Social Networks

Impressive Networking Success Metrics for a Current Job Search

No, not mine! When talking with folks searching for their next job, I always stress "old-school" networking - face-to-face conversations to get that next introduction, leverage the other person's network, generate leads on positions, or introductions to more folks that might be able to help. I am definitely a fan, I know it's a powerful tool - and I'm speaking from direct experience, it can be very effective. Of course, I am very aware of LinkedIn, Xing, Viadeo, and the…

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Google+ is Active, not Passive, Social Networking

This past week saw the introduction of Google+, the search behemoth's entry into the social networking fray. A slew of posts, articles, opinion pieces, etc. were sure to flow - and as I settled down with some time and a backlog of links to review, here are my initial thoughts on the service. httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnJ5Bl4kLI Do I need yet another social networking platform? Not really, I've got my personal (Facebook) and professional (LinkedIn) networks somewhat segregated, and I am falling a…

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Twitter and the First Amendment

Apparently, 2011 is the year when Twitter, Facebook, and smartphone videos are graduating from Social Networking toys to evolutionary, revolutionary Sociology tools. Can they be controlled by governments or big business? It's been argued that any such controls might run afoul of Amendment No. 1 from our Bill of Rights ... how amazing for a clever hack that originated in a daylong brainstorming session. Freedom of Speech, Assembly, and the Press What is a tweet? 140 characters - one or…

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eMail is Dead, Long Live Social Networking: Don’t Get Left Behind

via Fred Wilson - a stunning slide from Morgan Stanley's recent Internet Trends report: The primary topic of the report is the growth and future prospects of the mobile internet - reason enough read through all 87 slides. However, I am slightly amazed by the fact that eMail runs second to the relatively new phenomenon of Social Networking, driven primarily by consumer behavior and Generation Y. Admit it - more than once, YouTube and Twitter have made the water-cooler talk…

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Underwhelming experiences with Google Wave

Took some time today to work with the new communication meme - Google Wave. I wouldn't call it a fundamentally new way to communicate - well, not yet. I think Google is safe to continue with a "preview" label - clearly not even "beta" yet. No horrible bugs - at least on the Windows platform - but some obviously missing features. And, I am not all that impressed with the basic idea - it's just a mashup of Google Docs,…

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Introducing … Google Wave

Thank you for signing up to give us early feedback on Google Wave. We're happy to give you access to Google Wave and are enlisting your help to improve the product. To accept your invitation, sign into Google Wave at the following link ... Well, maybe not the most exciting email I've received over the past few years, but it was nice to get the [sorta] early notice. I'm definitely in the second wave, but I'll not look a gift…

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Business Benefits of Social Networks Exist, but …

When I see / read articles like this, or hear the breathless claims of vendors, pundits, and True Believers, I'll privately chuckle to myself. All of this stuff - social networking, collaboration, and innovation - are 21st century takes on good old Knowledge Management (KM), circa 1998. Do these sound like presentations from your recent Enterprise 2.0 conference? Managing Cultural Change to Create a Knowledge Sharing Environment Effectively Managing Information Overload in the Information Age Information Content and Security in…

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My Networking CV (or, What’s In It For Me?)

As social networking sites proliferate and mature, we're all learning how to use these interesting new resources. True, it is just a modern take on "professional networking" - purposeful connections with different special interest groups, to share ideas and lay the foundation for current or future "opportunities". I'm involved with a couple of organizations like this - I like to connect with peers, and I like to know what's going on in my city and in the industry. Recently I…

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Twitter

Twitter was an interesting phenomenon last week - an amazing number of blog posts, news stories, and mashups. Curiosity got the best of me; I tried it myself - and I still don't get what the attraction or the applicability is ... Instant Messaging for your Every Move Simply put, Twitter lets you broadcast IMs to anyone who cares to listen. Since the messages are short, the content is often amazingly trite - like the typical IM exchange, a bit…

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