Class-based society returning, based not by your income, but by how many followers you have?

Social networking changed how we use the internet and how we keep in touch with our friends and family, to the extent where some people suffer from newly invented phobias of being without their phone or it running out of battery.

Blogging changed the world of critiquing products and services, and YouTube allowed anyone with a video camera to provide their own video review on anything that can be bought. 

So what's the next step in the online social media whirlwind? Klout.

Your 'Klout' rating changes over time depending on how influential you become

Klout is an online company that uses publicly available data about you, such as your Facebook posts, how often people 'Like' what you've shared, retweet your tweets or +1'd your Google Plus contributions for example.

The scary thing is, you already have a number, you just may not know it yet. Check out the BBC Click video for an introduction on this new social media revolutionary concept that has already spawned several internet start-up companies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9716859.stm

I believe this is a good train to be boarding right now, the scope of this is quite incredible. Imagine turning up at a restaurant and being given free food, free tickets to a cinema or free tickets to a theme park. Log into your Klout profile by checking www.klout.com and check to see what your number is.

Apparently I directly influence 136 people with my online interactions

With an average Klout rating of 20-25 per user, I suppose I'm sitting pretty at 44 right now, I'll let you know when I start getting free Garlic Breads with my Domino's or free popcorn at Vue Cinemas.