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Why Klout's Social Influence Scores Are Nonsense

Posted by Soulskill on from the another-system-to-game dept.

jfruh writes "Klout is a new social media service that attempts to quantify how much 'influence' you have, based on your social media profile. Their metrics are bizarre — privacy blogger Dan Tynan has been rated as highly influential on the topic of cigars, despite having only smoked one, decades ago. Nevertheless, Klout scores have real-world consequences, with people deemed influential getting discounts on concert tickets or free access to airport VIP lounges (in hopes that they'll tweet about it, presumably)."

8 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. A product for a problem that does not exist by h2okies · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and will likely never will. From the last /. on this if people are hiring you based on your "klout" you should probably be looking elsewhere for a better managed place to work. If you are looking for free shit all the time then I guess a higher "Klout" score might actually be worth something to you...

    --
    Beware the Lollipop of Mediocrity, Lick it once and you suck forever.
    1. Re:A product for a problem that does not exist by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why can't we just stick to the system that has worked for decades? Judge a man based not on his Klout, but by his penis size or the value of his car.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    2. Re:A product for a problem that does not exist by SimonTheSoundMan · · Score: 5, Funny

      I prefer this: http://klouchebag.com/

  2. XKCD! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    XKCD says it all!
    http://xkcd.com/1057/

  3. Call me old school by __aajgon4133 · · Score: 5, Funny

    But I don't really care what your Klout score is. THAC0 is what really matters.

  4. Re:Klouchebags! by MachDelta · · Score: 5, Funny

    I sincerely hope "wiffle" is how you spell "aluminum" in your nation or culture.

  5. But it's fun! by JarekC · · Score: 5, Funny

    C'mon, Klout is fun! Exactly because its metrics are so bizarre, it's really fun to check out yours and your friends' score, and compare it with some well known people. At my workplace we do it like every couple of days, and its like watching Monty Python. You can't keep a straight face when for example a guy sitting in the next cubicle suddenly turns out to be - according to Klout - more influential then the company CEO.

  6. Re:I bet my Klout score by Spad · · Score: 5, Funny

    No it isn't. You can't just make this stuff up, you know, there are British people on the internet now.