Why I'm Quitting Klout
I joined Klout a while back because I was curious about the service and also because of a recommendation in a blog I respect that writers should be aware of their Klout score.
It was fun at first, checking out what various people's Klout scores were and playing around with the tools. But then I became aware of a few negative points:
1. My Klout score didn't bring me any real benefits.
2. I checked my Klout score way too often, angsting about  fluctuations. ("Uh-oh, I'm going away on vacation! My Klout score is going to drop!")
3. The accuracy was questionable, with so many factors not being taken into account.
4. I started feeling hypocritical and slimy. I'm always going on about how the number of followers and other numbers aren't nearly as important as meaningful connections. So why was I so concerned about my Klout score?!? Plus I became aware that it was influencing how I tweeted…which made me feel even more hypocritical and slimy.
As soon as I submitted my opt-out request today, I felt a tremendous relief.
Before Klout fans jump on me, let me point out that I opted out of Klout because of my own weakness/angsting, not because Klout is Bad.
I'm going to take all the time I was spending thinking about Klout and put it into writing and illustrating instead. :-)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 11:26 AM
Reader Comments (6)
I've considered this, for similar reasons, but I'm not going to do it--yet--because I think I'm still learning stuff from Klout about what's effective and what isn't. I am going to think about how I could accelerate that process and thus be able to drop Klout.
You are the third blogger that I read that has decided to drop Klout. All three of you had the same reasons: no benefit and checking the score too much.
Honestly? Good choice, Debbie. You're no longer a slave to a point system on the internet.
[For me, I'm very comfortable with being no one in particular. : ) ]
I opted out of klout because I wasn't using it at all, and because I was reading lots of things about how cavalier Klout is with our information. Since I wasn't using it anyway I decided to give it the old heave ho. I should actually give a few other sites the same treatment. If I'm not using it, even on a semi-regular basis I should let it go.
Sounds like a good decision for you. I check my Klout score about once every three months, and since I have no idea what good it does or how to "move up" I never really give it much thought. I didn't even know you could tweet in a certain way to improve your score. Interesting. But you clearly not only know social media well, you know yourself well. So kudos to you for opting out!
A good reminder that in the end, there are more important things in life than a social networking site. Like having the time to create meaningful work!