Notes from an Open Life

Your Klout score and why you shouldn't give it a second thought

I just had a conversation with Brent Mills, a friend and new information professional, about Klout and the whole Klout score thing. (Justin Bieber has a "perfect" Klout score, did you know that? And I am childishly not going to link to him. Nyah.) Brent was asking, "as a social media guru" - a phrase I cringe at - "what do you think about Klout scores?"

And the guru's opinion is - don't worry about it. Don't give it a second thought. 

A disclaimer: I looked at Klout a while ago when it was first emerging, and I haven't really seriously looked at it since. I haven't found it worthwhile to look at, to be honest.

And in looking at Klout on my Chrome browser this morning, I see their tagline is "The Standard for Influence." Which is exactly the key to why you shouldn't worry about it. 

Klout REALLY WANTS TO BE the Standard for Influence. So does every other social media property, measurement method, marketing firm, etc. etc. etc. Why? Because everyone is chasing the Holy Grail of social media measurement and is obsessed with finding some kind of "standard." Ultimately, the goal of these companies is to MONETIZE that.

And as far as I can see, there is no current standard, and there never will be one standard. I can't see how one number can capture ANYONE'S social media presence or influence. Because there IS no one way to use social media effectively. That's exactly the beauty of it. It's a creative space. Some people use it well, some don't. Two people or companies in the exact same industry can use social media very differently and still both be equally "influential" and effective. 

I'm sure the Klout people would have a rebuttal to this, and I would be open to hearing that. But what I encourage YOU to think about is this:

Would you want someone to put some kind of number on your social skills? Do you want someone to assign a ranking to you as to how "influential" you are in the community? What the hell would that even mean? 

Social media is first and foremost about people. And I will always stand up for people first. I'm for compassionate, fun, interesting, open, and thought-provoking people, and I expect the same of my social media. A number will never, ever capture anything like that. 

If a company is going to discount you in some way because your Klout score is too low, well, you're probably a whole lot better off not working at that company. Period. 

End of guru lesson for today. 

The Journey - revisited

Life is full of changes. Today is Sunday, August 7, 2011, and I was just remembering a draft blog entry I wrote almost two years ago now.

I'll let my two-year-ago self riff on this first, and then add a bit:

So at a quarter to two this afternoon, October 20, 2009, this huge thing dropped into my head - or maybe my being. It was one of those moments where everything comes together. It's like a framework falls into your life and suddenly helps you make sense of so many things.

And today it was the image/icon of the journey.

My life has been about journeys. I love road trips. My good friend Greg and I took an iconic road trip across the US in 1988. When I was in high school and in my early 20s, I would often go on long trips in the car, often by myself.

But the journey is more than just travelling. For me, it's a way of being in the world. I love to start new ventures, to try something I haven't tried before, to journey in and be the student, the learner. I get bored with what seems to me to be the same old thing.

There are so many ways the journey echos through every stage of my life. Moving when I was young, exploring, even my dreams echo this. A common dream theme for me is going someplace. Usually I don't even get to the place I'm trying to go in the dream - I just am on the way there.

And that's as far as I got back then.

So the image/concept of the journey is back in my head and my life again. What I would add to this entry is that, for me, the journey is not necessarily about the destination. It's about the trip. I often times enjoy myself so much just getting to where I think I'm going. It makes me smile just to think about this.

Another thing that popped into my head recently is a quote that really resonated with my father (who has since passed away). It's from James Thurber, which surprised me, as Thurber is one of my favorite authors, and this quote surprised me.

All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.

Apparently this is written on a wall somewhere in Cambria, California, which is where my dad saw it. I always used to think the quote was kind of trite, and to some extent obvious. Yet it seems to resonate with me now, or at least more so, and I think it's worth another look.

I don't know that I have anything else to add at this point, except that I think I'm on some kind of psychic/spiritual journey right now. My life has changed so much in some ways since October 2009. I've completed my Masters in Counseling degree. I've experienced success through my business. I've grown in ways I really never could have foreseen. I've opened myself up to the world and found it a truly wonderful place. It's truly amazing. And this journey, obviously, isn't over yet.

The journey is wonderful and amazing and terrifying all at the same time. In its entirety, the journey is beautiful. It can be no other way. Because our journey is ours, and ours alone. Don't get me wrong - everyone in our lives is part of our journey. That's why they are there. But the beauty we create for ourselves is what makes the journey worthwhile. Worth every minute of it. I'm really glad to be here. I hope you are too.

Last post from the road...

...though not really from the road. We've arrived in Portland and now have the task of rearranging all the stuff we've brought into some semblance of order. The plants all survived, which is good, and the cats all survived as well. Technology (read: Internet) is in place after 24 hours or so, so all is right with the world.

The last day of driving, the cats behaved extremely well. I think they were getting used to the routine: truck during the day, motel at night. If you'd seen them in the room, you'd think they'd been in motel rooms all their lives. Very casual.

Gorgeous scenery coming down Highway 84 - through the Columbia River Gorge, and seeing the amazing Columbia River.

We made really good time and then, coming into Portland, I didn't make the right turn. And I lost it. Portland is an easy city to get lost in (at least for me, a newbie), and being lost in a city with lots of narrow, one-way streets with a 20-foot truck and towing an auto trailer is exponentially worse. After three days on the road, to be so close to our destination and suddenly having a whole new challenge was just too much. I don't usually curse a lot, but curse I did, upsetting everyone. The problem was solved relatively quickly. But, I can't say that if it happened again, I wouldn't curse up a storm again. But we made it, and here we are. Things are much better after having a good cup of coffee after three days of in-room coffee. (Boy, I'm a sad case.)

Driving a car after three days in a truck and trailer is very very easy. Now that we've unloaded, and the car is off the trailer, it's kind of a joy to learn a new set of city streets. I'm sure I'll get lost again. But in a car, it's nothing that a few right turns can't fix.

Not King of the Road

Day two of the move. Both cats fared better today, but Desmond takes the crown as "Not King of the Road". For the first hour, he sat on Grace's lap underneath a towel, with his head buried in the armrest. 

Yes, that is Desmond. After the first hour, he retreated back under the seats. 

The last two hours of the drive today, Trixie was going nuts trying to get in my lap (while I was driving). I don't know what the obsession was, but she kept trying. Finally, at about the last hour, Desmond, who I think was sleeping underneath my seat, suddenly burst out under my feet, meowing, while I was driving 65 miles per hour (remember, with a loaded truck and towing a car). Disaster averted, and Desmond eventually went back under the seat. 

Comparatively, the rest of the day was uneventful. Three states (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho), the plains of Idaho, saw three wind turbine blades being hauled along the highway. Chest-high fields of bright green grass. Curtains of gray rain in the distance. Tomorrow, the final haul into Portland. 

Queen of the Road

Part of me is wondering why I'm blogging after a very long day in a truck with my wife and daughter and two freaking-out cats. But I wanted to take a few minutes to share some of the experience of the day.

We were fortunate enough to run into two friends and neighbors before driving off, and then had a great sendoff from friends. It was tough, and not without tears. Then, getting used to driving a fully-loaded 20-foot trailer, also towing a car and trailer. We made our way up through the Wyoming high plains, where we had a rainstorm. I've never seen the plains of Wyoming so green, with actual wildflowers of purple and yellow. A couple of wind farms (which made the "Awesome" list). And finally into Evanston, Wyoming, just a few miles from the Utah border.

The biggest adventure was the cats. Desmond essentially crammed himself under the seat until we got here. He was exhausted and panting, and we got him some water right away. He seems to be OK; we'll be taking special care of him tomorrow.

Trixie, on the other hand, despite starting out yowling and fighting with Desmond, halfway through the trip turned into the Queen of the Road. She was on our laps, acting as if she had ridden in cars and trucks all of her life. She stared intently at all the trucks going by.

I hope they are both willing to get back into the truck tomorrow. Not entirely sure I am.