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"Klout unleashed Brand Squads, its version of brand pages, into beta on Tuesday with Red Bull as its sole launch partner. \nThe startup \u2014 which measures influence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Foursquare to assign Klout users scores from 0 to 100 \u2014 will gradually roll out more Brand Squads in the coming weeks and months. \nEach Squad will feature the brand's logo, the list of the top 10 and top 100 influencers about the brand, an activity stream and any brand-specific deals offered through Klout's Perks platform. \nTop influencers are the users who receive the most +K's within Klout's Topics feature (see gallery below).\n\"The bottom line is that we are creating a place where influencers can be recognized and have an impact on brands,\" Klout spokeswoman Lynn Fox told Mashable. \nCompanies have had success engaging with consumers and promoting products or services via brand pages on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. \nNow, Klout wants to jump in the game to empower everyday brand advocates. For example, instead of Red Bull talking to fans or touting things as it does across social networks, it's the other way around on its Klout page.\n\n\n\n\n\"With Brand Squads, you will see a dynamic list of top influencers for each brand, watch conversations flow across social media, monitor information about a brand's recent developments and earn access to special Perks,\" Klout product manager David Temple said in an announcement. \n\"If you\u2019re one of Red Bull\u2019s top advocates, they\u2019ll keep you informed with a subscription to The Red Bulletin and make sure that you\u2019ve had a chance to try their new Red Bull Total Zero by sending you a 4-Pack,\" Temple says. \"The very top influencers will get some sweet merchandise or even a VIP Red Bull experience, like a behind-the-scenes look at the X-Games.\"\nHow important do you think Klout's Squads will be for brands? Sound off in the comments. \nBONUS: What Else Does Klout Have in Store for 2012?\nLooking ahead, Klout is still building scoring models for seven more services (YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress.com, Last.fm and Flickr) that have already been integrated onto Klout users\u2019 dashboards. Klout also plans to add Quora, Yelp, Posterous, Livefyre, Disqus, bit.ly and BranchOut.\n\nSEE ALSO: Klout Mobile App Is One Step Closer With Acquisition of BlockBoard\nKlout likely will continue improving its Topics feature (see screenshots below) and Klout Perks platform. The Topics feature, which rolled out in September and lets you gain insights on top influencers and +K recipients for specific content areas, got a visual update in December with a \"sashes\" and an \"Add a Topic\" button. \n\n\nKlout Topics\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nClickable Topics on Your Dashboard\n\nOn your Klout dashboard, you can click on a topic to open its Topic Page.\nIn December 2011, Klout rolled out sashes and an \"Add a Topic\" button. A blue sash goes to users with the most +Ks for any topic, while a gold sash is given to influencers based on Klout's algorithm. People who fall into both categories receive a blue-and-gold sash. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSocial Media Topic Page\nFor example, here's the social media Topic Page, which displays top influencers and top +K recipients.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJournalism Topic Page\nHere's the journalism Topic page.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTop +K Recipients\nYou can click on \"Top +K Recipients\" to get a closer look at which users are snagging the most +Ks.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBest Content Stream\nThe \"Best Content\" tab will show you popular content from the past 90 days.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/04/17/klout-brand-squads-pages-red-bull/>