Klout determines a user’s score based on a complex algorithm that analyzes many different factors. Beyond your numerical score, Klout also identifies up to 10 topics that you are influential about.
Your Klout Influence Topic
For some, an “influence topic” or 2 may seem rather random. But Klout’s algorithm aims to identify your influential topics based on what you talk about online. And the more times you talk about a certain topic and the more people you discuss it with, the more influential you become over it.
When you first log in to Klout, you are taken to your Profile. On the right hand side there is a section titled “Influential about.” Click the See All button to see your list of 10 influence topics (You can also see the list of topics by clicking topics in the sidebar).
After clicking See All, you are taken to the full list of influence topics (Below is only a section of the page).
If, when reviewing your list of topics, you believe that any of them do not fit you or your brand, you can remove them from your profile.
Removing a Klout Influence Topic
To remove an influence topic, move the cursor over the specific topic you want to remove and you will see a grey X appear.
Click on the X and it will remove that topic from your public profile.
If, later on, you decide that you want to have that topic shown on your profile, you can click the restore button and it will reappear.
It’s important to note that topics are constantly updating on Klout based on what messages you send out, so it is not guaranteed that the hidden topic will still be available when you want to restore it nor that the existing 10 topics will all be listed tomorrow.
*This is the third in a multi-post series explaining the ins and outs of this popular social media reach calculation tool and how it relates to bloggers and small business owners.
Jessica Torres is the wanna-be entertaining writer of the blog My Time As Mom. She is the official caretaker of 1 husband, 2 adorably insane girls, and 2 dumb dogs which causes her to be operating under the influence of sleep deprivation on most days. Since joining the blogosphere in January of 2011 she has been hard at work learning all there is to know about social media and sharing her knowledge with anyone that will listen. You can follow her on Twitter and also check out her project VlogTalk (@VlogTalkMeme) where she has partnered with Elena (Mommy is in Timeout) to encourage bloggers to step in front of the camera every week.
Thank you for this information, Jessica.
You’re welcome Alison.
That’s interesting- I had no idea about deleting topics. Thanks.
It is helpful to remove topics if they don’t fit you and your brand.
Aha! I never noticed or clicked on the “see all” button. Just did it for the first time and saw “baltimore ravens” on my list. No clue who they are. Sports team, no doubt. But I’ve never typed those two words together in my life. Interesting…
It seems that a lot of “mom bloggers” have some sports team mention, which is odd. A sign that Klout’s algorithm isn’t perfect.
This is great! Extremely helpful!
Glad to hear that.
I found out that I’m influential about diabetes, WHA????
but at least my KLOUT if getting closer to 60 again, I was slipping.
thanks for the info, I love you doing this for us.
Definitely remove the topic if you don’t feel it applies for you and your brand.
That is good that your Klout score is increasing. It means you are engaging more online.
[...] According to Klout, I’m Influential About… – Eli Rose Social Media is helping us figure out Klout. Given that Klout seems to think I am influential on the topic of Baltimore Ravens, I obviously need this post. Tagged with: Blog • Human Interest • parenting If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! var addedComment = function(response) { //console.log('fbComments: Caught added comment'); //console.log('fbComments: Making AJAX call to update Facebook comment count'); $.post('http://www.theravensspell.com/wp-content/plugins/facebook-comments-for-wordpress/facebook-comments-ajax.php', { fn: 'addComment', xid: '_post753' }, function(resp) { if (resp === 'true') { //console.log('fbComments: Updated and cached Facebook comment count for post with xid=_post753'); } else { //console.log('fbComments: FAILED to update Facebook comment count for post with xid=_post753'); } }); //console.log('fbComments: Making AJAX call to send email notification'); $.post('http://www.theravensspell.com/wp-content/plugins/facebook-comments-for-wordpress/facebook-comments-ajax.php', { fn: 'sendNotification', xid: '_post753', postTitle: '5 Friday Favorites', postUrl: 'http://www.theravensspell.com/2011/07/5-friday-favorites-3/' }, function(resp) { if (resp === 'true') { //console.log('fbComments: Sent email notification'); } else { //console.log('fbComments: FAILED to send email notification'); } }); }; FB.Event.subscribe('comments.add', addedComment); [...]
I have a question about how they come up with the list. For example, if I’m talking about something a lot is it better to say “@Foursquare” or “#Foursquare”? Is there anything that shows if it’s better and will show you an influencer if its something you tweet about a lot – using a hashtag or twitter handle? Maybe it doesn’t matter – but I was thinking about that the other day.
I @-ed their marketing person. We’ll see if she provides an answer.
Good question, Elena!
Just got a response from @MeganBerry. She said no sign or # is the way to go.
I’m wondering what the meter on the right hand side means. Any ideas?
I believe it represents a frequency/level of influence. The topics at the top of the list also have the longest “bar”. So that means you would talk about those topics most, thus being seen more influential about them vs topics lower on the list.
I haven’t really looked at mine thoroughly until today.
I hope you understand it better after reading this.
Great info, Jessica!
Thank you.
I am interested to see my topics. Maybe potty humor and fighting children perhaps.
You never know what might show up on the list. Definitely check it out though.
Oh, that’s great…didn’t realize you could remove a topic!
[...] Klout influence topics are arranged according to the most recent +K’s received. [...]