Klout is a great tool to give you an overall sense of how your online presence is reaching others. Using their “Klout Style” matrix helps you see this at a glance. Where are you and where do you want to be? For example, if you believe you’re spending a lot of effort on branding yourself on the Internet, yet Klout sees you as a “casual listener” with a Klout score below 20, this matrix makes it apparent that you need to create more original content on a more consistent basis, and participate more in a wider range of online interactions.
The Klout Style matrix can give you a quick overview of your online social media presence
This matrix also helps you understand how your presence compares to others. Why do I have a Klout score of 45, while others in my network have a 10, or an 84? According to this matrix, I create just as much content as Klout, yet Klout has a broader reach by participating in more discussions and being talked about by a larger number of people, while I have a more narrow reach and participating less across the Internet.
Klout has been criticized for not being transparent enough and for being too much like a nonsensical game. Just like anything in life however, when you take advantage of the most beneficial aspects of something while ignoring those things that don’t benefit you very much, you can have for yourself an extremely useful product.