BrandFlair

What’s In A Number Anyway? Be Your Brand Not Your Klout!

Wednesday October 26th, 2011. A day that will go down in socialsphere infamy! “The Great Klout Nerf!”

I personally joke each time Klout applies a change to their algorithm as it seems they slap some code in without proper testing and tuning. It is “A” benchmark but not “THE” benchmark. A data point does not define who we are or who we engage with each day.

Unfortunately for me I took a 8 point bounce which I do not understand and find humorous. I was happy at my range of 67-70 but overall could care less. I am sad to say that some people ended up being outright nasty to me because of a number that I have no control over. It was the first day I felt sad as a member of the socialsphere. A few people were beating up on me because my Klout went up.

Many of the responses and posts acknowledge that Klout’s algorithm changed and impacted scores but not many discuss what it really means or what the changes may have been.

A very basic definition of an algorithm is a step-by-step procedure for calculations. Most people do not understand or care about algorithms because they seems to techie. That is why I like to “momify” technology topics. In other words how would I explain a concept to my mom so she understands and can explain it to her friends.

In the case of Klout think of their algorithm as a bread recipe and the loaf of bread as your Klout score. They started with a basic set of ingredients using different weightings and measurements and a process for “baking” it all together and produced the initial Klout score. Just like a recipe you can tweak it and yield different results whether they be desirable or not.

It is safe to say that Klout’s recipe was initially weighted heavily on Twitter activity. Over the past few months they have been adding new social networks and applications into the mix. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and WordPress to name a few. The issue is that Klout has never really given guidance in the form or “release notes” to spell out how those new ingredients affect the final Klout score. Without these release notes we are left to assume which is why people are angry. I consider Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as the primary networks on Klouts list for now. The others seem secondary and some even tertiary in their online impact and influence.

A few questions I have are:

1) Did Klout “buff” weightings on LinkedIn and Facebook activities such as public and private groups? I never felt they gave proper weighting to LinkedIn and Facebook beyond number of friends and connections. I assume the answer to this question would be yes as the only two reasons I can think of for my score going up lie in these two networks.

2) Did Klout “nerf” the weighting of Twitter activity? If so, how and why? I would say yes since most of the outcry is coming from the Twitter users.

3) If someone only has a Twitter account how are they weighted versus another person who uses LinkedIn and Facebook? To Jure Klepic’s point why should spammers like #TeamFollowBack who only reside on Twitter and add zero value carry a score of 77 while a professional who truly engages on and impacts the “Big 3″ social networks suffers in the rankings?

4) How much weight does a network like FourSquare have compared to Twitter?

5) What made one user take a 15 point dive and another an 8 point increase? Give us a few general user scenarios.

6) Did Klout test the new algorithm against a mirror set of data on a non production database before applying the new patch? Comical that I have to ask this but I have my doubts.

7) Are there variances that appeared after the new algorithm went live that you did not see in testing or expect? If so what are they and are you working to fix them?

It really is not that hard. Blizzard has been making adjustments to their World of Warcraft in game algorithms for years but they are very good at communicating to their community in the form of blog posts, release notes and forums. In other words they engage with their customers.

I could go on and on with questions and suggestions for Klout but in the words of my good friend Daniel Newman, “Who cares?” Klout has never defined the people I engage with online. People matter for reasons that cannot be measured in “Likes” and “Re-Tweets.” Here are a few of my examples.

1. @Fonadlo – he calls it like he sees it and has epic knowledge of and passion for coffee.

2. @MikeHaydon – love of Australia and a fantastic Kangaroo marinade recipe.

3. @JanetCallaway – her simple “Aloha” takes us all to a sunny place.

4. @MargieClayman – wonderful talent for content curation and the beautiful Blog Library she is so lovingly building.

5. @BruceSallan – loves being a dad, hosts #dadchat and of course his hat.

6. @JessicaNorthey – her weekly “Yeeeeehah!” in the form of #CMChat with guest visitors like The Oak Ridge Boys. How cool!

7. @DabneyPorte and @MamaBritt – Diva dust! Nuff said!!!

8. @SeanMcGinnis & @DanielNewmanUV – A passion for creating 12Most. The first true “collaborative blogging community” where anyone can submit a post and have their ideas shared with the world.

9. @MqTodd and @Leowid – the “Tooltime” guys of the socialsphere. They make it fun and easy to understand!

10. @PegFitzgerald – Uber enthusiastic personality that comes through every tweet and makes us all smile ear to ear.

11. @AngelaMaiers – her skill for putting words together to create some of the most touching posts I read is amazing. Stunning command of language and expressing ideas.

12. @JKCallas – Dives deep into the topics he covers and is always open to helping anyone in the socialsphere understand them.

Excellent examples of different forms of influence and none defined by a simple number. Perhaps today is a good day to dump your Klout and find your Flair. Toss the number and define your personal brand. Let’s call it the “BrandFlair Question.”

Answer this:

If this was your last day on Earth and you had just enough time to tell the world one word that sums you up what would it be? Would you give us a number because you care about your amplification or would you give us something else? Something that matters? Something real?

Got your answer? Good! Now go be your brand, not your number!

Hollywood, Social Media and Branding

All good movies, indeed great stories, have the “What If” factor. Audiences identify with a protagonist and insert themselves into their situations. What if I were her? What if I were in his situation? In Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, Sheriff Brody is a nice family man in a small island community. But Brody is afraid of the water. People ask him, “Why do you live on an island then?” He famously replies, “It’s only an island if you look at it from the water.” Everyone loves a character that and can immediately relate to them. Brody then, like every great protagonist, must venture into the ocean, conquer his greatest fear, navigate through an impossible situation, save his family and community and finally slay antagonist, Jaws!

This is the world Hollywood Director, Writer and Producer Robert Meyer Burnett works in every day. This is the world he helps create and brand.

A USC Film Student and a 23 year film industry veteran, Burnett recently began directing and editing episodes of the HBO/Cinemax anthology series FEMME FATALES, which debuted in May, 2011. Cinemax (a subsidiary of HBO) is often known more for late night “soft core” entertainment resulting in the nickname “Skinemax.” “Recently HBO has shifted focus, rebranding Cinemax away from its soft core image,” says Burnett. “Sure, much of their late night, soft core programming will remain intact, but they are picking up action oriented programming content that will appeal to male viewers, such as the upcoming STRIKE BACK. That is where I believe Femme Fatales fits in, as a sort of bridge show.”

Burnett describes FEMME FATALES as a cross between Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt and Red Shoe Diaries with a healthy dose of Film Noir from the 1940s. The mysterious hostess Lilith, the show’s version of a modern day Rod Serling, not only acts as the series hostess but also appears in cameo roles. “Our show does have very erotic content but the strength of the series is the storytelling. It is not a soft core show in the traditional sense like most people would think,” says Burnett. “The erotic scenes in the episodes have their place in the story, hopefully accentuate the plot. We even had a pretty hilarious comedy take on LA FEMME NIKITA where sex really remained a background element. “

FEMME FATALES episodes are usually 30 minutes and strive to bring viewers solid storytelling, great acting and great production values. So far HBO has been happy with the high level of quality the show has brought the Cinemax brand both in front of and behind the camera. “Our target male audience is growing as expected but a pleasant surprise is women love the show too because many of the storylines have strong female characters triumphing over evil men,” says Burnett.

Burnett marked his feature writing/directing debut with Regent Entertainment’s multiple-award winning 1999 theatrical release FREE ENTERPRISE, starring Emmy-winners William Shatner and Eric McCormack. The film is generally considered the flashpoint of Shatner’s recent career resurgence. He also recently produced the horror feature THE HILLS RUN RED for Warner Premiere and Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment.

In the film industry you have to choose your path and then do it over and over again to brand yourself. Burnett points out that while social networking is used to promote new material, it is also vital to build his brand by getting the word out about projects in progress. “People in the entertainment business might not know how or where they heard about you, but they do remember if they hear your name somewhere, whether in the industry trades or your Facebook and Twitter updates,“ says Burnett. He prefers Twitter and Facebook as his primary social media outlets but also uses Foursquare when on location or visiting a studio lot. “You can use social networks to share the excitement of this industry. Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare are great for those of us managing a tight production schedule and multiple projects,” says Burnett. “Smartphones, such as Apple’s iPhone and the Android phones make it easy for me to share with my network the experience of being on set. Not many of my Facebook friends have ever seen the inside of the Paramount Studio lot, so when I go there, I’ll post a photo on Facebook or Twitter and check in at Foursquare, just to make everyone who doesn’t live in Los Angeles think I’m WAY more important than I actually am. Hopefully, when looking for independent financing, I can convince potential investment sources I am as well!”

Burnett feels a key strength of social networks is that everyone, no matter their age, race, sexual preference or nationality are getting their thoughts out in the form of the written word and are able to immediately reach a global audience. “We lost that for about 20 years. People are again writing their essential thoughts and individuals are creating fascinating, compelling, must read content that helps grow their personal and professional brands. It makes me more impassioned about what I do and sharing it with my growing network and I think the social media technology brings our audiences closer to our work.”

Season two of FEMME FATALES begins January 2012 and will continue to air on Cinemax. Burnett directed three of the upcoming second season episodes thus far.

Follow Me On The Web!

Branding Video of the Month

Recent Posts

Kred 1% Influencer

12 Most Power Writer

Archives

My Trending Tweets

Blogroll