So who are the most influential Indians in social media? Pinstorm, a digital marketing firm, recently released a compilation of “India Influencers”  in the social media. The automated list, which is updated on a daily basis,  ranks individuals  and brands on twitter by taking the average of their Klout and PeerIndex scores.  Klout and PeerIndex are both popular metrics that are widely used to calculate one’s social media influence.

When the list was released in May 2010,  Bollywood actor Salman Khan came out on top with an average score of 76.965,  followed by Preity Zinta at second place, while Barkha Dutt was ranked third.  It is already changed now, with DalaiLama,  Farhan Akhtar and Salman Khan on the first three spots.

I have been lucky too ! I am listed at 36th position as of today ( 21st July 2011).  The reason I should be feeling proud to top this list  is considering that most of the twitterati list are those with a huge fan following in real life. To have a larger influence on social media spectrum than likes of Sachin Tendulkar ( listed at 48) and Madhuri Dixit ( listed at 52 today) , is something to be celebrate! I have been earlier featured by Deccan Chronicle as one of the most online influentials in Bangalore and now I am in a bigger national league.  :)

The Non-resident Indians and the brands are separately ranked. While Om Malik,  Deepak Chopra and Sanjay Gupta(CNN) tops the Indians- Non residents category, brands on twitter are led by @ESPNcricinfo, @VodafoneIN and @ndtv.  Take note that these rankings could change because the scores are polled from the APIs every day.

Pinstorm does admit that some names will be missing and is glad to add suggestions by emailing them at info@pinstorm.com or even tweeting at @pinstorm.  Or you can add any twitter handle yourself at “Find your Rank” tab. Your twitter handle will be automatically added and you will be counted ( or listed if you are on the top 100) from the next update on the very next day.

I wish Pinstorm also splits the celebrities and the social media celebrities into two separate categories.

There are a few interesting inferences from this list. One’s popularity in the real world does not necessarily translate into similar influences in the online medium. “Much also depends on the content of the tweets and the domain expertise of the individual. It’s not just enough to have followers”, explains Mahesh Murthy, founder, Pinstorm.  It is not only about numbers too. A twitterati with just over 700 followers on twitter is also featured in the top list.

I am sure that the list is now going to daily routine visit for every self proclaimed social media experts.  A new way of ego-surfing for people like me..

So what is your rank today ? Do let me know as comments below !