Frequently Asked Questions

About Trust/Risk

1. What is Trust/Risk?
Trust Risk is a Web site that allows users to share resources (experiences, expertise, or money) with one another online. This means asking for helping or receiving help. The more you give to others, the more you can ask for yourself.

2. Who is behind Trust Risk?
Trust Risk is the idea of Eryk Salvaggio, a University of Maine new media and journalism student. It grew out of a similar, but different, community on Reddit.com created by anonymous users.

3. Who invited me to Trust Risk?
If you got an invitation, it’s from someone who knows and trusts you. Maybe they’ll tell you, maybe they won’t. We don’t share that information, and we won’t share your information, either.

4. Why should I trust you?
This is for you to decide. We create the network to grow organically: Everyone who is here was invited by someone who was trusted by someone else. You were invited by someone who trusts you. We hope that, when you are ready to invite someone, you weigh the decision carefully to preserve the integrity of our network.

5. How do I know people who want money aren’t lying?
You don’t. And we encourage you to use your best judgment. But we also encourage you to trust that people on the site are just like you. They might even be people you know.

6. I think this is a scam.
That’s OK. If you don’t trust us, you don’t have to participate. But we’d like to know why. If there’s a user who you think is abusing the site, or if you just aren’t comfortable, send us an e-mail. We’ll remove all of your information from the site.

7. What kind of information do you keep about me?
We know your e-mail address. The people who run the site (a staff of two) can see
- what you’ve posted to the site
- which posts you have given money to
- who you have invited to the site (e-mail only)
- your karma points

How the site works
1. What is Karma?
Karma is a number that rises when you contribute to the community. It determines how much you can ask from the community in return.
When your karma hits certain levels, you can access additional features of the site, such as the option to invite new users, or to show up on the Trust Fall side of the home page.

2. What is the difference between the “Trust Fall” and the “Free Fall?”
The “Trust Fall” is people who have higher karma, or who are making financial requests reasonable to what they have given to the community in the past.

In other words, if you have donated money to other users before, and you’re requesting an amount lower than you have given, you will be in the “Trust Fall”.

The “Free Fall” is for people who are new to the site, haven’t donated money, or who are asking for help that is disproportionate to what they’ve contributed in the past.

3. What are the numbers and arrows above each comment?
The number shows how many people thought your comment was insightful or thoughtful, which is directly factored into your karma.

The arrow is how people vote. You can use it to vote on other comments.

Be careful, though: If you leave a comment that is abusive, people will vote you down, and you will lose karma.

How can I help?
If you are interested in donating some time to Trust Risk, we welcome new ideas and coding help. Just send me an e-mail: eryk.salvaggio@gmail.com