Translated Topic in Pidgin Language: LoyceV's Beginners guide on how to use the Trust system correctly
Original Topic: LoyceV's Beginners guide to correct use of the Trust system
Author: LoyceV

I dey still see users, including high ranking accounts, wey no dey use the Trust system correctly. For the Trust system to function properly in a decentralized way, e dey very crucial for plenty members as possible to understand the difference between "feedback" and "Trust lists". This matter dey confuse people, as forum members dey use the word "Trust" for both of them.

Once you fully understand the system, e dey important to start to dey use am:

You been perform trade wey you risk your funds? Leave feedback!
You see users wey dey leave accurate Trust feedback on many accounts? Add them to your Trust list!

Anyone fit leave feedback, and anyone fit customize him Trust list!

But first, continue dey read, so that you go know the difference.

Since this na beginners guide, I go only cover the most important parts. I no go fit cover all the details here, but even without all the details, many people go fit improve how them go use the Trust system.

I bin create TrustTestUser to help me create screenshots and links. Abeg no reason am say you wan leave positive feedback for my alt, I no intend to use the account for anything else.

No confuse your Trust list with feedback
Trust feedback: leave feedback on people wey you trust or don't trust. Or leave neutral comments.
Trust list: na list of people wey you trust their judgement on others (username) or you don't trust (~username).

Trust feedback
Trust feedback (Positive/Neutral/Negative) you fit use am express your opinion about how trustworthy person dey. In other words: You go fit trust or you done trust this user with your money?

Where to find am: Click on a username to go to the user profile, then click Trust to see the user Trust summary (depending on the board e fit also show under the username). After you don click am, you go come dey on the user Trust summary. Read the description per Type carefully:
New feedback loading...

Take note say the description for Positive, Neutral and Negative don dey different as e been dey 4 months ago: e don change as dem introduce Trust Flags.

Positive (display as +1)

If you make a small deal with someone, wey no deserve positive feedback.
If you made a deal wey you risk a big amount of money with someone, and everything go well, e deserve positive feedback.
If the person na nice guy (or girl), wey no deserve positive feedback.
If you believe say the person fit dey trusted, even when you no trade with am, e also deserve positive feedback.

Neutral (display as =1)

Use Neutral feedback for anything wey mean say the someone go fit or no fit dey trusted. This fit be good feedback, for instance when someone help you out.
I think Neutral Feedback dey currently undervalued for Bitcointalk. Na one great tool to take de-escalate without any drastic consequences. Abeg use am when appropriate.

Negative (display as -1)

If you believe say the person na scammer, or the person dey likely to scam, e deserve a negative feedback. Abeg provide evidence.
If you really hate someone wey be a terrible troll, e no deserve negative feedback.

The result after you done receive feedback once for each Type:

Comments
Write a clear description. Keep am as short as possible without leaving anything out. If your comment dey too long, create a topic for Reputation or Scam Accusations to refer to.
Try to dey objective. If you stick to the facts, people go dey more likely to take your feedback seriously than if you choose to name calling.

Use Reference links
Reference link provide more background information about the Feedback. E dey helpful for other to assess whether or not your judgement dey correct.
You fit use Webpage archive to preserve evidence when you need am for your Reference link.

Be the bigger man!
With great power naso your responsibility go dey plenty (source unknown). Especially when your dey on DefaultTrust (or if you wan join DefaultTrust in the future), make you no (ab)use the power by leaving (negative) feedback when person do something wey you no like. Na your Sent feedback others go take judge your judgement.
If person wey dey on the internet dey mean to you boo fucking hoo! Use the Ignore button, and forget about them.

Delete feedback
You fit delete feedback by visiting the user's Trust summary. Any feedback you leave get a link to (Delete) am:
Trust summary for TrustTestUser loading...

Trust summary for TrustTestUser loading...

Abeg delete feedback when e no dey longer appropriate. You fit for example replace old negative feedback with new neutral feedback when the situation justify am. If the situation na the other way round, I go suggest make you leave the old neutral feedback, and add new negative feedback.

Do's and Don'ts

No leave positive feedback for your own alt account (use neutral comments for this).
No leave negative feedback when someone violate the forum rules. Instead, use Report to moderator for rule violations.
Leave mutual neutral feedback if you wan show which alt account(s) belong to you.
No leave (negative) feedback based on retaliation.
No leave (positive) feedback just because someone leave one to you.

This na mere guidelines
Trust no dey moderated, but how you use am na your "business card" to the community. Make you use the above as guidelines only. Na to give you a general idea of wetin I consider as good behaviour. E dey also wise to ask yourself before leaving feedback: "This my feedback dey make Bitcointalk a better place? And if na negative: e fit destroy the person account and reputation because of this? Consider to use Neutral feedback if Positive or Negative no dey justified.

Trust Flags
I no go cover Trust Flags in details here (for now). The most important thing for creating, Supporting or Opposing Trust Flags na to read very carefully wetin e really be before clicking. If something dey incorrect, no Support am!

Trust list
Make you add users wey leave accurate feedback and get good Trust lists to your Trust list, and make you exclude users wey leave inaccurate feedback.
This mean say your Trust list go dey based on how you value the users' judgement on others, and make e no be based on whether or not you Trust the users (with money) or you don trade with them.
I encourage anyone to create their own custom Trust list! But before you do, abeg continue dey read so you go understand the implications.

Where to find am: Click on any user's profile, then click Trust, and click Trust settings.
I recommend make you keep DefaultTrust on the list so that you go see feedback based on DT1 and DT2 members by default.
You fit include any user by adding their name to your Trust list. And you fit exclude any user by adding their name with a "~" in front of am. When you done finish, click Update.
Example:
Trust list loading...

For the above example, you see how I exclude cryptohunter, and include guitarplinker and NLNico. DefaultTrust still dey for my Trust list too.
Unless you no wetin you dey do, make you leave the truth depth for 2.

Implications of making a Trust list
As you add users to your Trust list e get big recursive implications because the users you trust directly (Depth 0) make you to trust the ones them trust (Depth 1), and the users wey them trust (Depth 2) (see details beyond beginner level).
Once you get custom Trust list, you go fit see the different Trust scores than users wey no get custom Trust list. You fit always add ;dt to any URL to view the forum as if you no set a custom Trust list (see this example).

Public record
No be all the Trust lists dey public: theymos dey publish de list weekly, wey I dey use for my Trust list viewer. I dey keep historic records (currently 38 weekly snapshots). You fit use this tool, to assess which users you deem worthy to include for your own Trust list. I no dey sensor data: your choices go dey visible even after you change am, so choose wisely.

Do's and Don'ts

No add users to your Trust list because them add you!
No exclude users from your Trust list based on retaliation. e dey okay to trust someone judgement, even when them no trust your own.
No add someone to your Trust list because you been trade with them. Even if you trust them with money, e no mean say you go trust their judgement on others. I think this one na the most common mistake wey people dey make for Trust lists!
E dey okay to include your alt-account on your own Trust list. E mean say you trust the feedback you leave from that account.
Example:
Quote
hilariousandco Trusts these users' judgement:
7. hilariousetc (Trust: +3 / =1 / -0) (1725 Merit earned) (Trust list) (BPIP)
No include your main account from your alt account(s). E go fit influence DT1-voting, and although no be part of this guide, e dey bad.

DefaultTrust
DefaultTrust (or DT) get plenty Trust depth levels, and e dey set to depth 2 for anyone wey no change am. E mean say the feedback wey all DT1 and DT2 members leave by default show for all users. No worry about this for now, no be the main concern of this topic.
Any feedback wey you leave, always show as Trusted to you. But e depend on others Trust Settings whether or not e show Trusted to them.

DT1 voting
E depend on certain criteria (wey fall beyond the scope of this topic), when you create your own Trust, e make you dey eligible to vote for DT1-members, and/or you fit dey selected for DT1 yourself. Once you dey on DT1, the users wey dey included on your Trust list go come reach DT2, which mean say their feedback dey show by default too. Na a very big responsibility, but as long as you (and the majority of other users too) use the Trust properly, the voting system go work even if you no fully understand am.