Sabah Karimi comments on the information overload created by the increased use of social networking and blogging.
Choice quotes (bold text is her emphasis, not mine):
You’ll have to use your best judgment on the value you are actually receiving from additional invites; too many, and you’ll lose the gist of the subject and topic fairly quickly.
…
Uploading address books and sharing contact lists with other users may not always be in your best interest. This side of the spectrum focuses heavily on socializing and casual conversation, exchange of pictures, and other media. Although it will get your information out onto the social networking boards around the world, you do have to be careful what tags and meta-tags are of utmost relevance to your subscriptions. Information overload is imminent without a little strategic planning.
Additional resources:
- The Great Debate: Quality or Quantity?
- I Am Not a Number!
- “Managing the E-mail Deluge”, Chapter 14 of The Virtual Handshake (free download)
Internet Is Now the Primary Hiring Source for Employers
According to a recent study by DirectEmployers Association, the Internet has overtaken all traditional hiring sources. Social networking sites like LinkedIn currently only account for 5% of all new hires, but 60% of employers report that they plan to increase spending in this area in 2006.
This is particularly relevant to LinkedIn. Because you can post basically your entire resume without concern that your current employer will automatically think you’re job-hunting, LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest databases of passive candidates, as more and more recruiters and employers are discovering. This is one reason it’s so important to have your profile fairly complete, and not just showing your current business or employer.
Additional resources:
- Land the Ideal Job Using Social Networks
- Use Online Networks to Find Your Star Employee
- “Finding a Job via Online Networks”, Chapter 25 of The Virtual Handshake (free download)
Social Networking in PC Magazine
PC Magazine talks about how some social networking sites are competing with behemoths like MySpace by focusing on a particular niche. Coverage includes There.com, LibraryThing, Multiply and LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is a great site if you’re a professional looking to parlay your working connections, and your connections’ connections, into a new job. This site…is also great for those looking to hire, and for those who simply think it makes good business sense to build up their business contacts. You build a web of contacts with LinkedIn; those who are directly connected to you can e-mail and contact you. Those who are in your network but more than a few degrees of separation away must go through the chain of friendship in order to contact you, so there’s little spamming or being hassled by random strangers.
Scott Allen is a social media pioneer, helping people turn virtual relationships into real business since 2002. He is coauthor of The Virtual Handshake and The Emergence of The Relationship Economy and contributor to over a dozen books on social media, business and personal development.
