Functions in the workplace are converging. Social media is jumbling responsibilities at the enterprise at an alarming rate. Let’s take twitter for example.
You may know the online shoe retailer Zappos.com – they make a big deal out of using technology to give customers what they want and need 24 x 7. This is NOT because Zappos thinks that technology is cool. Their culture is totally built around superior customer service.Check it out here. Here’s an example of their twitter feed…
“Oh whoa! Truly sorry about that. We will try not to let that happen again. We had some slight hiccups in out Tweets today. ”
Check out Zappos employees communicating here. And they are not alone. Check out this tweet from a satisfied Southwest Airlines customer: “Southwest completed my name change within 2 hours of my faxing them the info! #customerservice #newlywedtweet”
What about when an employee goes on Glassdoor, Facebook or twitter to complain about your company, whose responsibility is it to monitor and follow up? HR? Marketing?
When things go wrong with a sale, who hears about it? The sales person? Customer service? Marketing? Maybe the IT department if it’s a web sale? Is response via social sites in your organization’s workflow?
Is a company’s Facebook or Twitter pages the responsibility of marketing, advertising, customer service or public relations? Smart companies are actually co-creating products with customers in real time. So now do the product development folks need to monitor twitter too?
What if I need to download a 3rd party app to my desktop and cell phone to monitor twitter for my job… Does IT support that? Across which platforms (Apple, Blackberry, Droid or tablets?)
If you manage marketing, sales, customer services, human resources, IT or finance; are you paying attention? The head in the sand thing isn’t going to work any more.
Last week we talked about what the regulators are doing. Now I’m going to share some real sad but true stories from the social realm. You may or may not agree with the decisions described here but that’s not the point. What’s important is to understand that –this is reality. I have heard each of these stories first hand. Here we go…
— A CEO described interviewing a young man and liking him. After the young man left, the CEO decided to go online and ‘Google’ him. (Yes, that’s a verb now, to Google.) Here’s what he read on Facebook. “I just had an interview at xyz company. The company is a dog but I’m sure they are going to make me an offer which I’ll take while I keep looking.” He didn’t get the job and probably to this day doesn’t know why.
– A graduate student getting his Master’s in teaching began doing his student teaching. After about 3 weeks, he was called by HR and told he was being terminated. When he asked why, he was told that photos ‘unbecoming’ a teacher were found online. They found pictures of him on his Facebook page drinking a beer (he was over 21) in a public park.
I live in New York, an ‘at will’ employment state, which means that any employer can ‘let go’ any employee without cause. (ok, that’s not the legal terminology).
Bottom line: Pay attention folks. It’s not a conspiracy but they are out to get you.
I talk to job seekers about the power of social in their search. Most people embrace it at some level. Others tell me how stupid it is. That’s cool, do it however you want!
The company is looking for publicly available information on site like Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and Craigslist. It isn’t looking for ‘dirt’ per se but to find out whether you, as a potential employee, would give the potential employer heartburn or worse. In other words, are you trustworthy?
If the company … “finds out you’re pregnant, or gay, or a Muslim, or newly married, or a newly gay married to a pregnant Muslim, it leaves that out of its report. All an employer sees is, basically, that you passed or failed.”
So how will this change how we post, rant or connect? The roller coaster ride just got a little bumpier. What do you think?
Photo credit: many thanks to Steve John, found via Escape into Life.com — from the iPhone of New Media Artist Steve John
It’s hard for me to believe that every time I talk to a group of job hunters about social media, there are still a lot of people who think Twitter is stupid.They’re certain twitter is dumb and announce it to the whole room.
If they want to think it’s stupid that’s OK by me. But they ought to keep their uninformed opinions to themselves. If you have an open mind, please read on…
Here is a link to an excellent short (3 minutes) video tutorial for finding a job on twitter. How To Use Advanced Twitter Search To Find A Job – Video from the good folks at Mashable.com. It goes through searching twitter for a job by industry, geography and how to keep up with information on your industry.
Even if you’re not looking for a job, the power of twitter is in real time search. You don’t need to follow anyone or have any followers in order to use it to find information that other people, smart people, value. Twitter isn’t stupid if you follow smart people. Please stop whining and start learning.
I regularly talk to groups about social media and there are still a surprising number of people who insist that Twitter is stupid. They know nothing about it, they’ve never used it, but they are certain it’s useless. They are like this dog. Asleep.
As I go through my talk, inevitably the most vocal opponent (the one who kept telling me how insightful they are and how stupid I am) sees the light and suddenly wants my help. Hmmm…
Why are there so many jobs posted on Twitter?
– It’s free, fast, easy, has an incredibly broad reach AND all those people who think social media is stupid won’t be looking there!
Back to the job hunt. Of those 500 job posts per minute, there are, of course, redundant jobs BUT… the question is… how can you use what’s there to help you?
Using Hashtags to Boost Your Job Search is a terrific article on how to use Twitter effectively (Hashtag =# = keywords). Hashtags such as #jobs, #jobadvice, #jobhunt and #jobsearch offer both job openings and general job search advice. If you’re looking for high-level information to help your job search, start here.
Put the hashtag in the twitter search bar and up will pop articles (links) that may help you. Geographic hashtag can narrow your search, #roc = Rochester, NY. Also, there are hundreds of recruiters on twitter, Check out this resource. Follow the smart people on Twitter and you might be surprised how much you’ll learn. Got Twitter job search tips? Please share.
I have a friend who talks about the power of two. One person can make a huge difference in the lives of many people. However, 2 people, joined in purpose and intent, can move mountains.
I believe that the way that we work, play and innovate is undergoing a revolution and social media/web 2.0 are at the heart of it. Beyond Facebook, Twitter and Linked In are wikis, online communities, videos, ning groups, meet ups, blogs, podcasts and so many more cool ways to communicate that we have barely begun to scratch the surface.
Back in the mid-1990′s, we used altavista to search for information on the then new “world wide web.” Remember? If we had to use a search tool like that today, we would be tearing our hair out. The tools we have for collaboration are similarly unsophisticated compared to what we’ll have at our fingertips in just a few short years. The ways we want to work together are already evolving faster than the toolkit.
I have started a new blog, A Collaboration Nation to share ideas and get us thinking not only about tools for sharing ideas, but also how we work together. I came across a book called “The Power of Two” and from it, I took this excerpt;
Effective allies agree with these 3 statements:
We focus on each other’s strengths, not weaknesses.
We accept each other as we are and don’t try to change each other.
We are understanding of each other when one of us makes mistakes.
In those cases where you work with one other person, how effective are you as a partner? When we focus on the power we have to make great things happen, guess what; great things happen.
Is social media good or evil? A boon to democracy or a complete invasion of our privacy? I can give you excellent examples of each.
Everyday, people tell me how wonderful/stupid Facebook and Twitter are. What’s interesting is that the people with the least knowledge are the ones with the strongest opinions. I ask my friends, colleagues, students, clients and anyone else who will listen to:
Understand that social media is about building relationships (just like in real life)
Know that if you act like an idiot (or a bigot or company that doesn’t care), people will find out about it much faster than ever before
People ask me if they should:
Connect to people they don’t know on Linked In
Combine their personal and professional Facebook accounts
Say yes to the offer to get 2,000 twitter followers in 3 days
Let’s see. In real life would you invite 2,000 strangers to your house for coffee? Probably not. Would you invite everyone from your office to your house for a barbeque? Hmm, no. So why would you do any of the above? Twitter isn’t stupid if you follow smart people. Facebook can be a wonderful way to connect to people you care about.
If you follow the simple idea that you are looking to build trust, then the decisions about who to follow, friend, fan, like, or connect to becomes clearer.
But let’s face it. Stupid is as stupid does. If you act like the people in the stories below, things probably will turn out badly for you and you know what… you deserve it.
Evesham Township PA posting photos of suspects on their Facebook page.
I teach social media for job hunters several times a month and meet lots of great people. When I talk about twitter, I often hear, “Twitter’s stupid.” If you don’t need a job and think twitter is stupid you can stop reading right now.
If you have an open mind, you might be very surprised at the number and types of jobs available on twitter. I was talking to a recruiter recently and she said that when she gets a new professional position, the FIRST place she posts it is twitter. Why? Because it’s easy, it’s free and she knows that only people who ‘get’ social media will be looking there. Only people with updated skills know to look on twitter.
Remember, you don’t have to have twitter followers or follow anyone to search the powerful real time network. Go to twitter, find the search box and input any of the following:
I hear it over and over, “Twitter is stupid.” When some people find out I teach social media they tell me how dumb twitter is. They know almost nothing about twitter and have never even seen it, yet they are convinced (based on something they’ve read or heard) that it’s a waste of time. When I explain it, some people still argue with me and announce,”I’ll never use twitter.”
To that I reply, “You don’t have to.” If you can grow your company, find a job, network effectively or accomplish your other goals without it, then good. If however, you’re looking to inexpensively reach new contacts; you may want to have an open mind. I encourage people to learn what twitter is and how it might help them. I agree Twitter isn’t for everyone but only make that decision after its capabilities are understood.
If you are unfamiliar with Twitter you may think that you have to follow people and have followers and that is what it’s all about. The power of twitter is in REAL TIME SEARCH. All the information that is attached to a ‘tweet’ is there because a person thinks it’s worthwhile.
Here are just a few facts about twitter for job seekers. Did you know that:
There are a minimum of 180 recruiters on twitter?
There are over 50 companies who regularly post jobs on twitter?
You can find jobs by searching on a profession e.g. @engineering
You can find an internship by searching @findinternerships
People who find jobs there already ‘get’ the power of social media and don’t need to be trained
I regularly teach social media for job hunters, my next session is on October 29 at the Pittsford Library, Rochester, NY. Let me know if you’d like to join us. The sessions are free, fun and you can network at the same time as you learn. I am looking forward to meeting you.
What the heck is twitter? Twitter is a way to talk and listen to a variety of people online. Think of it as a cocktail party. You talk to one person, and then move on to someone else. Ok, but how does this help the person looking for a job? Let’s take a look.
1) I started on twitter by signing up for an account (use your real name) and then I started following a few people. This gave me a feel for how people use the allotted 140 characters to make others interested in the ‘tweet’.
2) I decided to start posting but first I determined why I wanted to post. It is important to remember that ANYTHING you post is searchable by an employer. If you think they won’t look or won’t care you are mistaken.
3) There is no need to tweet anything or to follow anything. You can simply search for a company you are interested in or look for people in your industry.
4) Here are resources: an eBook to help you get started, information about #hashtags (search twitter by subject), and 50 twitter tips for job seekers.
5) Twitter is a more sophisticated tool than people realize. The tools for researching companies and people, establishing yourself as an expert and building your network are available to you. If you begin…
Fun and Interesting Free/Inexpensive Things to Do in Rochester
If you haven’t driven by Vince Massaro house on the eastside of Rochester (not far from Park Ave.) to see his yard; you are in for a treat. I saw him out working the other day and stopped to say hello and thank him for keeping his yard so interesting. He’s always changing it. http://www.rochesterpublicart.com/public_art/?art=massaros_sculpture_garden
Functions in the workplace are converging. Social media is jumbling responsibilities at the enterprise at an alarming rate. Let’s take twitter for example.
Life Transitions, social media | Deborah | 
November 17, 2011 10:37 am | 
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I talk to job seekers about the power of social in their search. Most people embrace it at some level. Others tell me how stupid it is. That’s cool, do it however you want!
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