brand

Image by Theme Park Mom via Flickr

With all the issues that have been surrounding Klout's algoritthm changes and with the constant deluge of metrics discussions when it comes to social media, here's your wakeup call: your online reputation means more than your collections of numbers and charts.

Granted, the charts are pretty and they are great for meetings when the boss wants to know what you've been doing. And if you're a solo shop or an individual, stats are sexy and may compensate for other parts of your life that aren't what you would want them to be. Great statistics can give the impression that we're doing something correct, poor statistics can mean that you're doing something wrong - but if numbers are what are consuming your content, it's time to move off Sesame Street.

People consume your content. People either think highly of you - or not. And when people think highly of you, they may not consume every little tidbit that you tweet, blog or stick on your Facebook page. When people don't think highly of you, they may still visit your links.

I'll pick on someone everyone else picks on: Is Paris Hilton's reputation on par with her statistics?

The point is that metrics and statistics have never been successfully implemented in measuring human relationships. The Hedgehog Dilemma, amongst other things, factor in.

What you need to be worried about isn't so much the metrics but the brand - your brand. Your reputation. Are you who you want people to know you for? That's what the core of social media is really about.

If your statistics suck and you really want to expand your network, find others with solid reputations to interact with. Don't worry about the statistics as a measurement of success - instead, look at the metrics as a flawed method of understanding your reputation and reach within social media.