I see it as only fitting that the topic for my initial blog on this website is related to the Internet. The Internet is a fascinating thing, especially now with the increase use of social networking media. For better or for worse, these networking sites in recent years have made the world a bit smaller and our lives a bit more public. Yes, there are pro and cons for posting information about yourself on-line, but if used with the understanding that everything you post can be seen by anyone, anywhere, and forever, I for one see social networking media as a good thing. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow us to freely express ourselves to the audience of our choosing in whatever way we desire. No doubt, the use of these sites has changed the way we communicate, the way we gain and pass information with one another. Social media allows us to easily and instantaneously get messages across to people and to get back in touch with those that were previously just memories. And even professional athletes, politicians, and celebrities alike are in on it, using social media to connect with people on a level that was not possible just a few short years ago. Celebrities communicating with the common man; It’s as if they are speaking directly to us (please note the sarcasm).
The absolute beauty of it all is that we are in full control of how we are perceived online. We create what is called an online profile, and many of us have multiple ones. In fact, in 2009, the majority of adults (52%) who used social networking media used more than one site. [1] Facebook is currently the most popular used online social networking site with over 500,000 million active users. [2] Among adult profile owners, 73% have a profile on Facebook. Fifty percent of active users will log on any given day and spend a total of 700 billion minutes on monthly basis. Forty eight percent who have networking site profiles have a profile on MySpace and 14% have a LinkedIn profile. [1]
Corporations are also using social networking sites to their advantage. PM Networking came out this month with an article titled “Hire Power”, discussing how companies are joining the social media to recruit talent. It was an interesting read, especially for me since I’ve consciously tried this year to increase my online profile exposure by publishing this website and with my LinkedIn account as a means to communicate with employers. Although social networking sites have been around for many years, recruiters just recently began using them to gather information on potential candidates. Companies can directly learn about candidates and contact them with essentially no cost to them what so ever. According to Jump Start Social Media, as many as 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn on a regular basis to research candidates. Their method of recruiting is definitely evolving which means the ROI in online recruiting is very appealing to organizations.[3]
Needless to say, there are many, many usages for social networking media and I think we have only scratched the surface. The common theme in all of it is we all want to be seen, heard, and understood by those important to us. What social networking media does is it allows that to happen among groups of people that in normal circumstances would not be possible.
References:
[1] http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1484/social-media-mobile-internet-use-teens-millennials-fewer-blog
[2] http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
[3] Danko, Jenn,. Hire Power. PM Network, July 2010. Project Management Institute.
The absolute beauty of it all is that we are in full control of how we are perceived online. We create what is called an online profile, and many of us have multiple ones. In fact, in 2009, the majority of adults (52%) who used social networking media used more than one site. [1] Facebook is currently the most popular used online social networking site with over 500,000 million active users. [2] Among adult profile owners, 73% have a profile on Facebook. Fifty percent of active users will log on any given day and spend a total of 700 billion minutes on monthly basis. Forty eight percent who have networking site profiles have a profile on MySpace and 14% have a LinkedIn profile. [1]
Corporations are also using social networking sites to their advantage. PM Networking came out this month with an article titled “Hire Power”, discussing how companies are joining the social media to recruit talent. It was an interesting read, especially for me since I’ve consciously tried this year to increase my online profile exposure by publishing this website and with my LinkedIn account as a means to communicate with employers. Although social networking sites have been around for many years, recruiters just recently began using them to gather information on potential candidates. Companies can directly learn about candidates and contact them with essentially no cost to them what so ever. According to Jump Start Social Media, as many as 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn on a regular basis to research candidates. Their method of recruiting is definitely evolving which means the ROI in online recruiting is very appealing to organizations.[3]
Needless to say, there are many, many usages for social networking media and I think we have only scratched the surface. The common theme in all of it is we all want to be seen, heard, and understood by those important to us. What social networking media does is it allows that to happen among groups of people that in normal circumstances would not be possible.
References:
[1] http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1484/social-media-mobile-internet-use-teens-millennials-fewer-blog
[2] http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
[3] Danko, Jenn,. Hire Power. PM Network, July 2010. Project Management Institute.
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