A Word to Professionals: LinkedIn

Linkedin has become a very popular form of social networking over the past year. This form of networking allows you to connect virtually with everyone you have ever worked for. An interesting aspect of Linkedin is that your previous employees, or even bosses, can write a recommendation on your profile to show off your potential in the workforce. Many people believe that Linkedin is becoming the "Facebook" of professionals, in the sense that you are able to personalize your own profile but yet have nothing but your work experience and skills on it. Also, most recently, I personally applied for an internship with Blizzard Entertainment in which I was asked to provide my Linkedin profile address if it was applicable. What this proved to me was that more businesses today want to see more than just a basic resume and cover letter. They want to see an in-depth look about who you are, what you like, and what you are good at. From a networking aspect, you're able to connect with people that you may not personally know, but they are familiar with someone you have worked with. With this perspective, you are able to quickly communicate new ideas, job openings and more to a very wide audience.

Linkedin is a great asset for anyone looking to sell themselves to possible employers. There are many groups on Linkedin that consist of individuals from different corporations such as Bank of America. Users can actively engage in conversations and talk to people who work for these companies. This is a great way to get your foot in the door with a company and its employees without ever having to physically step foot in their place of business.

What do you think of Linkedin? How have you used it to get a job in the marketplace, or have you?

Flickr

Popularizing the Network: Flickr and the Digital Age

Rather than create a place where individuals can share interesting details, news clips, anecdotes, and their personal lives, why not create a digital market for pictures which incorporates all of this? A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Flickr, a photo sharing website which incorporates a little bit of all of the aforementioned details, chooses to operate on the premise that popular content drives progress for a social network. The fact that individuals can freely share their work or interests, or interact with the photos and interests of others attracts a large audience with such a diverse manifestation of styles that it almost boggles the mind. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that the pictures actually bring a network together, rather than simply providing a gallery database which allows users to store images and forget about them. The active process of reciprocating interests in various things presented in these pictures drives traffic.

Perhaps a reflection on real life might suffice to explain the driving interest of Flickr. Real life is full of sounds, senses, and most of all sights. A beautiful sunset might elicit an “Ah! That’s gorgeous!” from a rather enrapt individual or a grunt of pleasure from a passerby. Regardless, Flickr enables these expressions to manifest themselves in the shared network which it set up where users may comment, interact, and popularize material based on hits and interest. Flickr seems to appeal to a very strong desire in each of us to say something when we see a particularly poignant, creative, or beautiful work of art. Without others around, the satisfaction is considerably less because we cannot communicate our emotions to others. However, by creating a social link, the power of the pictures is communicated to the community more intensely through user commentary and interaction. It heightens the appreciation for photos found on Flickr as well as drawing users to each others’ interests, creating an exciting, popular, and intensely sensory experience. 

Flickr is a tool for social networking, drawing people together through visual expression. We attract to visuals because they are immediate, and this, in part, has been what has made Flickr so successful; that and the ability to share ones expression with others drives this particular social network forward, popularizing the network and creating yet another way to connect in the digital age.

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2009/04/flickr_as_a_soc.html

Pinterest and Social Networking

Pinterest: A Creative Social Network

In today’s society, it seems as though social networking is one of the most extensively used and effective ways of communicating.  It is globally utilized to connect people from literally all over the world.  As many new social networks are created, it is interesting to come across a new network that combines particular characteristics of the most successful social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, all into one.  To combine such popular aspects of various social networks is, simply put, brilliant. 

How does Pinterest work?

Pinterest allows its users to create a virtual “pinboard” to which one can post pictures and images found anywhere on the web.  The network starts out a user with 5 basic templates for boards.  These boards serve as layouts for images (pins) of favorite products, styles, books, accessories etc. Pins are uploaded, but most importantly sited through a source-link that allows images to be uploaded through a “Bookmarklet” and therefore linked back to the site it is originally from (http://pinterest.com/about/help/).  Like Flickr, images can be uploaded from the web or computer, therefore making the possibilities for pins endless.  Some examples of popular pinboards include:

·         planning for weddings

·         images of favorite shows, books or movies

·         the building and creating of a project

·         redecorating a home

·         favorite foods and recipies

   (http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2011/05/pinterest-a-beginners-guide.html) 

After a pinboard is created, users can find other friends and people to follow on the network; an aspect is comparable to Twitter.  Like Twitter, Pinterest has instant updates to all followers, displaying all new pins and comments.  By following another user on Pinterest, you have full access to view and comment on other people’s pinboards and pins.  Pinterest provides network users with a mini profile that includes a picture, description, and bio.  This is similar to Facebook not only for the profile, but for the comments that allow others to share opinions and give advice on different pin images.  For example, maybe someone pinned an image of a project that they created.  A follower can then comment and possibly get instructions or helpful tips on how to create a similar project.  This aspect alone serves as a vital tool to what we consider a social network, by allowing peers to seek or give advice and opinions on different matters.

(http://www.examiner.com/networking-in-national/social-media-vs-social-networking-what-s-the-difference)

Why is it significant?

Pinterest seems like the perfect mix between popular social networks Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.  This social network serves as a place to find and track inspiration through others.  It is an imaginative tool that can be used to expand your creative horizons and practice originality.  Inspiration can be drawn from things that people share, build, read, and create on a daily basis.  This “social bookmarking” serves as a practical way to stay connected to others and most importantly share in common interests (http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2011/05/pinterest-a-beginners-guide.html).  Pinterest can be downloaded as an app on iPhones and some android smart phones.  By combining different aspects of the world’s most popular social networks, Pinterest has the perfect ingredients for a successful social network and certainly gives other social networks a run for their money.

To see what Pinterest is for yourself, click here: http://pinterest.com/

Social Networking vs. Social Media

Social Networking is an online community for expanding users business or social contacts by making connection through their mutual business or personal connections.** Social media uses tools for sharing and discussing information. Networks get things done. People networks help us make friends, jobs, finding partners. They can help you see connections hidden opportunities in the real world.

Stelzner, a networking examiner writing on the differences between networks and media, quotes one individuals who says that “Social Networking is a tool and a utility for connecting with others. The difference is not just semantics but in the features and functions put into these websites by their creators which dictates the way they are to be used. There’s also a kind of, which came first, the chicken or the egg kind of argument to be made here. I suspect that Social Networking came first which evolved into Social Media.“ (http://www.examiner.com/networking-in-national/social-media-vs-social-networking-what-s-the-difference)

Still confused about the difference between social networking and social media?  Here’s a simpler way to process the divide. Social Media are tools for sharing and discussing information. Social Networking is the use of communities of interest to connect to others. You can use Social Media to facilitate Social Networking or you can network by leveraging Social Media. If you're still scratching your head, be sure to watch a terrific Social Networking 101 video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

** Laudon, Kenneth C., and Jane Price. Laudon. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print.