12 Most Influential Ways To Raise Your Klout Score

By Jane Zuckerberg

In the social media world, Klout is the way to measure your social influence. Your Klout score can affect you in many ways: it determines what kind of perks you are eligible for, whether or not a brand responds to you, and even whether you get a job or not. That is why it is important to do everything you can to keep your Klout score up!

1. Connect networks
The more you connect, the more accurate your score. Klout is always adding new platforms to the algorithm so you can really account for all your social media influence.

2. Get RTs
Being influential on Twitter equals tweeting things of value. What better way to show you’re valuable than by having someone else share your thoughts? More retweets means higher Klout score.

3. Leave tips
Foursquare tips are one of Klout’s best kept secrets. When you leave a tip at a location and someone has done it (or adds it to their to-do list) that shows you are influential!

4. Likes
It is so easy to “like” something on Facebook. Anytime someone “likes” something of yours it adds to your social influence and raises your Klout score.

5. @replies
It’s not all about retweets! Tweeting something that promotes engagement and conversation, such as an @mention, increases your social influence according to Klout.

6. Comments
Similar to @replies, posts that elicit engagement in the forms of a comment shows you are influential. Remember, a comment takes a lot more effort than a “like” so comments are weighed heavier!

7. +1’s
Google+ has hopped on the Klout bandwagon and a +1 on G+ is the same as a “like” on Facebook. It’s not just about being influential on Facebook and Twitter but on social media as a whole!

8. Thanks and…
If we know that @mentions help your influence, why should we ever end the conversation! When someone retweets or engages with you, you can thank them and follow up with a question. Always keep the conversation flowing!

9. Choose the right blog platform
If you’re a blogger, Klout has a home for you! You can connect your blog to your Klout profile if you pick the right one. Klout doesn’t offer connection to all platforms so hope that yours is applicable.

10. Follower/following ratio
As a general rule, you should try and have more followers than people you are following. This ratio is taken into account when calculating your Klout score.

11. Remain active
Your Klout score can change in an instant. To remain high and steadily increase you need to be consistent on your social networks.

12. Be artistic
Klout is compatible with networks such as Flickr and Instagram. Being active on these sites and getting a lot of engagement will help your Klout.

Although the exact Klout algorithm is top secret, these are proven ways to increase your Klout! While Klout is not the only way to measure your social influence, it is one of the best indicators we have so far. Go out there and be influential!

What have you found works to boost your Klout score? Let us know in the comments below!

100Feed: How the Tax Code Subsidizes Millionaires’ Mansions

by Samantha R. Selman
Photo by Jane Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg recently refinanced the $5.59 million mortgage on his house to a 30-year adjustable rate loan with an introductory rate of 1.05 percent.

Some of that is simply today’s low-rate environment. Some of it is Zuckerberg’s willingness to take on interest-rate risk by going with an adjustable-rate mortgage. The problem is that you can get loans on more generous terms if you’re rich and don’t really need the loan. That seems unfair, but it reflects the fact that the less you need to borrow money to afford a house, the less likely it is you’ll default on your loan. But of course that raises the question of why you would want the loan in the first place if you’re as rich as Zuckerberg.

Bloomberg writes that “wealthy individuals often choose to finance a home purchase rather than pay cash because of the overall low cost of mortgage debt and the additional access to liquidity,” which is true but I think only scratches the surface. Another important issue is that interest payments are tax deductible, which is a very big deal if you have a very high income and live in a high-tax state like California. That of course raises the question of why we do this as a matter of public policy. The deductibility of mortgage interest is often described as a “middle class” tax break, and it’s of course true that middle-class people use it. But richer people have more expensive houses and pay higher tax rates, so the scale of the benefit is much larger to rich people. What’s more, in supply-constrained environments like the Bay Area, subsidizing Zuckerberg’s home buying largely serves to push up the price of housing for everyone else.

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100Feed: How to Create a Zombie Using GIMP

By Jane Zuckerberg and Samantha R. Selman

Pick a base photo of yourself that features an up-close face shot to highlight the details of a zombie face. If you want to do a full-body zombie, take a picture of yourself or a friend posing in a gruesome undead position, such as with your limbs hanging to your sides with your head cocked, or with your hands outstretched and a ghastly expression on your face. Find a stock photo of a forward-facing skeleton, or even just a skull, to add to the picture later.

Open the base photo in GIMP. Click “Tools” in the top menu, then “Free Select” to select the lasso tool. Use the lasso tool to outline your zombie’s face and body.

Click “Tools,” “Color Tools” and “Hue-Saturation” to bring up the “Adjust Hue/Lightness/Saturation” dialog.

Click on the “Hue” slider and drag to the left. Repeat for “Saturation” until the skin of your zombie takes on a grayed or deadened tint. Click “OK.”

Open the second photo of a forward-facing skull. Use the lasso tool once more to select the right or left of the skull — specifically the eye sockets, part of the nose and the mouth. Once selected, press and briefly hold “CTRL” + “C” to copy your selection.

Click the window in GIMP that contains your original photo. Press “CTRL” + “V” to paste the selection you copied earlier. Click the layer now on top of the original photo and drag to the left or right side to position the skull over one area of your face. Right-click on the layer in the layer palette on the right and select “Mode.” Set the mode to “Multiply,” with an opacity of 50. Play around with the opacity levels and modes to give your skull different looks.

Click the pink eraser icon on your toolbox, to the left. Click on the “Tool Options” menu on the right, and set the opacity to 70. Spot-erase areas of the skull to blend it in with your face. Press “CTRL” + “M” to merge the skull to your face when you’re finished.

Click “Paint Tools” from the “Tools” menu again. Click “Dodge/Burn” or click the “Dodge/Burn” tool from the toolbox on the left. On the right, in the “Tool Options” box, click “Burn.” Set the opacity to 50.

Burn around the edges of your eyes, nose and mouth. The eyes should appear hollow. Use the burn tool to add a gaunt look to the cheeks by brushing under the cheekbone. Add dark, shapeless burn spots to other parts of the body to simulate rotting flesh.

Click the paintbrush tool from the toolbox on the left. Underneath the tool icons, you will see two boxes. Click the first to bring up the foreground color menu. Choose a dark red and click “OK.”

Set “Mode” to “Multiply” in the tool options dialog on the right. Set the opacity to 60. With the paintbrush, mark around the areas of your burn spots to show open wounds. The skin should take on a dark red hue but should also blend in with the characteristics of your skin’s shadows and texture because of the “Multiply” effect.

Drag the brush over your zombie’s hairline and throughout the area of the hair strands. Keep brushing over areas to add more layers of blood and to darken missing pieces of your zombie’s skull.

Set the size of the brush in “Tool Options” to a smaller width, then draw trails of blood leading down from the mouth and other open wounds. Drag the brush over your teeth to give the zombie a “freshly feasted” look.

Click in the foreground color box and choose a lime green color. Set “Mode” in the tool options to “Overlay.” Choose a larger size for the brush this time. Set the opacity to 30.

Spot-click and drag around the neck, forehead, arms and other areas to show a sick discoloration of the skin tone. If you add more of this color to the skin, you can create a more cartoonish look for your zombie, something that might work for a comic strip.

Click the foreground color again and choose a golden yellow. Color in areas of the teeth and fingernails if they are visible in the photo. Click the foreground color again and select black. Hollow out parts of the mouth and hair.

Click “Filters” at the top of the screen, then “Distort” and “IWarp.” Click “Shrink” and set the deform radius to 50 and the deform amount to 0.30. Inside the preview box with your image, click the edge of your zombie’s lower jaw, just briefly, to sink it inward.

Play around with the “IWarp” tool. The “Move” effect shifts parts of the picture where you click. For example, use the “Move” tool to deform limbs and push a part of your forehead higher to create a bulging look. Push the lower part of your zombie’s mouth down to create a distorted mouth of blood and teeth, enhancing the ghoulish look.

Click “File” and “Save” when you are finished with your photo. Your zombie is ready for action

100Feed: Top Ten Lies Men Tell Women

By Jane Zuckerberg

Lie # 10: “I’m Stuck in Traffic”
“He figures it’s much easier to just say this than to try to explain the real reason he’s running late,” says John Amodeo, author of The Authentic Heart. “Remember, men aren’t as good at communicating as women are.” The funny thing is, a guy will toss this line out even if what held him up is perfectly legitimate. Still, you shouldn’t let it slide – it’s a lie nonetheless.

Lie # 9: “It Wasn’t That Expensive”
“Men like toys, and they don’t like sensing your disapproval, even if you don’t share a bank account,” Amodeo says. He could also be dropping this fib to try to prove he’s responsible with money, says Barton Goldsmith, author of Emotional Fitness for Intimacy. “He doesn’t want you to think that if you do share funds down the line, he’s going to blow them all on things like plasma TVs.”

Lie # 8: “I’m on My Way”
Guys usually throw you this line when you’re making them meet you at some event they don’t want to attend – like, say, your family reunion. He’s stalling, but he’s also being pouty. Consider: He can’t exactly refuse to go without enduring serious repercussions from you, and he can’t very well throw a temper tantrum in front of your pop-pop. So saying this and then showing up late is his way of gaining a wee amount of control.

Lie # 7:”I Didn’t Have Too Much to Drink”
This lie could point to a serious problem – and we’re not just talking about your relationship. If he says it often he could have an alcohol issue, Goldsmith says. You need to talk to him about how concerned you are, but watch the timing. “That’s definitely a conversation you need to have when he’s sober,” Amodeo adds.

Lie # 6: “Sorry, I Missed Your Call,”
Lie # 5: “My Battery Died,” and
Lie # 4: “I Had No Signal”
These three lines all mean the same thing: I screened your call. Why? “Often men will feed you these lies because they’re afraid to tell you to back off a bit, that they need a little alone time,” Amodeo says. You might want to ease up on the checking in and let him miss you more.

Lie # 3: “No, Your Butt Doesn’t Look Big in That”
Look, if you assail him with the question in the first place, you’re really just asking to be thrown this all-purpose mollifier. “Every guy has a buddy who’s told him, ‘I answered this question wrong once, and my girlfriend wouldn’t have sex with me for a year,’ ” Goldsmith says. This is the one safe response he knows, so there’s no way he’s going to risk the worst by straying from it. If you want an honest opinion, go ask one of your girls instead.

Lie # 2:”This Will Be My Last Beer”

Our experts say this man-lie delivered over the phone means he wants to get you off ASAP so he can spend more time with his buddies. The thing is, even if he says it three times in a night, each time he believes it, Goldsmith says. It’s like when you vow this will be your last cookie…five times in a row.

Lie # 1: “Nothing’s Wrong, I’m Fine”
A whopping 52 percent of men have told their girlfriend this line. According to experts, this go-to fib is all about avoiding drama and protecting male pride. Men know they’re not as good with articulating what’s happening or how they’re feeling, so it’s easier for them to just keep you out of the situation. Next time he uses this line, give him a couple days and then ask him again if he is still bummed…and why. By then he may have figured things out.