Does Your Reputation Equal Currency?

 I have been fascinated by the idea that your reputation equals a form of currency.  In a news article in January, the reporter indicated that Justin Bieber was more influential online than the Dalai Lama or the U.S. President. Really!  My eight year old child would say Justine Bieber sings like a girl; but more influential than the Dalai Lama?  Now that says something.  As a lawyer we have always known the value of our reputations.  Open an office, do good work, and over time the people would show up at your door.  The game has changed.  Now, your reputation can be seen everyday of every second of every minute of the day on social media sites, blog reviews, and attorney review sites like Avvo.com. 

Have you viewed the twitter stream in real time to see if tweets mention you or maybe your competitors?  Have you hired someone to manage your reputation?  Do you care about any of this?  The management of your reputation is now of critical importance.  Social media site Klout at Klout.com,  based on Twitter, claims it can tell you who the most influential company or individual  you should be listening to in cyberspace based on tweets, pings, and hits. So, what do you think? Does your reputation really equal a form of currency? Let me know your thoughts?