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I'm interested in technology, web education, and writing. I create a daily writing prompt at First 50 Words and write about web education and web tec...
 
 
 
 

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Klout is losing Clout

With Many Influencers

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There's a backlash against Klout. Scalzi recently wrote about DeKloutifying, in which he explained why he quit Klout. He immediately received a multitude of comments praising his decision and detailing complaints about Klout.

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Image Credit: Benzado

On Google+, Lynette Young did a similar thing. She explained why she quit Klout, saying,

I no longer feel dirty and hypocritical.

Her post received a similar barrage of +1s and favorable comments. One, from Meryl K Evans said,

It looks like Klout is losing clout with a lot of folks. Martin said it — it feels like a competition. It also feels like it's stressful for many of us and leading us to change how we interact instead of just being ourselves.

Meryl also tweeted about the post by Lynette Young. I was alerted to the tweet by @kmdk, because an article posted at BlogHer a few days earlier talked about potential employers asking for Klout scores. The idea that employers would ask for Klout scores throws off a lot of warning flags and ignited quite a conversation on Twitter.

Those of us listed in that tweet had a lengthy conversation about Klout – its inaccuracies, its requirement for constant tweeting, and its lack of true meaningfulness – the conclusion of which was summed up nicely by @mollydotcom

Anyone using Klout as a means to measure self worth is causing themselves grievous harm and must stop! @vdebolt @kmdk @iheni @merylkevansFri Nov 11 20:46:56 via web

One of the issues with Klout is that it demands constant social engagement or your score falls, even on weekends. Jenna Hatfield wrote Dear @Klout, Here's What I was Doing this Weekend. She describes an important weekend, but Klout deemed it inadequate. She responded,

So, Klout, you’ll just have to excuse me for not making time to, as your note says, “share more content and engage with my network.”

On BlogHer, Chole wrote My Family is Killing My Klout Score with a similar observation about the realities of life vs. Klout scores.

I have Klout in WHAT?

Beelebeandog wrote An Open Letter to Klout which brought up another oft-cited issue with Klout. It's inaccurate. She compared her long-lasting @bellebeandog score with her brand new account in her real name Liz Jostes,

My barely-used-barely-connected-and-zero-engagement @LizJostes Klout score is higher by 1 point.

Not only does this not make sense, but to me it’s the final nail in the casket of Klout’s kredibility.

Everyone seems to have a story about the ridiculousness of Klout scores. For instance, I'm suppose to have Klout on the topic Virginia. I presume that means the state of Virginia and not the me Virginia. I have a lot of knowledge about myself, but absolutely none about the state.

Grace Hwang Lynch, BlogHer's editor for race and ethnicity reported,

Klout tells me @BlogHerCultures is an expert on White People.

Yeah, it must be all those articles @BlogHerCultures mentions about Muslim Americans and Chinese Americans. Or, it might have been that one about the Muslim cabbie and the Jewish bagel bakers.

Renee Blodgett talked about REAL Klout influence and asked,

Wouldn’t it also be more interesting if tools like this took into consideration a person’s offline influence as well as other things they may have done, such as a bestselling book or created a program that made an African village sustain itself?

Renee actually had a chance to visit with the founder of Klout. It didn't give her an improved perspective on Klout's performance so far.

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Nora DePalma 6 pts

Klout finding Grace Hwang Lynch to be an expert on White People is HILARIOUS. Klout CEO did an interview here: http://socialmediatoday.com/rohnjaymiller/392574/k... Bonus points for candor, but they have a long way to go in establishing credibility consistent their brand position.

Broot_Floondragon 5 pts

I signed up for klout and then promptly didn't use it. Apparently I have influence in New Zealand, Klout itself, and Moms. I don't blog or talk about klout or mom things. Go figure. I'm not on twitter enough to use it anyways.

MauiShopGirl 11 pts

My initial feeling was why would anyone care about your Klout score unless they are hiring you for social media PR purposes. Now if the social media gurus reject Klout's clout, I'd say it's over for them.

When I went on Klout's site because someone sent me an invite, I found it clunky, not somewhere I'd wanna hang out for fun. The funniest thing was a big popup, all warning like that I had lost influence over...drum roll please...my mother! Did I mention she lives next door to me?

Elisa Camahort 24 pts

I have tried to studiously ignore Klout. So I'm pretty sure I never created any kind of account profile, but are you saying I can go remove myself from it altogether...sort of like getting an unlisted phone number?

Virginia DeBolt 15 pts

Elisa Camahort You get a Klout score by being on Twitter. The Klout response to "how do I stop this" is not helpful:

http://support.klout.com/customer/portal/articles/...

You can disconnect certain sites from Klout. Here's the info on that.

http://support.klout.com/customer/portal/articles/...

I can't find anything else in the help files at Klout that tells me how to "quit" being on Klout.

Virginia DeBolt 15 pts

Elisa Camahort Wait, the Google+ post by Lynette Young shows how to do it by editing your profile.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106600962597764825745/...

slappyintheface 13 pts

I stopped worrying about my Klout score when I stopped worrying abut how many hits I was getting on my site and how many followers I had on Twitter. It just wasn't worth the stress.

Sylver Blaque 8 pts

I could care less about a blogger's Klout. I'm interested only in their content. If it's intriguing, I'm there - no matter how low their Klout. If the content does not interest me, I'm gone - no matter how high their Klout. Great post, Virginia. It's really interesting to see what everyone thinks about Klout's clout!

NokomisMichelle 7 pts

I didn't realize Klout ever had Klout. I think I signed up inadvertently to comment on someone's page once. I was redirected from another site. Since then I've received a couple of emails from the site which I delete before I read. I honestly don't give a damn about it. Who are they to judge who has Clout? Really? Nope. Not for me.

niseag03 6 pts

I only just recently discovered Klout, and I check it more for amusement-sake. For the longest, it determined I was influential in bacon. BACON. What is there to influence about bacon? And when on EARTH did I say anything about bacon? (I mean, I like bacon as much as the next person, but REALLY?)

I have noticed that how it comes up with the score is ridiculously arbitrary. I have a friends who tweet maybe 1/5 as often as I do, and their score is higher than mine. How does THAT happen?

So, just for these reasons alone, I take the whole site and its idea with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila. I check it periodically for entertainment purposes. Period.

Jo Royal 5 pts

Being fairly new to klout I haven't really made much sense of it. I keep forgetting it is there to be honest - and reading through this post - I think that is best. I don't have space in my life for another time consuming activity or programme. Thanks for warning me off!!

Jo

tingsmom 5 pts

I just recently "discovered" klout and wonder how they get the score. I have a higher than average score, but don't consider myself that engaged to be honest. I tweet maybe three times a day and update my Facebook maybe once every couple of days. It also says I'm influential about toys. I've never tweeted, blogged, posted, etc about toys. Weird!

Mom101 8 pts

I haven't quit yet but neither do I check my score, link my Facebook page, or rely on it as a measure of influence--on me or anyone else. I wrote about it back in September.

http://www.mom-101.com/2011/09/klout_will_tear_us_...

It bug me for many, many reasons. You nailed so many of them here. Thanks Virginia.

Conversation from Twitter

aporianat
aporianat

kell_gill I think it's hilarious how they determine what you're influential about.

Conversation from Facebook

Mental Chew
Mental Chew

Ya, I am quitting. I had a good score and was considered a "specialist" however, I didn't have any specific topics yet. So I am a specialist on nothing in particular. Just the way I like it.

Jo Hilder
Jo Hilder

The first time I checked out Klout, they told me that I was influential about "Nile". As a white female blogger from Australua, it was then I realized this wasn't going to be something I could take seriously.

Robin Moore
Robin Moore

I joined waaaay long ago and found my score dropped within a few weeks. I stopped paying attention to it. Sounds like I need to actually close my account, too?

Nelle Douville
Nelle Douville

Never joined... thought it silly.

Rhonda Hartman
Rhonda Hartman

I quit it already.

Maya Brown-Zimmerman
Maya Brown-Zimmerman

What is PeerIndex?

Amanda Hearn
Amanda Hearn

I find that it's not really a good measure of much of anything and I am tired of the "I have So-and-so klout" "I got klout from So-and-so" "Please give me klout" ack.. it loads up my stream :|

Polish Mama on the Prairie
Polish Mama on the Prairie

I could. My Klout score (even with people now awarding me with Klout points & my engagement on Twitter & Facebook) is steady at a lower score than before. In the meantime, my PeerIndex is rising steadily. And my readership is rising & so are my followers. So, I don't understand how Klout can be accurate.

Suzanne Reardon-Mulhall
Suzanne Reardon-Mulhall

I never joined it, but had to quit. Very frustrating, especially when I'm dealing with a major privacy issue and harassment situation. Klout only helps them.

Pony Pals
Pony Pals

Quit. Stalker helper.

Christine Siracusa
Christine Siracusa

Just quit Klout today.

Audra Cortelyou Barrick
Audra Cortelyou Barrick

Ditching it. It's a joke and a privacy problem.

Alexandria Scott Campbell
Alexandria Scott Campbell

I quit. I never paid much attention to it before, but since my score plummeted I have really loss interest.

Chelle Moser Newton
Chelle Moser Newton

I didn't realize that there was an option to quit. I know I have a klout score, but I have no idea what it is. I don't even know how to check it!