Klout Adds Lists, but Will Anyone Care?

Earlier this week Klout added yet another component to its scoring algorithm. Now, Twitter lists will impact Klout scores. To leverage this new feature, Klout users must import their Twitter lists to Klout, or create new lists directly via Klout. Right now, it looks like each list will be scored based on a composite of the scores of all the members of each list, and that score will impact the Klout users who are included on the list.

This could be a game changer. The more prolific the lists are that include you, the higher your own Klout score will rise. If you are, instead, placed on scam lists, your Klout score will not see a boost from this new feature. Unfortunately, Klout is forcing users to add lists to Klout’s algorithm manually — either Klout can’t or is not pulling this data directly from Twitter to determine its own scores. Since the feature has been launched, I have only seen six lists on which I am included appear on Klout — even though I am on over 300 lists.

The adoption and uptake for this new feature could just be slow, as it has only been live for just over a day. However, the problem is that Klout users must add their own lists to impact the Klout scores of the entire user base, and this seems faulty. Sure, there is the incentive that if you do it, others will follow suit in the hopes that everyone’s score might go up. But the reality is that the only people who will actually do anything on Klout — aside from just look at their score — is reserved for obsessed power uses and metric addicts. Unlike Facebook — and even somewhat Twitter — Klout is not a mainstream component of everyday social media use. The “social media experts” who focus on friend and follower counts and scores for validation will no doubt participate, but this does not mean the rest of your friends and family will care. Though they might have a Klout score and not know it, they definitely won’t take the time to build lists on Klout for your own personal benefit.

If Klout can make the impact of lists an automatic impact on a Klout score, rather than one driven by manual input, there might be something here. Until then, it’s likely that no one will care enough about this new feature to spend time to make it useful for all users.

What do you think of Klout’s new feature? Let us know in the comments.