I recently contracted a designer to redesign my websites and take care of some of the more technical aspects of site management that I just don’t care to figure out. It was a big decision, but it was time. After doing some research I settled on a designer I found online. My husband, who works 100% offline, was a little shocked that I would, with the click of a few on-screen buttons, transfer a substantial sum to a virtual stranger’s PayPal account.
Isn’t that a little risky?
I suppose it is. I guess someone could have gone to the trouble to create several websites, run ads, and spend a half hour on the phone with me only to make off with my deposit. However, I’d be taking just as big a risk if I’d met someone down at the local coffee shop and procured their services that way? No risk, no return.
But I’d even go so far as to say in some cases it’s less risky doing business with someone you only know online. The Internet is making the world smaller. Word gets around fast online. Treat someone unfairly or fail to deliver and your name will be quickly circulated. Just like in a small town.
It’s really interesting to me how we’re becoming more and more comfortable doing business across the virtual landscape, avatars substituting for face to face familiarity and texts taking the place of the handshake.
I’m still not ready to buy a diamond online, but I don’t trust those guys in person either.
What do you think - does doing business online require more or less trust than doing business the old fashioned way?
Image Credit: striatic, Flickr
译文:
网上做生意会要求更多的信任吗？
最近，我同意让一个设计师重新设计我的网页和管理网页经营中的较技术方面的一些事情，我并不想弄明白那些较技术方面的事情。虽然它是一个重大的决定，但是时候这样做了。在做了一些调查之后，我选定了一个我在网上找到的设计师。我的先生有点讶异于我竟会单击几个屏幕上的按纽，就把一大笔款项转移到一个完全陌生的人的收账户里。
那样会不会有点冒险呢？
我认为是有点冒险。我想，某些人在创建网页、投放广告，和我通半个小时的电话只是为了得到我的保证金等这些事情当中，可能也遇到过这样的麻烦。然而，我也会冒着同样大的风险，如果我看到某人在一个咖啡店里跌倒，但我仍然以那样的方式取得他们的服务？没有风险，就没有回报。
但是，我甚至还会说，在某些情况下，和你仅在网上认识的人做生意的风险会更小。网络正在让世界变得越来越小。消息在网上流传得很快。不公正地对待某人，或不能履行你的责任，那么很快地，你的名字将会被传播开来。速度快得就像在一个小镇里传播那样。
我们通过以虚拟景象，头像代替熟悉的面对面方式和文本取代握手的方式来做生意生是怎样使我们变得越来越舒适的，这让我很感兴趣。
我仍然不准备在网上购买钻石，但我个人也并不相信那些家伙。
你是怎样认为的呢—比起用传统的方式做生意，在网上做生意需要更多或更少的信任吗？
图像：富利克儿的工作室