Klout is a tool that measures social influence across the web. The higher the Klout score, the higher the social influence, the more you rock in the interwebs world. I’m a geek who desires to always know how things work and I am also competitive so I check my Klout Profile obsessively. This tool was probably the best and worst thing for me to discover. I really enjoy seeing my score go up. I flip off my screen when it goes down. Ultimately, it is VERY useful to help you gauge what your social media impact is and I am really enjoying it’s features. I am also trying to understand how it works, how to best utilize it and if there are any possible flaws.
I, like many people, am not so thrilled on the klout topics it has dubbed me the influencer of. I understand the process in which is uses to decide these topics: You tweet about a topic, it is retweeted by your followers and/or their followers or replied to so therefore you influence that topic. If you linked your Facebook Fan page it will determine your influence based on the likes and shares you get. This is pretty straightforward, logical and easy to understand.
It also seems to have a set database of topics it searches for and categorize people based on those predetermined keywords. Two words it has decided I am the influencer of that struck me as odd are gifts and weddings. I really don’t talk about those two things and they are not by any means what I focus on. From a social media and third party endorsement standpoint I see why those keywords are pertinent topics. As a blogger if you are trying to establish yourself in the Gifts and/or Weddings industry then it helps your PR Pitch if Klout backs your influence so you can therefore say “Look! Klout states that I am an influencer on these topics so I can help get your product out to my social reach!”
That is pretty awesome!
Klout is very useful when you want to learn about your influence, get credibility on your social media reach and help steer you in the right direction on changing what you trend. It pretty much rocks for those reasons.
But, again, what are the predetermined keywords that Klout picks up on and why not others… like wookies?
Yeah, I said wookies.
Okay realistically there is a very small target demographic for wookie apparel or wookie related products. So, maybe a keyword like wookie would not be relevant or important in the big ass Klout database of topics. Perhaps their keywords solely focus on topics that help you sell yourself and your social media reach.
But, what about the funny stuff?
What started out as a TMI rant about my hairy, unshaved, wookie legs turned into a hilarious timeline of twitter talk about wookies, Klout and shaving vs waxing vs letting the wookie run free. After I tweeted the following…
…I then thought, I wonder if Klout would pick up a term like wookies?! How funny would that be. Others quickly jumped in and it was a Wookie Tweet Fest! Many of those I follow and who follow me on twitter participate in a Twitter Party called #WineParty created by Blogging Dangerously. It happens on Friday night and it is always a lot of fun. Our Wookie conversation ended up pouring into #WineParty where the ridiculously funny tweets continued. Here are a few gems:
After many of us were enjoying our #WineParty and Tweeting about wookies that night it was still on everyone’s minds! I crack up every time someone randomly asks me how my If you Gave a Wookie a Klout Cookie Project turned out.
Because Klout keeps topics on your profile for several days I still do not know if this little social media wookie Klout experiment worked! Three more days weddings and gifts might vanish from my Klout Topic page and hopefully I will see them replaced with “wookie” or maybe even “ninja”! I once tried to tweet “dumb ass” a lot to see if Klout would pick that up. It would be hilarious if it worked, however, I am sure it will dub me with something like “hairy” or even “cookies”.
Moral of the story is just like the book… If you Give a Wookie a Cookie and Tweet about it then there may just be consequences for each funny little tweet. Our little Wookie Klout Mission may not work but at least the combination of Klout and Twitter created some really funny inside wookie jokes and it was a bonding experience to say the least.
Wookie Thugs fo Life, yo!
These Wookie Tweets were made possible by members of the Klout WookieTweet Fan Club. Because, if you have fan club then it’s legit! Be one of us. Okay really check out these rad people on twitter!
@TheBlueZoo @libismorgan @MamaWantsThis @Mama_Mash @blogdangerously @MamaRiceCake @rubyspikes @MrsWndr @snglmomiOTR @BigDaddySaid @Handflapper @junethomemaker @mytimeasmom @coffeeluvinmom
About Leila DontSpeakWhinese
Leila, aka The Ninja, is the advocate for all things not whining. Parenting is fun when everyone stops b*tching! She is a single Mom with two amazing kids. They ninja kick through life together. Oh and she is a total jackass.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
awwww thx… well this Wookie will give u a Cookie
…. hope you have a GREAT day 
… a tiddy wookie is a happy wookie in my book 
No one wants a sloppy wookie!! lol
Hee! Thanks for the mention! How the wookie are you anyway? You should totally be a wookie influencer. Why the wookie not? xo
I love all the wookie love! And I am wookie-tastic thanks for asking!
Haha, you really did it all for the Wookie (klout)! Fun!
For the wookie! So you can take that cookie!
omg…you’re the smartest funniest person I know. I am now going to be obsessed w/ Klout too!
Lol! Thanks Charla! You will seriously become overly obsessive with it but it does teach you how to tweak your social media influence.
This made me laugh so SO hard! I’m never gonna hear Fred Durst the same way EVER again…
<3 the Wookie Tweety Fan Club
That song came on the radio today and I sang the wookie version. The kids joined in. they made me so proud! haha
Keep trying and I’m sure you will get wookie on your list of topics for Klout.
Glad I joined wineparty so I could pitch in with the wookie love.
Thanks for the mention.
Just one more day and I will see my Klout topics change!! LETS HOPE FOR WOOKIE! lol
That’s hilarious. I don’t understand Klout, or how I would use it other than ‘Klout gives me a number of ##’ My numbers not very high and it goes up and down and sideways. Which does nothing for me other than interesting to watch.
Come to visit from the SITS 31 DBBB Day 5 thread. I started sending out emails the last time I did this challenge and it allowed me to make so good friends. I’m and introvert so I don’t really communicate much on Twitter and Facebook the way I was able to in the personal email.
I’m glad you stopped by!! Email is much more personal… and one on one communication is easier than broadcasting to the interwebs! Hopefully soon you will jump on the twitter bandwagon
I just checked my Klout rating. I’m a lousy 30! I guess I better work harder on my social media skills!
I love the Wookie Tweety Fan Club!
That shocks me so much!!!! You are SO social and always get a huge response. This is proof that Klout is full of wookie crap!
Well, I’m gunna see if I can get my rating up!
I feel so left out of all this Wookie excitement. *runs off to corner and pouts*
Okay, I’m kidding. That convo was hilarious. In case you forgot my handle is @coffeepotchron. I did it all for the wookie!
I had some wookie quotes from you too!! I saved them. I’m going to have to revisit this topic and keep the wookie quotes going!!
I obsessively check Klout too and I am an influencer of some weird things… cupcakes, Mt. Dew, and puppies. (I have no idea on the puppies, but, yes, I do consider myself influential about Mt. Dew and cupcakes.)
Mmmm cupcakes and Mr Dew make me hungry. Puppies.. not so much! It’s funny how so many people have no idea why something claims they are influential in it!
I started checking my Klout about a month ago and I realized that MY LIFE has turned into a video game. I am desperately trying to “get points” and complete the right social media challenge to ensure that my Klout increases or, at the very least does not (GASP!) go down! I am also trying to understand how I am getting these “achievements” that feel super-cool, but I don’t know how to work TOWARD achieving more! Klout is very easily sucking up too much of my thought process!
As for using your Wookie prowess to gain the attention of some company to sell their products – you could go after the publishing company that releases the Star Wars cookbook with their #1 recipe being WOOKIE COOKIES (my favorite way to make chocolate chip cookies, by the way). Beyond that, George Lucas is planning on re-releasing the Star Wars films in 3D – so you may be on the cutting edge of some serious cash flow here!! Never give up on the Wookies!
Maybe I can use Klout and wookie influence to get some laser hair removal. That would be awesome!
I am going to have to make me some wookie cookies. This sound delicious!
I remember all that wookie/klout chitchat. It confused me, but I did start to wonder that it would be so cool if you shaved a Wookie and underneath all that hair, they were really hot?! Yes, I would like that very much.
We confused SO many people! I think most that were participating were confused as well!
Okay, I’m jealous.
“I did it all with a wookie, c’mon
A wookie, c’mon
So you can take that nookie
And stick up your (yeah!)”
…wait a sec, actually I don’t mind hirsute women.
Just don’t forget to wash the armpits every now and again.
Wookie hair is long enough to braid. I’m just sayin!!
Hopping over from Bees with Honey. Glad I found your blog. I remember all the wookie talk during #wineparty. It had me laughing! I’d love to know what would happen if you gave a wookie a cookie. Hmmm….the result could be interesting.
I watched this convo unfold on Twitter and I couldn’t stop laughing! Let us know if Wookie shows up on Klout!
Came from Let’s Bee Friends!
I think you should try it at #wineparty again this week!
Interesting read. Never heard about Klout until now. You learn something new every day!
I laughed out loud at this (now my cube mate is looking at me funny). Trending for wookie would be awesome in my book.
{ 1 trackback }