I've written a fair bit about Klout over the past couple of years. They, like other disruptive companies have been trying to figure out the best way to provide value to the people who use them, and they have definitely succeeded in becoming a noteworthy metric to help identify influencers. And soon, there's going to be a whole new level added to the Klout world... Klout is becoming a social network themselves.
Some may call it a pivot, others may call it growth, but any way you look at it this is a big step for the company. Essentially the scorekeeper is now playing the game.
The service, called "Klout Experts" is aiming to pair questions asked through the system with "Experts" who can answer them. Klout will notify experts in their vast database of Klout scores when someone is asking a question they would likely be able to answer. So, for example, I may get pinged when someone has a question about social media marketing. In answering, I'm asserting my expertise, further solidifying my role as an expert in the field, and the person is getting an answer.
How Does This Differ From Quora?
Joe Fernandez said to Wired.com that Quora's questions are more "existential" than Klout's nuts-and-boltsy querires. (On Quora you'll find out what other people think the meaning of life is; on Klout, you'll find out the best tool to put together your new grill.)
It Ties Back To The Score
Providing a good answer (I can only assume these will be rated by the asker) will ultimately boost your influence and your score. Steven Levy in his article on Wired.com sums it up best: "There's a weird element of recursion in this: In addition to gauging your mojo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and the rest, Klout will be measuring Klout clout."
What Do You Think?
Klout changes and news has often elicited strong responses, so I'm very curious to hear what everyone thinks about this? Will you be answering questions, asking them? Let me know your thoughts!