{"id":2578,"date":"2011-02-14T21:24:23","date_gmt":"2011-02-14T21:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/?p=2578"},"modified":"2011-02-21T01:46:08","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T01:46:08","slug":"klout-is-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/klout-is-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Klout is necessary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Klout<\/strong><\/a> is in the news. The Wall Street Journal piece on Klout<\/strong><\/a> surely made the rounds. Klout<\/strong> is praised and bashed, loathed and admired. Whether good or bad, Klout<\/strong> is necessary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Klout\u2019s founder, Joe<\/strong> Fernadez, is both a genius and a gentleman. He recognized a need in the marketplace and has been working aggressively to satisfy that need. The business press is taking note and is given him and his company earned recognition (and venture capitalists are giving him\/them the big bucks to back it up). I got to spend some one-on-one time with Joe<\/strong> in Indianapolis during ExactTarget\u2019s conference last year and found him to be a delightful dinner companion and a deep thinker. I like and admire him a lot.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why Klout<\/strong> is necessary:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Too much confusion:<\/strong> Many companies really do want to \u201cdo social media right.\u201d They know much is happening in social space and they want to be there and be good citizens there. At the moment, there\u2019s so much happening that it\u2019s hard to know where to start. As Annette Simmons says, \u201cWe don\u2019t need more information. We just need someone to make sense of it all.\u201d Klout<\/strong> strives to help companies make sense of it all.<\/li>\n
  2. Too many voices: <\/strong>There are nearly unlimited voices shouting into a space where companies have limited resources. While companies, no doubt, would love to hear and understand every voice, there aren\u2019t enough ears on the planet to hear everyone. Klout<\/strong> strives to help companies focus those limited resources on the louder voices.<\/li>\n
  3. Too much complexity:<\/strong> Social media is far from simple or settled. Social media giants rise up and wither away (Friendster, MySpace. Hey, is Plurk still around? What\u2019s the name of those public group instant messages services before Twitter? Was it Jenga, Jaiku, or something?). Who knows what \u201cthe standard\u201d or what \u201cthe rules\u201d will eventually be? In the meantime, Klout<\/strong> gives companies something they are immensely comfortable with, readily understand, and can quickly use for decision-making\u2014a two digit number. Companies need that (though I pray they go further, invest more into listening and understanding, are are never content with just a number).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Klout<\/strong> is necessary and Joe<\/strong> Fernandez<\/strong> is a genius. He is focused. He has said it often enough that the saying and repetition of it are making it a de facto reality: Klout<\/strong> is the standard of influence. Just ask Justin.<\/a><\/p>\n

    Trey Pennington<\/p>\n

    Across the web:<\/strong><\/p>\n