When I saw the topic ’’Trusted Circle’’, first thing came to my mind is ’’What is Trust?’’ and ’’Why we Trust?’’ Following four definitions which I found from www.changingminds.org will answer all those question. Not only that, they are very well suited for this topic, and you are smart enough to follow what I am trying to say.

Definition 1: Trust means being able to predict what other people will do and what situations will occur. If we can surround ourselves with people we trust, then we can create a safe present and an even better future.

Definition 2: Trust means making an exchange with someone when you do not have full knowledge about them, their intent and the things they are offering to you.

Definition 3: Trust means giving something now with an expectation that it will be repaid, possibly in some unspecified way at some unspecified time in the future.

Definition 4: Trust means enabling other people to take advantage of your vulnerabilities - but expecting that they will not do this.

When I choose somebody as a person I trust, it means that I trust his/her views and opinion to a great extent. This is important when somebody reads one’s profile and finds out other names in the trust list, he/she can figure out who else has similar views or ideas on broad sense. I know no two people are same and will completely agree on everything, every time, but that does not mean that you can?t trust that person. Its just that you should open up your thinking to understand that person’s view point.

I suggest don’t just pick the person in your trust list because you read one good review from that person, but instead try to find out how that person views each and every product, how much critical he/she is about something, how he/she reacts on certain topics. This you can achieve by reading few reviews by that person, his/her comments on other reviews and his interests.

I personally don’t hide my trust and distrust list, reason being I want people who read my profile to know with whom I share some basic views on various topics and products. This helps specially new members joining MS and will provide them with a background to start reading the reviews of similar minded people.

I generally don’t put anybody in my distrust list, until unless that member has drastic different view point than mine or he/she cheats on writing reviews or just copies it from other sites. MS is a site where people write reviews with open mind and open heart and if somebody does not respect that, that person will be in my distrust list.

Another point I would like to make is when we add any person to trust list, that does not mean that we have to always give that person HR for all the review he/she writes. If you differ from the view point, lack of information provided, unacceptable style etc. then go ahead and give NR and justify your view point in Comments. If somebody gives me NR, I am not going to give that person NR just for Tit for Tat, but I will do so, if I differ from that person’s view point DRASTICALLY or that article is not appropriate to that topic.

Last but not the least I would say, choose wisely and act responsibly when it comes in trusting people and rating the reviews.

Keep writing friends..

-Rahul