Yesterday, JumpstartMyPC.com began a week-long look at the concept of a Social Media Credit Score.  In case you missed it, Social Media Credit Score is a measurement of social risk, for an individual, based on information available through social media outlets.  Today we are going to focus on the elements that make up your score, so you’ll know how you are seen and what you need to keep an eye on.

Although the idea of a Social Media Credit Score is based on the more well-known financial credit score, there are some key differences that make the development of a formula very difficult.  This social media measurement (SMCS) has no governing body and there is no required reporting that most be followed by users/creators of social media web sites.  Also, most areas of measurement are not black or white, but gray.  As we look at the components of the SMCS, you will see the difficulty in developing a true formula for your Social Media Credit Score.

The idea I want you to walk away with is this.  How do others see me? “Others” can be defined as any person/group who has an interest in you as an individual (an area that we will focus on later in the week.)  What are the first impressions of a would-be researcher?  How do your actions, or the actions of others, (in social media) portray you?  Are you a positive or a negative?  Are you a strength or a liability?  These are not numbers or a traditional “score” but they are a measurement of an individual nonetheless.

What Qualifies as Social Media

The first thing you will need to know is what web sites are considered social media.  In fact, any information available via the internet can be considered social media.  A scary thought considering the fact that laws governing the internet can’t keep up with its growth and changes.  Here are the top sites that we factor in to our grading system (at the moment):

• Google – this is very general, but the exact area that most people will turn to first (if they want to “check out” someone) is a simple Google search.
• Facebook – the world’s largest social media site (with over 200 million users) is a gold-mine for anyone who is permitted to see your profile and information.  Assuming you have the proper settings in place, only invited guests can see this information (for now).
• MySpace – what was once a powerhouse in social media, MySpace has shrunk in numbers but still holds a large share of the market.
• Twitter – 140 characters can say a lot about a person, especially when they post messages about themselves day after day.  Twitter searches will reveal almost anything that has ever been tweeted about a person.  All it takes is a keyword, like your name.
• LinkedIn – Probably the single best site for you to promote yourself to the world, LinkedIn is your online resume.  You can enter in work history, awards, achievements and all sorts of personal information that might sway your SMCS in the right direction.  You can even ask others to write a review about you.  What better grading tool than the comments of a former co-worker.
• Blogs – although this is not a single social media site, it could be the most important tool of all.  Someone who blogs often writes about themselves or at least their opinions about anything and everything.  Many people compare blogging to an online diary and while it is still a hobby of few web users, the number of new bloggers is growing daily.

Credit Score Criteria

Once on a social media site, what does one look for?  How do I determine the SMCS of someone/myself?  Again, what is mined out of social media sites is mostly gray area, but there are some key areas of interest.

• How many sites does the individual belong to/participate in?
• How frequently does he/she post to or visit the site(s)?
• What are the first “returns” in a search for the individual in question?
• What groups does the individual belong to within the social media site in question?
• How is the individuals’ grammar and word usage?  Is there a lot of negative/positive wording in posts?
• What are their religious beliefs?
• Are there any pictures of this person and what are they doing in the pictures? How about video?
• What do others have to say about this person?

The list of criteria is virtually never-ending, but these are the areas that most would focus on first.  Is that simply because that is what is available now?  Who knows what the future of social media has in store for us.  What you need to know is how to research others and how they might see you if they did the same. We will continue our look at the Social Media Credit Score tomorrow and through the rest of the week.  Check back with us for more information, including:

• What areas of your life will be affected by your Social Media Credit Score?
• How can you change your Social Media Credit Score?
• What is next for the Social Media Credit Score?

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Tags: Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, MySpace, Social Media Credit Score, Social Networking, Twitter

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 10:05 am and is filed under Social Media Credit Score, Social Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.