You are never alone when working online but how do you build good qualiy relationships that are productive and on whi you can count?  This is a big issue for all of us who exchane goods and services online.  What happens if you dont get paid after workibg for a week or a month?  What if your remote partner doesn't do his assigned tasks on time... You have to do the extra work or risk your hard earned online reputation.

So why not make sure at the start that you know who you are dealing wih.  Hey, most of these I do before I start working with local partners, so its even more important to do that due diligence when working witih people you have never met and that live in a different country and operate in another culture.

These are meant as good starting points based on my international business experience and business education.

• Start doing some quick research to learn about their local culture and environment.
• When discussing with the person, express interest in their background, interests and priorities.
• Ask for references of past recent work in your area of interest, and for some education provider if possible.  Ask for name, position, project or area worked on, phone number or email.
• Ask about existing profile they may have in as many work sites as possible such as Elance , oDesk or GoFreelance, which may have reviews from past customers.
• Similarly, you should go and update your profile with similar information so that others can feel more comfortable with you.
• Share similar information about you so they understand better what you are about and what you are interested in achieving.

These questions form the basis of a good appreciation for the potential relationship your may be  entering into.  Time invested at this time is well spent and the links you make with partners, customers or friends will last a lot longer and be more productive.

Now, go and build global relationships!

Michael