Self Promoters - Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

I have never been a fan of Klout although I do understand it serves a purpose for those who want to tell others they are influential. Yes I know some people might not want to read or hear about my main issue of Klout claiming to measure influence. There are so many ways of getting an idea of the influence someone might have. Can we precisely measure influence?

I see influence more as an idea of what people can make others do out of their own will. Some influencers are more aligned to move the masses and others that are able to make key people take action.

Is it Possible to Have Influence Online & Not in the Real World?

Being influential online is aligned with being influential in the real world. Maybe that is what Klout is measuring. Online influence to a certain degree based on algorithyms that count tweets and actions a user takes. The problem is that Klout measures limited actions on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you are someone that is mentioned in a blog is that person influential?

I have read many times how klout and many of these other tools are not able to measure when someone like my friend @chrisbrogan gets mentioned in a blog or any of his efforts get mentioned in other blogs. Or even a better example let’s say @chrisbrogan mentions you on his blog that means you had some sort of influence over @chrisbrogan.

The action that @chrisbrogan mentioned you, your brand, or services determines your influence on @chrisbrogan’s community. I can say 90% of the books I read and software I buy are because Chris recommended it.

Sentiment

Klout is also missing the ability to measure sentiment of what is being said. I see people who have fairly decent Klout scores but all they do is complain about their job, peers, weather, and clients amongst many other things. I see people every morning complaining on how tired they are of their job or employer.

I know of many companies who use klout to determine if they are going to reach out to a person to represent a product or do a product review. Do you want a person who has great influence about negative things? That person might be venting and sharing Too Much Information online but how is that going to help your brand and product?

Always take a look at interactions of people, who they reply to, what they are talking about online, and what they share.

Word of Mouth

In many occasions I meet people who have the influence of buying software in a large company. I might talk to them about how great a particula software is. After doing his research he might move on to buy the software for himself and rest of his team. Sometimes what we do in our jobs can carry influence that is not measured online.

At CIMA IT Solutions we do vendor assessments and individuals pay us to make sure that they are buying the right tools for their business (instead of going to the vendor directly).

Where is that influence measured online?

My recommendation is to use Klout just for fun or mix it in with a process of measuring many other factors. Use it to complement other processes not as a stand alone tool.

So always keep in mind that just because someone has a low Klout score does not mean they are not influential.

What other ways do you measure influence?

photo credit by alex_ford

In the last few days the pageants and competitions for little girls and babies have increased. I am always able to measure this by the amount of requests from self promoting parents that contact me with a link taking me to a competition where I can vote for their Daughter just because they have me on there list.

Yesterday I finally decided that if you never talk to me via facebook or any other channel and you approach (or try to obligate me) on making me hit a Like button for any of the following I will unfriend you!

Beauty Pageants. If you have a daughter and you think I should vote for her because you are my contact on facebook, don’t count on it. I have never been a fan of bringing your daughter up in that kind of environment. Here in Puerto Rico it amazes me how people give such importance to a beauty pageant and not to other things that are more important in life. As a new father I rather see my daughter playing sports or involved in a charity effort than wanting to be a model or worst a beauty pageant queen.

Photo Contests. If you want your kid or baby to win a photo contest and request me to vote for your kid and help him win something. I am a new dad and I have shared very few photos publicly keep this in mind. Most of these contests are a cash machine for the organizers by recruiting sponsors and making a huge profit of parents who are over promoting their kids.

In any way pimping your kids. My friend @karimacatherine gave me the perfect definition for such a person. I reality if you are trying to make your kid win a contest to receive some kind of economic benefit (Vacation, money, or other perks). Think twice you might be pimping your kid. So don’t be a Pimp. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your child when they have real talents but using there looks to serve you is a lot like being a pimp.

Asking for Likes in General. The purpose of a Like button on facebook if to have people genuinely express their feelings towards your status, page, brand, image, or other elements. A few weeks ago I was requested to hit like on a Steakhouse to have someone win a contest. If you know me or have read this blog you understand very clearly Why I Don’t Eat Meat!. If you are going to recommend me to like something it might not be the best idea if you are offering me to like a place where they sell dead animal carcasses in volume.

When is it Ok to ask me for a Like?

If you are part of my community, you share my posts, you comment on my blog, you talk to me (other than asking for favors), and you are trying to help a cause that I believe in. If there is a page about animal rights, human rights, people doing something positive to help others, any charity that aligns with my values please feel free to recommend me liking a page or comment.

So in conclusion my personal facebook policy on hitting like buttons to serve selfish people will get you an automatic un-friend.

How do you deal with self promoters?

How do you feel about parents using Social Media to brag about their kids? How does it change your opinion when they post inappropriate photos?