Ebay Removes Whuffie/The Demise of Ebay?

According to this info from Ebay about changes in 2008 negative and neutral feedback will be removed from Feedback for sellers and buyers. They claim that too many people were afraid to leave negative feedback for fear of retaliation.

Brilliant. Theres a trust metric shot to hell. I guess that leaves an open door for a new auction site based on Ebay's model with an intact use of social trust. Or just a stand alone site that allows feedback for Ebay users...or better yet the implementation of true Whuffie!

This is a step backwards. The reasoning is wrong, as is the action. Corporate bureaucracy at it's best. Next they will say that to be fair to other bidder's sellers can only name one price and the first one to bid pays that amount.

I give Ebay negative feedback.

Whuffie Ring

It shows the number of Google hits you get, when you search for the name of the person who wears it. Need I say more? This Berlin college project is looking for investors.

New Online Trust Exposes Rotten Neighbors

I expected to hear the standard "Crack Addict" or "Domestic Violence" lables. What I read on the site seemed a little gossipy, and tell all.

Although the use of Googlemaps with pins that say things like "White Trash With Loud Dogs: Beer bottles in the yard, trash strewn about, 12 year olds smoking on the front porch. These people are ridiculous" seems interesting.

I think if I was going to purchase a home I would check the map for bad whuffie.

via therawfeed

Woophy

Woophy is a Social Networking photo map from the Netherlands.

Sounds like "whuffie" but stands for "World Of Photgraphy".

"The goal of Woophy's founders is to create an accessible, visual, current, democratic and collective work of art comprised of a database picturing our remarkable world."

Kinda fun to look at photos from your area.

UN Wants Whuffie to Talk to Bloggers

"The U.N. would like to pretend it doesn't understand blogging. Last night, over drinks and dinner, members of U.N. organizations asked us about blogging and internet publishing, stressing their desire to participate in the conversation, but only if it didn't waste their time. "How do we tell who is legit and who is a looney?" asked Stephane Dujarric, Deputy Communications Director, Office of the Secretary General. Pretty much all the bloggers assembled reminded him that without actually getting to know the writers in question, you really don't—just like with mainstream outlets."

Pasted from BoingBoing's new 'gadget' section by Joel Johnson

World leaders hungry for social reputation. Hmnnn.

Whuffie Goes Mainstream?

This quote culled from Marco's tumblr:

"This week, Yahoo announced a deal with Bebo that will help it compete with Google. I had to wiki Bebo to find out it’s kind of like Friendster and Woofie. Gosh, I hope they can all band together to save Fuzzelton village from the evil Snords." Bill Maher (see video here)

Okay I will put aside that Bill Maher is not Steven Colbert, and that he is often coarse, insensitve, crude, and demeaning women. But learn to pronounce "Whuffie".

The Day the Whuffie Started

TrustPlus went live today. Just as Cory Doctorow predicted in Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. While I think there are those who cheer, and those jeer, I think I might be those who fear. Reps on the net right now are built and established independently with little interference. Remember that whuffie in DOIM was not exactly a good thing. In the book the reader is placed in a dystopian reality by the coldness of digital technology combined with sociopathic behavior and biomodification.

I might immediately note that there appears to be no middle ground or ambivalence in their 6 icon rating system. It looks like you are a small, medium, large minus or a large, medium, small plus. Thats a little draconian. I also note the video (below) uses manipulation by subtly suggesting we should be afraid of trusting the wrong folks.

This is like crack for control freaks. You know the type. The ones who insure their insurance.

Those on the good side of it will think it is great. The question I want to know is how does one get on the bad side?

via nu via mashable

Berkshares Can't buy Me Whuffie?

This article from Rueters details a whuffie system that co-habitates with US currency. The BerkShare is valued at .90 on the US dollar, and is mostly used by locals of Great Barrington, Massachusettsas a way to give a 10% discount. The Berkshare comes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50. It is illegal for a state to issue it's own currency, however coupons are permitted as long as they do not resemble US currency. A local bank is hoping to convert Berkshares to a debit card.

Social Surfing

In looking through the past archives here at Whuffie, it has been interesting to see how the social currency concept has evolved since this blog was published in '03. Web 2.0 is Whuffie. All major web interfaces that are successful are connected to group expression. Myspace, Facebook, even Google is about 'us'. Connect that with the new black of every user is a designer, photographer, journalist, DJ, audio engineer and we have a new shift in paradigm.

Stumbleupon is a browser based widget/Blog/Comment system that enables surfers to share their treasured findings. Unlike de.lic.ious which shares archives of static bookmarks. SO is in flight. It is the perfect "ordered randomizer". Similar to Digg, it is more robust and "in stream". The shared consciousness of the collective is expressed in the superlatives of broadcast mem. I don't really know what that means other I have been writing too much today.

Cory dishes bad Whuffie to Fox Rent a Car

It sounds like Fox needs to adjust it's business practices and train and update it's customer service. I find it interesting that an 'A list' blogger like Mr.Doctorow uses the social network to retaliate for poor service. Pretty darn effective. On his merit alone I would avoid Fox. How will this change the face of future business modeling? Negative trackable whuffie. Learn more on the clue train here.

update: some don't find it interesting at all, like 'advocate' at the newly published and blogrolled BoredOfBoingBoing.

update: Apollo Lee says Fox has never done him wrong but had a very similar experience at Alamo right here in Boise, Idaho no less.

Verdict rental car and hosptitality operations need clearly understood policy on debit cards. Banks could do better at explaining the difference between the two, also.

You been Gorb'd?

So here is the latest reputation site/social network: The Gorb. The buzz about them is that your entry is anonymous. Therefore you can post some nasty without any repercussions. At first glance I like the simplicity. I think CD's Whuffie was anonymous? The Gorb (a pun on Borg hive mind?) claim they want to help the truthyness come out. Why not just a reputation metric that is fairly reliable? Why the moral mission? They also seem to be focused on business reputation. I like the idea of rep software that is generalized. Work, family, ethics, etc. a fella can be a danger to society but do very well as a plumber. (I also like scalable-so a basic meter that you can dig down through, but that is another post.)