#klout.com

http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/04/30/hate-klout-tom-scott-mixes-meaningless-metrics-with-feminine-hygiene-in-response/

A few days ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Klout.com, a site that measures your online footprint using some kind of intricate algorithm based on influence. It's a very interesting idea, one that is incredibly valid in certain situations. But it reveals a larger issue in society - that our lives have become a real life "Second Life." Or, you could say that "Second Life" has become First Life. You can now have influence in the world without ever leaving your bed, as long as you have food and water close by and an outlet to keep your computer charged. And there is a site that rewards you for that behavior. Not only that, people pay attention to your Klout score. Your Klout score can speed up customer service, get you better discounts, get you upgraded, and get you a job. Essentially, Klout scores have created a value based definition for celebrity.  Is this supporting a trend of equalization of resources? The internet is arguably equally accessible to the vast majority of people who would shop on Gilt.com or go to the Palms in Las Vegas and therefore benefit from the perks that come with a high Klout score (see article). And maintaining an influential online presence is pretty easy as long as you have something interesting to say and people to care. So, therefore be a portal through which the common man(/woman) can become a great man(/woman). 2012's contribution to the myth of the American dream. If the internet is the New Frontier and the blogger the most recent metamorphosis of the self-made man(/woman), then Klout is... what? What used to determine how important your opinion was? People. And Klout is an algorithm based on how influential you are to other people. So, yes, it could just be the online manifestation and mathematicizing (is that a word...?) of something that already exists. Therefore, Klout is valid.  All this validation still does not justify its overall implications. Klout's existance (and it's clout) suggests that the online world is more important than the "real" world in that it can get you perks in the real world instead of the other way around. This raises the question - is it more important to have a high klout score (and therefore high influence in a fabricated online network) or more "old-fashioned" communications that may not reach a mass audience of strangers?  Well, I'm of the opinion that nothing is more important than getting out of bed, going outside, and talking to people face to face. So, i'm sorry, I wont date anyone with a Klout score higher than 50, because it probably means you spend more time in your fantasy online world than in the real world. Please talk to me about your interests face to face, not simply as one of 10,000 followers.  And with that, I'm going to grab a sandwich with a friend at a deli nearby. Maybe I'll check in on 4square, maybe I won't. Maybe you'll never hear from me online again. Does this mean I don't exist, that I don't matter? No, it means I'm living life. #yolo 

Do I believe that? Yes elements of it. Anyway, check out this convo I found over @ Conversation Agent about measurement of influence.