I’m sure by now you’ve heard about that “social media” thing. Maybe you’ve wondered how to go from people saying, “Hey, you should use Twitter!” to actually being able to jump in and build connections, start learning, and get a lot of value from the experience. Or maybe you’ve thought about starting a blog and sharing your ideas, but you just don’t know the little technical aspects that you need to make it work.

If that sounds like you, then I have some good news.

A few days ago, Victorio Milian of the ever-interesting Creative Chaos Consultant blog reached out to me about helping to start a project where we help mentor people on social media and blogging. I was instantly in. Interested?

How it’s going to work

We’re going to help facilitate connections between those of you who are looking for some help and those who have reached out to offer to mentor someone.

If you have anything you’d like to suggest or share, please leave a comment below and we’ll take it into consideration. Above all else, please share this with people you know. Just think, if everyone who is involved in the online HR social community agreed to mentor just one person, then that would double the size of our community. We talk about getting out of our little “echo chamber” and reaching others; this is an excellent way to make that happen.

Basically, we’re going to be providing a way for those “in the know” with social tools to connect with those who would like some one-on-one help with getting involved. Neither Victorio nor I have the time to do stuff with each and every person who would like to learn more, so we’re recruiting those with the knowledge and desire to help us with our mission. If you’re interested in mentoring someone, feel free to leave a comment below with your intentions.

The bottom line

This is a work in progress. We’re working on a few ways to help us get organized and help you connect with the right people. We’re open to feedback and would

If you missed it, Victorio has his own post up today explaining the concept behind this whole project. Check it out to fill in anything I might have left out.

Despite the scary “end of the world” talk out there from legal types about how using social media will land your company in a lawsuit, 70% of employers are still searching for candidate information on social networking sites, and approximately one-third search every single time. I’ve talked before about how social media use varies between employers and candidates. Does this mean that the gap is closing? Are more companies trying to research and engage job seekers through social channels? Let’s hope so.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Is your organization using social tools to reach out to candidates? If so, how?

And if you’re interested in getting started doing this with your own organization, there’s a great tool to help you get moving. Click here to find out more about Culture Convo and see how it can help you to use social media for your employer branding efforts.

Photo courtesy of the Jobvite Social Recruiting Report.

The other day there was a popular post on the HR Minion blog about cliques. I had a good time reading it, but the comments were great, too! Go here to read the post and then come back when you’re done. I’ll wait.

Okay, then we roll some comments from people who I trust and respect.

I think another point that you didn’t really hit on is the transparency of social media. What used to be fairly private relationships built over e-mail, phone and in person conversations have now gone public. If I don’t follow back someone I don’t know very well on Twitter, it is a cliquish thing to do (something I’ve been called out for).

That’s not clique, that’s human. We only have a capacity for so many connections. Those ebb and flow as time goes on (I don’t believe in connection collections). When this happened in a more private setting, nobody thought it was cliquish because it wasn’t visible. Now it is.

I try to be open with people about it without sounding like a dick and without some sort of “I’m more important than you” attitude. It isn’t about what they’re doing, it is simply a capacity issue. Something I’ve learned the hard way.

Lance Haun

I can certainly understand the number of connections issue. On to another good comment…

As someone who sits on the edge of the HR world I am neutral on the clique being a good thing. No doubt there is a wealth of information that is freely shared. And yes it is a friendly group.

But I do think that frequently it feels as if the only HR “cool kids” are the ones on Twitter or have a Facebook Page.

Certainly not the case.

Are there really only 10-15 (give or take) HR bloggers worth reading? One might think so by looking at the rolls on most sites.

Being the most vocal, the loudest or attending all the conferences and events does not make one worth listening to.

Paul DeBettignies

I don’t have a blogroll (a list of links pointing to other sites I recommend). I had one when I started blogging, but I quickly got tired of feeling like I was leaving people out, so I dumped it and haven’t regretted it a bit. I’m much more open to linking to people in context where it matters most (like the comments above).

Is it a clique, though?

I feel like an outsider myself at times. My blog traffic isn’t earth-shattering, and there are plenty of people with more brains, experience, and writing ability than me. I try to be inclusive of those around me, but I’m especially helpful to the people just getting into the space. They need extra support or they might drop off completely.

I think there are phases to this thing. Once you move past beginner, you are open to recruiting and mentoring others. If you advance to content creation, you have to cut back on the recruiting/mentoring, because you have something else swallowing a big piece of your time. That might be why another commenter said this (emphasis mine)…

This post is fascinating and challenging at the same time.

I have been active in the “HR Community” long before social media and have loved every frustrating minute of it !!

Social Media has actually allowed me to connect with others who are passionate about our field. When you’re passionate (and not apologetic) about HR, people tend to shun you.

Most HR folks love living in their self-imposed silo of misery and it’s well past time to destroy those silos.

I love being connected, active and “branded” in social media because I get to meet folks. Other great humans with diverse thought and approaches that I never would have known if it weren’t for Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, etc.

I don’t have a blog. May never have one. Like guest posting and infiltrating so much more.

Shauna – way to shake the tree a bit !!

If this is a clique – I’m in. I think it’s just great people that want to know each other and get others connected.

Steve Browne

My goal with this gig

I want to meet new people in the online HR space. I want to reach out to the new and aspiring bloggers out there. If you have one post or a full archive, you still are worth reaching out to in my opinion. If you’re just exploring Twitter or LinkedIn, I’m open to helping you as well. I just want to freaking help, darn it!

Am I a part of a community? Yes. Am a a part of multiple communities? Yes. It’s up to the new people to reach out and attempt to integrate themelves, because there’s no way for me (or anyone else) to find all the people who aren’t plugged in yet. I’m a rabid advocate for joining online communities, and I certainly wouldn’t be if I thought the groups were closed or cliquish.

In fact, just to show my openness to you newbies who want to get involved, I will share my email address and offer a guaranteed personal response if you email me. Also, if you’re interested in getting involved but don’t know how, I would love to assist!

How to get started

How did I get connected when I started this thing? I stared reaching out and sharing ideas with those people I admired. Eventually they started treating me like an equal. I love using the metaphor of an ability scale. For instance, I see people like Kris Dunn as a 9 or 10 on the scale. I see myself somewhere near the middle, and I see the newbies like my friend John Jorgenson nearer to the lower end of the scale (he’s going to love me for that one! ).

If you’re just getting started on the front end, you just need to keep doing like John and Kris-help others, reach out to meet new people, and try to add some value to this online community. It works.

Finally, a quick congrats to Shauna for getting the Monster 5 for Friday award for this post!

My comments section isn’t as cool as the ever-lovin’ HR Minion’s, but I can dream, huh?

My friend Chris Ferdinandi of Renegade HR has been writing a great eBook titled “Culture Convo.” It’s about how to use social tools to talk about your culture and share your employer brand with the world. I was lucky enough to get a preview copy, and I have to say that it’s an amazing tool that you must have. But that’s not even the best part. Before the book launches to the public, Chris is giving away some fantastic free stuff to get you rolling in the right direction. Here’s a snippet of his description…

You’ll learn:

• How to use six of today’s most popular social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, YouTube and Flickr.
• How to get started, what to talk about, and how often to post.
• How to get your employees involved.
• How to measure your success. Continue Reading »

I’m working with the Monster Street Team to cover the SHRM annual conference. Click here for the whole story.

I had a chance to sit in on the SHRM10 social media panel featuring Curtis Midkiff, Mike Vandervort, Bryan Wempen, and Laurie Ruettimann. It was interesting that they stuck it in an early morning time slot in a private area instead of keeping it more public for people to participate and learn from the panel.

(Subscribers may have to click through to view.)

AKA An open letter to HR professionals who think it’s a good idea to regulate the snot out of everything

Dear fellow HR professionals,

Hey! So, I’m not sure if you know much about me, but I’m a different kind of HR guy. I like being open and honest and treating people like… Well, people. Our employees aren’t children (and if they are, that’s a whole other issue!), so why do we treat them that way?

This ain’t my first rodeo

I talked about this before in a video. I attended a supervisor training where we spent two whole days listening to people whose favorite phrases were don’t do this and don’t do that. I can understand setting those minimum standards, but I don’t understand why there’s no attempt to reach higher. Why aren’t we giving our people lessons on coaching and leadership in addition to the rest of that stuff?

Think about it Continue Reading »

AKA Living in the Social Stone Age

So, when I heard that there was going to be a Carnival of HR on social media use, I was pumped. Not because I had any results to share, but because my current company is on the far opposite end from fluent usage (i.e. Stone Age) and I need some tips to make it happen. So I’ve written this post to tell what we could do if social stuff ever got the approval it needs.

Life in the Social Stone Age

We don’t use social media. We have no plans to. Although I inject a bit it where I can (sharing blog posts, creating short videos, etc.), it can’t take root on this rocky ground. People keep trying to treat it like it’s a passing fad instead of a huge competitive advantage in the social sphere.

Here’s a snippet from a post by Chris Ferdinandi that says it all.

How would you react if someone said to you, “I don’t use that email thing.”? Would you hire them for an HR job?

Thirty years ago, the internet was just a fad. Only it wasn’t. Continue Reading »