In Community We Trust: Online Security Communication at eBay

He studies corporate rhetoric and is currently exploring how organizations rhetorically construct trust online. Abstract As e-commerce and virtual communities fundamentally change the way Americans do business and build relationships, how can people be assured of safety in unfamiliar cyber-spaces? This essay focuses on online auction eBay to understand how eBay has successfully drawn millions of users to its site in spite of perceived risks and uncertainties. It argues that eBay is, in fact, a community (of commerce), and that the rhetorical construction of " community " on the site provides a foundation for trust between users. Based on trust theory, this essay isolates eBay's " community trust " model as consisting of seven elements that work together to give users reasons to trust and to be trustworthy. Finally, the essay examines recent changes to eBay's system, suggesting that so-called improvements for control might actually weaken the " community trust " system already in place—a warning to other sites that might imitate eBay's community approach. In Community We Trust 3 In Community We Trust: Online Security Communication at eBay The advent of the Internet has brought with it a number of signature companies: for convenience of the new economy, however, have come concerns about security. Can web sites be trusted? Can other people on the web be trusted? Can information be transmitted safely? Because of the physical separation of the actors involved, e-commerce requires more fraud The most fundamental security issue online is the basic question of trust. Users must be able to trust each other in order for meaningful, ongoing interaction to occur. Web sites, then, must construct messages that provide users with motives to trust and to be trustworthy. This essay examines a case study of one very popular e-commerce site that has rhetorically constructed trust and security to a degree that people feel safe participating. That site is online auction eBay. For any online auction site, Internet security concerns only add to fears about all kinds of auctions: is it possible to bid on something accidentally? Will people find unpleasant surprises after they become high bidders on items? At eBay, these basic auction fears are compounded by the fact that bidders cannot examine and touch the items they are bidding on; they must trust descriptions and photographs. They cannot see the people they are bidding against; they can only see letters on a screen. They cannot depend …