Thoughts on Klout & Influence

Several months ago, I was invited into a beta of something called Klout. That may sound kind of cool and trendy, but I think it just means I write a blog and have a twitter account and Klout found my e-mail address somewhere. Regardless, it's a site that aims to measure the amount of influence a person has online. By analyzing "pieces of content and connections" (2.7 billion of them each day), Klout formulates a person's online influence.

I hesitantly decided to splash around in the Klout waters a little bit. I jumped in because I'm generally curious, plus I'm a sucker for something new and techno-social; but I was hesitant because it just seems weird to be trumpeting how much influence I have or don't have. Self promotion has never felt right, even when the darker parts of me crave the adulation it brings from time to time. And self humiliation is something I'm already pretty good at and with which I don't really need the help of another web site. Besides, if you have to tell everyone you're influential to get them to listen to you, are you really that influential?

One of the interesting aspects of the Klout site is that they'll designate certain topics in which you are most influential. There are a lot of different topics. A couple days ago, I received notice that my influence was being recognized in a new topic. Thinking of all the things that are important to me and that I blog or comment about, a list of possibilities flitting through my mind. But when the site loaded and I saw what the topic actually was, it was nowhere near my list of possibilities: Mascara. Yes, friends, it seems I am influential in the realm of mascara. It dawned on me that I'd made a flippant comment on twitter about boys trying too hard to make something of no-shave November that was re-tweeted by a couple guys (Thanks Drew & Robert). Because they repeated what I said, that must mean I'm influential, right? Ok, maybe not!

So anyway, I'm currently sporting a Klout score of 26, with a 'conversational' style, influencing 53 people (one of whom apparently clubs baby seals with sticks of kittens). But what the heck does that really mean? What does it really mean that I have 168 'followers' on twitter? (It was 170 before I re-tweeted Rick Warren this afternoon, but that's a whole other issue.)  What does it really mean that there are 531 people who 'friended' me on facebook?

What this really has me thinking about is the relationship between online connections and real life influence. There are people whom I know I heavily influence in some areas who will never show up on some websites radar. There are others who, according to the data, appear to be being influenced, but are they really?

What do you do with influence when it's granted to you?

How do you handle influence?

What are the benefits and drawbacks of measuring influence?

Kawasaki's Enchantment

You already knew that, right? Right? I've been reading Guy Kawasaki's Enchantment and this is the conclusion I'm forced to draw: I am enchanting. (Or at least I was until you read that statement!) Well at least my mom thinks so... and I passed a test to prove it. (This is going downhill already isn't it?)

In the interest of full disclosure, and in deference to Kawasaki's 3rd chapter, I received the book in exchange for reviewing it here on my blog. Why would writing this blog earn me a free book? Because my blog is listed on Kawasaki's Alltop (halfway down the page somewhere between Eric Bryant and Ragamuffin Soul, two very enchanting guys whose blogs you should be reading way before this one), which puts me on an e-mail list for the offer of a free pre-release book. Why is my blog on Alltop? Because I submitted a form and someone at Alltop deemed my blog sufficiently stocked with content to warrant inclusion on their site, I guess, but this is getting way off track - we'll be taking no more questions at this time.

The point is this: If you want to hone your skills in "the art of changing hearts, minds, and actions" this book has some great content. It's not a ministry specific book; in fact, some ministry minded readers will probably be ticked off by a few things, but it is very applicable to ministry, where changing hearts, minds, and actions is definitely our hope. And if you get so ticked off by something like this that you can't get anything out of it, you're probably not very enchanting, so you should probably read the book so you can learn how to be less prickly.

I've been told that I'm really good at talking people into doing things they don't think they can do. (There are mountain peaks with teen footprints, and cliffs where their fingers clutched granite to attest to that.) And in a sense, that's Enchantment, or at least my own spin on it - helping someone see a potential they didn't see before and helping them find a compelling reason to step into it.

Kawasaki's stature in the business & finance world (Apple, Alltop, Garage Tech Ventures... and a whole bunch of other stuff he's got a pulse on) affords him access to a lot of great stories from enchanting people and places all over the globe. He shares these often in the book as examples of the principles in action. Similar in theme to Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", Enchantment is the attempt of one guy who's winning to help other people win, too. And in the process, he'll make a lot of money and do good things with it... right, Guy?
In all seriousness, this is a pretty good book if you're in any kind of position (like living & breathing) to influence action. Read it.
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It occurs to me that I have one more thing to disclose. Not only did I get the book for free in exchange for reviewing it, but if you buy the book from the Amazon links I've provided in this post, I'll receive about 53 cents or something as an Amazon affiliate! I'm not enchanting at all... I'm a paid shill. Oh, man...
Seriously... the positive nature of my review has not been influenced by the fact that I'm about to get rich by telling you to buy the book and read it. I promise.