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.

One of the most interesting aspects of this site is the

relationship dynamics between users.

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.

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.

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

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

8

9 Levels of Trust

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

8

“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.

LazinessDoesn’t care

Chooses not toCan’t find/understand it

(Shouldn’t be a problem if we design the website properly)

So, how do wefix this?

So, how do wegather information?

So, how do wepresent interesting

content?

So, how do weestablish 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:

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

GuruExpert

ProfessionalTeacherAmateurStudent

Authority Levels

GuruExpert

ProfessionalTeacherAmateurStudent

User can select

Authority Levels

GuruExpert

ProfessionalTeacherAmateurStudent

Requires high inherent trust,Can write peer reviews

Authority Levels

GuruExpert

ProfessionalTeacherAmateurStudent

Requires admin approval,Can post premium content

people

relationships

trust

records

information gathering

implicit

infer

directly

self-selected

self-selectedself-correcting

rewards

deserve

new users

difference

extensible

add

addremove

addremovemodify

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