So, I thought I’d take the time to send a big kudos post to Klout for bringing a new perspective to light when it comes to what I do. I’m not a hardcore blogger by any means so none of this is probably relevant to you, nor remotely interesting, but it’s a big step for me in a direction I’ve needed to take for so long. That’s kind of what this post is all about.
For those not familiar with Klout, if you want to gauge how influential you are with your peeps across your social network(s), this is the tool to use! In a nutshell, it somehow measures your activity and puts it into a nifty formula to give you a “Klout score” (out of 100). That score rates your level of influence and even pins you to a certain style of engager, from observer to celebrity.
It was funny, when my buddy approached me a month or two back about it and invited me to join, my Klout score was a whopping “10″, which I thought was pretty generous. In the two plus years I’ve used Facebook and Twitter, that was my level of influence. Pitiful, but certainly not shocking. Up until this point, I’ve been a huge introvert. I had always wanted an almost celebrity-style social circle, but was far too timid to make that happen. Although it never prevented me from finding success in my endeavors and matters of business, I like every other person in the world, crave growth. I want to learn new things and be able to do more things in my line of work to make every step of my career that much better. What fuels that success more than anything is interacting with like-minded professionals and peers who are willing to share and challenge ideas – a quality social circle. It’s about gaining quality influence and becoming a quality influence. Thanks to Klout, I believe I’ve found the way.
To make a long story short, my praise for Klout isn’t so much the cool way it measures my influence, but rather the influence it’s had on my lifestyle and the level of growth both personally and professionally that has taken place in such a short time. As of writing this post, my Klout score of “10″ has grown to “56″ and counting in only a month and a half. I’m currently an influencer of 120 and a “Specialist” in my level of engagement across my networks which blows my mind because I’ve never had this large of a peer group in my life (and I know my score is a small number compared to some of you out there). In the process of using Klout, I’ve watched myself morph from a quiet, reclusive web developer and designer to an active businessman and socializer, and now a member of various organizations in my community. What used to be such a chore to get out and attend large social events is now something I look forward to and, dare I say, crave! Not only am I starting conversations with new people on both Twitter and in person, but I’ve even volunteered presentations and talks on aspects of my work, which not too long ago would have intimidated the heck out of me. As a result, I’m overbooked with web projects and business is booming!
Klout has become a staple in my morning routine, keeping me reminded and accountable for maintaining strong, relevant communication with the people in my networks, as well as continually pushing me further from my introverted habits, out of my shell, and away from a lifestyle that is no longer congruent with my personality and direction.
Yes, Klout is about influence, but for me it’s about growth. Again: gain quality influence and become quality influence. Immerse yourself in a community of people that can move you forward with your goals while being a strong contributor to their success and interests as well. It’s the law of reciprocity at work!
Kudos to Klout for the challenge. With that comes a new perspective, energy and vibrancy – driving me forward in a new, profitable momentum. It’s not just my score and business that are skyrocketing, but also my passion for people, relationships, and coincidentally the community around me.
If you aren’t part of Klout yet, click here to connect now. Start the influence!
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“Klout has become a staple in my morning routine, keeping me reminded and accountable for maintaining strong, relevant communication”
That says it all. I use Klout every day too, it isn’t about competition or my score is better than yours, its about making sure that what I do is valuable and relevant to my network.
On my blog I use a number of measures too. I was reluctant at first as my blog falls into the mom/mummy blogger category where there can be a lot of competitiveness and bitchiness, which I do not care for. However they are very useful as a measure for what I am doing, and highlighting where I can improve.
Great post.
Awesome, thanks! Yeah, Klout has definitely been a game changer in my book. Let me know if you come across any cool tools for blogs that I could use! :)
Hey Noah
I was recently introduced to Klout by a colleague who boasted a 57 score and in the past 3 weeks I have endeavored to consciously increase my own score. The way you express your timid beginnings is pretty much the way I feel now and I am excited to grow my own influence in my field. I hope to share a similar story to yours. Thanks!
Cool, thanks for sharing! Yeah, at first I saw it as a competition, but more with myself. I knew I was better than where I was and in order for anyone to want to change themselves, they have to get to that point where they say “Enough is enough”, get aggressive, and take charge. Klout just gave me that extra push. Let me know how things go!
Noah – Thanks for writing this piece. Like you I am a relatively recent user of Klout and have also been working harder to try to tailor my interactions with others in a more focused way that will help my Klout score, but more importantly, help my business prospects. I found your piece and your experiences to be very encouraging in this regard. Thanks again and best of luck with your endeavours.
Vito, thanks so much for the kind words. Much success your way! Let me know how it goes :)
Great post about using Klout! Of course, I found it because Klout RTed you, but hey – it’s all about influence, right?
I love it because of all of the reasons you mentioned, but for one other: it’s more easy to understand than Google Analytics, which, right now, is my only way of gauging what kind of traffic is driven to my website. The fact that Klout takes a look at the many different streams of media out there and combines it to say, “okay, guy, here’s what you’re talking about. Do you really want to be influential about ‘mattress’?” has been incredibly helpful in making me create some more directed commentary on my Facebook and Twitter. I’m more active on LinkedIn now, too.
Can’t wait for them to add Facebook Pages. My score will drop – I know it will – but I’m hoping it’ll help me figure out how best to reach my audience under the guise of my costuming and arts business rather than just my personal profile.
Maggie, you hit it on the head. So many people are about the numbers, but the concept is influence and making sure you’re being the most effective you can be with yourself and how you market your business. I too look forward to them adding Facebook pages. Wishing you the best. Let me know how it goes :)
This was really the kind of motivation I needed right now. Thanks man!
No, thank you! :)
As an introvert myself, I really appreciated this post. I’ve been working on my score too and it has definitely increased as I get more active and focused on my sharing.
Plus, it’s nice to see a positive article about Klout. It seems I’ve seen more articles that claim the Klout score really doesn’t mean anything. Even if you’re only using it as a measure of your own influence and reach (and not comparing yourself to others), it seems very helpful to gauge changes.
Thanks!
Susan, you’re exactly right. Everyone gets caught up in the technical aspects of things, but seem to skim over the actual concept, which is understanding how you relate to others and the kind of influence you have within your social peer groups. Now, Klout is not the end-all solution for determining your “worth”, but it gives perspective, and that’s all I need to push me in a more positive direction with how I go about things. Thanks for the comment! Best wishes to you!
Great post!
It’s a new spin on an old adage: whatever gets measured, gets managed…and Klout is a great personal reminder to maintain an active engagement with friends, relatives, colleagues and clients.
Thanks a bunch, Anjlee!
I think this is a great article about using Klout to increase your influence. I really don’t like the title, though. I am an introvert through and through, and I don’t feel that it’s something that I need, or even want, to change. Introverts have just as many things to contribute as extroverts; we just have different ways of interacting with people. Social media is a perfect platform for me, since it allows me to have a “barrier” level in place. If I get overwhelmed or worn out, I can just stop posting for a while.
I will say that Klout has been a wonderful tool for me to push myself to get more involved, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop being an introvert.
Hey Chad, thanks a bunch for posting! I completely agree with your post. My alone time is critical…I have to have it. In spite of recent developments, I will always need time to do my own thing away from people. That I don’t want to change. But, you’re right. I can go to my computer and work on projects and accomplish great things if I wanted to, and I have. In reference to the article, however, I did notice that I was letting my “introvertedness” get the best of me and it held me back from reaching newer potential that I never thought I had. That part of life is what I’m interested in exploring now. I’ve seen the benefits and have been reaping the rewards. Will I have my inward tendencies? Yes, and I’m not ashamed of it. But, when it comes to business, I understand the importance of a strong social circle, and I realize that in order to establish myself and continue propelling myself forward, I need to keep a presence in the conversation. As motivated now as I am now to take on a more engaging, extroverted personality, I will never change who I am on the inside. Neither should you. Hope all is well my man! Thanks for taking the time to post!
This is truly a great story that I feel very connected to. I have seen a change in myself the same way you have and find myself seeking conversation and connections in order to maintain and improve my influence. I now enjoy meeting new people who influence me online and hope to that it will help me in job search when the time comes. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Alexa! Great to see that you’re feeling it to! Wishing you the best in your endeavors. Keep me updated!
Great article! Klout has definitely helped me to become more conversational and appreciate Twitter in an entirely new light. I have also made it a personal challenge to increase my Klout score over time.
Can’t wait to see what they come up with as time marches on.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks Chris! Best wishes to you :)
Hi Noah, Just like to praise you for your great article! I checked out Koult and it really motivated me to get out of my comfort zone.
By the way if it you don’t mind me asking, I”m a graphic designer & i do freelance work outside of my full time job occasionally. I would like to start a website to show clients my portfolio and blog on it as well. May I know what web host will you recommend me? Thank you!