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When the respondents were asked whether they believe there is a difference between trusting someone online and someone in the offline environment, the responses were mixed. Some believe that there is no difference since the individual on the other end is still the same. One member explained that in the online environment, the mental picture of the other individual is based on fewer facts than in the offline environment but that does not change the individual on the other end and the kind of image someone creates of them. On the other hand, another member stated:

i think there is [a difference between trusting online and offline]. one normally build a picture of the person on basis the information you have. and these actually quite often go wrong. i dont (really) trust people very easily (->a party friend level is not really trust). but i think CS gives enough information to say whether its ok to stay at person's place and stay there for a couple of days or not. and worst case scenario would be something like that you dont really come along together. so what, you can also move on and take a hostel/hotel. when you meet the person first time live, it will give some more info, and if it feels bad that[sic] take a hostel

CS non-member #4 Another respondent pondered what it actually means to trust someone online, since trust can mean different things to different people:

if I'm planning a trip, I'll start wondering who the person "really" is, and who all those people who friended them and vouched for them are, and what their interest is in all this...is trust believing that people are who they say they are (whatever they say), or that you have nothing to fear from them? if it's the latter, then I feel it very differently online than offline

CS non-member #5 A few of the respondents perceived online interaction as a step towards building trust but not actually the presence of true feelings of trust per se.

trusting the online persona vs. the actual person? well, it's the actual person that I'd be theoretically staying with, so they're the one I need to trust, and the online persona is just what they and others set up in order to build that trust

CS non-member #5 One member explained that enough online trust (or feelings resembling this) is built online to want to meet the other member in person but it is only after they have met, that the member is

able to determine the actual level of trust for the other person. Furthermore, the member would never provide a positive reference for another member if they have only interacted online, for example via chatting:

there is this cs chat, for example, there you can chat with other csers. i would never ever give a positive feedback for the chat partner's profile only based on how he/she is writing online (i see people are doing this - becoming good friends online... that is why i like the "have you met this person yet? - question when leaving a reference...). to host or be hosted requires way different attitude than just being funny online...

CS member #4 Several stated that there really is not much at stake while interacting online within the CouchSurfing community so it is easy to trust the online persona presented in the profiles. However, meeting the person offline instigates the need to actually act on these trusting beliefs, which is more difficult to do. As this member explained:

it is easy to trust the online persona, when u r comfortably sitting in the safety of ur home, but once u actually meet the person behind the profile u have to trust this complete stranger and believe that she/he is a good person with good intentions and will not hurt u...when i met my host in Turkey i felt very on edge, of course i was afraid...i knew that Turkey isn´t 100% western and the implications it has on women, but i wasnt afraid enough...i was afraid, but i told myself how will i ever know if im not willing to take a risk and give the other person a chance...

CS member #3 Similarly, another respondent stated:

there's not much at stake for me, though, until I decide to actually go there and meet people...online, I can assume that there is a real person at the other end of every interaction. I DO assume that there's a real person, because it's generally easier than programming a computer to have a credible conversation (though this is demonstrably possible too...it just seems a little pointless in most cases).

but who cares if they are or are not who they say they are, until I'm giving them personal information that leads to where I physically am

…who cares if you tell the truth about yourself, if I'm enjoying reading a profile? or if I'm just strolling through trying to imagine how this couch surfing thing might work in practice. it's all just in my head at that point, a series of stories that I'm telling myself, with their help. not totally unlike meeting people in "real life" in fact, but even more abstract and in my head. and less risky

Essentially, it appears that for some of the respondents, it is not difficult to build trusting feelings (or “trusting beliefs” as termed by McKnight et al.) for another individual in the online environment because it seems relatively safe to do so. In addition, there was some hesitation amongst some of the respondents when asked whether or not these trusting feelings could be thought of as “real” trust per se (i.e. same as trusting someone in the offline environment). A trust-like feeling was perceived to exist by a couple of the respondents but not the same feelings of trust that would occur offline. In brief, it appears the respondents have different interpretations of how trust in the online environment differs (if at all) from trust in the offline environment.