Trust comes in many different forms, but one thing remains true for much of what we trust: we tend to trust family and friends more than anything else.  I want to focus in on trust as it relates to the products and services we buy.  Who can you trust?

According to this survey, we trust Word of Mouth (WOM) and Consumer Opinions posted online, but it’s even better if we know the person posting online. What about the times we do not have this level of connection; how do we know if we can trust what we hear, see, and read?

The FTC is implementing new rules that should have an impact on the trust we put in advertising that uses endorsements and testimonials.  You can read more on the FTC website, but their opening remark is this: “The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act”. Here is the link if you want to read more.

Trust is not easily earned outside of your family.  It can take years of knowing someone before we really trust them.  But is there a way to fast-forward that trust?  Usually we will give a level of trust to someone, if we know that they are trusted by someone we already trust.

This is a key concept in the way we’re building MyClicknation.  We want you to feel comfortable in trusting us and referring us to others. The initial members of MyClicknation are friends and family of the team that is starting the company.  When you learn about us, you’ll most likely be hearing it from someone who has already joined the company or directly from a member of our management team. I am hopeful that those who follow this blog (and our company blog) will feel that they already know us in some way.

If you read about this history of MyClicknation through the blog and look into the background of the management and advisory team, you will find that we are trustworthy individuals.  Each of us has proved in the business world and in our personal life to be trustworthy.  Our company is built on a foundation of trust and openness.

The single most important reason you should join MyClicknation is this:  Your personal information is bought and sold almost daily.  You have no control of the information, its use or the money that is made from it.  This will not change unless you choose to do something about it.   Our personal information is part of an 11 billion dollar a year industry.  $11,000,000,000. That’s a lot of zeros!   You should have some control; you should get your fair share of the money your information generates.  That’s it in a nutshell.

I want you to trust us, so I’ll be honest with you.  We need you and millions like you.  The bigger our membership, the louder our voice.  The louder our voice, the bigger the difference we can make.  The gathering, buying and selling of your information will continue, but we will begin to make a difference.  We will have a voice.  It’s really in your hands to determine how important our voice will be.  One of the ways we will help you gain control is to offer you a voice in determining exactly what companies market to you. We will help you tell those companies that it doesn’t matter if they’ve bought your information, you want them to leave you alone!  We believe most marketers will abide by your desires. If they don’t, we will help you.  This is another reason for our members to help us grow.  If we can get enough people, we will be a force that can not be ignored!

We know we must earn your trust. If you will give us a chance, we will prove ourselves to you.  You can think of us as your agent; we represent you.  We will do all we can to help you control and benefit from the use of your personal information.

We wish you and yours a happy holiday season.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly:  doug@myclicknation.com