“Measuring Influence since 2008” is the grandiose claim on the Klout website that is supposed to entice people to check a score from 1 to 100 on how their engagement on social media impacts on their peers.

When I read this I was minded of the Hollywood film L.A. Story when Steve Martin tries to woo a visiting English reporter by taking her around his city. ‘Some of these houses are almost 25 years old’ he enthuses, thinking that he’s impressing her.

So it goes with Klout’s banner. Three years is probably a long time in social media but shouting out that you’ve only been in business for three years isn’t the best metric… especially if your business is based on metrics.

via Forget Klout: you can’t measure influence on Twitter – Telegraph.

But about a month ago, I decided to actually look at the data about it and test my assumption. Over the course of the next few weeks I gathered 200,000, random, bit.ly-link-containing Tweets. I used the bit.ly API to calculate a click through rate clicks on a link divided by number of followers of tweeter. And then I analyzed the relationship of the link’s position inside the Tweet and it’s CTR. I figured the best way to visualize this would be through a heat map.

via New Twitter Data: Optimal Link Placement for Clicks | Dan Zarrella.

Remember that time that astrologers decided that they had gotten all the zodiac signs off by one, and everyone was so bewildered because all of a sudden you were NO LONGER AN ARIES BUT A PISCES and it seemed like everything you had believed for so long was untrue.Well the social media equivalent happened today for startup Klout and its “scores,” which purportedly give you and others an idea of your social media influence on various topics.

via Nobody Gives A Damn About Your Klout Score | TechCrunch.

Twitter has come a long ways since it hit the Web in 2006. The online social networking and micro-blogging site now boasts over a million active users, with half logging in every day, and it is changing the way news is delivered to people everywhere.

via Twitter’s Global Impact (Infographic) | Social Networking & Micro-Blogging | Twitter Users & Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber & Britney Spears | LiveScience.

The time has finally come. I think I always knew that I’d have to do some sort of Twitter house cleaning, but based on my last blog post, and some folks like Michael Hyatt and the mighty Chris Brogan who have pioneered by braving the backlash, I think I’m ready for a purge myself. So starting today, I begin unfollowing everyone on Twitter with the help of SocialOomph.

via The Great Twitter Purge of 2011 Or Why I Have Decided To Unfollow Everyone & Start Over | jasonyormark.com.

I spent 10 years as a reporter in the BT (Before Twitter) era. Now as a social media strategist and public relations professional, I’ve found Twitter to be my primary and most successful method of building and maintaining relationships with reporters. It’s brought my clients and I tens of thousands of dollars in free press coverage.

One public relations agency I work with even grew out of a connection made on Twitter. And that’s perhaps the main reason I advise every public relations professional to become a regular. Just like real life, you communicate with a large circle of professionals, but the bulk of the benefits come from just a handful of clients or connections you make over months and years.

I consider Twitter the tool that delivers tangible value in great gulps, so long as you commit to it for a year.

Skeptical? Here’s how I use it:

via 14 ways to use Twitter to attract journalists | Articles.

If you’re a public relations pro, you’re probably familiar with a lot of the ins and outs of Twitter. So how can you use what you already know to get the most out of Twitter when you’re getting a new account up and running? Check out these tips to get started, and add your own in the comments below.

via How to build a Twitter following from scratch | Articles.

In a recent report from Exact Target (a global Software as a Service leader that connects customers with organizations through marketing), it’s been found that daily active Twitter users — AKA, the consumers who actually reach out to or follow brands via Twitter — are 3x more likely to amplify the influence of that brand than, say, a Facebook user would.

Who are Twitter users and why are they so important to your brand?

Of the users who are active on Twitter daily:

72% publish blog posts at least once a month

70% comment on others’ blog posts

61% write at least one product review a month

61% comment on news sites

56% write articles for third-party sites

53% post videos online

50% make contributions to wiki sites

48% share deals found through coupon forums

In essence: What happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter.

via Twitter users are more likely to impact your brand than any other social network.

A new report from SEO firm BrightEdge reveals that having a Twitter share button, like the one on the right, on your website can help drive up to 7x more exposure via social media.

And while the numbers back up the importance of giving your visitors an easy, one-click way to share your content on Twitter, many of the top websites aren’t listening. Less than half of the top 10,000 websites actually use any type of Twitter share button on their pages.

via Including A Twitter Share Button On Your Website Can Drive Up To 7x More Traffic – AllTwitter.

bitly blog – You just shared a link. How long will people pay attention?.

Answser – not very long at all. A very interesting survey about distribution of info and links on social media platform.