Here is an interesting article I found (well, it was emailed to me) that I get from a place called SalesLadder (job search engine for REAL jobs, not moster or hotjobs...anyway, for all of you facebookers out there:

Can You Facebook Your Way to a New Job?
Done right, online networking will support your offline network, not replace it
Kevin Fogarty

In the old days, “networking” meant hours calling every contact in your Rolodex; paging through the directories of every professional organization you could join; going to breakfast seminars, lunch-time speaking events, happy hours and board meetings to press the flesh – anything to make real-time, one-on-one contact with someone who might know someone who might be hiring.

The tools of the networking trade are changing and moving online, where e-mail, IM and social-networking Web sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and some specific to industry and career are the means to make new contacts and interact with current ones.

A social-networking Web site is essentially a fancy, online address book that allows you to see what your contacts are doing and connect to their contacts. The medium allows users to quickly expand their reach, putting them in touch with industry allies and hiring managers miles from home and in different companies and verticals. It’s also an easy place to track relationships and promote yourself to a willing audience.

But how much use are online social networks to an executive seeking a job, and which ones are worth the effort?

"LinkedIn should be part of your strategy, but not in the way you might expect a good social-networking site to be," said Robert Neelbauer, owner of StaffMagnet.com, a Washington, D.C.-based recruitment consultancy. Rather then sitting at your PC clicking your way to a new job, Neelbauer and career experts TheLadders interviewed recommend a job seeker use Web sites as the launch pad for traditional social networking. Pressing the flesh and phone calls remain the most intimate way to bond with the contacts in your network.

"If you're only looking at LinkedIn for lead generation or hunting down candidates for jobs, it's a valuable tool," he said. "But if you send a message to someone through LinkedIn, they may not respond to it for days or even weeks."

Neelbauer is particularly critical of LinkedIn. Although a frequent user almost from its launch in May 2003, he complains that the site has become watered down by millions of users and thousands of recruiters who have flooded the system with resumes and job posts and fill their networks with contacts they barely know. Neelbauer said he prefers other sites, especially Facebook, which gives users much greater control over who is in their network and sees their information. Facebook therefore tends to make in-network contacts more immediate for members, he said.

Don’t ignore the Web

While online networking won’t replace the handshake, career experts caution anyone who discounts it entirely. Their role in job hunting specifically has become so central for recruiters and hiring managers that job seekers are severely handicapping themselves by not participating, Neelbauer said.

The Executive Job Market Intelligence Report 2008 from ExecuNet, an online recruitment aggregator, shows executive recruiters now fill 56 percent of jobs through networking; another 10 percent through their own online research; and 4 percent by searching Google, social networks and other sites for possible recruits from target companies. Of the 42 million U.S. members of Facebook, the most active social network, 18 million, almost half, are over 26 years old, according to The Social Times, a Web site that reports on social-networking companies.
"If you're a recruiter and you're not using LinkedIn and Facebook or Twitter, I don't know what you're using," said Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. Olson said social networking plays at least some role in the hiring process for more than 60 percent of the positions she fills. "LinkedIn particularly is the first place people go to look for candidates. When I get a name, that's where I look first to get a little more background on someone before I talk to them."

Online social networking is to networking what e-mail is to handwritten letters: it's just easier, faster and a lot more convenient, said Isabel Walcott Hilborn, owner of Strategic Internet Consulting, an online marketing consultancy, and founder of SmartGirl.com, a 200,000-member social network for teenage girls. Rather than meeting people one at a time at a conference to trade cards or calls once a year, social networks let you do something with those contacts, Hilborn said. Put those people in a social-networking list, and you have the opportunity to learn more about them and let them get to know you in a low-stress way.

"Social networking and marketing and job searching is all about getting yourself out there," said Paul Gillin, a social-networking consultant at Paul Gillin Communications and author of "The New Influencers" and "Secrets of Social Media Marketing."

"Friends’ networks can show you who's changing jobs, which means a job just opened up at their old company that you can go for that hasn't been posted yet. And (it) can help you get introduced to people closer to that job than you might have gotten otherwise."

Three degrees of separation

Job seeker Jim Nash used LinkedIn not only to get a new job but to do it in a foreign field where he had relatively few direct contacts.

Nash has been a writer and editor at news, business and technology publications. He was the editorial director of NBC Universal’s Sci-Fi Channel Web site and a former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune. But he wanted to follow his core interests into medical or science publishing, preferably with a nonprofit.

"I did know a few people at science publications, and that was helpful," Nash said. "The good thing about social networking was that if I knew nobody in an industry, I could still look at all the people who were related to me and the people they knew to find people in the area I wanted so I could call them. I was casual about it but it was clear that I was looking, and almost everybody I approached was happy either to talk to me or introduce me to someone else."

Nash landed his current job - Web managing editor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York - through three degrees of separation. One of his contacts had introduced him to another contact, who introduced him to his boss. The employer educated Nash on how and where medical organizations might be able to use Web-publishing savvy and eventually hired Nash himself.

"Once we made that contact, it seemed like things moved really quickly," said Nash, who started the new job in October. "I contacted my current boss as the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend, and it just worked out."

But not everyone is comfortable introducing themselves to strangers, even when the strangers are online and the job seeker has a lot of experience at marketing and selling. Susan, an UpLadder member who asked TheLadders not to publish her full name, has a profile on LinkedIn but is reluctant to use it aggressively.

"The majority of people I know are not on it," she said. "So the people that would be contacting me on it are not likely to be close colleagues. None of my friends are really using LinkedIn to find jobs, and people who want me to use it seem to want to use my contacts. It seems more a way for business building than for networking."

Don’t ignore the real world

Doing it properly means marrying your offline network to your online network, said Hilborn.

Hilborn recommends a job seeker use the contacts he makes offline to build out his social network, but then return to the offline sources when it comes time to make a job connection. For instance, when you find a job, online or off, don’t just e-mail your resume or apply online, she said. “If you've taken the time to develop your network and keep those connections live, you can type in a keyword and find you have three friends who work there or know someone who does,” she said. ”Then you can write to your contact, ask if they'd forward this to their friend and ask her to submit your resume. It's almost impossible for HR to ignore a resume that's submitted from someone inside, and they usually get paid if they refer someone who gets hired, so it works out really well."

Even an interview that doesn’t work out can extend your network and lead to opportunities you might not have had otherwise, Nash said.

"I'd always try to talk on the phone or meet people I made contact with," he said. "If they didn't have a job available, or it wasn't a match for some reason, I'd ask if I could link to them on LinkedIn and look through their contacts so I could write back in a week or two and say, 'Thanks for meeting with me; it was really great, and would you mind recommending me or introducing me to this other person?' And they were almost always fine with that."

It requires the same attention and interest in relationship building as traditional networking, Hillborn concluded.

"When someone changes their picture, you can comment on it, or when they put up a note about having had a hard day, you can commiserate or offer suggestions," Hilborn said. "And if in the past you've sent three e-mails to Maria, you are on her radar screen, so when you send an e-mail to all your contacts saying your company is doing a round of layoffs and you're on the list, she's going to respond, where if you just had her business card, she wouldn't even know."

"Half an hour on Facebook once a week is all you'd need to keep that social network totally thriving," she said. "You have to pick and choose the things (to which) you respond to make them personal. But tiny little outreaches are quick; they take time over the long term, but one at a time, they're pretty quick. And it lets you stay in touch with a much larger community than you otherwise could."

As I Slept

Okay...so I was real excited about being able to witness history. But the event was so exciting that I was oversaturated via a week's worth of "pre-game", and even more on the day of...that I fell asleep during the middle of it. However, CNN WAS rolling, and it isn't like I couldn't watch it again on any news channel in the listing.

So - here are the initial thoughts:

For the most part - well done.

It's funny that the justice, who is hired for the sole purpose of interpreting and defending the constitution on a judicial level, can't get the words right to the OATH OF OFFICE! I think it is even funnier that Obama all but called him out on it, by not saying the oath wrong...kudos Obama. You just know that someone would have come back saying "he didn't say the oath properly, and is therefore not the TRUE President!" Whatever.

I think it showed a lot of class by Bush, who has become the "popular person to hate", to be so gracious during a transition. Something tells me the same gratitude wasn't given to him via Clinton.

Speaking of popular to hate...I'm a little sick of the way everything is working now - so I do hope Obama does a good job. However, he is in a "no lose/no win situation". WHAT?

Okay...so here's the deal. Over the last two/three years, it has become a nation that has dogpiled on everything. By dogpiled I mean this...before any election or candidates or anything had been determined, the theory came with an "as long as it isn't George Bush" then you'd be happy. Great - and then all the weak minded people start piling on...why? Some because of celebrity endorsements, some because of media, some people had legit issues. I'd say most was media and celebrity. All of a sudden the last couple of years, it was "cool" to bash the PRESIDENT in public. Disrespectful, but it got you on TMZ and "real" news. (list of celebs at ignauguration)

As Obama's popularity grew, so did his celebrity status. As the celebrity status grew, then so did the followers. We officially have the most popular "celebrity's celebrity" in office. There has always been celeb following for a political candidate, but not like this.

Take into account 2 things: Bush Haters + Obama Lovers = No win/no lose situation.

Why?

I don't think ANYONE will EVER get the same critisms that Bush got...EVER. (NO LOSE)

I don't think many will question Obamas practices now - because it won't be the popular thing to do. (Other than Rush Limbaugh or something, but that is how he gets ratings) (NO LOSE)

I don't think Obama will ever be able to live up to the expectation, but I don't think anyone will criticize him for it. He asks for accountablity, but I'm not sure if the American People will demand that from him. (NO WIN/NO LOSE)

AND:

I'd like to say thank you to Rev. Lowery. Lowery, thank you for ruining a great speech, from what will be a great President. Thank you for ruining what was a celebration of how far America has come by IGNORING race, and seeing through skin color, and the accoplishments we have all made as a society. Thank you for ruining what was a dream of millions, and a moment to live for all time. Thank you for ruining what you THOUGHT you were trying to build, but instead, taken yourself back 50 years. Your comments were not appropiate for the setting - now, or anytime in a public setting.

In Lowery's Prayer - "Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right."

I offer a new prayer.

Lord, please forgive the Reverand for all he punishes me for so unjustly. Please forgive him for making ME a stereotype when I have done everything in my ability not to see one. Please help me understand history and how to correct it, not look at history and be punished for it, for I am not that person that would have been 40 years or more my elder - and have not made the same mistakes theri society has made. Please help me with the strength to see people via their attitudes, abilities and accomplishments - not their past, the past of the forefathers, or their tone of skin. We live in a world that is now a mixture of all that is your people. Help us, as a nation, understand that we are all your children, and we all have the ability to see what is right, and act upon it.

Monday Morning...wait, already afternoon

yes, it is Monday...and yes, I have a case of the Mondays. I think I'm going to go do what I need to do here, and then go get a great workout in. I need to, I feel like the holiday added another 15 pounds to my already oversized self. Anyway, I feel like crap...so there.

A few observations from last week...

Business...Mixed, and here's why...

I got alot of misc strings taken care of that needed to be done. AND, we confirmed dates and agreements with Venus Basketball and Cleburne boys little dribblers. That is awesome. January is usually REALLY slow for us.

However, I sent out a generic advertisement, and then get back all sorts of new stuff...some of it is good...some of it makes us look like we've never done work before - and they are waiting 4 months to say, "by the way, I never got"...really? just now?

Then, Saturday, we are supposed to do a shoot at an event in Weatherford. I should follow my gut more. We get there, and appearently the owner found somebody that would do profit share. I hope you did well, but that's not for us.

So anyway, off to the races...well, at least to join the race. I'm tired, and need a nap first really.

Personal??? I'm too big and need to work out...so there! :) later I'm glad Skip LaCour is a friend of mine on facebook!

Tuesday Morning Quick Hits

**** Congrats to the Texas Longhorn football team. Though my thoughts on them and their National BCS Title is well documented, it doesn't mean they are a bad football team. I think they will end up the season overall #2.

**** Marshall is still sick, and my understanding Jax is too. He gets another day off before hopefully headed back to school tomorrow.

**** I have mixed feelings about going back to the photo work. However, I've had my days off, and think I'm ready. We'll see when I get there. The hardest thing to do is to go to work in the "off-season". Right now, Krystal Image Sports is in that mode. January and August are generally the slowest months. Maybe today I'll see if I can drum something up.

**** I did have mixed feelings about going back to teaching work. But actually, the interaction with all of my "kids" is why I do it. I've gotten to where I really like the one on one discussions much more than the overall class. The next new motivation there will come in February when I head to Houston.

**** In case you didn't know, they were making movies about me long before I was born...I guess they called Nostradamus.

Why the BOWL SYSTEM is GREAT for College Football

How fun would the Texas v Ohio State game have been if someone would have to play again next week?
It wouldn't...and here's why.

As the new year is alive and kicking, and the cold wather snaps keep coming, the media is still calling for the college football playoff system. Now, keep in mind, I've been saying for years that the BCS system is actually the greatest thing that has happened to college football. I've told this to my students, my family, and anyone that will listen. None of them agree...(note: most of them are Texas fans, so they definitely don't agree this year!)

Sooooo...why DOES that Bowl System work? To understand it, you have to take it back to it's origins. For some in-depth look, click here. The long and short of it is this: people were calling for a unified National Champion. The AP polls vs the coaches polls were constantly splitting national championships, and society just can't handle that debate. It was designed so that #1 and #2 were going to play each other at the end of the season...

That didn't quite work from the beginning because the Pac-10 wasn't part of the Bowl Coalition. Without the Pac-10, and the Rose Bowl, no USC...um...right...

Once USC was involved, and through a few years of experimentation, some more controversy of not only who is number one, but who is NUMBER TWO, and another "split national title" (even as recent as '03 with USC and LSU never being able to duke it out), and another contoversy in '04, they finally settled on their system. But nothing is ever controversy free.

Anyway, the system now basically promises the following: the champion from each of the BCS conferences (Big XII, SEC, Pac-10, Big-10, ACC, Big East) get to play each other in a bowl game. Number 1 will play number 2, some mid-majors get rewarded for having great seasons but not playing anyone tough, and the world is happy.

Now, I have a simple question...with all of the worry about finding out who is number 1, what happens to all of the schools that don't have that shot? Are they failures? Did they play for nothing? I'd say no.

This holiday bowl season has done nothing but prove my point. Take a look at the great games this year with teams that would have had to leave on a "down" if there were playoffs. Games like R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl where Southern Miss beat Troy in OT. TCU by 1 in the Poinsettia Bowl, West Virginia and North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. If you didn't see that game, you missed alot. The great plays, the highlights, the just act of watching college football and knowing that they are playing for their school, their alumni, their friends and their fans.

Everyone forgets a few things:

1 - These guys are COLLEGE students, just 18-22 years old. Though physically gifted, still just mentally young, right out of high school. Ready to go out there and make mistakes...yet any mistakes they make are amplified in the media, in the classrooms, on campus, at frat parties. It's hard for them to escape, good or bad.

2 - The economic impact of the cities hosting these bowl games. If you ever wonder why they won't go to a playoff...ask the Cotton Bowl has much impact Ole Miss coming to Dallas v against Texas Tech brought....ask San Antonio a year or two ago when Texas A&M played in San Antonio. Ask them if a playoff would bring 80,000 people to town. Some would say yes...others would say how many playoff games can Texas, Oklahoma, USC, or Florida actully travel to? Not them, but all the fans at a nuetral site...

3 - Everything is media driven. How ridiculous would it be to give away big games in week 2, knowing that it won't really matter anymore? ESPN/ABC, CBS, FOX...keep asking for a playoff, and you'll get exactly that. And it will turn into regular season basketball...irrelevent. I want Texas and Oklahoma to matter every October. I want Florida v Georgia...and I want Auburn and Alabama. And I want them to determine something THAT week.

If you really want a playoff system, then let EVERYONE go to the playoffs. All 113 teams. If not, if won't matter who you are asking to be #1 v #2...you'll be asking who didn't make the playoffs at #9 or #17...is that what you REALLY want? To say, hey, we were just as good as the number 12 team that made it???

The bowl system works...you may not like it, but it works. While you debate whether Texas or USC deserves its chance, I'll smile and say that they had it, and lost it to Tech on the last second, or to Oregon State in a shocker. And I'll tell you they should schedule someone decent in the non-conference...and we wouldn't even be talking.

While you are moaning about it, I'll be watching the Hawiian bowl and see Notre Dame try to make their way back to the big time...and Utah shock everyone with their special shoes. It's fun for the moment...and memorable for THOSE kids...THOSE fans...and THOSE students. Isn't that what college sports is supposed to be about anyway???