 1-5 are stripped away, I’m left with one thing: instinct. And to be perfectly honest, that’s usually the deciding factor.

Want To Be Trusted? Prove It.

When you’re a new company there’s only one way to develop trust: prove that you’re worthy. All the promises in the world will not make people believe you. So how are new companies doing this?

I’ve started to notice a pattern. I’ve been seeing a cool-looking little banner on the sites I visit, and that banner is from GetSatisfaction. What’s that?

Get Satisfaction is a community that helps people to get the most from the products they use, and where companies are encouraged to get real with their customers.

The site is a vast user-to-user support system allowing people to share their suggestions, problems, and ideas around the products and services they love. And when a company sets up a GetSatisfaction profile they’re really making a statement. They’re saying “We don’t just listen and send canned responses. We’re so open and transparent that we’re actually excited about having a discussion about us….the good and the bad…..in front of the world. In other words, we are committed to accountability.”

Now that’s something.