Maybe you already have a Klout account or maybe you have only heard about Klout. Klout looks at your online social influence and gives you a score out of 100.
Networks include Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Tumblr, Instagram and others. A score of 100 would be an influencial celebrity like Justin Bieber and is unheard of and a 0 would be someone who does not use Facebook or Twitter.
The average score for someone on KLOUT is 20! You are considered pretty influential at 50 a superstar at 60 right around 70 and higher you pretty much know what you are doing and Klout knows it. They reward you like no tomorrow.
Klout rewards you for your social influence. Klout gives you great FREEBIES called Klout Perks! Some recent Perks have been: FREE large bottles of Clean & Clear body wash, an entire set of Neutrogena Natural body products (with FREE water bottle included), a FREE Schick Hydro Shaver, a FREE full-sized Dove body wash, a mouse pad, key chain, shirts, deck of cards.and much more! Now you are probably like who gives a sh8t right? I'll be straight with you. That stuff is fine and dandy but in November 2011 Klout gave away FREE HP Laptops to certain eligible Klout members. And just as the word FREE implies, there is no cost to be a Klout member.
Setting Up Your Klout Account Strategically:
Firstly, you must create an account at
www.klout.com Link your most socially active accounts to Klout. So, if you are socially active on both Facebook and Twitter, do link both. However, if you are active on only one and the other is inactive, link only the active one. Otherwise, your Klout score will be dragged down by the inactive account.
Your Klout Score: What Score Earns Perks? After your Klout account has been set up, you will be given a Klout score from 0-100. A score of 40 and above is perfect in order to receive Perks, although some Perks are available to any Klout account holders (even ones with marginal scores). It seems like very good perks start at around the 50 Klout level, with phenomenal perks at the 55 Klout mark and higher. I am currently a 68 and must say the perks I am getting are incredible. Free business cards, 50 dollar gift cards Get to chat with the CEO etc.This Klout Perk was both effective in gaining my attention and giving me motivation to talk about it. Everyone at the office had seen the swag from Falling Skies and I know of some people who even watched the show because of it. So, a promotion that caused action and amplification of their message at the same time. I’d have to say that this was a very effective campaign There have been Perks given out atevery Klout level, so don't despair if your score is low.
Finding Perks, Catching Perks! Go to http://klout.com/#/perks to see the latest Perk offerings. Sometimes it is as simple as that to pluck a perk. Other times, Klout asks for you to have a certain Klout score AND a certain "topic" (for example: api). A "topic" is supposed to be your expertise in a certain area or areas. In addition, Klout may specify a certain "strength" in a topic (such as medium, high or strong).
How to Add "Topics" to Klout for Perks? Topics can be added by: yourself (costs you +5K), another Klout member (costs them +5K) or Klout may add a topic by itself if it notices you discussing a topic regularly (ie: fitness, music, technology).Increasing Strength in Topics to Earn Klout Perks! Once you have the necessary Klout topic to earn a Perk, you simply must build the topic strength to match Klout's Perk requirements. Klout may do this automatically, or you may ask your Klout peers to vouch for you that you are knowledgeable in this area. Your Klout peer would then give you one +K in the necessary area. In this manner, you will watch your topic strength grow.Giving +K to friends so They Can Earn Perks Too! Yes, you can also give +K to your Klout peers so they can earn Perks too! You start off with +10K and earn +5K daily (when you login to Klout). +K is disposable like money, which can be spent on yourself (adding a topic for +5K) or spent on your peers (giving them +1K in a topic(s) and vouching for their expertise). You can never have more than +10K at one time. If your peer vouches for you in a topic, you receive an extra +1K too. Do what I do create a circle of klout friends where you give each other k's and do this daily.I think that Klout Perks is an awesome way to earn great FREE stuff! I ask you: if you are already online actively engaging your social networks, why not get PERKED for it!If you like this article, why not +K me? http://klout.com/#/JMHHACKER
NOW TO GET THOSE PERKS YOU MUST ADD Google+ it is a serious part of your score mine increased by 17 pts
Since users started connecting their Google+ to Klout in late September,it’s a HUGE addition to the Klout score. From the get-go, Google+ came with circles, which set boundaries for shared content.
As on Facebook, you can Like content from other users (called a “+1”) and comment on it. People validate your content by +1’ing it. They can also Reshare it — which will spread it further through your own circles as well as spreading it to their own.
Since it launched, Google+ has seen early adopters crossing over from Twitter and Facebook, especially in the tech industry. The Reshare, which is in some ways similar to a Retweet, allows Google+ users to comment and discuss topics of interest similarly to Facebook, while having an immediacy of Twitter. Only, 62% are active on Google+ and therefore should see it affect their Score based on their ability to drive action on that platform.
Google+ and your Score
If you are active on Google+ and have connected your Google+ account to Klout, you will see a Score increase. Regardless of activity level, no user with Google+ connected will see a Score drop. Similarly, we do not penalize users who do not connect Google+ accounts. We measure influence on Google+ by analyzing public posts.
Look at the jump in score when you add google plus
The graph below shows the distribution for active users before and after adding Google+ to their Scores. In the graph below, the x-axis shows ranges of Scores. You’ll note that users active on Google+ tend to have scores between 30 and 60, which is much higher than our overall average Score of 20. The median Score change for active connected user is 5.1577. They did see some users who have really embraced Google+ as a platform saw Score jumps of up 40+ points. Like I said mine was 17
Comparing Google+ to Twitter and Facebook
Google+ has a hybrid of characteristics from both Twitter and Facebook. Facebook tends to be a tightly connected network, where users are connected to each other based on mutual agreement. You can connect to someone on Facebook only if they have accepted your friend request or vice versa. Twitter is a more loosely connected network because it is possible for you to be connected to someone whom you may not know. For example, you may follow Barack Obama, though he does not know you personally or follow your tweets. Google+ incorporates elements of both models with the use of circles, and is therefore more tightly connected than Twitter, but not as tightly connected as Facebook.
The behavior of users on Google+ based on their other connected networks. The first plot shows how the distribution changed for users who are active on Twitter and Google+ only, the second shows the same for users who are active on Facebook and Google+ only, and the third shows the same for users who are active on all three networks. The last (with all three connected) is the largest group. One observation from these plots is that most active Google+ users are also active on Twitter and Facebook, which is why most users fall in the 30 – 60 Score range, and why you see a smaller change in the last distribution.
Comparing Social Actions on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
Key similarities:
A comment, like or +1 on either Facebook or Google+ is a sign of engagement between the user who posted the content and the user who commented / liked / +1ed it.
A +1 on Google+ is similar to a like on Facebook, in the sense that both are validation mechanisms for “approval” of content.
A Reshare on Facebook or Google+ or a Retweet on Twitter both propagate the original content to a wider audience.
Salient differences:
A comment or a Like on Facebook may cause your content to appear in the news feed of mutual friends. On Google+ a comment or +1 surfaces your content not just to mutual friends but to anyone who has added you to their circles.
+1s on Google+ may also cause your content to appear in Google search results.
Due to the larger size of the network, a Retweet on Twitter may propagate your content to a wider audience than a Reshare on Google+ or Facebook. On the other hand, a Reshare on Google+ or Facebook may help you engage with an active audience, even if the size of the audience is smaller.
As part of the process of building this scoring model, we found comparisons with other networks helpful, but ultimately we look at each network holistically to create a scoring model.
