#klout.com

[apered]

To Klout or not?

“There’s a new number in town and it’s starting to take effect at hotels, bars, restaurants, and travel companies near you.  It can make or break a job interview and can mean the difference between sitting in economy class or business class when flying. It also leads to shopping discounts and other perks. Yes, it’s Klout and everyone is talking about it.”

Mark O’Neil Freelance write, blogger & editor. Managing Editor MakeUseOf.com

Well I’ve been on Klout (www.klout.com) a while and it has little rhyme or reason, my score floats around the 56-57 mark but has jumped to 59 and dropped as quickly for no apparent reason. Most of my score is from Twitter activity it would seem, it’s value is questionable and I wonder what score you’d need to get an airline upgrade!

Klout has a competitor using the name Kred (www.kred.com )which rather than give you just one number gives you 2 I score 743 out of 1000 for influence and 8 out of 12 for out reach not that I pay any attention to it at all. I get an email every now and then telling me I’m in the top 5% of users for such and such which kind of tells me that the top users are inactive aswell!

Who knows if its all meaningless or not, but as with all that is ‘Social Media’ at the moment, businesses large and small are paying attention, they are looking for the footfall so to speak. There’s a lot of doubt cast about concerning the big social channels, FB’s 1 billion users, how many of those accounts are fakes or inactive? Twitter, the same. But as a small business I receive enquiries from Twitter followers and as I say to my clients, if I’m getting enquiries then you could to, but you’ve got to do something, it takes time, it means making a noise about something or joining the conversation as the saying goes.

There’s a couple of good articles about Klout below, that may or may not inspire you to sign up to keep tabs on your social media activity, but as for the score meaning something….. if I was on the jury, I’d be out.

2013

http://nowsourcing.com/2013/03/03/is-klout-a-verifiable-social-media-indicator-or-just-a-meaningless-number/

2012

http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/03/ideas-bank/aleks-krotoski

http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/04/30/hate-klout-tom-scott-mixes-meaningless-metrics-with-feminine-hygiene-in-response/

[saysemilie]

Klout - who are you to judge me?

A few days ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Klout.com, a site that measures your online footprint using some kind of intricate algorithm based on influence. It's a very interesting idea, one that is incredibly valid in certain situations. But it reveals a larger issue in society - that our lives have become a real life "Second Life." Or, you could say that "Second Life" has become First Life. You can now have influence in the world without ever leaving your bed, as long as you have food and water close by and an outlet to keep your computer charged. And there is a site that rewards you for that behavior. Not only that, people pay attention to your Klout score. Your Klout score can speed up customer service, get you better discounts, get you upgraded, and get you a job. Essentially, Klout scores have created a value based definition for celebrity.  Is this supporting a trend of equalization of resources? The internet is arguably equally accessible to the vast majority of people who would shop on Gilt.com or go to the Palms in Las Vegas and therefore benefit from the perks that come with a high Klout score (see article). And maintaining an influential online presence is pretty easy as long as you have something interesting to say and people to care. So, therefore be a portal through which the common man(/woman) can become a great man(/woman). 2012's contribution to the myth of the American dream. If the internet is the New Frontier and the blogger the most recent metamorphosis of the self-made man(/woman), then Klout is... what? What used to determine how important your opinion was? People. And Klout is an algorithm based on how influential you are to other people. So, yes, it could just be the online manifestation and mathematicizing (is that a word...?) of something that already exists. Therefore, Klout is valid.  All this validation still does not justify its overall implications. Klout's existance (and it's clout) suggests that the online world is more important than the "real" world in that it can get you perks in the real world instead of the other way around. This raises the question - is it more important to have a high klout score (and therefore high influence in a fabricated online network) or more "old-fashioned" communications that may not reach a mass audience of strangers?  Well, I'm of the opinion that nothing is more important than getting out of bed, going outside, and talking to people face to face. So, i'm sorry, I wont date anyone with a Klout score higher than 50, because it probably means you spend more time in your fantasy online world than in the real world. Please talk to me about your interests face to face, not simply as one of 10,000 followers.  And with that, I'm going to grab a sandwich with a friend at a deli nearby. Maybe I'll check in on 4square, maybe I won't. Maybe you'll never hear from me online again. Does this mean I don't exist, that I don't matter? No, it means I'm living life. #yolo 

[freshmlk]

Have you used @Klout yet or any tool to measure your influence? Today was my first time using Klout and it had this to say about my Twitter presence:

Fresh MLK is a Specialist

You may not be a celebrity, but within your area of expertise your opinion is second to none. Your content is likely focused around a specific topic or industry with a focused, highly-engaged audience.

Do I believe that? Yes elements of it. Anyway, check out this convo I found over @ Conversation Agent about measurement of influence.