What is ‘Klout’ and Do I Have Any?
By Mike Magan
Ever “Googled” yourself? Then you are going to love Klout!
The author's "could-be-better" Klout profile
If you participate in any major social media network - you have online influence. The folks at Klout have put together a tool that many believe is the most unbiased and comprehensive measurement of the waves you are making on the inter webs today.
Klout’s greatest strength is perhaps its most basic – it’s simple to use, simple to share and simple to understand. This formula actually underlies a complex algorithm developed by the Klout braintrust that is constantly evolving. How about a real-world analogy? OK . . . think of it as a buoy that measures the waves created in a swimming pool. The bigger you are, the more influence you have on the world around you no matter what you do. If you tip-toe into the pool, slide on a mat or belly flop – you have influence. The Klout Score is a number, a measurement of your overall online influence across the pool .The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence.
Klout uses variables on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Google Plus, YouTube and more. dgs uses Klout as part of our analysis of client and competitor activity not because it has buzz or is controversial, but because it is unbiased and easy to share for those who want some sort of snapshot of how their activity is viewed by their peers and followers.
I think think they do a good job of matching my interaction on Twitter and concludes in the same way what hours of analytic computations will tell me in much more detail.
For example, my personal Klout score “dropped” somewhat during the holidays because I wasn’t using social media too much. That makes sense. I also saw my score skyrocket in a two-day period several months ago because some information from the Red Cross I shared in regards to an emergency situation was re-shared by some major news outlets and their thousands of followers.
That was an accurate measure of influence. The Klout people didn’t go on to pontificate about how I wrote or if what I wrote was even accurate – just how it was shared.
I love what Klout is trying to do but I try to pull back the reigns a little to keep my Narcissistic tendencies in check. Well respected tech writers and editors at Wired, The New York Times and CNet, sing it’s praises. There are others, such as social media today writers who think it’s “Evil.” As you can tell, I think it’s the best tool we have – but that doesn’t make it scientifically accurate.
- It has weaknesses
- It can be gamed. (what analytic algorithm can’t be?)
- Search results, the web properties you control, forum site mentions, blog subscribers, etc. are not part of the algorithm they use.
For other sources that measure one’s influence across the social web, try these:
Have any others you use or are curious about? Please share in the comments section below!