Many readers here will be aware that I’m a fan of the notion of social capital, or as my friend, Tara Hunt puts it, whuffie (borrowing from Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom). Well, last week, I received a deck of Akoha cards. Akoha is a real life game based on the notion of paying it forward. They define Akoha as:
A launchpad for travelling acts of kindness.
This is the crux of the game. 
Akohans play missions, which are acts of kindness, on others. They can be as simple as buying someone a cup of coffee or as significant as organising a blogger dinner. There are also wild cards. And now, there is also the ability for users/players to invent their own missions, which become virtual cards!
The Akoha site has a great comic (what is it with comics as explanatory material lately?) you should check out to get a better feel for what Akoha is all about.
One of the best things about the game is the great feeling you get when playing a mission. It’s a very pleasurable thing to do. And the reaction in the recipients is equally fantastic – Scott, Lincoln and Beth, who all received cards from me today all expressed real delight at the activity and the concept behind Akoha.
If you’re already on Akoha, or get a card from me or someone else, connect up!
