I’m going to talk about social media, AGAIN. So, if that’s not your thing – feel free to look away. I’m sure I’ll be back to saying, “Vag It Up” tomorrow. Wait, I just did. Tee, hee, maybe you should keep reading in spite of yourself.
Anyway, I read this book called, “The Tao of Twitter” because anytime I embark on anything I try to fully understand what in the feck I’m doing. In this little gem of a book, which I highly recommend – solely because I like you – the author talks about KLOUT.
Now, I am convinced that it’s best to concentrate on only a couple of social media platforms at a time, so you can get ahead without losing your goddermned mind. I focus on twitter, facebook, my blog, and a touch on pinterest. That’s all I have time for and I barely have time for that.
With that said, THE TAO book focuses on Klout – a platform not always talked about. What Klout.com does is it scores your social media “power” or “influence.” My score lies somewhere around a 67. Sometimes it gets up to a 68, but I find it difficult to get it much higher than that. It’s out of 100 and only 1 person has a 100 score, if you really want to know. (And if you guess who in the comments section I’ll find some sort of prize for you…) Anyway, anything above a 50 is supposed to be sort of good. I had looked at my Klout score before I had read the Tao of Twitter, but didn’t really think much of it. However, the Tao author convinced me that more and more people are going to be looking at. In fact, one day soon, people will be putting it on their resumes.
Well, I did just that. I put it right on my resume. Right at the top. The reason I did that is because when I looked around twitter I constantly saw people with the title, “Digital Marketer” or “Social Media Manager at xx Company” and then their twitter follower. Oddly, that twitter follower number was often EXTREMELY low. So, my Klout score says “MINE IS NOT.”
Don’t get me wrong. I truly do NOT feel that a strong mastery of a platform is all about follower count. I actually think it’s more about interaction and QUALITY of the followers. I think it was Seth Godin who said, “You only need 1,000 true fans.” 1,000 true fans will sustain you and I believe in that. But, regardless, the Klout score idea is an interesting one. It’s as if everyone had a Q rating for their online presence.
Where it gets really interesting is – KLOUT PERKS.
Some cool sh*t that someone received who was not me…
The idea here is that if you have a score over a 50 or so in a certain ‘topic’ companies that want to reach out to your followers GIVE YOU SOMETHING. Say you write a twitter account that consists only of sports movie quotes – Nike might contact you to ‘try out’ their Hoosiers commemorative hi-tops. The idea is you get the hi-tops. You love ‘em. You can’t stop wearing ‘em. You wear ‘em so much that you fall asleep in them. And BECAUSE you love them so much you can’t stop TALKING ABOUT THEM. That’s what Nike wants you to do – talk about the Hoosiers hi-tops. Free products for free publicity. Suffice it to say, I think it’s a cool idea.
My score is not high enough to get a pair of Nikes. It is high enough, however, to qualify for some moo.com business cards and something called, “The Red Bull” bulletin.
There’s only one problem. The moo cards wanted me to pay for shipping, which I didn’t want to do since I had bought cards from them not too long ago, on my own. Had they sent them to me for free – I would’ve talked about them like mad. The Red Bull bulletin, which I believe is a magazine created by Red Bull, NEVER CAME AT ALL.
So, I suppose, in summary — the klout.com perks program will never work IF YOU NEVER RECEIVE THE PRODUCT.
Someone else received this cool stuff from Red Bull, but not me…
I feel a little like a kid waiting for their free cereal prize to come in the mail. Only it never comes, which is like getting stood up by Santa Clause and it makes this blogger feel WEIRD.
Compare that with my great experience when I reached out to Homoquotables on my own. A “pop and pop” operation that sent me some product almost immediately. The end result – I talked about them and talked and talked.
As for Klout, I’ve sent two messages now saying, ‘never received the product’ or ‘didn’t want to pay for shipping’ and received no response. In today’s world it SEEMS like these companies want to have a two-way conversation, but clearly – right now – only one person is talking.
What about you? Have you ever engaged in Klout’s perks? Did you have a similar experience or a better one?
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Tagged: 000 true fans, 1, advertising, blogging, Business, community, companies, conversations, Klout, klout perks, klout perks suck, lgbt, marketing, monetizing your blog, Nike, postaday, products, Red Bull, Relationships, Santa Clause, Seth Godin, social companies, social media, Social network, Sweet Mother, talking, talking about products on your blog, Twitter
I also received the Red Bull magazine “Perk” and have also not received the actual magazine yet. When I signed up for it, it said something like it might take up to so many MONTHS before you start receiving the magazine…so I didn’t think much about it. It was free…if it comes.
HOLY SH*TBALLS. how hard is it to send a magazine? redunkulous. you would think the negative we haven’t received this yet, would be enough for them to either be fully stocked or NOT DO THE PERK. have you ever received any other ones? xoxox
Not really. I think I got the Moo card thing too…but opted out because I already had cards. What’s a dude from SW Missouri going to do with fancy business cards? Which goes for most of what they offer too. I’m out in the middle of nowhere, essentially, so I have little use for a lot of what they have.
Oh, and I saw that Obama has a 99…but not who has 100.
Bieber? What the heck?
it is, indeed, the biebs. as a prize enjoy the biebs from behind, i’m sorry in advance: http://imgsrv.mypower106.com/image/wyrb/UserFiles/Image/JUSTIN%20BIBER%20BUTTOCKS.jpg
Well – I just signed up to see how I’m doing. I had read about Klout but never took a look at it.
it’s interesting, but i’m not so sure it’s all that… xo
Prolly true. Interesting to see how they tabulate it – your score seems pretty high.
This stuff make me crazy. Klout, Kred, Proskore…I’m pretty sure there are more. I made myself crazy trying to get past 54 on Klout. It kept telling me I was influential in stuff I didn’t know anything about and not in the stuff I do know stuff about. So in one of my rare moments of negativity (on-line) I started tweeting about how they were making me crazy. So guess what I am influential about now? According to them…I am influential about Klout! I laugh every time I see that. I just checked again before I wrote this and I have dropped to 50 but I am still influential about Klout. Heheheheheh…I will have to read that book mentioned.
that story is hilarious. i love that you’re now influential about klout! i really tend to agree with you on your ‘topics’ or ‘subjects’ theory. i don’t know what they use to figure out what we’re influential over…but, one of mine is ‘airports.’ seriously, airports? the only thing i can think of is that i checked into klout in an airport once out of boredom…and now i’m the airport queen. bizarre. oh and the tao of twitter is awesome. and such an easy read. xoxo, sm
I never really figured out what the perks were. Now I know. Thank you Mama. You’re brilliant.
Dang… I missed a good one too. Oh well.
which good one? where am i? who am i? looool. yeah, i knew klout, but i had to investigate the perks myself. now i’m pretty convinced it’s a mirage of nothingness, so to speak. xoxo, sm
My klout score also dropped like crazy this last week. No one tweets me!
Klout schmout. If I want free stuff I’ll just go take it.
Wait a minute, that’s shoplifting. Never mind.
best comment on this post today! i’m sure i can take a magazine from a doctor’s office somewhere and yet i’m fighting klout over a red bull mag i probably don’t give a poo about. oh the internet and it’s time wasting abilities… loool. xoxo, dirty, xoxox. sm.
Is tomorrow vagimatic day? I know nothing from Klout!
i don’t know, but it most certainly should be… klout/ snout. xo, sm
I am at Klout Level 40! Thanks to all the webcamera lasses and guys who sell pool filters that follow me.
bwwaaahhhhhhhhaaa ‘pool filters.’ loooooved. i know this post makes you check your number, now, doesn’t it?
sm
Two things: (it’s always two things, isn’t it?) Klout perks are a joke. Klout lost klout for leading me on with perks I had to pay for. And second, I am going to guess that God had a 100 on the Klout meter (and He is going by all His Other Names–Allah, Great Spirit, The Universe– for a combined score of 100).
Klout lost klout for leading me on with perks I had to pay for. — now THAT is the title i should’ve written. you are brilliant, my dear. as for the 100, it’s the biebs. enjoy this image: http://imgsrv.mypower106.com/image/wyrb/UserFiles/Image/JUSTIN%20BIBER%20BUTTOCKS.jpg xoxox, sm
I think I am one of those ‘goth kids’. You know the ones in high school, remember them, they never fit in but always kinda scared you. I just don’t care right now.
I care that people I respect might some day follow me, read me, comment on something I write.
I care that I am welcome on their blogs, their Facebook pages and when I remember that I might follow them on Twitter and they might follow me back. I care, professionally some of them will ‘Link’ with my profile on LinkedIn, recommend me and even help me make contacts.
Klout? I am one of the goth kids. I smoke behind the tree, read dark poetry and dress funny. People suspect I might swing both ways but they aren’t sure. People start rumors about me, whisper behind their hands when I walk by but are afraid to look me in the eye and ask me a question; I suspect they are afraid I might tell them the truth.
Klout? I just can’t care. Perks? What are those? Just one more scheme to get you to sign up for just one more thing that really will only make you feel bad you aren’t doing enough to get noticed.
I suspect, you are perfect. Just the way you are. Without Klout telling you they forgot your address and you have to pay for the shipping for Nikes from China.
this comment is absolutely hilarious. yeah – i feel like klout is neither here nor there. feck ‘em and their weird advertising brochure/ magazine. but, i thought the concept was great initially. and it works, look i am writing about them…even in my dislike, i’m writing about them. but, mostly, i’m a goth kid.
xoxoxoxo, sm
I always knew we were simpatico! I bet if you smoked you would smoke the cool long brown cigarettes and blow perfect smoke rings, even when it was windy.
i tried Klout for awhile. i found it tiresome. it’s all about boosting my ego. i already HAVE a huge ego. And the perks were few and far between, even though my score is similar to yours. My philosophy is if it don’t promote my blog, it ain’t worth my time.
and that, my friend, is a wonderful philosophy. and your ego comment is hilarious. i thought it was a great idea in principle, but in practice – not so much. like, for example, if i was a klout employee, i’d make sure your blog was showered in fun doggy items. but, maybe klout is stupid? feck ‘em and here’s to us. at least that’s a cheer i used to say in uni… loool. xo, sm
I’ve always wondered what this Klout thing is. Thanks for enlightening me. Still, I think I’ll leave it to the cool kids. I’d just be chasing my tail trying to get it above 50 (I had to check mine–it’s a 48. And I’m okay with that…)
i think almost everyone checked after reading this post. looool. yeah, i’m not sure it’s a big thing to concentrate on. and 50 is a good score. it puts you in the ‘expert’ level… just sayin’. xoxox, sm
The idea that your social media influence is something that you can take to the bank is appealing to me. Even though I don’t have too high a Klout score, I like the idea that people and corporations are finally starting to take notice of people like us who, even though we don’t have a million plus followers, definitely set the tone for what the rest of the world is going to be doing. It’s for this very reason that when my husband fills out applications for new jobs, he mentions how many followers he has on his poetry blog. (It’s a number I would KILL for.) Sometimes I wonder if that number makes a difference to employers; right now, in his industry, it doesn’t seen to make much of a difference, but eventually it will.
And to answer your question: is it the Biebster? It’s gotta be the Biebs.
PS Are you going to do a follow-up post on Pistorius?
that is EXACTLY what is appealing to me too. the tao book talks about a time where you’ll have sort of a klout card and you’ll show it at airlines and concierge desks for room upgrades and a free bottle of champagne. and there’s something i truly like about that idea. and i see the same future you do. i think one day this follower # that you’re talking about will matter. i don’t know when, but it think the concept is ripe for the picking. as far as pistourious, i think i have to do a follow up piece. the whole thing is so sad. i’m waiting to see how it shakes itself out a bit more before i go off on a rant. and lastly, it is, indeed, the biebs. enjoy this awful image as a reward: http://imgsrv.mypower106.com/image/wyrb/UserFiles/Image/JUSTIN%20BIBER%20BUTTOCKS.jpg xoxox, sm
You know, Klout can eat my muff. Recently, I went on a job interview where the interviewer was more concerned with my Klout score than my actual skills. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job AND that particular publication is no mo’.
i know you hated that experience, but i think it’s so interesting that they were concerned at all about it at your interview. i put it on my resume, my klout score, but i’m not sure anyone cares… xo, sm
This sounds like another way to feel bad about myself! LOL.
Is it the Bloggess? Does the Bloggess have a perfect score?
the bloggess should have a perfect score, now, shouldn’t she? but, alas, it’s the feckin’ biebs… lool. xo, sm
Above the President I saw!!
I signed up. It went from 15 to 50-something. Wooh. I’m officially on FB too often.
If klout is in, does that mean klin is out? What is klin anyway?
i don’t know what klin is, but a kiln is where you make ceramics in art class…. bwwaaahhhhhhaaa. sorry, so stupid. that joke, i mean. xoxo, sm
Klout = Kred = Blah.
klout-snout. i just wanted to rhyme… xo
Until you posed this, I had never heard of Klout. I just signed up – my score is 10. I don’t think I’ll get any prizes – but since I won’t receive them anyway, I guess I am doing just fine!
The person with the perfect score is the person who created Klout. I don’t know who that is, but that is my guess. I want a prize!
here is your prize: http://www.autostraddle.com/hilarious-hostel-get-into-bed-with-queer-comedy-at-podshare-157151/ — which is really the worst prize. it just means i want you to read it. looool. xoxo, sm
Doh… so that’s what Klout is about. I think I’d better read that Tao book of yours.
the tao book is sooooo good and an easy read. i promise you. xoxo
lol – I’ll let you know how I go.
Holy crap. I thought high school was rough. Now I have to worry about Klout? Geez. I’m not even going to bother to look. When did life become so dang cumbersome? I just want to go play flashlight tag with my friends after dinner.
i want in on the flashlight tag… xoxoxo, sm
I just checked my klout score and is abysmally low. On the up side, my cholesterol numbers and credit score are great if you swap them.
my credit is low, my cholesterol medium, and my klout medium to high. all i know is i still can’t buy a house. yet…. looool. xoxo, sm
I’ve gotten some nice things from Klout Perks. Probably the best came from Chiquita. I use the grocery sack, the umbrella, and the t-shirt all the time. I think Klout is fun, but like anything on the internet, you shouldn’t take it too seriously.
‘like everything / anything on the internet you shouldn’t take it too seriously…’ so well said, so well said. i like that you actually received stuff. did you see that someone from klout commented on this post? i love a company that listens… xo, sm
Bieber? Damn. My guess was Seth Godin or Guy Kawasaki.
This is depressing.
looool. i find most things that involve the biebs to be depressing. except ‘lesbians who look like justin bieber.’ i sorta love that site. xo, sm
Hi sweetmother! I run the Perks program at Klout, I’m sorry to hear you have yet to received the Red Bulletin. Although the subscription does take longer to get in the mail than most Perks, please feel free to email me at ashley@klout.com and I will get you taken care of. Thanks, Ashley
hey there ashley, that’s awesome. email sent! sweet mo
I learn something new every day. I’m becoming truly impressed by how outdated I am…like one of those grumpy old men who are afraid of answering machines and still have a rotary phone. I’m checking out Klout now.