I keep an eye on my Klout score and watch for major shifts in score, one way or the other. They can sometimes indicate that I’m neglecting a network, or perhaps some of my recent activity is being better received. I recently noticed a 4 point uptick in my score and that is definitely out of the ordinary. I didn’t see any major changes though in my online activity, nor did I find any evidence or announcements from Klout on algorithm changes, so the new score was a mystery. Until today.
Klout announced in an official blog post that Instagram activity is now impacting your Klout Score. You may have already connected your Instagram account, and the changes are being rolled out gradually so some, like me, may have already noticed a change.
The Klout algorithm attempts to measure and calculate your online influence based on your activity on key social platforms and the reactions your activity garners. At a basic level, the idea is that the more likes and shares and other social signals your posts generate, the greater influence you wield.
The latest change works to incorporate all of your Instagram activity into this score, so if you have been active on Instagram – making connections, posting images, and getting lots of comments and favorites – you probably noticed an uptick in your score like I did. You will also now see your most popular Instagram images in your Klout Moments dashboard.
Bing Integration
Another potentially huge announcement is that Bing and Klout are continuing to expand their integration. Klout is measuring Bing search results and those results will eventually become part of your Klout Score. More importantly, your Klout Score is now worked into Bing results.
It’s been noted recently that some Bing search results are starting to include what looked like author images much like Google’s Authorship. It has been demonstrated that within Google search results, items that include the author’s name and picture stand out and are more likely to be clicked. It has been suggested that Bing may be bringing similar functionality to their search results, perhaps drawing on Facebook profiles and data.
Display of a Klout Score is an obvious attempt to personalize results and provide authority. Does it work for you? Are you more likely to read an article from someone with a high Klout score?