Why networking underpins Trust & Safety
My take on the why networking is so critical for success in the Trust & Safety space
With TrustCon 2025 approaching next week, the Trust and Safety community is preparing for one of the most significant gatherings in our field. As professionals who work tirelessly to protect users across platforms, we often find ourselves fighting similar battles in isolation. Industry conferences represent more than just networking opportunities—they're vital channels for strengthening the collaborative networks that make our collective work more effective.
The timing couldn't be more crucial. As online threats become increasingly sophisticated and cross-platform, the challenges facing Trust and Safety professionals have never been more complex. Bad actors don't operate in silos, and neither should we. The solutions we develop, the patterns we identify, and the strategies we employ are exponentially more powerful when shared across the community.
The Nature of Information Sharing in Trust and Safety
Trust and Safety conferences create unique environments for information exchange that differ significantly from typical industry gatherings. The conversations happening in these spaces often revolve around shared challenges, emerging trends, and collaborative approaches to platform safety.
These exchanges happen both formally—through structured presentations and workshops—and informally, through the organic networking that occurs when professionals with shared challenges come together. The information shared represents real-world experience from practitioners working on the front lines of platform safety.
Network vs. Knowledge
As I look at my colleagues who are attending TrustCon this year, some are long-time Trust & Safety industry veterans and others are just beginning their T&S journey. Regardless, TrustCon and other networking events like it will be impactful all the same.
Don’t get me wrong, the roundtable discussions and talks will be invaluable for all who attend, but I recognize that the value also comes from meeting new people, striking up conversations in the hallways of the conference. You are building your network of peers and colleagues that provide a never-ending well of knowledge.
So don’t pass up the opportunity to just meet new people in exchange for a presentation on a particular topic. Both are valuable in different ways, but remember that information in a slide deck can get stale, a relationship with a peer can continue to evolve over time.
The Value of Professional Networks
The real value of Trust and Safety networking lies not just in the initial connections made at conferences, but in the ongoing relationships that develop afterward. These professional networks serve as channels for continuous learning, collaboration, and mutual support in a field that can often feel isolating.
Strong professional networks in Trust and Safety provide access to diverse perspectives, enable faster response to emerging threats, and create opportunities for career development. They also help address one of the field's persistent challenges: the knowledge gap between platforms of different sizes.
The Broader Impact: Elevating the Entire Field
Information sharing and networking in Trust and Safety serves purposes beyond individual professional development. It actively contributes to the maturation and professionalization of the field itself. When practitioners connect and collaborate, they're building the intellectual foundation that will guide the next generation of Trust and Safety professionals.
This collaborative approach helps create more consistent safety standards across the digital ecosystem and ensures that knowledge and best practices are shared across organizations of all sizes.
Looking Forward: The Future of Trust and Safety Collaboration
As we head into TrustCon 2025, it's worth considering how the nature of collaboration in Trust and Safety continues to evolve. The challenges we face—from AI-generated abuse to cross-platform coordinated attacks—require unprecedented levels of collaboration. The networks formed at conferences like TrustCon are becoming the backbone of industry-wide response capabilities.
The most successful Trust and Safety professionals aren't just experts in their own platforms—they're nodes in a broader network of knowledge and expertise. They understand that their effectiveness is enhanced by their connections to peers facing similar challenges.
Conclusion: Your Role in the Network
As you prepare for TrustCon or reflect on other Trust and Safety gatherings, remember that you're not just attending a conference—you're participating in the construction of a collective defense system for the digital world. Every connection you make contributes to the broader goal of creating safer online spaces.
The Trust and Safety community is uniquely positioned to demonstrate the power of collaborative problem-solving in the face of complex, evolving challenges. By prioritizing networking and maintaining strong professional connections, we're not just advancing our individual careers—we're strengthening the foundation upon which digital safety depends.
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