Trust is a great barrier to overcome on the internet. We need to understand the mechanism, in order to create that killer website and organization.

A easy to understand and usable model I found on in the text trust in cyperspace

The model identifies four sources of trust (or mistrust) : presumptions, surface inspection , experience, and Institutions. Furthermore the model identifies 7 dimensions of trust: Attraction, dynamism, expertness, faith, intentions, localness and reliability.

By forming a matrix of sources and dimentions, every cell in the grid can be filled in with website characteristics for generating more trust.

As an example: a seal of approval from an institution  is a great generator for reliability.