Trust and Authority System Or, a deeper look at inter-personal relationships

One of the most interesting aspects of this site is the relationship dynamics between users.

Computer scientists are skilled at interacting with other people. Computer scientists are skilled at interacting with other people.

Wait a second…

One of the most interesting aspects of this site is the relationship dynamics between users. Computer scientists are skilled terrible at interacting with other people. Computer scientists are skilled terrible at interacting with other people.

So how are we supposed to be able to design a system that we have trouble understanding in the first place?

Our suggestion: So how are we supposed to be able to design a system that we have trouble understanding in the first place?

Our suggestion: So how are we supposed to be able to design a system that we have trouble understanding in the first place? Hire a psychologist.

Our suggestion: So how are we supposed to be able to design a system that we have trouble understanding in the first place? Hire a psychologist. But since this probably isn’t the solution you were looking for…

Our first priority is to design the system such that it is flexible, and can be changed once real users start providing real data.

Especially since a team full of psychologists probably wouldn’t get it right the first time either…

1. TRUST

Two forms of trust What the user sees What the system calculates

Two forms of trust What the user sees “I trust the user this much.” What the system calculates “We think you might be interested in this user.”

9 Levels of Trust

“I don’t know whether or not to trust this user.” Default Value “I don’t know whether or not to trust this user.” Default Value “I would trust this user with my life.” “I don’t trust this user one bit.” “I trust this user.”

9 Levels of Trust Simple to the user More levels of trust than distrust Most values between 2 and 6, so these are close while ends are further apart

9 Levels of Trust Besides giving us information, Allows the user to organize his own information as well

Not all people will utilize this system.

Not all people will utilize this system. Laziness Doesn’t care Chooses not to Can’t find/understand it (Shouldn’t be a problem if we design the website properly)

So, how do we fix this?

So, how do we gather information?

So, how do we present interesting content?

So, how do we establish relationships between people?

2. IMPLICIT TRUST

If a user doesn’t tell us how much he trusts someone, we have to guess for him.

Page views

Good (or bad) ratings

Comments and other interaction

Calculate and apply small deviations to the current trust level Use this value in all calculations, such as search results This value is never shown to the user!

Addresses not only those who never set trust levels, but also: Trust levels that haven’t been updated in a while Trust levels that are inconsistent with other information

3. AUTHORITY

Ideally, users would have an amount of inherent trust. Because this is how it works in real life.

Someone has inherent trust because: A lot of people trust him He is in a position to be trusted

Someone has inherent trust because: A lot of people trust him He is in a position to be trusted This is where authority comes in.

A self-selected, self-correcting, system An author, when posting content in an area, is prompted to indicate his own level of authority There’s an incentive to tell the truth: If you lie, people will distrust you!

A self-selected, self-correcting, system If a user is not trusted enough to support his authority, he may be dropped down a rank If the user is trusted by a number of people, it may suggest that the user move up a rank This is affected by trust, ratings, views, and possibly peer reviews (more on this in a moment)

Elitism A system of our nature will create strong relationships, and high quality authors will emerge from the start Newer users will have a tough time breaking into this network, however By allowing a user to designate an appropriate authority level, he can be found early on

Perks:

Influence

Perks: Higher search results

Perks: $$$$$

Management by Admin Always better to have more eyes (and control) Can’t guarantee people will use trust and rating systems Might want to require Admin approval for highest levels of authority

Also, Peer Reviews High-authority users can review other authors’ content, and suggest a higher (or lower) authority Reviews should be well-written, high quality feedback provided by a reputable source A quick way to move up through the ranks

Authority Levels Guru Expert Professional Teacher Amateur Student

Authority Levels Guru Expert Professional Teacher Amateur Student User can select

Authority Levels Guru Expert Professional Teacher Amateur Student Requires high inherent trust, Can write peer reviews

Authority Levels Guru Expert Professional Teacher Amateur Student Requires admin approval, Can post premium content

people

relationships

trust

records

information gathering

implicit

infer

directly

self-selected

self-correcting

rewards

deserve

new users

difference

extensible

add

remove

add remove modify

adapt

interaction

dynamic

Summary A network of people, who form relationships and indicate how much they trust each other, both for their own records and for our information gathering. Trust A system of implicit trust, that is able to infer relationships that aren't directly stated, using other information that is collected. Implicit Trust A self-selected, auto-correcting authority system, that rewards the users that deserve it, and allows new users to make a difference. Authority A system that is extensible, with the ability to add, remove, and modify the types and ranges of values of relationships, that adapts to new forms of interaction between people, and is as dynamic as the relationships it serves to represent. Extensibility