Klout's Odd List of Top Second Life Influencers Makes Me Wonder About Klout's Influence

Klout, a popular service for tracking and scoring social media user's influence on social media, says the Top Second Life Influencers are these folks:

So we're looking at three company-run, no-name Twitter accounts, the Twitter accounts of three people who no longer work at and/or no longer Tweet about Linden Lab, and a guy who used to work at Linden Lab who writes and speaks and Tweets about Second Life as much as possible... but hardly as much as he used to before. (Alas, alas.) So Klout only makes me wonder what Klout considers clout.

I'm sure there's many more Second Life Influencers that are even more influential than these. (Especially in-world, where group memberships can number in the thousands.) Who would you say they would be?

Please suggest your Influencers in Comments (with Twitter and/or Plurk and/or Facebook account names, where permitting, so they may be followed or friended)!

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Comments

[Feline Slade]

Too bad you can't explain this to the marketers who are convinced of how accurate Klout is and offer perks according to your K+. Or companies who are eyeing it as a measurement of worthiness of prospective employees. Maybe the bigger question is whether SLers are an exception to Klout's ability to identify influencers. And if they are... Why?

[Pussycat Catnap]

I don't know who that Wagner AU clown is or why anyone would think he's influential for much of... um... oh wait... wrong blog...

:D

Torley and you have influence - albeit in a different way from the typical social influence (and different from each other). I'd say among some of the more techie like users, you have access to some key ears (certainly not mine mind you).

Torley's influence is the kind of influence the folks who write the dictionary has on what gets talked about at the local coffee shop. Its pretty big - but its not what most people think of.
- In SL, any useful 'RTFM' statement involves telling somebody where to find a Torley document / video / file.

There's one other blogger on that list and to my knowledge its one who's moved off of SL and on to other interests (but I could have her mixed up with someone else).

Influential people? Look at top 'favorited' image posters on flickr, fashion bloggers, the lead from the Firestorm team and one, maybe two of the furry avatar makers.

- When the Firestorm person, or say; the owner of Kinzart, makes a public appearance - sims crash from the crowds and people record and mull over the comments.

- When the right fashion blogger makes a shape with a fish mouth, a multi-year long meme starts up.

Its typical of SL though that the 'techies' have always been watching the wrong screen... The action for what moves things in SL is not with the hackers, scripters, or geeks. Its with the socialites, drama queens, and pretty-picture-makers; and those who make them pretty (like furry makers). The exception is the Firestorm lead - who is the 'talking head' of that team. And that's because she is the visible face of enabling the toys: the marketing person of a sort.

[Nalates]

I would say Klout is oblivious. Machine algorithms grinding away.

I think we have to define 'influence'. I think what you are thinking of and what Klout is measuring are different things.

I would think the Firestorm Development team could have significant influence in SL. But, they are mostly into just building their viewer.

Inara and I have tried to influence people to help with various projects. The results were less than astounding.

Max Graft (sp?) got people together to fund the Mesh Deformer... Redpoly moved us toward Liquid Mesh, which has taken over the Deformer... one might say those are examples of influence.

I think the recent TOS change shows no one has any great influence in SL.

Flufee might have been the most influential. But, he has moved on. Drax and Jo may gain considerable influence with their upcoming podcasts. Metareality seems to have moved on to other games and what coverage they have of SL seems bitter, so I see their possible influence waning.

Your influence seems about the same as when I first saw your blog sometime in 2008. So, you probably have the most consistent influence.

[Ajax Manatiso]

Henri Beauchamp and Siana Gearz are not on the list which makes the list pure nonsense in mho.

[Amanda Dallin]

SL is a very fractured place with no one having influence across all the many varied communities. Humble or some other LL spokesperson could have a great deal of influence if they communicated consistently with the users.

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Ajax, just because you might be a fan of Singularity, doesn't mean the Singularity devs have actual "klout" or that anyone other than "Singularity fanpersons" know who they are.

The influencers and people that matter in SL are pretty much the same people who have done so before. They're members of what Gwyneth Llewelyn calls "The 100000" and some of them would be what "You Know Who" calls "You Know What"

Some land barons, a few SL media/machinima personalities, a few big time builders, a few event organizers, some big time bloggers amongst the various subcommunities. We all know who they are.

[Botgirl Questi]

Klout is pretty much bullshit, as is follower count because you can manipulate it so easily if you don't care about anything but the numbers. I have definitely been influenced by a few avatar-identified people via Twitter. Whiskey Monday and SecondLie definitely pushed me to expand my idea about what you could do within that medium.

As for influence on what goes on within Second Life, Twitter and Plurk allow people to extend their interactions outside of the 3D virtual world. The conversation goes on pretty much 24/7 versus the few hours per week most people can spend rezzed in Second Life. It's mostly social though, outside of the LL-related controversies that pop up a few times a year. I can't think of any concrete impact the controversies ever had on LL or SL though, except maybe their reconsideration of the OpenSpace grandfathered pricing a few years ago.

Probably the main influence of social networks is that they're places people see links to blog posts and videos describing builds, products, machinima,exhibits, etc. that may drive traffic, recognition or sales.

[drfran]

I have just one name: Crap Mariner

[elizabeth]

i would say that Strawberry Singh was the most influential in 2013

[CM]

@DrFran

"I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this." - Emo Philips

Same applies to social media gurus and experts declaring themselves to be social media gurus and experts. Internet Bubble 2.0.

Think for yourself.

-ls/cm

[Eddi Haskell]

My Klout Page has the same list. There is a button to press that says "see more influencers". When doing this, Strawberry Singh is mentioned with a score of 64. In my music category, DJ Sarco Halderman has a 58. I can also find Philip Rosedale with a 55. I am not sure if my own score of 62 is showing up anywhere (and I am not tooting my own horn, I think Klout makes no sense but it is fun to look at). Clearly, the way they report people makes no sense. Also, you may have to select your own topic (Second Life is one) to be counted on that list.

[Ajax Manatiso]

Henri Beauchamp and Siana Gearz, between the two of them, have more SL users using their viewers than LL has using the official viewer. Pardon for thinking that makes them in any way influential.

[Pussycat Catnap]

"Henri Beauchamp and Siana Gearz are not on the list which makes the list pure nonsense in mho."

Who?

I know who Henri is, but he has no social influence in the community. People use his technology but he's not an influential person anymore than the person who designed your shoelaces.

The other name I don't even recognize.

Techies are NOT influential. Influence is about charisma - and where when the things you say and do cause many others to choose certain actions. Not choose certain technologies or products - but effects their loyalties, social connections, diet, mating rituals, political views, religious views, etc...

Social.

Not tech.

[Rhianon Jameson]

I'm with CronoCloud: SL has a large number of communities, and each has its set of influential people. And "influence" in what way? Viewer developers influence some of the inworld experience; land barons and builders and clothing designers influence some of what one sees; and bloggers and long-time residents influence some of how one perceives the world. None of this strikes me as measurable. That Klout allows people to "give Klout" to others makes it more of a popularity contest than a measure of influence.

[zzpearlbottom]

As some told before, nobody has any influence but Rod Humble!
Mmmmm i guess nobody posted this one still, lol!

[Ciaran Laval]

For me, 2013 was the year of Draxtor Despres. His Drax files episodes were wonderfully well done and promoted Second Life in a very good light.

[zzpearlbottom]

and what is Klout, btw?