April 27, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

The New Facebook Listen Button

Categories: General

Doesn’t it seem like Facebook is always evolving? It takes a few steps forward and a step or two back. Take the new Timeline for example. Many have said it’s reminiscent of the old Myspace layouts – and many are opposed to the changes. Personally, I don’t think the timeline is much like Myspace at all, but one recent change does remind me of the old favorite social network. That change is the Facebook “listen” button.

Music is something has been glaringly absent from Facebook. Maybe Zuck isn’t a fan and prefers silence, but music is probably the only thing about Myspace that I miss. And honestly, the new “listen” button doesn’t really change things all that much. It’s awesome for people who produce music to be able to easily share it on Facebook through a click of a button, but as an end user, it doesn’t drastically change my life. I can still share music through a Pandora or Spotify app, but if I come across a band’s Facebook page and I wonder what they sound like, now I’ll know. I won’t have travel around the interwebs in search of a video. I can just simply hit the button and listen.

Do I sound like I’m down on this change? I’m really not; I think it’s a good thing. I just had higher hopes when I heard that Facebook was integrating music onto its site. I guess maybe we have more to look forward to as time goes on. Maybe. For now, I’ll settle for being able to go to Justin Beiber’s website and listen to him croon out insightful lyrics like “Whenever you knock me down, I will not stay on the ground. Pick it up, pick it up.” ‘Cause you know that’s what I’m listening to right now. For sure.

April 15, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Social Media in the Classroom

Categories: General

When I was in high school, I remember taking a computer class or two. Actually, I even took some computer classes as early as elementary school. We learned the basis of using a computer and played Oregon Trail, but I kind of wonder what it’s like in classrooms today. Back then, most of us didn’t have computers in our homes. Today the kids are carrying around tablets of their own. So, I think it’s safe to say computer education in the classroom is much more advanced. But does it include social media? Should it?

Social media is becoming such an integral part of our lives that it kind of seems like we should be using it in the classrooms across the country. Learning how to use these tools can help students learn how to network with each other in a positive and productive way. The kids are on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr anyway. Why not teach them how to use their social networking skills for the power of good?

Here are some benefits to using social media in the classroom:

  1. It can infuse some fun and interest into a subject that students would otherwise find boring. Assign the task of researching a topic strictly through social media outlets and see what students come up with. Granted, there may be some incorrect info reported, but that could be part of the learning experience.
  2. Social media happens in real time. If you’re teaching about current events, there is no better tool than social media. Students can easily find people in the thick of conflict tweeting about what’s happening in their world – way before it hits the newsstands.
  3. You can also teach students how to conduct themselves professionally online. Sites like Twitter and Facebook make it much easier for the average Joe to interact with celebs and other influential people. You can teach them how to act professionally and illicit a response from someone they respect – and say, maybe write a report about the experience.

April 8, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Social Media Etiquette Guide

Categories: Reputation

If you’re new to social media (or if you’re a self-proclaimed “social media bonehead”), you might benefit from brushing up on your etiquette. I’m seriously always blown away by the fact that people break such simple rules on a regular basis – and I’m talking about well-liked and well-respected people; not average shmos like you and I. Okay, without further ado, here is my simple guide to social media etiquette:

  1. Don’t bash other people on your social media accounts. It doesn’t matter whether you refer to them by name; it makes you look petty. Once in a blue moon, people will forgive and forget. Do it all the time, and you’re a whiner.
  2. Be considerate when you decide whether to post, Tweet or share. I hear people saying “it’s my account, I’ll post what I want” all the time. To a certain extent, that’s true. You should be yourself. But you should also remember that other people have to sift through five million YouTube videos to see what their other friends said – just because you were in a Metallica kind of mood. Bombarding people’s news feeds with anything (whether it be videos or game updates) just isn’t polite.
  3. Engage other people in conversation. Don’t just post updates and have conversations on your own wall, comment on your friends’ pictures and status updates, retweet their tweets and share their news stories. That’s the whole point of social media: to be social.
  4. Don’t post embarrassing pictures and videos of your friends and then tag them. That’s just mean. Sure, sometimes they deserve it, but you can be the better person, can’t you? On the same token, don’t post embarrassing pictures of yourself either. Eager to show of a new tattoo in an inconspicuous place? Social media is not the venue.
  5. Don’t share uber-personal details about your life. The only exception to this rule is if you have an uber-personal circle set up in Google Plus. Otherwise, please remember that you’re sharing this info with people you used to work with or went to high school with and haven’t seen in 15 years. I don’t know you like that, and no offence, but I don’t want to know you like that.

April 1, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

MDNA on Twitter

Categories: Influence

Have you heard all the buzz about Madonna’s new album? Of course you have; you don’t live under a rock. What am I thinking? Well, as someone who is infinitely interested in social media marketing, I was so happy to hear that Madonna joined the ranks of the rest of us in the modern world: if only for a day.

Madonna is definitely not one who’s known for social media. In fact, she avoids it like the plague. I can’t say I blame her, though. I can imagine that for someone like Madonna, social media would bring a lot of drama. Just look at what happened with Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk). Before anyone chimes in here; yes, she does have a facebook account with nearly 9 million followers, but I highly doubt she’s the one responsible for the status updates. They’re even written in the third person, so there’s no confusion. Although, maybe Madonna does refer to herself in the third person. Hmm…

Just this past Monday, Madonna signed in to Twitter to answer questions from fans. I can only imagine that she was absolutely bombarded and didn’t get to all of them, but it’s nice to see her interacting with fans in real time. I don’t believe that’s something we’ve seen from this pop legend on such a grand scale. I just checked and she now has over 60 thousand followers – not bad for someone who shows up to the party one day out of her life, eh.

So, that’s the first, but will it be the last we see from the queen of pop on social media? Nope. I guess she really enjoyed interacting with the masses (the little people) because she’s planning another day on Twitter. That’s what’s so great about Twitter. Anyone can interact directly with a huge celeb like Madonna. It doesn’t matter if you’re an actor or a student learning how to become a journalist; You can talk to Madonna.

Anyway, maybe she’ll answer some of those questions that she didn’t get to on Monday, but her main goal is to thank fans for their support. I’d say she’s rather pleased with the sales of her new album, MDNA – great name by the way.

March 22, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

How to Break Into a Social Media Career

Categories: Influence, Work

Social media is a growing industry that has created many jobs in the past few years. If you can’t get by without updating your Twitter status and checking Facebook for the latest news, a career in this field might be just what you need to get yourself started on the right foot. When you do something you love, it shines through and you will naturally excel.

But, since social media is so new, few universities offer it as a major, and even fewer offer it in graduate degree programs. So, a specific “social media major” isn’t really necessary, but you should have a good foundation in marketing. That means you definitely should have a Marketing or Business Administration degree. Still, although a degree certainly helps, it isn’t everything – that’s especially true in today’s difficult and competitive job market.

Here are a few tips to get you going:

  1. Update your personal social media profiles: If you don’t have current profiles on at least three of the major social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, etc.), then you may as well cut your losses and start learning how to become a paralegal. If social media isn’t interesting enough for you to do on your personal time, an employer isn’t going to believe you’ll be experienced enough to do the job well.
  2. Stay abreast of current news. It doesn’t matter how long ago you graduated. Even if it was five minutes ago, in some small way, social media has probably changed since then. Learn about the online schools that offer social media courses, so you can brush up on your skills and maybe learn something new.
  3. Reach out to your prospective employer through social media. This will let them know that you’re not only social media savvy, but you are also interested enough in the company to follow their updates online.

March 18, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Tips for Marketing Yourself on Social Media

Categories: Reputation

I find social media to be terribly interesting. The most interesting thing about it (to me) is that it forces you to create an online version of yourself. So, what you end up with is usually what you want to be more than what you really are. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Just like when you meet new people in person, when you meet new friends and colleagues online, you want to put your best foot forward. But, that doesn’t mean you should go around bragging about your new car or your hot girlfriend. That’s missing the point.

The rules of social behavior online are very similar to person-to-person skills. No one would want to be around you if you were always bragging about your accomplishments. In the same vein, you wouldn’t get a second date if you spent the first one going on and on about yourself without asking one question about her. We know these things, but yet we seem to forget them when we interact online.

Marketing yourself online is a lot about deciding what to share, but it’s also about getting to know other people. Influential people. You have to listen to the conversation in order to make yourself relevant. If you were a software engineer, you wouldn’t just walk into a roomful of I.T. guys and just start spouting off facts about yourself or your industry, would you? I hope not. I think you’d probably engage in a conversation and interject with your facts when they were relevant. Now, think about how people would react in both cases. In the first case, you’d probably get a lot of weird looks and a sinking feeling that people don’t care what you have to say. In the second case, you might actually get some people who want to continue the conversation with you. Success. Now you can go on and introduce yourself, putting your best foot forward, of course.

March 11, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

The Life Changing Power of Social Media

Categories: Influence
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With all the news about the fate of that Rutgers student (the one who outed his fellow classmate; a prank that resulted in the victim taking his life), it’s nice to hear about people using social media for good (instead of evil). Seriously; enough with the bullying, trash talking and general meanness. Social media can be good.

Take the KONY 2012 campaign, for example. If you don’t know what that is, do a YouTube search. I’ll meet you back here in a half hour. In a nutshell, this is a campaign to end the reign of a terrible African dictator. The video was just released this past week (6 days ago, to be exact) and it already has more than 70 million views. That’s not just viral; it’s pandemic. In fact, I was just walking around my quiet residential neighborhood and saw a KONY 2012 sign on someone’s lawn. Imagine that? Six days ago, someone posted a video and people around the world are taking action. The power of social media never ceases to astound me. Sure, I’d love to see KONY brought to justice – but I’m also excited to see how this plays out. If we can successfully band together as a world united against tyranny, what else can we do?

Another story that hit the news this week was Bear Silber’s tale of diagnosing his own disease and getting himself on the road to recovery – through social media, of course. Bear has a rare disease called Cushing’s Disease, and it’s caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland. He saw a picture of a guy on Reddit who had the same disease, and he recognized the physique all too well. He knew his body was changing in the same way as the man in the picture. From there, he went to a few doctors before finding one who would test for and ultimately diagnose his condition as Cushing’s Disease. Bear has had the tumor removed and is now on the long road to recovery. Had he not been “wasting” time on Reddit that particular evening, who knows where he would be today. The power of social media changes lives.

March 4, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

The Battle of the Sexes: Social Media Style

Categories: General
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According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey, men and women don’t social network the same way. Women are much more protective about their data than men. According to this study, women are much more likely to make their profiles completely private, but it’s kind of an all or nothing thing. If women don’t make their profiles completely private, they’re more likely to be completely public. Men are more likely to set privacy settings that allow some of their profile to be public while keeping some private.

Women are also more likely to unfriend people than men. I found that one interesting, but I wasn’t surprised. You know what they say about a woman scorned, right? I’ve had the urge to unfriend people I’m furious with, myself. But, I’ve never actually done it. I know it will only lead to regret and hard feelings later. I have, on the other hand, unfriended people who post things I don’t want to see. But, that was well over a year ago – before Facebook came up with the feature that allows you to hide people’s stories from your newsfeed.

Now, I’m a big fan of hiding people’s updates. They’ll never find out, unless I tell them, and I don’t have to get annoyed by seeing their face pop up in my feed all the time. It’s a win-win. Interestingly enough, the only person who has ever unfriended me for personal reasons was a guy. I guess he didn’t get the memo saying that it’s a girly thing to do. I’ll have to send it to him. Ha!

Oh yeah, and men are also more likely to post things they later regret. They might post about something they did earlier or how their medical transcription job sucks, but then they’ll delete it. Interesting stuff.

February 26, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Social Networking with the Oscars

Categories: General
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In the past year or so, we’ve been seeing more involvement between television and social media; there are more actors tweeting and shows with Facebook pages than ever before. So, why should one of the biggest television events of the year be any different? This year, the Academy Awards has embraced social media with open arms. Here are a few ways you can interact before, during and after the Oscars:

  1. Get the Oscars App – Download this app on your iPad, iPod or iPhone to keep up with the #Oscars hashtag, @TheAcademy updates, and to watch trailers of all nominated movies. You can even cast your vote for who you think should win and share your picks on Facebook.
  2. Behind the Scenes – During the show, you can go onto Oscar.com or go to your Oscars app to view behind the scenes footage from more than 20 cameras placed backstage at the event. You can catch more of what’s going on that if you were sitting in the front row.
  3. Social Buzz – For the first time this year, the Academy is harnessing the buzz about the show coming from social media outlets and arranging it on place, so viewers can easily get a snapshot of public opinion. They’re calling it Oscar Buzz, and you’ll be able to find it on Oscar.com or on the Oscars App.

According to Nielsen, about 40 percent of tablet users use their tablets while watching television on a daily basis, so the Academy is making a smart move by doing everything they can to keep these users engaged and informed. Instead of thinking of tablet use during the show as a distraction, the Academy is taking advantage of it as another outlet to communicate with its audience. Very smart move, fellas. More should follow suit.

February 18, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Even the U.S. Army Uses Pinterest

Categories: Influence
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I know; I tend to go on a little bit about Pinterest. Not only do I have a general social media addiction, but I also have a Pinterest addiction. It’s been confirmed. The support group is on its way. So, I always like to hear about others who are getting involved in this social networking site. Mark Zuckerberg has even been pinning lately. How cool is that? But, you know who else is into this new fad? The U.S. Army. Didn’t see that one coming; now did you? Next, we need an FBI lifestyle account; don’t ya think?

The Army has employed a squad of five people who work together at the Pentagon to keep its social media accounts, including Pinterest, up to date and accessible its followers. The Army’s use of social media may seem strange, but it is attempting to reach a demographic that it would normally not have access to. The social media pages the Army uses are open and able to be shared by all of its followers. This open access is another unusual aspect that social media brings to the Army. Because different social media platforms reach different audiences, the Army has chosen to make use of as many of these sites as possible. Smart move.

For the most part, the Army’s Pinterest followers are women. Most of its audience consists of Army spouses; although, the team behind the Army’s social media efforts has worked hard to ensure that the items and ideas that are pinned will appeal to more than just women.

The boards that the Army has created on Pinterest include topics like Goodwill, Humanitarian Relief and HOOAH! Each topic attempts to show some aspect of Army life. This type of outreach can help create a feeling of community among existing military families in addition to reaching people who were previously uninterested in the Army.

February 12, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

5 Social Media Trends in 2012

Categories: Influence
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With every new year comes new trends. Today, we’re going to talk about some social media trends that have already begun and will continue to take hold throughout the rest of this year.

1. TV on Mobile Devices
People are becoming more interested in watching their favorite TV shows online (I know, I am). Websites such as GetGlue allow viewers to share their favorite shows with their friends, comment on and discuss whatever they are watching in real time (while they’re watching it). Social media is changing, and will continue to change, the world of television in 2012.

2. Browser Games
Sites like MySpace and Facebook have hooked millions of users all over the world into playing games online. These games are all free and do not have to be downloaded to your computer. The games found on MySpace and Facebook are fueled by members helping other members reach goals (playing alone, but working together).

3. Check-In Apps
Apps like Foursquare are becoming more popular in the consumer world because more companies are starting to recognize the value of having their customers advertise for them. As people check into a particular place, it makes other people want to go there too. These days, a lot of companies will offer a discount or freebie to people who check into their business on any of the many social apps out there.

4. Hobby Social Networking Pages
Facebook users have created a lot of pages to talk about a specific TV show, sports team or other subject that matters to them. People with similar interests are coming together on Facebook to talk about everything from the latest movie to the hottest new album.

5. Inspiration Through Social Media
Facebook recently unveiled a new profile layout that is supposed to tell your life story to your Facebook friends through old posts and pictures. This sometimes inspires people to try something their friends tried. Imagine that: real life via social media.

February 4, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Social Media and Free Speech

Categories: Reputation
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Even before the Internet, kids bullying other kids at school was a big problem. But these days, kids have it a little harder. Not only do they stand the chance of being bullied away from home, but they can also fall victim to cyber bullying – which can reach them anywhere they go.

In 2005, West Virginia high school student Kara Kowalski was suspended for an entire school week and removed from her high school’s cheerleading squad because she created a MySpace page that made fun of a fellow student. Kara titled the page “S.A.S.H,” which according to Kara, means “Students Against Sluts’ Herpes.” The case went all the way to a federal appeals court, where it was determined that the school system did not violate Kara’s right to free speech by punishing her for creating the page.

Students are not only using social media sites to tease other students, they are also using them to defame the character of their superiors. One example of this kind of case is a high school senior from Pennsylvania who created a profile on a social networking site portraying the school’s principal as a gay drug user. In the same state, a middle school student created a MySpace page for the principal of his school, stating that the man was a pedophile who had sex in his office at work. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia stated that these students could not be disciplined for what they did because it did not disrupt normal activities at the school.

Why do students get away with these things? Because the law has not yet caught up with the technology. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the above cases because they do not wish to change the freedom of speech people have online. Maybe I’m wrong, but I always thought there was a line between freedom of speech and defamation of character. You don’t have to be a police officer to know that this kind of behavior is wrong. As far as I see it, it’s cut and dry. If I were to act this way in person, there would be a problem. Why is it any different online?

January 28, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Social Media and Television

Categories: General
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How do you watch your favorite programs? Do you do it the old fashioned way on the old boob tube? That’s how I watch most television, but I definitely like to catch up with missed shows on the Internet. I love that we can do that now. Also, you should know, whenever “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is on, I head to Twitter and “hash” it out (#asip) with my fellow Sunny-loving tweeps. It works well for me because my husband isn’t a big fan of the show, so he doesn’t usually watch. This way, I can laugh at the funny stuff along with others who are watching too. And, just like that, I’m not watching the show alone anymore.

Reuters.com recently dubbed 2012 “the year of must-tweet TV.” Social media is popping up in new places every day and will continue to do so throughout 2012. Outlets that probably never thought they would have a need for social media are now relying on it to get people interested in news and current events. Just eight days into 2012, NBC and Facebook teamed up to present a “Meet the Press” debate. Eight days later, Fox News measured the reactions of their viewers to the GOP debate – by using Twitter stats. Viewers were even able to interact directly with the candidates via Twitter.

Networks like VH1 and Bravo are already using social media to encourage new viewers to watch their programming. On both networks, stars are tweeting more and more during the airing of their shows to try and create buzz for the show. Social media has become so popular that many people (myself included) are using these sites while they watch a program. Sound like a golden opportunity for someone to cash-in? Enter Get Glue. Get Glue is an application that allows people to “check-in” (i.e. announce that they’re watching) to their favorite TV shows and share that information with others on Facebook and Twitter. Get Glue has become the go-to place to find out which shows are trending in the social media world. Shows are getting more exposure than ever before – and it’s all due to social networking.

TV shows are now being viewed on smartphones and tablets as often, if not more than, traditional TV sets. Dubbed “smart TV,” viewers are encouraged to interact with others and post comments about the TV programs they are watching.

Social media and television are becoming more entwined every day and will continue to do so. Viewers are just clamoring for more interaction from their TV-watching experience.

January 19, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Go Market Yourself – With Google Plus

Categories: Google Plus
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Google Plus has emerged – and it just might have enough force to give Facebook some competition. In a way, it is surprising that Google took so long to release a social network, but it’s here now. For anyone looking to market his or herself (for employment or just plain old networking), there are a few ways this can be done on Google Plus:

  • Your profile needs the right mix of text and images; quickly informing visitors about you, your business venture, and what you are promoting. Send a clear message. Without definitive clarity, the profile won’t be of much value.
  • Be sure your profile contains a few keywords that are relevant to what you want to be known for. What’s unique about Google Plus is that you (as in your profile) can show up in search results. How cool is that? But, in order for people to find your profile, you need to use the right keywords.
  • Content marketing is one of the best ways to help get a product, service, and your social network profile noticed. Google Plus is set up effectively for content marketing. And better yet, there is an additional component called Google Sparks which is intended to help raise people’s awareness of newly-published content. Google Plus makes it easy to get your content found through Sparks.
  • In addition to all these things, the fact that you can host “hangouts” with other people is pretty unique to Google Plus. After you’ve interacted with someone online, you might want to take things to the next level by having a face-to-face conversation (through video).
  • Google Plus also allows you to choose which “Circles” you want to share your content with, so you don’t have to alienate your buddies if you want to seem more professional. You can still be a goofball within your friend circle and a super-professional forensic psychologist (or whatever you are) in your business circle.

 

January 14, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Are You Worried About Online Privacy?

Categories: Privacy
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With more than 800 million active users on Facebook (according to their data), you can’t deny that social networking is a force to be reckoned with. People are logging in to post updates about their lives and to see what you’ve posted. But of the over 800 million people who are using social networks, a recent survey shows that many of them are concerned with privacy.

Since Facebook has taken over the top spot (and held it for a few years), it’s no wonder people are concerned. Facebook’s privacy policy has been widely criticized by lawyers and users alike. Their policy is to make everything public unless you tell them not to. You can control your privacy settings, but there are no settings that tell Facebook to stop watching what you do online.

Unless you have taken measures to stop websites from tracking your online activity, Facebook is watching; so is Google. That’s why you get so many well-targeted ads. It’s no coincidence that you see an ad for a local tattoo shop after researching tattoo design ideas. They know where you are and they know what you’re looking for.

Some people look at this as a blessing. Why should they have to look at ads they have no interest in? If I’m looking at tattoo designs, I might actually appreciate an offer from a local parlor – regardless of how it’s presented to me. On the other hand, many people think websites have gone too far and taken too many liberties.

Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t mind seeing relevant ads show up on Youtube or Facebook. I mean, there would be an ad there one way or another; it may as well be interesting to me. But I do feel a little perturbed by the fact that no one ever asked me if they could track my online activity. I’d be upset if I visited a store in the mall and the owner followed me around the rest of the day. It’s an invasion of privacy. If you also feel that way, check out this post about how to block those tracking cookies without affecting your ability to search and shop online.

January 9, 2012, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

What Do You Know About Your Online Reputation?

Categories: Reputation
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It doesn’t matter who you are, reputation is important. I think the first time we learn this rule is probably in high school. That’s when we really first get gossipy and feel the need to brand each other as one thing or another. You might have a reputation for being the smartest kid in class or the easiest girl in school. Reputation can be a bad thing or a good thing, but usually, you’ve done something to help it along. Not in every case (the rumour mill can be cruel), but you get what I’m saying.

Ever since our high school days, we’ve each been managing our individual reputation. Everything you do when you’re in the public eye defines how other people see you, in one way or another. The same is true for your online reputation, except here it’s visible to just about everyone. The internet is like the most gossipy friend you ever had growing up. She’ll tell anyone who asks that you “liked” a few too many pictures of cats or posted something slightly obscene on a friend’s wall. Oh yeah, she’s always there for you; I’ll give her that. But, I’d be careful about trusting her with any of your secrets.

You really have to take care to manage your online reputation, just as you would in real life. There is one tool that can help you do just that. It’s free and it can be found at Reputation.com. All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself, and Reputation will begin scouring the web for information about you. You might find things you’re aware of, like your Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, or you might find a few surprises.

You can also ask to receive an email update whenever you’re mentioned online. In this way, it’s kind of like setting a Google Alert up for your name, but it narrows things down a little more for you. For example, there might be 500 people with my name around the world. I don’t really need an email update to find out that Christina D., the paralegal from Duluth, Georgia, won an award for her stellar paralegaling skills. But, if someone in my town is talking about someone with my name, I sure do want to know (spoiler: it’s probably about me).

December 30, 2011, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Google+ TV Commercials

Categories: Google Plus
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If you’re not on Google+ yet, you might start thinking about it soon. At least that’s what the Internet juggernaut is hoping by enticing the masses with cute and funny television ads. You might think that’s a lame strategy, but it sure has worked for Chrome. I, for one, jumped on the Chrome bandwagon as soon as it came out. I can’t stand Internet Explorer (are they even still around?) and I wasn’t too happy with Firefox. Safari was okay, but I’m not a Mac kinda gal. And yes, I’ve been a Chromie ever since. But, I wasn’t so quick to jump on the Google+ bandwagon. In fact, despite my previous post about the benefits of the new social network, I still haven’t taken the time to setup an account there.

Maybe the commercials will give me the nudge I need to get myself on Google+. With social networks, if everyone’s doing it, you naturally start to feel the pressure to engage. I kind of look at my entrance to Google+ as an entrance to a cocktail party (that’s really all social media is anyway). You don’t want arrive too early, or you won’t have anyone to talk to. In the case of a social network, you’ll just be surrounded by techy nerds. At the party, you might just be hangin’ with the host’s weird cousin until everyone else shows up. But, you also don’t want to be the last one there either. If you show up two hours late, you might miss the good hors d’oeuvres or the joke everyone will be laughing about around the water cooler tomorrow.

So, back to the commercials. I haven’t seen any of them air on television yet, but I have watched a few online. Most seem to feature Google+s hangout feature, which basically a video group chat where you can have conversations in real time and even watch YouTube videos together. Other videos focus on the circle feature of Google+, which sets the social network apart from Facebook in that you can create circles of friends and decide who gets to see which updates. You might have a “work friends” and a “family” or “besties” circle. All of the groups might get different updates from you. Although Facebook does allow you to “limit” your profile, that’s actually a completely different thing. With Google+, you’re not excluding anyone, you’re just choosing who you want to share specific information with. Kind of like you would in real life.

December 25, 2011, Author: bgoodale, Comments Off

Can You Really Find Work on a Social Network

Categories: Work
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Although your mom might give you a hard time about spending every waking moment checking and posting on a social network, it might actually help you advance your career. If you network properly, you can be among more than 18 million Americans who have found their current job on a social network. Somewhat surprisingly, the social network that was intended to connect business professionals, LinkedIn, isn’t number one on the list – with just over 10 million Americans finding employment through the site, LinkedIn is number two on the list. Can you guess which site holds the number one spot? If you guessed Facebook, you get the gold star for today. Twitter runs a close third at about 8 million job matches.

One reason that I think social networking is becoming so important in the job hunting arena is similar to why social networking sites have become a major source for news sharing. The Associated Press has publicly had issues with their employees “scooping” the story on social networking sites, like Twitter. That essentially means that they post a story before it gets published on the AP’s news wire. I think this happens with jobs too. If you’re networking with the right people, you might find out that someone who holds the job of your dreams (e.g., social media manager, marketing VP, or tax accountant) at a Fortune 500 company is moving to another state. Now’s your chance to swoop in and make your presence known. You might even be able to “scoop” the job posting and get hired before the ad even gets published.

Of course, you have a better chance of getting hired, regardless of your industry, if you’re active on social networking sites. This involves a long-term commitment aimed at forming mutually beneficial relationships with influential people. You’ve spent months or years helping them spread their word online. Now it’s time to cash in by asking them about the open position. Just respect everyone’s privacy and do it in a direct message, and you might end up as one of the many millions who can cay they found employment through social networking.

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