John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Got Klout?

Got Clout? I mean the other kind–with a “K”

I’m fascinated with analytics.

Not in how they work. I don’t really understand that.

But how they can be used as a tool for better assessment and prediction purposes. And, of course, better decision making.

But analytics may be the new statistics–in the sense of being a mysterious new numbers logic that because of its air of inaccessibility to lay people carries with it an air of irrefutably.

It won’t be long until some says “There are 4 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and analytics.”

OK. I guess technically speaking someone just did…but that’s beside the point.

My recent questioning of exuberant uses of analytic tools is with the website Klout. I’m sure they are on to something…but have a long way to go. True, you must find a way to measure something to fully understand it. But some things are more amendable to metrics than human relationships. Workflow processes, controlling inventory and related business tasks come to mind. How trustworthy, reliable, persuasive, likeable, etc a person is within a functional network is much harder to measure with numbers.

It’s still worth a try….but we have to realize the results are more of a fun sideshow compared to more serious analytics work.

I see it like the difference between standing on a scale for weight data versus putting on a mood ring to measure my “mood.” Sure, it’s something…but not enough to bother too much with. Otherwise eHarmony and other such metric driven dating sites would be called “marriage tools” instead of a dating tool. They may help recommend a first date…but don’t base an important decision on it.

Analytics are incredibly useful where they are truly applicable.

And by the way, Klout has so far helped me in only two measurable, concrete outcomes. It caused me to waste several hours trying to understand the new vanity meansure. And it’s provided a topic for this Facebook status update. A really useful analytics tool would have predicted that outcome in advance and saved me the trouble.  ;  )