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I recently signed up for the social networking site, Klout. Yes, Klout means exactly what you think it does--who has clout or influence over other people on different subjects from blogging to business? Basically it takes all your social networking accounts and puts them together and assesses how active you are and how people interact with you and then you get a score for your "Klout."
I've been using it all week, and my Klout score is rising, and I've added new sklls, and I've earned Klout Perks (which are like coupons to use at businesses for things like business cards), and I'm still asking myself: Who cares? How is this not a waste of my time?
Does it matter if my score is 17 like it was when I first started or 59 like it is today? Am I selling more books with an above average score? Is WOW! getting more hits because my Klout score went up? Am I getting higher paid freelance writing assignments? The answer to all these is no. I, for the life of me, cannot figure out why having a high Klout score wil really help you--except maybe if it helps your self-esteem.
If you are on Twitter, you've probably seen tweets that say things like, "I gave +K to @womenonwriting for blogging expertise." Here's what Klout's website says about this program, "Anyone can recognize you for your influence by giving you +K. You can do the same for others by visiting their profiles and clicking the Give +K button by the topics they influence you about."
Okay, so again, my question is, "So what? How do I use this? How do I use Klout to gain more readers for WOW!? How do I use Klout to sell books?""
I've played around with Klout and read some. I know very few people worrying about Klout. So here's my question: if you are a writer, blogger, published author, or editor/publisher and are using Klout, what do you do with it? How does it benefit you?
Thanks for sharing, and here's hoping you have a high score on Klout!
Post by Margo L. Dill; Margo is the author of the newly released middle-grade historical fiction book, Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg (http://margodill.com/blog/finding-my-place/).
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6 Comments on Whose Got Klout? Another Social Network, last added: 12/11/2012
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I hope others chime in on this because I have wondered the exact same thing! Seems like just a cyber ego booster, but maybe I'm missing something too.
Monette: I was hoping the same thing, but either it's quiet because it's the weekend OR no one quite knows. . .:)
Maybe it's just the way you've written the post, but I fail to see the value in it. I'll be interested to see what others think.
@gwenstephens: yes, I suppose my bias came out--the fact that I don't see the value in it either. That's why I was hoping someone, somewhere used Klout to gain readers or something. . .:)
I don't see any value in it. One of my friends from Twitter jokes with me because according to the site I have "klout" when it comes to tequila, microbreweries, wine, and writing.
Who cares? It's a marketing tool to get you to use their coupons. I did qualify for a free photo book from Shutterfly from it one time, so that was nice, but I don't see the need to check in all the time.
That is so funny, LuAnn, now I want Klout in wine. :)
I never thought about the coupon idea. I earned some free business cards; of course, those are easy to get without spending time on Klout, too. So, maybe it's good to go on every week or so and see what free offers there are. . .:)