Everyone knows about blogs and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. And they've heard about someone who has used them to grow a huge customer base. Everyone wants to be hands-on, grassroots, and interactive. But what does this mean? And more to the point, how do you do it? While The Whuffie Factor traverses the landscape of Web 2.0 and shows how to become a player, it is not just another book about online marketing. People see the huge business potential of the online world and the first impulse is: let's throw a bunch of money at it. To which Tara Hunt says: "Stop! Money isn't the capital of choice in online communities; it is whuffie-social capital-and how to raise it is the heart of this book." In the Web 2.0 world, market capital flows from having high social capital. Without whuffie you lose your connections, and any recommendation you make will be seen as spam-met with negative reactions and a loss of social capital. The Whuffie Factor provides businesspeople with a strategic map and specific tactics for the constantly evolving, elusive, and strange world of online communities. Tara Hunt reveals how social networking has more influence over buying decisions than any other marketing tool and how businesses can tap into the vast world of Web 2.0 to build an unshakable foundation for twenty-first-century-style online success.