Twice a month we are featuring HR and Recruiting technology and other product reviews as part of a new HR Tech Review series here at Blogging4Jobs.  If you are interested in learning more about how our review process works, check out this page.  

Obviously, I’m a fan of social media and online engagement whether you are building relationships or establishing a presence with employees, candidates, or potential customers and clients.  It’s no longer enough to tweet or post a blog.  One must use careful strategy, tools, and experience to reach the right people at the right place and at the right time.  That’s exactly what HR Marketer has intended to do with their recent launch of SocialEars.

The tool provides insights into where the conversations are happening and who is having them based on keyword search and complicated algorithms that you or I are not paid to understand.  One of their new features which was released late last week offers up trending and decreasing topics using a tag cloud.  Red words are decreasing in popularity.  Green words are growing in popularity and Gray words are staying the same.  (The tag cloud vaguely reminds me of a holiday card.)

HR vendors can use SocialEars to evaluate bloggers, thought leaders, and social media mavens in which to establish a relationship and learn more about the audiences they serve.

I have written about Twitter often and not because I am an expert, but because I am an avid student and constantly seeking the best way to use the communication tools we have. It is interesting how quickly humans become accustomed to certain behavior and how easy it is to rile them up when that behavior has to be altered or censored for even a short time.        When Twitter crashes, every other channel lights up.  Yesterday, my company’s email server crashed and I took to Twitter to get messages out, as well as receive messages.  It has become a major communication channel for me.

And while I am less than an expert, I am usually tweeting every weekday and quite regularly with several individuals and/or groups using Twitter and TwitterChats.  And I often find myself advising clients to create a Twitter profile or two. Use it now, it’s free and it’s new tech, and, oh, by the way, it’s free. I like to pummel them with the free part. Explaining about hash tags and how to search tweets is quite another thing. Yes, I know it’s the pound or number sign; just call it hash tag.

Disruptive Innovation.  Hard to accept and once you do accept, even more difficult to let it go and move on to another, the next newer – bigger – better technology. Remember the fax machine? Mortgage companies are hanging on to that dinosaur for dear life. What about the typewriter? I walked past an office window last week and there, sitting on an assistant’s desk, was a typewriter. At first I thought it was just for show - an antique on display and then I realized that poor assistant was still using it – ugh… Remember holding your hands up high enough and how difficult it was to actually pound down those keys… I went back to my desk and kissed my PC, patted my laptop, and praised my mobile device.

Where do you sit in the current tech revolution/evolution? If you are reading this, you obviously, on some level, embrace social media. But there are so many aspects to what technology has done for business, in general. CRMs have replaced the desktop Rolodex, paper/hard copies of résumés have been replaced by word docs and PDFs and int he form of an online professional profile.  And in the last five years, we have seen CRMs evolve from hardware to software to hanging in the Cloud.

A few years ago, at a Ribbon Cutting ceremony for an online business, I asked, half-joking, “So, do you think we will ever run out of cyberspace?”  They pondered my question, started to laugh, stopped themselves, looked at each other, then back at me and said, “That’s a good question.”  Then I popped off about being a cyberspace realtor and selling space, raising the prices when the stock market or gas prices soared. They just looked at me. Cyber-geeks. The geek forest has definitely evolved but it is not quite as deep nor as affable as it used to be…

Little did I know then that people would be trade real money for online currency to buy a field on Farmville.  Makes my head spin to think what the next five years will bring.

And yet, I stand and scream, “Bring it!”
Who am I calling a Cyber-Geek?

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

The blogging industry is a fun, exciting, and fickle thing.  Technorati Tells us in their July 2011 State of the Blogosphere Report there are reported to be 164 million bloggers.  The Human Capital Management blogosphere is just a small drop in that 164 million blogger pan, but that doesn’t make us less important.  In fact, I think we are extremely important because much of what we do is misunderstood by senior leaders as well as employees.  These folks have a lot to learn about what it is exactly that we (HR and recruiters) do.  There’s also a lot of mystery, spam, and secrecy surrounding how to make money and get paid blogging.  Add the misinformation of HR coupled with the mystery of blogging, and it makes things quite the challenge.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve had quite a few emails from fellow bloggers in the industry where I hang my hat.  Some of them are new and some of them are seasoned looking for information, insights, and advice into pricing when approached by advertisers, sponsors, or when traveling to an event as a member of the press.  While I’m no expert, I have been doing this for a while and I’m happy to help wherever I can.  I’ve also been transparent about my pricing since I started offering sponsorships and advertising on Blogging4Jobs.  And even still I receive no less than 30 guest post requests and spammy link exchanges a week.

We  (HR Bloggers) have a huge opportunity as influencers and content distributors in our marketplace.  I also want to make sure that we get compensated appropriately for our hard work and efforts because blogging isn’t easy.  We are our own online publication and content distribution business whether as a hobby or full time.  I’ve often talked about how mommy bloggers cheapen the blogging marketplace and I think it’s time we think about organizing our own HR niche.    I’m not saying we organize ourselves out of the market.  I think it’s time for HR bloggers to ban together to be open about pricing norms, helping, strategies, and to set a standard level of expectation while we’re still early in the game.

I am thankful for the opportunity to do what it is I do every single day.  But I believe that together we can help create some consistency, control, and level of expectation and learning with other bloggers as well as those vendors that provide service to the HCM practitioner population.

Am I wrong?  Am I crazy?  I move that we discuss organizing the HR Blogger.

Photo Credit. 

a little insight into why I won't stop blogging

Social Media has pretty much been dissected, why it matters, why Twitter will change the face of business, why all of it is important.  Or, at least, why someone thinks it’s important.  There are many who write on a regular basis – who produce original content consistently, who create thoughtful and meaningful responses to emotionally – or politically – charged blogs or discussions. There are also those who prefer to simply peruse the pages of their favorite social network, searching for answers or shared experiences. Lurkers represent the listeners, the audience, the foot soldiers in the trenches. The readers.

The opportunity to step out of the trenches every now and again is here, right in front of you. You can “write a post” or “start a discussion” or simply post a status update on the network of your choice and there you have it.  An instant platform, an opportunity to put thoughts to page, to raise awareness, to share know-how, to stir the pot or spoil the stew – whatever the case may be. Some write “because it’s there.” Others write because they have to - to increase their vocabulary and develop their brains or simply to spew some venom. To liberate their thoughts. I write because I can’t help it, I have to…
“Blogging is free, it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. What matters is the humility that comes from writing it. What matters is the meta-cognition that comes from thinking about what you’re gonna say… If you’re good at it, some people are gonna read it. If you’re not good at it and you stick with it, you’ll get good at it. This has become such a micropublishing platform that, basically, you’re doing it for yourself, to force yourself to become part of the conversation, even if it’s just that big. And that posture change changes an enormous amount.” So says Seth Godin at a recentAmex Open Session.

Blogging is free but does that lower the perceived value?
Because anyone and everyone can do it, express themselves in numerous forums through the written word, should they?
Should we?

Bloggers have been blamed for putting reporters and columnists out of work, for twisting the truth, for gaining knowledge using unethical or easy means, for not checking their facts, for not having a formal education or experience… Oh, because the news media, in its previous form, was never charged with those accusations, right? Seth Godin was a columnist for printed media, yet he doesn’t appear to be out of work. Why is that? Is it because he changed as technology did? Because he embraced the new and saw the direction media was going? He put down his pen and now fervently moves a cursor.

Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence , finished Seth Godin’s preceding statement with, “My first post (blog)was in August of 2004. I will simply say, no single thing, in the last fifteen years professionally, has been more important in my life than blogging. It has changed my life. It has changed my perspective. It has changed my intellectual outlook. It has changed my emotional outlook and it’s the best damn marketing tool by an order of magnitude that I’ve ever had.”

Godin responds, “And it’s free.”

I have to agree.  As I cruise through my seventh year as a blogger (I used to blog regularly on MySpace), I feel the same way – no other practice has been more important to my career, to my life.  And yes, it is a practice.  And I practice daily.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend of mine whom I admire in the corporate HR space.  She is a well-respected HR professional at her organization and until now hasn’t given much thought to jumping into the job search.  She’s ready to take the plunge and after eight years re-enter the job search market.  Before we chatted, she spent some time on the blog and downloaded the copy of the resume template and cover letter template that I offer on the site. Even so, she wasn’t really sure yet where to begin.

Job Search Tips: Preparing for Your Job Search

The job search advice I gave my friend was that a job search strategy when entering the job search is everything.  Long before you send your resume or cover letter and launch into an aggressive job search, I recommend that job seekers begin to plant the seeds and attend events, following up with old contacts, and getting their name out there in strategic places.

Update Your Profiles Before Your Job Search

Meaning: get your house in order.  Make sure you’ve added the new feature of skills and qualifications to your LinkedIn profile, cleaned up your Facebook Timeline, and added a professional headshot and pictures to your social networking and web sites.  Don’t have your Mom take the photo or crop the family portrait from 6 years ago.  Hire or persuade a professional photographer to take your picture in a professional and flattering way.

Share Industry-Related Content as Part of Your Job Search Strategy

You should already be reading about the latest trends and changes in your industry of choice.  It’s great for professional development, and don’t be shy to share that content with others.  Social media management tools like Hootsuite offer the ability to schedule content to multiple social networks allowing you to work during the day while still reaching thought leaders, industry thinkers, and hiring managers at the same time.

Important Job Search Advice: Guest Blog

If you are considering being in the job market and want to be seen and known for your experience and innovation, consider guest blogging.  You don’t have to have your own blog to make an impact.  Blogging matters so consider targeting your guest posts to a handful of influencers within your target marketplace.  Make sure this content is new and original, portrays the right message, and is published in the right places.  I happen to offer guest blogging opportunities although surprisingly, I don’t get many offers.

Passive Job Seeker, Speak Every Chance You Get!

My friend is an experienced professional with 10 plus years.  Many job openings in the industry and position happen through job referrals making it so important to develop strategic relationships with hiring managers, influencers, and super connectors in the space.  If your organization was like the company where I used to work, they were very fearful of allowing me to be quoted or included in white papers limiting my exposure and opportunity to brand myself.  However, after talking with my boss I was able to speak at local professional events and colleges with the goal of using them as a recruiting tool first while also providing me the opportunity to meet and get my name out there.

From Passive Job Seeker to Active Job Seeker

Going from passive job seeker to active job seeker takes relationships, strategy, and a plan to build momentum as you move into a more aggressive job search.  Those with a solid strategy make the process look easy but behind the success lies months of planning, phone calls, networking events, and hustle.  Lots and lots of hustle.  How are you planning and preparing for your job search?

Photo Credit.

This weekend I watched my 13 year old niece (not pictured above) send about 75 text messages during an entire soccer game like it was going out of style.  I like to think that I’m pretty savvy with technology, particularly text messaging when I talk about mobile recruiting, mobile HR, and mobile jobs.  In the course of a month, I send and receive 1,500-2,000 text messages.  Many of these are with my husband as he provides me travel updates or my friends as we multi message through channels including text, Facebook, email, and even Twitter.  Personally, I prefer text to voicemail.  I’m more likely to read and respond over any form of electronic communication.

But apparently, I’m not as savvy as I thought.  My niece sends twice as many (or more) text messages as I do.  Pew Research tells us that 83% of American adults own a cell phone with 73% of them text messaging.  So as mobile communication increases in popularity, it’s not surprising that accidental or even prank texts happen.

It’s not the first time I received an accidental text, and you’ll see in a minute that it likely won’t be the last.  I get quite a few prank and random text messages.  I don’t know why.  I guess I’m just special.  My first accidental text happened just after the Oklahoma State Fair in 2009.  Some random high school guy thought he was messaging a girl he met there.  Except he wasn’t.  He was messaging me a thirty something married mom instead.

So last week when I got another random text message I decided to have a little fun. Check out the screen shots from the conversation that happened below:

The text messages you see are screen shots that happened over the course of 36 hours.  These were so good I frankly, didn’t believe it. But believe me it gets better.   Sometimes the stuff that happens to me in my life is so good I couldn’t make this shit up.  This is one of those times.  It’s blog fodder heaven.

Now, I contemplated submitting the series of text messages  you see here on sites like Wrong Number Texts or Damn Funny Texts instead of my own, and maybe I will, but I’ll leave that up to you and until a later date.  I know many of you reading this are balking at the bright read circle telling me that I have 42 unopened messages at the bottom of the screenshot.  Don’t.  These are from my Google Voice Number.  Transcripts of voicemail messages are sent to me via text message and email.  Missed calls to my Google Voice Number show up as missed calls just like yours.

Our texting conversation continued for a couple more screen shots where the girl asked about my blog.  The conversation sort of ends there until it seems the brother got ahold of her phone again, and frankly, I got bored.

What’s the funniest and/or most random text message you ever received?   Please leave a comment below and share.  I seem to be a magnet for these random messages because just today I got the oddest canned email from a job seeker which I plan to share at a later date.  Looking forward to your stories, responses, and dialogue below . . . Don’t you worry.  I’m sending a text to that number as soon as this blog post goes live . . .

Photo Credit.