Twitter Gets Its Own Currency

There’s something funny about the verbs social networking sites spawn. You can get winked on Match.com, poked on Facebook, dugg on Digg and of course you can tweet on Twitter.

But how would you like to make a few Twollars?

The brainchild of two Twitter users, Twollars creates an appreciation currency on the micro-blogging platform – and then turns that invisible thank you into real-life cash.

So let’s say you loved a post you read here at Rotorblog. So much so that you decided a simple comment or e-mail wouldn’t do your appreciation justice. You can take it a step further by sending us Twollars.

Just head on over to Twollars.com, input your Twitter name and start spending the 50 Twollars you are given off the bat. Send an @ message and the # of Twollars you would like to send.

The site will keep track of your “generosity balance” and keep track of your giving tweets.

When you send Twollars no money exchanges hands…unless you want it to. After you spend your initial 50 Twollars, you may buy additional ones at a rate of 10 Twollars per U.S. dollar.

Seems like a neat way raise awareness of both charities and lesser-known Twitter addicts.

As with all new currencies, it will be interesting to see if this one sticks, or if it goes the way of the Reichsmark.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.