Purpose -This paper seeks to examine the notion of trust as an enabler or restrictor to online engagement. The purpose of the inquiry is to improve knowledge acquisition within small businesses (SMEs) through engagement in an online network. Design/methodology/approach -The paper explains the outcomes from a three-year long Action Research (AR) study into online participation utilising a purpose built Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based networking tool. Findings -The paper finds that the overall notion of trust is deconstructed into component conditions, which are shown to represent conflicting priorities for individuals. These components are reconstructed to form a model that illustrates how trust needs to develop at the level of the individual for an online community to be formed. The paper provides an insight into the complexities of socio-technological engagements in an online environment.Research limitations/implications -The paper shows that the proposed model is context-specific and has not been subjected to testing for replicability within other settings. Practical implications -The model proposed in this paper is of use to Information System (IS) developers, helping to identify the reasons for participation or non-participation in online networks/communities. Originality/value -The paper builds upon existing theories, by applying an extended notion of trust incorporating interrelated individual factors, such as risk, interest, power and information utility, to the development of online communities.