Social Networking for a Cause

How can we all come together to create a better environment for everyone?

By tweeting of course!

I found it interesting how people have come together and united under one cause. In the article 6 Ways Brands are Using Social Media For Real-World Action by Daniel Stein and How Mega Charity Events Harness The Power of Social Media by Geoff Livingston, it is noted that more and more brands are using their influence to help people.

Stein writes about how by having a tweet and ending it with #beatcancer, a penny would be donated towards beating cancer. The tag was used over 681,000 times which raised significant amount of money through social networking.

I think its something that charities can really tap into to make more money so as social networking develops, so can the amount of resources towards charities can be utilized.

Recruit me!

Apparently this blog is going to get me a job someday?

And if its not going to be this blog, its going to be my friends who read the blog that will recommend me for a job.

Social networking is obviously gaining more and more ground in businesses as they begin to incorporate websites like LinkedIn and Facebook to recruit new employees. In the article by Allen Schweyer The Real Power Of Weak Ties(In Recruiting) Schweyer discusses the importance of social networking and the referral system in recruiting new employees to businesses.

Its important to note that in 2002, newspaper advertisements hit its peak at nine million dollars but then has dramatically dropped since the creation of online recruiters. If you want to get a job these days you need to realize you have to be innovative, companies aren't going to wait for you to acclimate to new technology which is why you need to get ahead of them.

Social Networking can also improve what people think of you. Lee Miller writes in his article Social Networking Has Its Perks how people may know you and what you are capable of but utilizing them properly can convince even the undecided that you are for real.

I never realized how useful twitter could be to promoting yourself while making others recognize your skill. I could tweet about every blog post I write(good idea!) and it would engage people to read it. As I plug myself it will improve my credibility and hopefully engage new people.

Lets Collaborate to Write This Post

What if all the people that read this blog, could come together and edit and create content to be shared to all other readers?

With Online Collaboration, that question is becoming more and more of a reality.

In the article, " Students Discovering Online Collaboration" by Kristen Alloway, online collaboration has been steadily incorporated into elementary and high school classes.

I think it is really important for children to be learning about these new technologies because it is going to be used once they get to college and eventually when they get a job. Schools need to incorporate online collaboration so that when the technology advances further students aren't left behind the learning curve.

In the article, "Corporate Culture. Not Technology, Drives Online Collaboration" by Will Kelly, Kelly touches upon note that is important to the previous article. He states

"...the organizations I saw excel at online collaboration and remote working had a very technical savvy employee base"

In order to be good at online collaborating, you need to be familiar with it. If students can learn how to collaborate with others as early as the first grade they will be comfortable doing it as they are older.
If you want to be good at something, it is best to know how to do it but also be able to do it in practice. I could read how to play football but if I never throw one then I'm going to be at a huge disadvantage on a field. Educating students early by letting them practice will give them a huge advantage when they try to do it in their workplace.

This Is My Resume

Well sort of.

According to Adam Darowski in his article, The Blog is The New Resume and Joshua Porter in his article that is a response to Darowski's entitled The Blog is The New Resume, a blog can be more important to a person's potential career than a resume.

Darowski says in his article, "I can’t think of a reason for any serious tech professional to not have a blog." This is important to bloggers as each post can be reflective of how a person acts as a professional.

Instead of blogging your resume to different companies and potential employers, they are going to just read your blog to find out what insights you are making and how they can be incorporated in their career.

Its important to develop your blog so that it can speak for you, instead of you speaking to others through your blog with a resume.

Would you ever use a blog as your primary source of getting a job?

Second Life: A Life More Lame Than Your Real One

At Second Life you are thrown into an online world where you can create an online avatar to represent yourself.

Second Life allows you to imitate real life in a virtual setting. Basically its a fake world that holds no bearing in your daily life. Instead of accomplishing real things that could benefit your "first life" you can spend real money to buy "clothes" which will enhance your playing experience.

This entire idea seems far fetched to me and for the most part completely useless. However two articles shifted my perspective on the idea. In Learning in Second Life: Virtual Education by Randall Hand, and Virtual world, real money in 'Second Life' by Grace Patuwo, sheds light on how Second Life could be vital to education.

Although it doesn't seem like it pertains to real life it could be used to teach by letting people from all over come together and interact almost as if they were in real life. It can also teach people about things they wouldn't be exposed to because of travel restraints.

If Second Life is able to incorporate more ways of teaching at affordable rates I believe it could be used but I would say that Second Life should not be a primary option as it doesn't contribute to your real life.

Networking Without the Work

Networking has garnered a new stigma. Networking is now considered to be a strategy for the social elite.

In the articles "The Savy Networker" by Liz Ryan and "Networking for People Who Hate Networking," by Penelope Trunk explain that the new stigma is nothing more than an illusion.

Both stress the importance of networking but that it is not only about yourself when you do it. Networking also involves listening to what others have to say so that you can show a personal connection.

As important as it may be to plug yourself and attempt to dominate the conversation, the best networking can be accomplished just by seeing what people are interested in.

Liz Ryan explains that dominating conversation won't help when trying to build a connection,

"Schmoozing is by far the least important networking skill. Good listening is far more useful to a relationship-builder than the ability to spit a thirty-second elevator pitch into someone's face."

Networking doesn't have to be stressful, instead can happen naturally and will help connections when you are employed or looking for work. It is important to always be networking but don't think of it as a task instead think of it as building a relationship that will pay dividends in the future.

iFound You With My iPhone

"Hey, where are you?"

"Just check your phone, I'm the blue dot."

With phones that are equipped with GPS, you will never have to call someone to find out where they are. Instead just check an application on your phone and you will see a contact in your phone.

Whether someone is driving in a car or using the bathroom, it is easier to find someone than ever before.

In the articles "Rise and Rise of the GPS Mobile" by Marc Ceislak and "Students' new best friend: 'MoSoSo'" by Gloria Goodale they cite that there is a huge rise in the use of phone GPS.

I think GPS is a great innovation to be incorporated to phones. I personally have an iPhone and the use of GPS has saved me countless times after getting lost while driving.

As more phone carriers incorporate GPS I believe there can be a lot of positive outcomes. If people are able to find each other easier it can open up new lines of communication. If someone goes missing they can be found easier as GPS will find their phone.

Socially it can connect people together as they can meet up at locations that can be pinpointed.

I think GPS is great to have on a phone as it is difficult to carry a computer or laptop with you at times. Having it on a phone is convienent as it is small enough to fit in a pocket. Since a phone can do so much it only makes sense to have GPS be included.