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Social media honeycomb slideshare from Ian McCarthy Check out this cool video:

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Enterprise Social Networking (ESN) tools like Yammer give us trainers a tool to enhance the formal learning transfer. It allows us to blend real social learning into the more traditional training events  While Yammer is a walled garden closed network it does allow administrators to set up external networks. We use these networks to create collaboration spaces for trainees on various courses. We use the group chat  group chat to share real life difficult situations or small wins. Yammer also allows the Subject matter Experts (SMEs) to  act as virtual mentors. Depending on the topic or situation,different people  ask questions or provide quick responses.  The conversations are,  by mutual  agreement visible to me or the manager so if someone is a little off track we can help them out. I also use ESN to evaluate the learning and the barriers to applying the new learning. I ask questions such as “Have you used the techniques from the last session?” or “What do we need to include in the next session?”. This simple evaluation and demonstrates the value of the course and  helps the  learners to actually apply what what they have learned. It is what we as trainers have always sought or as  Dr. Jane Bozarth says “It’s a quick, informal, and excellent way to build community and sustain the learning as workers implement it into their days.” These are my top 10 tips for using Yammer as a learning tool Share links to interesting tips or resources, inforgraphics etc. Upload a shared page to encourage others to co-create or co-edit a document with you. ask for feedback. Create an online poll or survey Ask who is the best person to ask. This helps to identify people who may be shy about sharing their expertise  Thank people for their contributions. Post an event or meeting – it only takes one click to RSVP. This can save an administrative assistant from having to sift through emails and count responses. Tag posts and documents with topics so people can find them later. You can use #Hashtags to identify key words Create a sub group where people can have smaller more focussed conversations. Upload a PowerPoint presentation. Encourage others to comment and make suggestions. Stop ping ponging presentations back and forth by email. ‘Like’ a post to acknowledge you’ve read it and agree.   Well, what do you think could you consider using yammer in one of your courses? Yammer is free, so the to you risk is pretty low.  why not give it a try it out and see how it goes. Having said that like everything else in the learning and training world you need to be prepared to work at it. Let me know how you get on.

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Why Yammer could replace Email in your business   I think Enterprise Social networks such as Yammer are the future of business communication. Since its launch in 2008, the Enterprise Social Network (ESN) has had a clear strategy. This is not Facebook or Twitter, social media tools  are designed for public use.  Yammer was created as a social platform to host  private communication for members within an organization. Since  Microsoft acquired Yammer in 2012, there next logical next step will be to link the tasks we create in Outlook, MS Excel and Dropbox within the same social platform. So we can continue to use  the same tools but in a different way. We can ask questions, get answers, solve problems faster and share the information that is normally stored and forgotten in folders or different drives. Yammer is only one of the options available to share information and collaborate, some people like to use other social networks such as Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter. Where Yammer is different, is in its enterprise focus. It is almost like a walled garden where you can safely share information. Only people with the approved domain name email address can join the network. So why should you care? Well, the initial setup is  free, easy to invite others to join and pretty easy to use. So for a little effort you have a private, manageable, and secure online space where employees and managers in your company can communicate. It integrates with SharePoint and Sales force , Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite. It regularly adds more programmes at its app store. It also gives access to information at the point of need. Because people can access  Yammer on a variety of  devices, it fits neatly into most workflows. We encourage our groups to connect  using Yammer on the Web,  by email, the  desktop app, smartphones and tablets. We have employees siting on the train or visiting clients  and using yammer to get directions or find the best place to eat. Others might be out on a job, repairing a socket and post a picture asking if anyone has experienced this type of fault before. One of the best uses we saw recently was using the shared pages to create a meeting agenda. This collaboration clarified the purpose of the meeting and addressed some of the minor points of discussion.  The shared conversation reduced the length of the meeting and improved the decision making. That was a real result! The main reason organisations large and small use  yammer as their internal communication network is to drive business results. People ask how should we measure its success? I say don’t create or try to invent new measurements. Introduce the network as a tool to achieve your  goals and strategy and measure its impact on them My thoughts: Yammer is just the tool, it can be as useful as you allow it to be. Creating the space and the culture of collaboration is up to you. If you need some more ideas- click here If you found this useful why not take a look at Top 10 Tips for  Yammer

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I was reading a post written by the ever knowledgeable Debbie from The Marketing Shop . She recommends that you use QR codes as part of Advertisements, Food Labels, Business cards, Retail and e-marketing . Her post, (you can read it here ) prompted me to share how we used QR codes recently and some information on the software we use to generate the codes. We use these two companies we use  to create our QR codes.   QR stuff This is one of the best code generators because you can download and print high resolution versions of the QR Code. You have the option of saving the file for a number of different uses or campaigns. You can use the codes on t-shirts or table napkins. One of our clients used it to show the fields where the cattle had been born and raised. We also used it to created name tags that linked to people’s LinkedIn profile at a meet and greet event. If you are using Google analytics you can track the code to see how successful your campaign was from a variety of different channels. There is a free version but most customers pay the small monthly fee for the benefits of the paid version.   MYQR This is a useful QR code creator that allows you to add a password to your codes. You can use this to protect private information.It allows you to generate a QR code for a website address, a specific  message, your contact details or even a point on Google  maps. it is free and you only need to sign up if you are curious and want to  get analysis of your codes. Really Useful QR codes We use QR codes on our business cards. We have a really long web address and it helps if potential clients can just scan the code and get to our site. We are working on changing that at the moment with www.spiralli.ie, watch this space.         We use QR codes on our trainee name cards. The trainees who attend our courses have their names on the cards and the code links them to a collection of training resources such as PDFs or YouTube videos. We also use QR codes on our tip sheets. We send post training tips sheets to help to reinforce the learning and provide links to other resources that may have been discussed during the course such as our  Assertive management tip sheet. In our experience QR codes are a simple way of engaging our customers  if  used in an appropriate place and time. If not they just take up space and annoy people. Our Tips for using QR codes Make sure the QR code serves a purpose and gives a value to the customer. The link should lead to a mobile optimised site.  Consider the code location. Put them where people have the time and opportunity to notice them  and scan them. Be sure that  the code is big enough so that people can scan it easily. Include a call-to-action (CTA) stating the reason for scanning the code.   I hope you find this information really useful.

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  Microsoft Dynamics, the Microsoft  CRM system has launched a new advertising  campaign is designed to speak to business leaders.  They believe that there are people with the energy and capabilities to power the growth and innovation of a every company. Successful companies can drive their business forward if they can empower their people to innovate and take risks while equipping them with the right tools to reach their full potential. I like this campaign as I think is an opportunity to highlight  the hidden potential in all of us.  They use the concept of  a “name tag” as a way to discovering the real you – it is a badge of your identity. I like the idea that we uncover the true role a person is playing, or could play, within the company.   As Marie Huwe, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics Marketing says ” These people aren’t just “Production Managers” or “Salespeople,” they are “Supply Chain Wranglers,”  “Revenue Rainmakers” etc.  She believes that the name tag makes a bold statement about the person’s untapped potential and their role within the company when using Microsoft Dynamics.    I am curious as to how it will be received in Ireland and the UK. Will people connect with the name tag concept or will they rebel against being labelled by the name tag? If you are curious about what your name tag might say about you,  why not logon to http://www.nametaganalyzer.com/ Simply log on with your LinkedIn profile and Microsoft will do the rest.  It is almost instant  and might make you smile.The clever application reviews your LinkedIn profile. It then gives you a new job title based on the contents of your profile. Most importantly you have the option to share it with your LinkedIn followers or to ignore it.   What do you think?

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I met a new client today and he wanted some help and advice on how to “get on the internet”. “Just tell me how I can have a Facebook page or one of those Twitter accounts”. We discussed this for a while and as I listened I began to recognise a familiar pattern. There was no real strategy or success measurement, just an enthusiasm to catch up on the competition and get on the social media  merry-go-round. My client is an intelligent , smart successful business person but he has fallen in love with the technology. Most businesses have goals, benchmarks, and measurable results. however, when it comes to social media, we all seem to abandon these good habits. This is understandable; most people are seduced or fascinated by the social media tools. I think people are so amazed that the tools are free that they assume there is no cost to engaging on social media. There is a time cost, a reputation cost and an opportunity cost associated with online activity. All social media activity is marketing activity and should have a plan in the same way as traditional marketing activity.   My role is to help my client  to connect what he does online with his business goals. I started by explaining how different companies  use social media tools for different purposes. Some of the common uses are: To market their services or products As part of their  customer service process A channel for  promotions and competitions A way of building brand awareness A combination of all of the above   There are a variety of tools such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest etc. Each tool offers something different from the others. Twitter, allows him speak directly with his customers, removing the protection of the traditional business hierarchy that used to protect the managers from the actual customers. Pinterest, on the other hand, allows him share pictures and videos with employees or customers and can generate traffic to his website. The  choice of tool and how much time he devotes to this depends on what he hopes to  achieve. In the absence of a clear strategy, it can be difficult to determine if his efforts are successful or not. The following are my list of essential actions in developing an effective and manageable online presence.      1.Create a workflow  framework to suit each tool. When your staff spend time creating content or responding to customer requests and comments they may fall behind on their actual work. This infographic illustrates the possible time investment required to develop an effective social media workflow.  Having said that, every organization is different and any workflow used should suit the size and type of the business and be designed to ensure  the achievement of business goals.    2. Spend some time creating the bio. The bio or About us section should give a short overview or snapshot of who you are, what services or brands your company offers and your reason for interacting with them.  The content or tone of voice will depend on how you want to be perceived. Some companies do not mind humour, others are more formal.    3. Recognise the value of the instant communication. Online tools and social media give us access to people and information that would not otherwise be available. That changes the relationship between you and your customers, suppliers and competitors. All the comments may not be positive. Are you prepared to hear the negative feedback?    4.  Involve the staff in building your online presence. This creates a more interesting company personality and allows staff to build on their relationship with  the customers.  You will have to create some policies to help the staff understand how the social media channel fits into the organisational strategy. Sending out one email on the launch day is not sufficient. Talk about the social media activities and results at staff meetings. 5. Talk About What People Care About Using social media as a marketing channel is not the same as putting an advert in the newspaper. It’s not just a broadcast medium. It’s you having a two-way conversation with your audience. Try to avoid post too many selling messages. Share information that they will enjoy reading or that will be useful to them .   I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any tips please feel free to share in the comments section below.

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  Well, it’s January 2013, the newspapers and media are talking about green shoots but the unemployment rate is still over 14% and finding that job is not easy. I meet many people both as clients and through Worklink who are fed up at how difficult it is to secure an interview. My advice to them and to you is this; relying  on traditional job search techniques alone won’t always work. You must be more creative and  use every tactic and technique available to you in order to stand out and get the  job. There are so many CVs and potential candidates that you must  use all possible ways to  get the employers’ attention. If you don’t standout  your CV will be one of many filled away in the pile of other hopefuls. It has always been the case that many employers do not publicly advertise vacancies. Many of our clients have identified opportunities through contacts they have made themselves, such as friends, relatives, voluntary work, casual part-time jobs or work placements. It is also important to develop an industry specific network. Go to events and  talk to people working in your chosen career area. They will be able to advise you on the trends and openings in that industry. Use your imagination and get creative. And most importantly do not give up! I hope these 5 tactics will help you in your search for the perfect role. 1. Make sure your online and offline personas match. When you are looking to get a job or even change career you need to understand that you have an online self as well as your actual self. You may choose to ignore your online self but recruiters or potential employers won’t. In fact over 60% of employers will Google your name to find out more about you. If I Google you, right now, what would I see? Are you on the first or even second page? If your education, work experience and career goals are in Technology or Human Resources, your social media profiles should reflect that, not just your love of food or Craft Beer. Set up your email address, Twitter name etc. as “YourfirstnameLastname” (instead of AsleepInTheJacks). Yes, I did have a client and that was the email address proudly typed on the CV. Who does Google think you are? – Managing Your Online Reputation   2. Review your LinkedIn Profile; Are there Keywords or Key Phrases? Most  recruiters and  managers search for job candidates by entering relevant keywords into LinkedIn’s search engine. In order to show up in these searches, your profile has to contain the right keywords for the position you want. To find these magic words, research the profiles of people who have the job you want as well as the job listings for the positions you desire. What words show up the most frequently in both places? These are probably some of the keywords recruiters are using. Don’t just create a profile and expect recruiters to find you. Be active on LinkedIn. Establish your credibility. Participate in forums and communities that focus on your specialties. When you make contributions it helps build a reputation as a thought leader. By joining and participating in a group, you  have a powerful way of adding value to and growing your online reputation. As a group manager, I know the discussion leaders  and the valued contributors to the group. When you participate, people notice. LinkedIn Group Guidelines for the Job Seeker Join a group that takes you where you want to go, not one that keeps you where you are. Join a group that you will participate in. Don’t be a lurker. Participation in a group means posting and responding to discussion. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward, be positive, show your motivation. If you are unemployed,  don’t be embarrassed, but don’t bring it up at every conversation either. 3. Do not Rely on your Recruiter to get you the Job Recruiters and recruitment agencies can be a valuable part of a job search strategy. They may connect you to vacancies that may not be advertised.  The best ones understand what employers want, and can eliminate a lot of the guesswork in preparing for the interview and meeting the needs of the employer. Remember, recruiters can’t hire you. At best, a well-connected recruiter can influence the decision, but this assumes a close relationship with the person that is actually hiring. If the employer is not interested in you, then neither is the recruiter. The recruiter’s loyalty is not to you; it is to the companies that pay his commission. Employers are interested in filling the position and so is the recruiter. Don’t expect a recruiter to be personally interested in your career goals; he only wants to talk to you if you match the qualifications of the job openings he has to offer. His job is not to coach you on your interview techniques. Your role is to make it obvious that you would be a great asset to his clients. A professional CV and cover letter should display your accomplishments and marketable skills. 4. Find the Niche Areas in Your Field Increase your niche know-how.  Many employers do not want to attract unqualified candidates. They recruit quietly and often only post jobs on dedicated job boards for their industries. You must know how to find the niche job boards for your field. The easiest way to do this is to perform a Google search on the name of your industry and the word “jobs.” Industry jobs can also be found on the websites of the professional or trade associations. For instance, Engineers  has a job board, as does the Theatre Forum Ireland   Industry is not the only niche, of course. If you have graduated from a college or university check their Career Services page on their website. UCC have a very comprehensive page and UCD have a global portal. Once you find the job boards

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  You have spotted the perfect job. You have taken the time to create a targeted CV. You have  crafted the perfect cover letter.  Fingers crossed. when you tell your friends one of them jokingly suggests that if any prospective employers Google you, they will get a surprise. You get your phone and type your name into Google, what do you see……. It’s okay, go and do it now .  I can wait :0 ) Well, are you happy with the results, did you appear at all?   Many of our jobseeker clients have been surprised by how much Google knows about them and how much of their private life is online. Sites like Twitter or Facebook and photo sharing sites such as Flickr and Instagram have made it easier than ever to share and publish information about yourself online. You can, of course, manage your privacy on these sites by limiting who specifically can see this information. You can share with a few friends, family members or everyone on the web. But those controls don’t extend to everything you do online. You may be mentioned in an online newspaper or blog post. For example, when you comment on a blog post, do you always use your own name or do you use a pseudonym? Have you been tagged in a friend’s photo or Pinterest board? When someone searches for your name on a search engine like Google, the results that appear are a combination of information you’ve posted and information published by others. Googling Yourself In the past year Google released a tool called Me On the Web to make it easier to monitor your online identity and to provide easy access to resources describing ways to control what information is on the web. In my experience few people know it exists and fewer still make use of it. It is located in the Google Account options and only becomes available when you click on the Profile and Privacy link. But it provides some really useful tools to quickly check for names online and create alerts to be notified about new information posted on the Internet. Me on the web also gives some information and guidance about how to manage your online persona.   Me on the Web has three main tools.   1. You can search for your name online and see which results appear. When you write or tweet be aware that these are the topics that will show up in your search results. If I’m going to post a tweet about a wild night out  with my sister, chances are it will appear on Google. Make sure you’re updating your social networks on news and events that you want to be known for. 2. You can set up a Web Alert for your name so you’ll be notified when someone mentions it. The web alerts is probably the most useful option. It allows you to create Google Alerts for your name or another name you specify. You will be notified by email once per day when new information appear online. You can modify the name or phrase you want to receive alerts from to narrow down the search or include searches for family members or colleagues as well. 3. There is a shortcut to your Google+ profile. This profile can be customised to demonstrate your skills and abilities If your search Results are not flattering If you are embarrassed and want to eradicate your results on the web, Don Jackson director of Threat Intelligence at Dell SecureWorks  as some bad news for you. “It’s easier to change your real-life identity, put yourself into a do-it-yourself witness protection program than it is to change your identity on the Web”   If You Can’t Erase- Add New Content There is no magic  technology that can boost your search engine results or permanently things that are incriminating or embarrassing. However, what does work is being proactive, highlighting the stuff about you that you think is interesting or relevant and linking to it. Four Ways to Add New Content 1. Create a Google profile. This visible to anyone on the Web, and anyone with your email address can find it.You can customise the profile and select the information you want to display about yourself. You can include pictures, display contact information and link to other websites about you. 2. You can also use sites such as BrandYourself.com to create a professional persona. BrandYourself provides simple, inexpensive, some are free, tools that allow you to take control of your online reputation. Their product makes it easy to take control of your search results, so when someone Googles you, positive and accurate information shows up in the results. 3. Create a profile on LinkedIn When you create a profile on LinkedIn, a public version of your profile with basic information is automatically generated for the web. This public profile may show up when someone types your name into a search engine like Google.Your LinkedIn Profile contains fields where you can enter keywords. The more relevant ones include, the more likely you are to be picked up by LinkedIn and  search engine searches. 4. Create a blog on Blogger or WordPress. Search engines love Blogs especially when you update the content. The Blogs provide by WordPress and Blogger are structured to offer a high degree of search engine optimization.   So, it is up to you. Do you know who Google thinks you are?

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 Connie Gibney, International Human Resources Director, LinkedIn EMEA  gave a very interesting talk at it@cork on November 1st. She discussed how LinkedIn had almost by accident changed the way recruitment occurs online. Most interesting to me was her insights on recruiters,they don’t only use LinkedIn to find people actively seeking jobs. They’re also looking for qualified people who aren’t job hunting. Connie said, “The most valuable employee is typically one that already has a job,so the nice thing about LinkedIn is even if people are currently working, other people can still view their profile”. But with two people joining every second, it can be difficult to stand out and be found by these recruiters. Many people join LinkedIn and then only visit the site sporadically. If this is your style, you are missing a real opportunity. This is especially true if a company is seeking to hire a senior manger. In a senior position potential employers look for people who have a strong network, actively cultivate it, and are seen as an influencer or leader in their organisation or field. Without a LinkedIn profile,this is difficult to demonstrate. Taking the time to craft and  market your LinkedIn profile can pull great opportunities in your direction.Recruiters actively search for candidates among LinkedIn members by searching on keywords for people with the required qualifications listed in their LinkedIn profile. Your profile should be keyword rich, well-developed and complete. Include your up to date contact information so others can easily contact you.   Ultimately whether you are a job seeker or just a networker,the real value and benefit of LinkedIn  is in the  the number and quality of your connections.The  best way to build up an effective network is to work on it with a clear goal in mind. Julia Markish has written an excellent post for companies outlining how they need to move  From what to who and how. I think some of her tips could equally apply to professionals who use LinkedIn as part of their job search. If you were to describe your present role , what would you say?  You might start by describing  the what: your compensation package, your main responsibilities, your office or even the type of business or sector. this would be an accurate description but it does not tell the whole story. It does not describe you. Julia asks that age old and difficult to answer question; what really differentiates your experience as an employee?  This is the question that challenges every employee, graduate or manager, whether in creating their LinkedIn Profile or at the interview itself.She suggests, and I agree that Who you work for and How you work with them can be an essential component in discovering that differentiation.    Who you work for Some of the questions you might consider when crafting your profile might include: What was your title – How does the title represent what you actually did or do? How did that company inspire you? How has was your potential developed during the time that you worked their? Who did you interact with, mentor or support? If you no longer work for the company, do you still get on with your old colleagues and are you staying current with key trends in the field?   How you work with them Which of your talents and strengths are or were the most valued or called upon? What part did you play in different projects? What benefit did they receive from your skills? What did you reduce, save, increase, develop etc.?   In the traditional job search using only CVs or cover letters, it was difficult to convey this information. How on earth do you describe all these essential elements of your professional life?   Your LinkedIn profile Your LinkedIn profile gives potential employers an insight into your job experience skillsets and career goals. It is a critical element in Brand You. It shows how you connect and share information or insights.It highlights your professional discussions with like minded professionals.  You also have the opportunity to showcase blogs, projects, presentations, books you are reading or companies you are following. Your previous titles or job roles show progression or related skills sets to potential recruiters or employers. They may spot the exact skill they require in a previous role that you are not using in you current role . Please read this again and revisit your profile. Does your profile represent Brand You ?

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Having just recovered from my Pinterest addiction I happened upon Storify and fell down the rabbit hole like Alice in Wonderland chasing the new shiny object. I like Storify because it allows me to select individual tweets, photos, links, and posts about a particular subject and weave it into a multimedia social story. It is like capturing all the snippets of conversation that you overhear at a party and linking them together. These new applications are easier to use than they are to explain, so let me give you an example: The wonderful Debbie Harper of Tús Nua Designs & Debbie McDonnell of The Marketing Shop Ireland will be on Newstalk with Bobby Kerr to spread the word about our#SMEcommunity tweet-up. I felt that was a great opportunity to demonstrate how supportive and active the members of #SMECommunity are ; most of the time we seem to disappear under the radar. However, most SMEs work on Saturdays, some even on Sundays and they would miss out on the conversations around the announcement or during the radio show. I wanted to curate and collate the twitter and Facebook comments and present them as a linked thread. Because Storify connects to all the social networks, it allows us to create a map or a snapshot of what happens. People who view the Storify can interact, reply or favourite individual tweets, leading to different threads and comments. Click here to see the Storify so far………   Why not create your own Storify? Where to begin: Log on to www.storify.com I think it is helpful to explore the existing Storifys that others have created. So many of them are entertaining and informative and let’s face it, you will get some great ideas. 2.      Take the Storify’s guided tour. 3.      The Storify Blog gives other information and tips You can then explore the available options. I will post a full how to in the next post.