Articles in The 'Blogger' Tag

Klout & The Klout Score

by Melanie Wahl

Klout (www.klout.com) measures a person’s influence in aggregate of all of their social networks (at least those currently integrated with Klout).  The San Francisco based company has scored over 80 Million people since 2008.  The unit of measurement compiled is called The Klout Score and is a number from 1 to 100.  The higher the score, the more influence Klout has computed that you have. 

Your Klout Score is compiled from three factors – True Reach, Amplification, and Network Score.  Your True Reach measures how many people you actually influence. There are safeguards in place to filter out bots and spam to sift down to how many people are actually interacting with your content.  Another way of looking at your True Reach is to think about how many people share your content and how many people are compelled to respond to your messages.  Your Amplification can be thought of as how many times your message is spread. Do your friends want to share your message with their friends?  Your Network Score takes into account not just how many people are in your network, but how many of those people are influencers themselves.  The more influencers you know who react to your content, the higher your Klout Score is likely to be.

The Klout Score Formula

Until recently, your Klout Score was determined from online influence in five social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and YouTube.  Klout doubled that number to ten by adding Blogger, Flickr, Instagram, Last.fm and Tumblr.

Keeping with the trend of social media companies having their very own buttons, Klout introduced the +K Button in June.  The +K Button is similar to Google’s +1 Button in that you are making a recommendation.  In Klout’s case, you are recommending an individual as a good source of information on a certain topic.  You can read more about the +K Button on Klout’s Blog.

These are extraordinary times…

by MoreVisibility

As I was watching TV over the weekend and reading the top headlines at various news websites, it occurred to me how exciting the time is right now. Political leanings notwithstanding, the race for the Democratic nomination has been extremely entertaining. Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, we are assured to have a first in our country, a woman or an African American winning the nomination for President for the Democratic Party. To see it unfold right before our eyes is something we will always remember. The best stories my grandfather ever told me were the ones where he could say at the end, “and I was there when it first happened”.

The same can be said for the current situation with Microsoft and Yahoo. I am not realistically trying to draw a comparison between the two politicians and the two companies, but the stories have one thing in common…they are entertaining. I find myself looking forward to reading about the next development in the story regarding the proposed acquisition of Yahoo by Microsoft. The battle between the companies has kept many a blogger up at night typing away on their keyboards. Microsoft recently drew a line in the sand over the weekend with its threat of a proxy fight which could lead to a takeover price lower than their current offer. Yahoo maintains their company is being undervalued by Microsoft and continues to hold firm in rejecting the offer.

How these two stories will play out is still anyone’s guess. I guess it all depends on whose side you are on. I’m sure the supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama feel their candidate has the greater vision and is best for their party’s nomination. The same could be said for those who support Microsoft’s acquisition of Yahoo at its current proposal, versus those who feel the offer is not enough. No one seems to be backing down, company or politician alike, the battles continue and it is fascinating to watch. We are truly living in extraordinary times!