Nearly four years ago, I was a guest blogger for We Media. I was given a topic to discuss, and the post was about trust. I reread this yesterday and realized if I substitute “twitter”  or “social media” for “blog”, my commentary would still be the same.

This week’s theme of trust is significant because I think trust is what drives people to read blogs. They trust the author.

What is trust?
Trust is acceptance. You accept what the blogger has posted. I read blogs that I trust.

Why do you trust someone (or some thing)?
I think trust comes from experience. Whether it is trust in a brand, a blog or a president. We trust because a set of experiences have been positive. The more frequency of positive experiences, the stronger the trust.

How does trust spread?
Trust is spread by testimony. Testimony is stronger than “word of mouth.” When people say “he/she/it is cool,” they are giving testimony that they trust the entity.

And does it matter?
Trust matters. Integrity matters. The contract of trust and its reciprocal partner integrity is important. Without one or the other, there is no consideration. There is no need to read the blog.