Published
Jun
24
2009
Updated
Jun
23
2009
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When the scientific study hit the wires establishing that obesity spreads virally across large “social networks,” I figured that science was simply appropriating a popular cyberspace term.
After all, if obesity could spread across Facebook, or MySpace, science would have a larger problem on its hands than excessive girth. Are my contacts on Facebook really that susceptible to my suggestions? If so, I have a get-rich-slowly scheme to sell them.
Still, it’s obvious that some news and ideas spread virally over the Net; think about how many times you have spammed your friends or associates with jokes, links to articles, blog posts or videos. Before there was e-mail there were fax machines and (lawyer) jokes made the rounds pretty quickly, too.
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Published
May
04
2009
Updated
May
04
2009
My first article for msnbc.com. addresses a topic that aligns two of my main interests: careers and social media.
Every unemployed person I interviewed for the piece had a LinkedIn profile prior to their layoff but hadn’t developed it sufficiently. They were making up for lost time quickly. But still, it’s difficult to pull together good recommendations in a rush. A good profile is best phased in over time.
The moral of the story is to feather your nest before you need it.
With the considerable aid of Jason Alba and Alison Doyle, the article addresses important questions such as:
- What can your contacts do for you?
- How do you approach people in a social networking group?
- What’s the right size network of connections for you?
- Should your profile disclose your unemployed status?
- Does it make more sense to start out on Facebook or LinkedIn or do both?
My piece on this topic is available on msnbc.com.
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Published
Mar
25
2009
Updated
Mar
24
2009
There are endless reasons to build a strong network of professional contacts. But perhaps none is more compelling in 2009 than the goal of establishing a career safety net.
In a recession jobs are last to get hit, yet are the slowest part of business spending to recover. This is the time to develop or revise an escape plan to insulate you from possible downturns or unforeseen changes at work.
“I don’t know if I would go so far as to call social networking a safety net,” says Kelly Krebs, Senior Account Executive at Horn Group, “but it can help if you if you are looking to move into a new career or if you are looking to expand your customer or partner base.”
Even though the economy is slumping that doesn’t mean you should stop expanding your web of contacts. While ultimately you will find & add contacts one at a time, the truth is you can better leverage your resources by joining social network-based communities.
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Published
Sep
17
2008
Updated
Sep
16
2008
One of the joys of social networking is reconnecting with people you barely knew 20 years ago but would like to know better now.
Like most people in my age bracket, I have held lots of positions. In my case, in publishing, I survived stints at CMP, Ziff-Davis, IDG and McGraw-Hill.
I’m occasionally invited to real-world reunions for one defunct magazine or another. These are strange gatherings because while there is often a friendly exchange of business cards, what happens down the road is usually nothing whatsoever.
Enter Web 2.0 and social networking. These days you can quickly form or join a social network made up of other former employees. Think of these cyber-gatherings as another form of an alumni network, even if your corporate exit may have been involuntary - without so much as a farewell lunch at T.G.I. Friday’s.
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Published
Jun
11
2008
Updated
Jun
10
2008
When Groucho Marx famously told the Friars that he “didn’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member” he notified them via telegram.
If Groucho were on e-mail today he would be spammed by invitations from friends, acquaintances and total strangers to join dozens of social networking sites. I picture him rolling his eyes at the pointlessness of belonging to clubs that don’t serve cocktails or fat cigars.
Unlike Groucho, I am checking out multiple social networking sites as part of a careers research project. One observation: Social networking sites are often the first place where professionals actively manage relationships that can advance their careers.
It’s no secret that quite often in life who you know is more important than what you know. These sites help automate the former so efficiently that I would unhesitatingly recommend them to everyone.
Choosing the right social networking site to advance your career isn’t a serious problem. If one doesn’t pan out, you can always try another, perhaps more or less specialized one.
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Published
May
01
2008
Updated
Apr
30
2008
If I belonged to a football team, a fraternity, or an office of 20-somethings, I’d use Twitter to “tweetup” with my friends. It’s not the place to find a job – is it?
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, an Internet entrepreneur based in Amsterdam, recently posted a job listing on Twitter that caught my eye:
Wanted: CTO type for new secret project. PHP, MySQL, CakePHP knowledge important. Money + shares.
“People always know people and telling it to 450 people makes sure that the word gets out,” explains Boris, who has openings for three ventures at the moment and lots of evangelists among his connections. “And - don’t tell – [Twitter] is a cheap way of finding people too.”
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Published
Jan
16
2008
Updated
Jan
15
2008
The hype about social networks is a bit stifling at times. The social pressure to join them is even worse. Old friends, relatives or contacts who are yet to join Facebook or LinkedIn suffer the slings and arrows of social networking mavens who tell them they’re missing out on something cool.
Beyond the sheer joy of throwing sheep at friends or catching a buzz from virtual cocktails, we wonder how social networks help you personally or professionally. Are they an enormous time sink or a breakthrough in how you manage relationships?
To find out, the editors of Found|READ in conjunction with My Global Career invite you to participate in the groundbreaking State of Social Networking 2008 - a free, fast and confidential study about how people use social networks. Your completed survey enters you into a drawing for an Apple iPhone or equivalent prize from an Apple store. To complete the survey, please go to http://s-kf7uz-25818.sgizmo.com/
We look forward to sharing the results of the study with you and hearing your thoughts about what social networking is getting right - or wrong.
