How do surfers perceive trustworthiness of other users on CouchSurfing.org? The choice people make to stay with complete strangers can be a nerve-wracking one. However, members of this tight-knit community have established a few different ways to let other users know which couches are the best to surf.
A verified member has donated to CouchSurfing, which not only helps fund the organization, but also verifies a user’s name and address with the one he/she provides to the site. If any discrepancies occur, the site will know the user isn’t being truthful. While verification is not required, verified members within the community are usually well-respected and trusted in comparison to others.
These references are labeled “Positive,” “Negative” and “Neutral” and then are labeled according to which party they came from: “From Hosts,” “From Surfers” and “Traveling.”
The more references a member has, the more credibility he/she has.
Vouching. The final, and most respected form of credibility is “vouching.”
By vouching for someone, you’re not just giving them a positive reference, you’re personally taking a stake in their trustworthiness too. CouchSurfing.org holds vouching to a higher standards, and provides this disclaimer when people are choosing to vouch for another member.
According to users we interviewed, the site tells you to “Click this vouch button ONLY if you feel that you can personally vouch for X and know that X is trustworthy.”
Verification.The first, and most simple, way for users to know that another member has a confirmed identity and is trustworthy is a CouchSurfing Verfication.
A verified member has donated to CouchSurfing, which not only helps fund the organization, but also verifies a user’s name and address with the one he/she provides to the site. If any discrepancies occur, the site will know the user isn’t being truthful. While verification is not required, verified members within the community are usually well-respected and trusted in comparison to others.
"Yes I donated, you can choose whether or not it shows up on your profile that you donated. For now I chose to show it since I am new and feel I need as good a reputation as possible." (Joe Coombs, Sudbury Ontario, Canada)
"It's expected that you donate to be a validated member, which shows a greater degree of legitimacy and trustworthiness in the community." (Gregory Cooper, Little Rock. Ark.)
References. Since the verification process requires a monetary donation from users, it might not be an option for all members interested in using CouchSurfing’s services. A different way of establishing credibility on the site is acquiring references. After a surfing experience, a host or surfer can leave a reference for a user based on their satisfaction/dissatisfaction."I would never host or surf with an unverified member. I haven't donated to CS beyond that, but hopefully I will one day when I'm not a broke traveler!" (Liza Burkin, Madison, Wis.)
These references are labeled “Positive,” “Negative” and “Neutral” and then are labeled according to which party they came from: “From Hosts,” “From Surfers” and “Traveling.”
“There is a system to review the people you have hosted, and surfers have a record of what type of host/guest they were. If you had a bad experience, you can let other people know that so and so is a mooch/creep/thief etc, and other people wont engage them. The same goes with hosts, if they are unaccommodating, rude, aggressive, or just not who they appear to be, then you cant let other people on the network know through experience review.” (Emmett Spaulding, Seattle, Wash.)
“Positive references are the number 1 priority in choosing someone to surf with or host.” (Liza Burkin, Madison, Wis.).
“This is another way you can feel confident about staying with someone--if they have been vouched for by another member. I do this for people as I have been vouched for by more than 3 other members.” (Kate Evans, Canberra, Australia)
By vouching for someone, you’re not just giving them a positive reference, you’re personally taking a stake in their trustworthiness too. CouchSurfing.org holds vouching to a higher standards, and provides this disclaimer when people are choosing to vouch for another member.
