Are you a part of the Web of Trust (WOT)?

I like the Web of Trust browser plug-in.

Now, whether that admiration really stems from the colorful circles used to indicate a site’s reputation rating or the fact that it helps me steer clear of sites that may put a damper on my web browsing experience could prove to be a rather interesting debate.

However, I like to think that it’s a mixture of both.

For those of you who’ve never heard of it, the Web of Trust plug-in allows you to enjoy a safer and more pleasant internet experience by adding a reputation rating next to site links and search results.

Highly rated sites literally give you the green light with a green circle next to their links, while a yellow circle is displayed for “iffy” sites and red circles strive to stop you from visiting sites with a poor reputation. Websites with no rating are given a gray circle with a blue question mark.

Website reputation ratings are based off the feedback of millions of web users that have shared their personal experience – good or bad – on countless sites they’ve visited.

Such information can come in handy when you’re debating whether or not you want to make a purchase from an unknown vendor or even visit a site that you’re not feeling so sure about.

If you happen to click on a poorly rated site link, you will be presented with a warning message that provides the option to escape, view comments left by other users regarding their experience, or to take a chance and proceed anyway.

Web of Trust plays well with all of the popular browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, & Opera – and can be downloaded for free from the MyWOT.com website.

If you haven’t done so already, I’d say give the WOT browser plug-in a shot. Feel free to share your thoughts on it in the comments below!

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