As obnoxious as it may be social networking sites have become an
instant snapshot of an individual’s societal influence or popularity.
But, a controversial San Francisco based Start-Up, Klout, isn’t
content with letting social media remain as just a barometer for
popularity. Klout measures online influence by collecting data from
sites like Facebook and Twitter, factoring in things such as friends
and followers, awarding each individual a score that they in turn sell
to clients like airlines and banks. These companies then factor in
this data when they deal with their own customers secretly offering
rewards, incentives, and even better service to customers with higher
scores. If you haven’t heard about this secret rewards system its safe
to say you aren’t very popular in the online space, but it doesn’t
mean your internet presence is being ignored by Klout, the company has
generated more than 100 million Klout scores to date and you are
included in their ranking systems the minute you create a public
Twitter or Facebook account. One Hong Kong Airline, Cathay Pacific,
has gone so far as to offer individuals with a Klout score over 40
access to their exclusive first-class airport lounge. As shallow as it
may be, the company is only just getting warmed up. Klout recently
announced plans to revamp the algorithm in attempts to make it more
accurate, factoring in sites like Linkedin, adding points for higher
job titles and giving added value to individuals with Wikipedia pages.
So next time you receive poor customer service on a call to Time
Warner, you might want consider raising your number of Twitter
followers, before you raise your voice.
Shooting their first 3D and three hundred and sixty degree
photography and video at this year’s Olympics, Getty Images is
reportedly up for sale by the Hellman & Friedman private equity firm,
which acquired Getty in 2008. Sources are reporting that The Carlyle
Group is leading the bid and may close the deal today. Their
competition includes numerous private equity firms, most notably CVC
Capital Partners, in a deal that is projected to be between 3.3 and
3.5 billion dollars, but possibly more. Getty is the largest supplier
of royalty-free images, editorial stock photos, vector art, video
footage clips and stock music licensing worldwide. However, the
company has been fighting diminished earnings over the past few years
as the media landscape has shifted from print to online, where the
cost for use of their content is much lower.
Benjamin Lawsky – One, Banks – Zero. Just months after the
creation of his position, the New York Superintendent of Financial
Services brokered a three hundred and forty million dollar settlement
with Standard Chartered over their transactions with Iran. In
addition to the three hundred and forty million dollar settlement, the
bank agreed to have an outside monitor check on money laundering
activities at its New York location for a minimum of two years. Not
only did the settlement put one authority at ease but the bank avoided
a hearing that could have ended in the confiscation of its license to
do business in New York. Unfortunately for Standard Chartered they
continue to be probed by other U.S. authorities over the transactions.
As obnoxious as it may be social networking sites have become an
instant snapshot of an individual’s societal influence or popularity.
But, a controversial San Francisco based Start-Up, Klout, isn’t
content with letting social media remain as just a barometer for
popularity. Klout measures online influence by collecting data from
sites like Facebook and Twitter, factoring in things such as friends
and followers, awarding each individual a score that they in turn sell
to clients like airlines and banks. These companies then factor in
this data when they deal with their own customers secretly offering
rewards, incentives, and even better service to customers with higher
scores. If you haven’t heard about this secret rewards system its safe
to say you aren’t very popular in the online space, but it doesn’t
mean your internet presence is being ignored by Klout, the company has
generated more than 100 million Klout scores to date and you are
included in their ranking systems the minute you create a public
Twitter or Facebook account. One Hong Kong Airline, Cathay Pacific,
has gone so far as to offer individuals with a Klout score over 40
access to their exclusive first-class airport lounge. As shallow as it
may be, the company is only just getting warmed up. Klout recently
announced plans to revamp the algorithm in attempts to make it more
accurate, factoring in sites like Linkedin, adding points for higher
job titles and giving added value to individuals with Wikipedia pages.
So next time you receive poor customer service on a call to Time
Warner, you might want consider raising your number of Twitter
followers, before you raise your voice.
Shooting their first 3D and three hundred and sixty degree
photography and video at this year’s Olympics, Getty Images is
reportedly up for sale by the Hellman & Friedman private equity firm,
which acquired Getty in 2008. Sources are reporting that The Carlyle
Group is leading the bid and may close the deal today. Their
competition includes numerous private equity firms, most notably CVC
Capital Partners, in a deal that is projected to be between 3.3 and
3.5 billion dollars, but possibly more. Getty is the largest supplier
of royalty-free images, editorial stock photos, vector art, video
footage clips and stock music licensing worldwide. However, the
company has been fighting diminished earnings over the past few years
as the media landscape has shifted from print to online, where the
cost for use of their content is much lower.
Benjamin Lawsky – One, Banks – Zero. Just months after the
creation of his position, the New York Superintendent of Financial
Services brokered a three hundred and forty million dollar settlement
with Standard Chartered over their transactions with Iran. In
addition to the three hundred and forty million dollar settlement, the
bank agreed to have an outside monitor check on money laundering
activities at its New York location for a minimum of two years. Not
only did the settlement put one authority at ease but the bank avoided
a hearing that could have ended in the confiscation of its license to
do business in New York. Unfortunately for Standard Chartered they
continue to be probed by other U.S. authorities over the transactions.