In her blog, Tara Hunt defines whuffie as:

• The sum of the reputation, influence, bridging capital and bonding capital, access to ideas and talent, access to resources, potential access to further resources, saved up favors, accomplishments (resumes, awards, articles, etc.) and the Whuffie of those who you have relationships with.

According to Hunt the term Whuffie was created by Cory Doctorow in his book, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. Hunt's summary of Doctorow's definition:

Whuffie has replaced money, providing a motivation for people to do useful and creative things. A person’s Whuffie is a general measurement of his or her overall reputation, and Whuffie is lost and gained according to a person’s favorable or unfavorable actions. The question is, who determines which actions are favorable or unfavorable? In Down and Out, the answer is public opinion. Rudely pushing past someone on the sidewalk will definitely lose you points from them (and possibly bystanders who saw you), while composing a much-loved symphony will earn you Whuffie from everyone who enjoyed it.

What does Whuffie mean in terms of how we behave in the here and now?

According to Hunt, it's more important to be nice, notable and networked than ever. Google enables every candidate, potential client, and placement to monitor your status and professional behavior. Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites help all your accumulated communities monitor where you've been, what you're doing and who you are becoming. And, the same is true for everyone that you work with and encounter.

Good impressions are not enough. Reputation management and commmunity currency are everything.

How's your Whuffie ranking?