it should go just like this:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=210683Or you can establish yourself in the WOT at which time people might trust you enough to send first.
>Can someone please explain the bitcoin otc and how to get established?
First you get a public/private key combination by playing with pgp software and you publish the PUBLIC key to the MIT server. Once you do that you go to freenode IRC chat (through the webpage) and you log in and register yourself with the robot named gribble.
Once authenticated you can give other people ratings.
I have not yet taken the time to go through the steps listed above but I intend too.