The Official Klout Blog

Today we’re releasing a new feature on Klout.com. We call it +K, and it’s the ability to vouch for your peers’ influence in topics.

We’re continuously improving our data collection and science models to offer the best analysis possible. Yet we recognize that not all influence is captured in the data we have, and our users need tools to properly provide feedback.

Therefore, we’re taking it to the next level with +K:

• Give +K on topics: If a user has recently influenced you in a topic, give them +K in that topic
• More topics: our topics model is even more accurate, and now surfaces up to 10 topics per user
• Hide topics: You can now opt to hide your topics from public display

With the +K system, you’ll see a +K button next to all users’ topics: this is a 1-click way to let us know that this user has recently influenced you in this topic.

At Klout, we believe influence is the ability to drive action. We also believe influence is temporal — that is, you constantly need to drive action in order to remain influential in a topic. We believe the +K system stays true to those ideals.

Thanks to all our users who’ve stuck with us, provided feedback, and helped to test +K. We’re eager to hear what you think!

Q + A:

Q: Can I add my own influential topics?
A: Topics are initially generated by our algorithms. We plan to allow self-submission of topics in the near future.

Q: How does giving and receiving +K affect my topics?
A: Giving +K to others has no impact on your own topics (or Klout Score). Receiving +K will affect the ordering of topics (topics with recent +K are listed first), and the time length that these topics are displayed on your profile (receiving +K allows you to remain influential in that topic for longer).

Q: Is there a limit to how many times I can give Klout?
A: You get five +K every day, which you can give to any user in any topic. You can give +K to the same user on a given topic once every 7 days (e.g. if I give Bugs Bunny +K in carrots on Monday, I won’t be able to do it again until the following Monday).

Q: Can I remove topics?
A: Yes, you can remove topics from public display on your profile. Hovering over the topic name on your topics page will display an “x”, which will allow you to hide the topic.