View source for Klout

{{Short description|2008–2018 American website and mobile app}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox website
| name             = Klout
| owner            = [[Lithium Technologies]]
| logo             = Klout logo.svg
| logo_size        = 225px
| company_type     = [[Subsidiary]]
| foundation       =
| founder          = [[Joe Fernandez (businessman)|Joe Fernandez]]<br /> Binh Tran
| area_served      = [[World]]wide
| location_city    = [[San Francisco, California]]
| location_country = United States
| key_people       = [[Joe Fernandez (businessman)|Joe Fernandez]] (CEO) <br />[[Emil Michael]] (COO)
| revenue          =
| homepage         = {{URL|klout.com}}
| screenshot       =
| caption          =
| num_employees    =
| registration     = Optional
| launch_date      = 2008
| current_status   = Closed
| language         = English
| advertising      = No
| num_users        =
| website_type     = [[Social Networking]]
}}
'''Klout''' was a website and mobile app that used [[social media]] [[analytics]] to rate its users according to online social influence via the "Klout Score", which was a numerical value between 1 and 100. In determining the user score, Klout measured the size of a user's social media network and correlated the content created to measure how other users interact with that content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/14/facebook-klout/|title=How can you measure influence?|author=Lauren Fisher|date=July 20, 2010|publisher=Simply Zesty|access-date=October 22, 2010}}</ref> Klout launched in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://klout.com/corp/about|title=About Klout|access-date=February 7, 2014|archive-date=April 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418180036/http://klout.com/corp/about|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Lithium Technologies]], who acquired the site in March 2014, closed the service on May 25, 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/klout-shutting-down/|title=Klout is shutting down, so your score REALLY doesn't matter now|date=May 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lithium.com/products/klout|title=Klout is now kaput|date=May 25, 2018}}</ref> the same day the European [[General Data Protection Regulation]] came into force.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oremus |first1=Will |title=Klout Is Shutting Down Just In Time to Not Reveal How Much It Knew About Us |url=https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/klout-is-dead-just-in-time-of-europes-gdpr-privacy-law-thats-not-a-coincidence.html |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=September 3, 2024 |date=May 10, 2018}}</ref>
Klout used [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]], [[Facebook]], [[Foursquare City Guide|Foursquare]], [[Google+]], [[Instagram]], [[LinkedIn]] (individuals' pages, not corporate/business), [[Twitter|Twitter (now X)]], [[Wikipedia]], and {{citation needed span|date=August 2020|[[YouTube]]}} data to create Klout user profiles that were assigned a "Klout Score".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions {{!}} Klout|url=http://klout.com/corp/faq|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203111312/http://klout.com/corp/faq|archive-date=December 3, 2012|quote=How does adding new networks on Klout impact my Score? {{!}} [...] Klout currently incorporates data from Facebook profiles, Twitter, Google+ personal profiles, LinkedIn, foursquare, Klout, and Wikipedia into the Klout Score.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/klout-instagram-bing/|title=Klout Users Can Now Add Bing To Their Account And Include Instagram In Their Score|author=Anthony Ha|date=March 28, 2013|publisher=TechCrunch|access-date=March 28, 2013}}</ref> Klout scores ranged from 1 to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a higher ranking of the breadth and strength of one's online social influence. While all Twitter users were assigned a score, users who registered at Klout could link multiple social networks, of which network data was then aggregated to influence the user's Klout Score.
==Methodology==
Klout measured influence by using data points from Twitter, such as the following count, follower count, retweets, list memberships, how many [[spam (electronic)|spam]]/dead accounts were following you, how influential the people who retweet you were and unique mentions. This information was combined with data from a number of other social network followings and interactions to come up with the Klout Score.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/14/facebook-klout/|title=Klout Now Measures Your Influence on Facebook|author=Ben Parr|date=October 16, 2010|publisher=Mashable|access-date=October 22, 2010}}</ref> Other accounts such as [[Flickr]], [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]], [[Tumblr]], [[Last.fm]], and [[WordPress]] could also be linked by users, but they did not weigh into the Klout Score. [[Microsoft]] announced a strategic investment in Klout in September 2012 whereby [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] would have access to Klout influence technology, and Klout would have access to Bing search data for its scoring algorithm.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/09/27/microsoft-bing-klout/|title=Microsoft buys influence for Bing with Klout investment, partnership|author=Jennifer Van Grove|date=September 27, 2012|publisher=VentureBeat|access-date=September 27, 2012}}</ref>
Klout scores were supplemented with three nominally more specific measures, which Klout calls "true reach", "amplification" and "network impact". True reach is based on the size of a user's engaged audience who actively engage in the user's messages.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/KLOUT-SCORE-Influence-Exposure-Increase-ebook/dp/B00D7HLOGM|title=Social Media Influence, How to Gain Exposure and Increase Your Klout|author=Susan Gilbert|author-link=Susan Gilbert|date=July 28, 2014|publisher=Amazon|access-date=June 30, 2014}}</ref> Amplification score relates to the likelihood that one's messages will generate actions, such as retweets, mentions, likes and comments. Network impact reflects the computed influence value of a person's engaged audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389269,00.asp|title=Klout Review & Rating|author=Jim Duffy|date=July 28, 2011|publisher=PCMag|access-date=June 30, 2012}}</ref>
==History==
In 2007, Joe Fernandez underwent a surgery that required him to [[jaw wiring|wire his mouth shut]]. Because he could not speak for three months, he turned to Facebook and Twitter for social interaction. During this period, he became obsessed with the idea that "word of mouth was measurable." Pulling data from Twitter’s API, he created a prototype that would assign users a score out of 100 to measure their influence. Midway into 2008, he showed the prototype to some friends, who told him it was "the dumbest thing ever."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bereznak|first=Alyssa|date=December 17, 2018|title=The Influencer Who Didn't Influence: Luka Sabbat and the Fame Economy of 2018|url=https://www.theringer.com/tech/2018/12/17/18141386/luka-sabbat-influencer-snapchat|access-date=July 6, 2021|website=The Ringer|language=en}}</ref>
In May 2018, Klout announced that it would cease operations on May 25, 2018. The closure had been planned for some time and was accelerated by the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Jon |date=May 10, 2018 |title=RIP Klout |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/10/rip-klout/ |access-date=November 14, 2022 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Business model==
===Perks===
The primary business model for Klout involved companies paying Klout for Perks campaigns, in which a company offers free services or products to Klout users who match a pre-defined set of criteria including their scores, topics, and geographic locations. While Klout users who had received Perks were under no obligation to write about them, the hope was that they will effectively advertise the products on social media. Klout offered the Perks program beginning in 2010. According to Klout CEO [[Joe Fernandez (businessman)|Joe Fernandez]], about 50 partnerships had been established as of November 2011.<ref name=Williams20111128>{{citation|author=Williams, Stephen|url=http://adage.com/article/news/chevy-tests-sonics-high-klout-scores/231220/|title=Chevy Gives 3-Day Sonic Drives to Those With Big Klout|publisher=[[Advertising Age]]|date=November 28, 2011|access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> In May 2013, Klout announced that its users had claimed more than 1 million Perks across over 400 campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Tim|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/klout-perks-crosses-1-million-claims-more-400-campaigns-149481|title=Klout Perks Crosses 1 Million Claims, More Than 400 Campaigns Company considering sponsored answers product with Bing|publisher=Adweek|date=May 13, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref>
===Klout for business===
In March 2013, Klout announced its intention to begin displaying business analytics aimed at helping business and brand users learn about their online audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/03/20/klout-launches-business-portal-is-gunning-for-brands/|title=Klout launches business portal, is gunning for brands|author=JP Mangalindan|date=March 20, 2013|publisher=Fortune|access-date=March 20, 2013}}</ref>
=== Content page ===
In September 2012, Klout announced an information-sharing partnership with the [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] search engine, showing Klout scores in Bing searches and allowing Klout users to post items selected by Bing to social media.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Bing Partners With Klout, Marrying Search and Influence|url = http://mashable.com/2012/09/27/bing-klout/|website = Mashable|access-date = November 25, 2015|first = Pete Pachal2012-09-27 21:32:39|last = UTC|date = September 27, 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Why Klout Had to Change — and Why You Shouldn't Count It Out|url = http://mashable.com/2014/02/10/why-klout-had-to-change/|website = Mashable|access-date = November 25, 2015|first = Chris Taylor2014-02-11 02:40:36|last = UTC|date = February 11, 2014}}</ref>
==Criticism==
{{criticism section|date=September 2015}}
Several objections to Klout's methodology were raised regarding both the process by which scores were generated, and the overall societal effect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zerogeography.net/2012/07/geography-of-klout-scores-or-why-are.html|title=The Geography of Klout Scores|date=July 17, 2012|access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> Critics pointed out that Klout scores were not representative of the influence a person really has, highlighted by [[Barack Obama]], then President of the United States, having a lower influence score than a number of bloggers.<ref name=Shontell20111202>{{citation|author=Shontell, Alyson|title=The TRUTH About Your Klout Score: How Your Phony Number Is Calculated|url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-02/tech/30466708_1_klout-score-facebook-comments|publisher=[[Business Insider]]|date=December 2, 2011|access-date=August 15, 2012|archive-date=September 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918210550/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-02/tech/30466708_1_klout-score-facebook-comments|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other social critics argued that the Klout score devalued authentic online communication and promoted social ranking and stratification by trying to quantify human interaction.<ref name=Miller20111109>{{citation|date=November 9, 2011|author=Miller, Rohn Jay|url=http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/delete-your-klout-profile-now|newspaper= Social Media Today|title=Delete Your Klout Profile Now!|access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> Klout attempted to address some of these criticisms, and updated their algorithms so that Barack Obama's importance was better reflected.<ref name=Mchugh20120814>{{citation| date=August 14, 2012|author=McHugh, Molly|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/klout-reveals-new-scoring-algorithm-and-the-critics-are-quiet|publisher=Digital Trends|title=Klout reveals a new scoring algorithm – and the critics are quiet|access-date=August 18, 2012}}</ref>
The site was criticized for violating the privacy of minors, and for exploiting users for its own profit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alexandrasamuel.com/career-work/delete-your-klout-profile-and-be-more-than-a-klout-score|title=Delete your Klout profile and be more than a Klout score|date=December 12, 2011|access-date=December 12, 2011}}</ref>
[[John Scalzi]] described the principle behind Klout's operation as "socially evil" in its exploitation of its users' status anxiety.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2011/11/15/technology/klout_scores/index.htm Why Klout scores are possibly evil], at [[CNNMoney.com]], by [[John Scalzi]], published November 15, 2011, retrieved November 26, 2011</ref> [[Charles Stross]] described the service as "the Internet equivalent of [[herpes]]," blogging that his analysis of Klout's [[terms and conditions]] revealed that the company's [[business model]] was illegal in the United Kingdom, where it conflicted with the [[Data Protection Act 1998]]; Stross advised readers to delete their Klout accounts and opt out of Klout services.<ref>[http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/11/evil-social-networks.html Evil social networks], from ''Diary: Being the blog of Charles Stross, author, and occasional guests''; by [[Charles Stross]]; posted November 7, 2011; retrieved November 26, 2011</ref>
Ben Rothke concluded that "Klout has its work cut out, and it seems like they need to be in beta a while longer. Klout can and should be applauded for trying to measure this monstrosity called social influence; but their results of influence should, in truth, carry very little influence."<ref name=Rothke2012>{{citation|date=May 16, 2012|author=Rothke, Ben|title=Some Observations on Klout Scores|publisher=Infosec Island|url=http://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/21334-Some-Observations-on-Klout-Scores.html|access-date=August 15, 2012|archive-date=August 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831080513/http://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/21334-Some-Observations-on-Klout-Scores.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Klout was criticised for the opacity of their methodology. While it was claimed that advanced machine learning techniques were used, leveraging network theory, Sean Golliher analysed Klout scores of Twitter users and found that the simple logarithm of the number of followers was sufficient to explain 95% of the variance.<ref>[http://www.seangolliher.com/2011/uncategorized/how-i-reversed-engineered-klout-score-to-an-r2-094/ How I Reverse Engineered Klout Score to an ~ R2 = 0.94 (How to calculate Klout score)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124004354/http://www.seangolliher.com/2011/uncategorized/how-i-reversed-engineered-klout-score-to-an-r2-094/ |date=January 24, 2014 }}. SeanGolliher.com (June 27, 2011). Retrieved on 2014-02-11.</ref> In November 2015 Klout released an academic paper discussing their methodology at the IEEE BigData 2015 Conference.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Klout Score Methodology Secrets Revealed - The Klout Blog|url = http://blog.klout.com/2015/11/the-klout-score-methodology-secrets-revealed/#more-10766|website = The Official Klout Blog|access-date = November 25, 2015|language = en-US|archive-date = November 26, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151126053112/http://blog.klout.com/2015/11/the-klout-score-methodology-secrets-revealed/#more-10766|url-status = dead}}</ref>
In spite of the controversy, some employers made hiring decisions based on Klout scores. As reported in an article for ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', a man recruited for a VP position with fifteen years of experience consulting for companies including [[America Online]], [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and [[Kraft]] was eliminated as a candidate specifically because of his Klout score, which at the time was 34, in favour of a candidate with a score of 67.<ref>[https://www.wired.com/2012/04/ff_klout/ What Your Klout Score Really Means]. Wired.com (Feb 24, 2014). Retrieved on April 28, 2014.</ref>
==Notable events==
* September 2011: Klout integrated with [[Google+]].<ref>{{cite web |author= Sarah Perez |url= https://techcrunch.com/2011/11/22/google-now-impacting-klout-scores-active-users-see-scores-go-up/ |title= Google+ Now Impacting Klout Scores, Active Users See Scores Go Up |publisher= TechCrunch |date=November 22, 2011|access-date=December 13, 2011}}</ref>
* October 2011: Klout changed its scoring algorithm, lowering many scores and creating complaints.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ingram|first=Mathew|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/should-you-care-how-high-your-klout-score-is-10272011.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029114644/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/should-you-care-how-high-your-klout-score-is-10272011.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 29, 2011|title=Should You Care How High Your Klout Score Is?|publisher=Businessweek|date=October 27, 2011|access-date=December 13, 2011}}</ref>
* November 2011: Klout partnered with Wahooly for their beta launch.<ref>{{cite web |author= Todd Wasserman |url=http://mashable.com/2011/11/03/klout-startups/|title=Klout: Talk-Up a Startup, Get Some Equity|publisher=Mashable|date=November 3, 2011|access-date=December 28, 2011}}</ref>
* January 2012: Klout was able to raise an estimated $30 million from a host of venture capital firms.<ref name=Ingram20120104>{{citation|author=Ingram, Mathew|date=January 4, 2012|title=Like It or Not, the Reputation Graph Is Here to Stay|work=Technology|publisher=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/like-it-or-not-the-reputation-graph-is-here-to-stay-01042012.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109004216/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/like-it-or-not-the-reputation-graph-is-here-to-stay-01042012.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2012|access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref>
* February 2012: Klout acquired local and mobile neighborhood app Blockboard.<ref name=Leena20120207>{{citation|author=Rao, Leena|date=February 7, 2012|title=Klout Acquires Local And Mobile Neighborhood App Blockboard|publisher=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/klout-acquires-local-and-mobile-neighborhood-app-blockboard/|access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref>
* May 2012: Klout announced growth of 2000 new partners over a one-year period.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pendleton|first=Keith|url=http://socialscorerewards.com/blog/?p=12|title=Klout Announces 2000 New Partners in One Year|publisher=Social Score Rewards Official Blog|date=May 25, 2012|access-date=May 29, 2012|archive-date=June 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619012046/http://socialscorerewards.com/blog/?p=12|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* August 14, 2012: Klout changed its algorithm again.
* September 2012: Microsoft announced a strategic investment in Klout for an undisclosed sum.
* March 28, 2013: Klout announced inclusion of Instagram analytics in factoring Klout scores.<ref>Knibbs, Kate. (March 28, 2013) [http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/want-a-high-klout-score-your-instagram-photos-matter-now/ Want a higher Klout score? Your Instagram photos matter now]. Digital Trends. Retrieved on 2013-07-30.</ref>
* May 13, 2013: Klout users had claimed more than 1 million Perks across over 400 campaigns.
* March 27, 2014:  [[Lithium Technologies]] acquired Klout.<ref>{{cite web | title=Klout acquired for $200 million by Lithium Technologies | website=Fortune | date=March 26, 2014 | url=https://fortune.com/2014/03/26/klout-acquired-for-200-million-by-lithium-technologies/ | access-date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>
* September 14, 2015: Engagement on YouTube content was factored into the Klout Score
* October 29, 2015: Klout exposed inner workings of the Klout Score.<ref>[https://arxiv.org/abs/1510.08487 Klout Score: Measuring Influence Across Multiple Social Networks]</ref>
* May 10, 2018: Lithium announced that they would be ending the service on May 25, 2018.
==Similar metrics==
* Cloze<ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley">{{cite news|work=The Daily Egg|title=3 Dashboard Tools That Measure Social Media Engagement|author=Hall, Sharon Hurley|date=January 14, 2013|url=http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/01/14/3-dashboards-to-build-social-media-engagement/|access-date=February 21, 2015|archive-date=January 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116100342/http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/01/14/3-dashboards-to-build-social-media-engagement/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley Hall">{{cite news |work= The Daily Egg |title= Conversion optimization and A/B testing tips |trans-title= Don’t Like Klout? 12 Other Ways to Track Social Media Influence and Engagement |author= Hall, Sharon Hurley |date= June 4, 2013 |url= http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/06/04/dont-like-klout/ |access-date= February 21, 2015 |archive-date= February 21, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150221154146/http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/06/04/dont-like-klout/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>
* Commun.it<ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley"/><ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley Hall"/>
* [[Engagio]]<ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley"/><ref name="Hall, Sharon Hurley Hall"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Influitive Acquires Social Inbox Startup Engagio To Aid In 'Advocate Marketing' Opportunities|date=February 5, 2013 |author=Perez, Sarah |work=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/05/influitive-acquires-social-inbox-startup-engagio-to-aid-in-advocate-marketing-opportunities/}}</ref>
* [[PeerIndex]]
==See also==
* [[Q Score]], a rating system for brand/celebrity popularity
* [[BitClout]], a social network based on popularity with monetary value (cryptocurrency) assigned to each user
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
* {{official website|http://klout.com/}}
[[Category:Web analytics]]
[[Category:Social media management platforms]]
[[Category:Social media companies]]
[[Category:Defunct websites]]
[[Category:2018 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:2008 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2008]]
[[Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2018]]