I cannot stress on how much joining a faction helps with learning to RP. I did it, and i am sure many many people here did the same.
But you are of course right, Trust is everything. Hell i'm happy if i have a cap ship at my back who i have learnt to trust over time, indie or faction owned. USS Titan was a prime example, at the beginning i was actually wary of it (sorry titan:P) but after time he proved more and more that he was rping along, followed orders given from the owning factions and gained my trust. Soon after that i would commonly go looking for him just to rp the meeting.
Trust is what makes and breaks us on this server. How will you gain yours?
