by Elizabeth Lemuz | @lizrlemuz

What is Klout? The purpose of Klout from the beginning was to measure a person’s online influence. It is a tool used to compare with others your credibility on social media and who you measure up to be. According to The Daily Dot, “the algorithm used to determine the ranking was more about quality than quantity.”

How is it scored? Many users use Klout to determine how popular they are. Klout scores are computed by giving users a score between 1 and 100. Beginners receive a score of about 10-15. An average user typically receives a score of 40. Other professionals who are much more involved usually have a score of 50 or higher.

What influence does it have? There are four types of users for Klout. The users who are all about SEO and are very involved in marketing, people who use it as a game to see the different aspects of the tool, users who use it to get the free perks, and those who have high influence online but only use it as a joke.

From the beginning, Klout had a program where higher engaged users would receive free products known as Klout Perks. Earlier this month, the VP of Lithium Technologies announced that Klout Perks would be removed from the program. “Klout’s real strengths lie in its algorithm and wealth of social data,” wrote Lithium’s VP of communications Eric Channing Brown in an article by TechCrunch. Brown also told TechCrunch “that a big focus for Klout is now on “personalized experiences” for brand customers, rather than simple rewards for your social media score.” For those who signed up for perks before this, the company will honor these commitments.

Does Klout even matter? Absolutely! This program helps a person determine how involved they are on different social media platforms. This helps determine your social media footprint. If you’re looking for a job in the social media field, there is a possibility a company will want to know your Klout score. It shows how well you are involved with platforms instead of just telling them your involvement. It’s a great analytics tool for those who really want to know where to improve in their social media presence and it can also help your customers better understand if you are qualified to get them the results that they are looking to achieve.