Jen Zingsheim, who periodically guest-moderates #measurePR, was on hand on August 21 to do just this. Here’s her recap of the chat.
The August 21 #MeasurePR chat was a fun and lively discussion about a few topics of interest to measurement geeks””including the notorious topic we love to pick apart: Klout.
Image: The Eyes of New York via Flickr, CC 2.0
Here are some highlights:
Klout has recently made changes to its algorithm, many of which appear to be in response to (heavy) criticism of the “influence” tool. For example, the “vacation effect,” wherein scores drop due to a temporary hiatus from activity, has been addressed.
Mark Schaefer addressed some of Klout’s changes at his {Grow} blog. So Q1 asked if anyone felt more comfortable using Klout, given the changes made.
- The general consensus on whether people’s comfort levels had changed were reflected in Deanna Boss‘ response:
Another influence tool, Kred, also has made some recent changes. It’s a far more visual experience to check out a person’s influence print.
Jason Oullette made a great observation when he noted that the key for businesses will be the potential to identify who drives discussion:
We were temporarily sidetracked, as Don Bartholomew wondered if Klout’s changes were merely lipstick on a pig””which led some of us to wonder if we’d now be considered influential about cosmetics on Klout.
The discussion progressed on to a long and detailed post on Nieman Labs, which examines what the potential is for news organizations to begin to measure the impact of journalism. It’s a complex discussion topic, but an important one.
The #MeasurePR chat discussed how this might impact the way stories are developed by newsrooms, and how it could change how PR pros pitch.
The chat recap of #measurePR on Aug. 21, 2012 is available (just follow that link!).
Jen Zingsheim is Vice President of Products and Services for CustomScoop, driving product development plans to better meet the needs of public relations and marketing professionals. In addition, Jen oversees CustomScoop’s media analysis offerings, including BuzzPerception Reports, which track messages and trends in social media for Fortune 500 clients. Prior to CustomScoop, Jen worked at Fleishman-Hillard’s St. Louis headquarters, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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@ShellyKramer @shonali I dunno, I’m not sold on it
I can’t stand Klout. But I’m happy to report that I’ve added 5 points in the last two weeks. Whoo-hoo!
Seriously, I guess it has some usefulness to someone. It doesn’t bother me one way or another. If my Hootsuite dashboard didn’t post my Klout score, I wouldn’t have a clue what it is. At the same time, it gives me some clues about the people I encounter on social media. But it’s just that — a clue, not a measure of their worth.
@barrettrossie I agree with you! I will say they have been trying to improve the service by adding in more networks, etc. But it’s like pierreloic said a while back, and I’ll never forget it: you & I are not their customers. Big brands are their customers. And there are quite a few brands who use them and who are very happy with the results. So while they are extremely polite to us (and they are, they’re really nice people), in the grand scheme of things it matters not one whit what you or I think about it. Kinda sobering, no?
@Shonali @barrettrossie pierreloic I actually agree with you too–but as Shonali notes, big brands are using it–and so are employers, as a pre-screen for potential hires. Customer service at some companies are using it to triage customer service issues. In many ways, whether we like it or not (and I don’t) these scores are defining us and how companies will treat us.
Unless there’s a major backlash and mass-dumping of these scores by those of us being ranked (the Product), this will continue. It’s disturbing but it’s also something that we all need to think about. (Oy.)
@rachaelseda Thank you for sharing!
So wait perhaps I missed this but…when’s the next #measurepr chat?! ;)
@rachaelseda Well… you didn’t miss it, b/c we didn’t post it. :) It *should* be this coming week, Sept. 18. Think you can make it?