Being on maternity leave means ’round the clock diaper changes and feedings, amongst naps, shushes and cries. So when it comes to social media, there’s about as much time to chat as there is to make myself a sandwich and take a shower. So how does this lack of social media usage affect my social media cred? I started by analyzing my Klout score. But first, here’s a look at how my general usage has changed since Parker was born.
BP (Before Parker)
- Facebook: 1 hr/day
- Twitter: 2 hrs/day
- LinkedIn: .5 hr/day
- Instagram: .25 hr/day
- Pinterest: .25 hr/day
- Blogging: 2 times/week
AP (After Parker)
- Facebook: 2 hr/day
- Twitter: .5 hrs/day
- LinkedIn: .5 hr/week
- Instagram: .25 hr/week
- Pinterest: .25 hr/week
- Blogging: 1 time/every other week
Was my Klout score impacted given my declining social media usage (except for Facebook)? It sure was.
The big jump occured on April 18th - a few days after my son was born. At that time, I was Facebooking and tweeting like mad to share the news and respond to all of the well wishes. Since then, my score has increased slightly, and since I’ve only increased my Facebook usage, it must be a result of that. We know that Facebook usage plays a role in your Klout score, but could it make a strong impact?
It will be interesting to see how my score changes once I go back to my social media job in August. Until then, do you check your Klout score and see how it changes? Do you think Facebook is that influential? Share your thoughts. I’d love to chat between diaper changes!
Thanks to Jeff Cohen for the idea of tracking my Klout score while on mat leave. I must add too that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what my Klout score is. All that matters is my happy, healthy baby! (But looking at my score is fun!)
Facebook is incredibly influential on Klout score. I use Twitter significantly more, yet I’m still considered more influential on Facebook. Strange, but maybe my posts have more impact on people I know personally.
This post also made the feminist in me angry. I don’t know what your workplace is like, but you hear so many stories of women having a hell of a time even getting a decent maternity leave. I can possibly foresee a decreased Klout score causing more problems in the future for women in SM professions. Or maybe I’m just a pessimist.
Thanks for your comment and good point. We tend to be more personally connected with our Facebook contacts than other social media platforms so perhaps that is where influence becomes more significant.
My company is so supportive of maternity leave, but I am lucky. You’re right that it’s not like that for all companies. Women deserve their healing and bonding time!