Clancy Nolan writes a piece on Rapleaf in this month’s Venture Capital Analyst magazine from VentureWire.

snips:

Rapleaf, which operates similarly to eBay’s online rating system, is designed to track e-commerce reputations across multiple Web sites and marketplaces. The idea is reminiscent of “whuffie,” Hoffman says, referring to the reputation-based currency of Cory Doctorow’s science fiction novel, “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.” In the book, your “whuffie” is a constantly updated rating that measures how much esteem and respect other people have for you. The rating system is instantly viewable to anyone, and determines who gets scarce items like the best housing or a table in a crowded restaurant.

A person’s Rapleaf score is calculated by the number of positive ratings minus the number of negative ratings given by buyers and sellers, and is designed to be integrated with multiple Web sites and platforms. The ultimate goal, Hoffman said, is to make Internet users to act responsibly when buying and selling items. “If we are successful, we literally will create more ethical people in this world,” he said.

Clancy wrote the original Rapleaf funding story in VentureWire. of course, she gets the essence of what we are doing with this quote: “If we are successful, we literally will create more ethical people in this world.” Nothing is more motivating than to have an opportunity to really have a massive positive impact on society.