So what is Klout and why does it matter? Klout measures influence across the social web. We assign a Klout Score from 1 to 100 based on your ability to drive action. We also find your most influential topics, your influencers, who you influence, as well as other stats surrounding your influence. Think of it as a social credit score that will increasingly impact your life.
How do we Score? We believe influence is the ability to drive action. We are not focused on follower or friend count but instead look at social actions such as Retweets, @messages, likes, and comments. If you have a lot of highly influential people engaging with you on a regular basis you will have a high Score. We score based on Twitter and Facebook (more networks coming soon) Learn more.
How can I use Klout as an individual?
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Benchmark your own success: Note as your own (or your business’s) Klout Score goes up or down. If there’s a dramatic change that indicates something you’re doing is working (or not). You can also check out our tips for increasing your Score.
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Get Klout Perks: If you’re registered for Klout you’re eligible to receive Perks such as early access to products or exclusive events. We’ll notify you when you’ve received a Perk. Learn More.
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Recognize people who influence you: We recently introduced the ability to +K (give Klout) to people on the topics they have influence you on. This is a powerful way to thank the people in your network. Learn more.
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Find out who you influence: Your Klout profile shows you who you influence and how many people are in your True Reach. This can help you understand if your message is reaching your audience and who is really listening.
How can I use Klout as a business or application?
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Engage with influencers: Businesses can use Klout Perks to connect with top influencers in a given topic and offer them the chance to try your product. Learn more.
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Know who to connect to: Look at the Klout Scores of the people in your community to find out how to most effectively use your time. Those with high Klout Scores have the ability to impact a large audience. You can use tools like Hootsuite, Cotweet, Seesmic, or even Klout Chrome and Firefox Twitter extensions to help you do this. Look not just at Klout Score but at their topics of influence and who influences them to understand what they care about.
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Use Klout data: If you’re an application looking to integrate Klout data we have an API you can use. Learn more.
What’s the story on the company itself?
We’re a startup in San Francisco, founded by Joe Fernandez and Binh Tran in 2008. We’re VC funded and we have about 40 employees. We believe everyone has influence and our mission is to help people understand and grow that influence. And, yes, we do check our own Klout Scores. Learn more.
Let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
