In a recent interview for TED Radio, Guy Raz (@guyraz) asks collaborative consumption guru, Rachel Botsman (@rachelbotsman), to sum up her reputation in three words. Surprised at the question, she laughs,

“Loyal, committed, and passionate.”

Great characteristics, which isn’t at all surprising given Miss Botsman’s reputation. She has given numerous Ted Talks and just co-authored, “What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption,” making a name for herself as a well-respected economic commentator.

What about you? Have you thought about how others perceive you? In this interview, Botsman reiterates some key points from her 2012 Ted Talk in which she highlights the importance of reputation as a trust score.

“Reputation is becoming a currency that will be more powerful than our credit history in the 21st century.”

The trend to swap cars, barter goods and services, or rent out homes to vacationers has only increased in recent years. This is in part due to technology, but mostly due to the “Reputation Trail” consumers leave behind.

“With every trade we make, comment we leave, person we'll flag, badge we earn, we leave a reputation trail of how well we can and can't be trusted. And it's not just the breadth but the volume of reputation data out there that is staggering.”

• 5 million nights have been booked on AirBnB in the past six months alone.

• Thirty million rides have been shared on carpooling.com.

• This year, $2 billion worth of loans will go through peer-to-peer lending platforms.

In a world where trust in large corporations has been lost, it seems the rise of collaborative marketplaces and peer-to-peer networks could not have come at a better time. Will traditional businesses follow suit? The ones that want to succeed can borrow the concepts that speak to their customers, developing a loyal following and sense of community far into the future.