Getty Images | Michael Buckner / StaffRecently, Lithium Technologies announced on its website that it would be shutting down its social scoring service, Klout, on May 25, 2018, which it had purchased for a reported $200 million back in 2014. Lithium Technologies’ reasoning for closing down this once-popular platform was that “Klout as a standalone service is not aligned” with its long-term strategy.
For those not familiar, Klout was a tool that allowed users to link up their social media accounts and even their blog sites to see how influential they were online. It gave everyone a score out of 100, so you could see how you measured up against other influencers and thought leaders online. (All of a sudden, we’re realizing the influence behind Black Mirror’s episode, “Nosedive.”)
One of the good things about the service was that, based on your social activity and posts, Klout would give you a list of associated keywords and topics you were most aligned with. So, if your branding goal was to be an expert on dental care, you could see if your posting pattern supported your goal. Furthermore, it allowed others to see what topics you were most influential in as well.
For those still interested in social influence for the longer term, there are other options. Keep in mind that with the rise of data and privacy concerns in social media, many of the tools still available today may not provide the same level of depth in data as Klout did.
1. Social Mention
Probably the best tool today that closely resembles the level of data Klout had would be Social Mention….
