With all the flattering attention we’ve gotten due to our recent addition we’ve had all sorts of new folks check out our site. In response to our post about the kind of software we’re looking to create to bridge gaps between internet users and brand advertisers, Nicholas Judge says:

Advertisers, to be effective, need to know their customers. Customers, on the other hand, need to trust before they willingly share anything.

You need to bridge that divide. You can do it in the short term with cool. You can keep it over the long term by creating software experiences that build trust.

What are your thoughts on this?

There are many dimensions to this question, but I’ll start with the most basic. My assumption is that advertisers will always ask for the world when it comes to understanding their audience. That said, I know that ultimately brand advertisers recognize the need for authenticity in their message. And customers don’t think you’re sincere when you’re not straight with them.

As I’m sure you well know, there are already guidelines, policies, and verifying entities out there to make sure you’re transparent and consistent in terms of your privacy practices. We’ll participate in those appropriately. I took the question to be more about a design philosophy, so I’ll answer in terms of the spirit with which we approach creating software experiences that engender trust:

• Be transparent about any sponsor involvement in the experience and the nature of that involvement. No matter how good the experience is, if the user finds out in some way other than straight from you and in an up front fashion they will feel cheated. And the funny thing is, if the information is presented up front and in a straightforward fashion it will likely take away nothing (or almost nothing) from the experience. Likely it will only enhance their perception of the sponsor (which is the goal after all).
• Treat user data respectufully. (Of course there’s a whole lot that goes into this, but that’s for another post.) Just because they put that data in your service doesn’t mean it’s not still theirs.
• Be forthright about changes to the experience before they happen, and explain why they’re happening. Trust is not just about knowing your data is safe, and who is paying for your experience. It’s also having a comfort level that the experience can be relied on. Change, even change for the better can be unsettling. Popular services have trouble making changes sometimes because their users have fallen in love with the current version. (Let this be our biggest problem. :) ) But being straightforward about the reasoning behind change, and proceeding with it carefully and responsibly will ultimately win the day.
• When it comes to problems, the best policy is to admit, apologize, rectify, and make sure it won’t happen again. Doing all this in the most transparent way possible is critical. Mistakes will happen. Nothing can stop that. In fact, some of the “changes for the better” referenced in the previous bullet may in retrospect end up being mistakes you need to address with your customers.
• Creating a relationship of authenticity and trust with customers also extends to the emotional realm. This means, that the messaging around what the product does should be consistent with what the product experience actually is. Ever notice when at the last minute film studios try to pitch a movie of one genre as another because it didn’t test well with audiences who had the original expectation? The whole thing just makes you feel like these guys will say or do anything to get you in the seat and feel no shame about wasting your time. Having a consistent message in every single interaction with the user is critical. Consistency (in behavior and messaging, vs. icons and buttons though they can help too) makes people comfortable enough to trust and share.

While it’s by no means complete, this list is a good start, and certainly captures some of the high level principles that we think are key in terms of creating an experience that can be trusted. What are your experiences?