When I was growing up, “clout” meant exactly what Dictionary.com says it means…

“A heavy blow with the hand or a hard object (ie. a clout on the ear)”

Yes, it has other meanings, but the above definition was first on the list.  When I heard that word, at any time, my first instinct was to duck.  Well, if you have checked your Klout score lately (some of you may have given up since it seemed like no matter how much time you stayed on Twitter and Facebook, it just seemed to get lower and lower), it was a clout – the good kind (is there a good kind?).

I looked at mine, and it had jumped 10 points – WHA?

Seems that as of yesterday, they have updated the formulas and algorithms they are using to calculate Klout.  Not sure if this is in response to the growing popularity of Kred, but it very well could be.

With employers, and even potential mates (!) checking your Klout score, I am sure that the single and unemployed feel like the social media gods have smiled down upon them.  Here’s the statement from Klout.com from August 14, 2012:

“We have released updates to the scoring model that will affect the Klout Scores of all users beginning today. In this update, more inputs have been added to the scoring model from Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, Google+, Linkedin, Klout, and Wikipedia. To learn more about these changes, check out discover.klout.com and The Klout Score page. Your previous Klout Score and history will become inaccessible. The updated Klout Score would not be comparable to the old Klout Score given the differences in inputs and we would be unable to support both the updated and old scoring model at once (which would be required to show you your previous Klout Score history).” – Klout.com

So if you looked at your Klout score and were feeling like a total rock star because your score jumped a few points – go with that feeling.  You are a rock star, no matter what Klout says!  Oh, and if you aren’t on Klout yet – go over and join!  They have some great perks!