Check it Out: The Value of Social Currency

eBay's Social Strategist Corrine Sherman said in a company press release that she would like to leverage social data in an innovative way to enhance what people were sharing, while at the same time enabling customers to easily discover products they're interested in.

"Smart hashtags also align to eBay's goals and the company's desire to create a more relevant and personalized experience for our customers," Sherman said. "It capitalizes on consumer behavior and leads us toward a new path I like to call social network optimization."