Klout

Klout is a beheimatetes in San Francisco company ( Klout Inc. ), which is based on the analysis of social networks (for example, Twitter and Facebook) created based rating by users (influence ).

It thus is a highly automated electronic service for measuring the online influence ( Quantitative, not qualitative) of people. The algorithms by which Klout creates the effect of a person are not public.

Klout Score

The scale of Klout ( Klout score ) ranging from 1 to 100 and is intended to reproduce the " online influence " of a person and document ( maximum 100). Example: Barack Obama has a Klout score of 99, the average " Klout Score" is, according to the Klout website at 40

Method

Klout evaluates among other things, allegedly from the friends number, the activities and the number of referrals in different social networks. The lower activity and the lower the response to such activities, the smaller drops of the Klout score.

To what extent search engines in the future, the Social Network and Klout will cite as the relevance donors for its own scores, is not yet clear.

Klout Perks

Klout Perks are rewards for social activities. Interested companies can bestow particularly attractive user special offers and probably want to benefit in this way from the high social status of these users on the Internet. These offers are still primarily for users in the United States. To get Klout Perks, Klout, the user has to announce his address.

Criticism

• By measuring the quantity of activities in social networks by Klout quality is largely ignored.
• Klout also measures the score of non-registered persons.
• By Klout also be non-existent persons ( pseudonym), provided that these appear in the network, evaluated. A pseudepigraphy is not recognized by Klout. Registering with Klout is done only with a functioning e- mail address, which is not independently verified personal.
• Due to the unknown ratings as well as the orientation mainly on the English-language network, Klout is not representative of the real influence of a person in the internet community.