Reputation auction: Pay to work

What is a good reputation worth to you? In a professional context, a lot seems like a good answer. CharityBuzz illustrates the power of a good reputation selling platform. In return for some valuable company names on a CV, people participate in auctions for jobs. They pay to work. Companies that have a few spots available for interns, can put their positions on the Charity buzz auction platform. And with success! It seems that interns pay thousands of dollars. The winner will work for ‘free’ in return for a kick-start of his or her career. The companies that participate don’t receive the money themselves. The collected money will be donated to charity.
Charity for buzz is not the first platform that sells reputation, but it is remarkable due to the high prices that get payed for it. In the end this action is not different from buying virtual gold with real dollars to get a better equipped avatar in an online game. It’s all about earning respect from your peers. Although the context (gaming vs professional) differs, the transactions stays the same. More and more variations on this concept arise. Therefore we can conclude that the business of reputation and respect selling will probably flourish in the coming years. Something to keep an eye on!