Fans of the influence-measuring website Klout will be happy to know that the company has finally introduced an iPhone app that allows you to track your score while on the go. Better yet, the app gives you real-time updates on your Klout score.
For those unfamiliar with Klout, it’s a site that measures a person’s online reach by gathering stats from users’ various social networks. While the algorithm for how that Klout score is calculated can be confusing, the fact remains that many people are noticing this service and are beginning to take it seriously. And that’s okay, to an extent.
The idea of getting perks from various ad partners is a fun, harmless way to utilize Klout, but it’s starting to find itself in some places where it doesn’t belong.
For instance, there are stories of companies using a person’s Klout score as a reference point while researching potential candidates. If that is something that can be the difference between getting the job and losing out on an opportunity, what does that say about one’s actual tangible qualifications?
There is no doubt that everyone should be embracing social media. It does lead to excellent opportunities and allows you to remain visible and connect with customers, suppliers and, yes, potential employers. But your activity on these social networks – and certainly an algorithm based on your involvement with them – should not be the measuring stick for how you would perform in a potential job.
As long as Klout remains a fun way to measure one’s social influence, and the only result is added perks by partners who want you to speak kindly about their companies, it can be a tool worth mentioning. But as it begins its evolution into a serious recruiting tool for employers, it loses its fun luster, and everyone is left chasing an algorithm while hiring managers take the easy way out.
But hey, for now, the iPhone app is still pretty cool.
