Category Archives: HR Blogs

Carnival of HR: Online Social Currency Edition

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The idea for the theme of this edition of the HR Carnival was the result of online social currency.  Victorio Milian had been crafting a post on this idea long before I had considered using those three words consecutively, and in an actual sentence.  He was gracious to grant me permission to run with it for this Carnival’s theme.  What I haven’t quite figured out is whether it was the result of Victorio’s online social currency, or mine.  Either way, it has prompted some fabulous contributions.

Enjoy the HR Carnival, and please take the time to interact with the authors, and each other.  Even if you were not able to submit an article for this event, you still have the opportunity to contribute significantly to the dialogue by leaving comments on the posts, and by using some of your online social influence to spread the word for our contributors.

I have loosely categorized submissions into 2 categories:  (1) Online Social Currency posts – those who took on the challenge; and, (2) Other Great Topics.

Online Social Currency

Unusual Idea of the Day – A Better Use of Social Currency.  This post, by Victorio Milian (Victorio Milian blog) was the catalyst for this HR Carnival theme.  Be sure to read the thoughts that have caused others to ponder the same question.

Finding Value in SoMe, by Dwane Lay (Lean HR blog).  While entering into the world of social media is as simple as signing up and actually using it, the value of social media for businesses is something that needs to be quantified and measured.  Dwane offers up some great, free advice in his post.

Project Social:  What is Influence?  by Laura Schroeder (Working Girl blog) is talking about “triangles of adoration.”  What more to you need to follow the link?  If you must, she also questions whether social influence is more about influence, or popularity?

HR Online – All Aboard Please – A Voyage of Discovery! is by Ian Clive (HR Toolbox).  Why would anyone in HR feel compelled to share his or her thoughts with the world?  While that might be a good question for your shrink, Ian shares his perspective on the matter.

The Net Worth of Your Network by Sri Subramanian (Talented Apps) asks if in today’s world of interconnected, geographically removed people, is it even possible to really connect without an online presence?  She shares some solid principles.

Help Others to Earn Online Currency is by Ben Martinez (Riverbend Media blog).  How should we define online currency, and how do we measure it?  Ben writes about the connection that we have with other people.

 Hoard, Spend, or Barter?  What Kind of SM Personality Are You?  Take your seats for this post by Robin Schooling (HR Schoolhouse).  She takes an intriguing approach to asking how social capital is spent in a capitalistic society.  So what kind of personality are you?

Online Social Currency:  How to Build and Measure It by Lynn Dessert (Elephants at Work).  This is a very nice piece for those who are still trying to figure out how the use of social media might translate into real currency.  Yes, it is also a great read for those of us who only think we know.  Either way, there is some solid, specific advice.

Other Great Topics

A Numbers Game, Sort Of, by Doug Shaw (What Goes Around Limited) takes an interesting and analytical approach to interpolating what blog statistics really mean. It’s okay, it doesn’t require the use of math to read and enjoy.

Advantage to Butt-In-the-Seat Training was written by Paul Meshanko (EdgeOhio).  At what point is using technology to create real learning ineffective?  Paul shares some great thoughts about the value of still planting butts in seats in our organizations.

Social Screening of Job Candidates: Focusing on the Facts, was submitted by Courtney Hunt (Social Media in Organizations).  Whether we like it or not, social screening is on the rise, and there are some things that employers and job candidates need to understand.  Now, if that wasn’t enough, Courtney also contributing a follow-up piece titled, Social Media and Recruiting 101:  Overview and Recommendations.  They are both great pieces and worth the read.

The Gordon Gekko Approach to Professional Development.  Okay, movie buffs, who is this famous character?  Stumped?  Patrick Mullarkey (mentoring Mullarkey blog) will remind you, and will suggest that since money never sleeps, neither should your professional development efforts.

Which Change Model Should You Pick?  Dan McCarthy (Great Leadership blog) contributed a timely piece on a topic that is right up my professional alley.  While we are all dealing with change in our organizations, which model or models should we really be using?  This might cause you to blow the dust off of some of those management textbooks, and I suspect it will introduce you to something new.  

How to Talk to a CEO, by Mark Stelzner (Inflexion Advisors blog).  The only thing more fun than writing a post to share how you’ve screwed up in your career is having the opportunity to read how someone else has done it.  Mark shares a great post with some solid advice.

Are Your High Performers Really High Performers?  This is the question asked, and answered by Chris Young (Rainmaker Group – Maximize Possibility blog).  Smart companies reward employees based on potential, and recognize job fit as a contributor.  

The Name of the Integrated Talent Management Game, by Kevin Oakes (i4cp – Trendwatchers blog) asks the question, why is it that so many companies recognize that talent is critical to competitiveness, but managing it as a comprehensive strategy remains so rare?  

Transformational Change Management and Organizational Culture, by Maryanne Wanca-Thibault.  Maryanne writes about change as an ongoing part of an organization’s evolution.  The key is in finding a strategy that minimizes uncertainty and perceived risk.

Well, there you have it friends – the HR Soot version of the Carnival of HR.   Thank you to all who contributed, and I again invite others to join the discussion by writing comments on these posts.  Now that I’ve spent my online social currency, I suppose that I had better invest some time in the work that is providing me with a paycheck today.  But then again, who knows what our social connections will lead to tomorrow.

August 3rd Carnival of HR: Online Social Currency

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I don’t know about you, but I’m getting discouraged by the recent economic headlines:  deficit spending crisis; debt ceiling negotiations (a.k.a., high-stakes political poker); high unemployment; and, overconfident economic projections.  I am so desperate for positive economic news that I’ve decided to create it.

The August 3rd installment of the Carnival of HR is coming to HR Soot, along with the opportunity for us to create a meaningful dialogue on the topic of “Currency.”  The selfish part of hosting is that something fresh will actually hit this site other than my ridiculous Dancing HR Guy videos.  Yes, the HR Soot crickets have been lacking for competition over the summer.  But, I am getting my dancing groove on!

So here is a call to all writers, sometimes-writers, and so-you-think-you-can-write writers to submit posts.  The guidelines for Carnival of HR posts can be found here.

Optional Topic Challenge

For those of you who like a throw-down challenge, here it is:  How does your online social currency translate into real, tangible value?  My friend Victorio Milian has been asking this question recently, and his post was the catalyst for my topical challenge to you.  Does the social capital that we build in online environments (e.g., blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn) translate into our real worlds of work, interpersonal relationships, and professional capital that leads to a paycheck?  If the thought makes your head hurt too much, new or recent posts on other topics are welcome too.  You can email me the link for your post at wgould at hrsoot dot com – please send live links to me no later than mid-day on Tuesday August 2nd.

New Bloggers Welcome

If you do not have a blog, and are interested in making a contribution, I’m happy to host reasonable, non-commercial submissions.  Please email me at wgould at hrsoot dot com ASAP; I will ask for submissions to arrive no later than Sunday night (July 31st).

Bring It!

I’m looking forward to reading all of your great content.  Who knows, maybe we can provide some real value to those in need of cashing in some of their online social currency.  That would be the best kind of economic news.

HR Soot In Transition

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I am in the process of transferring HR soot from its old site at www.hrsoot.blogspot.com. I am new to WordPress and am slowly unravelling this thing called HTML, but would appreciate any feedback on the layout and functionality of this new site – please leave a comment.  For those who subscribe to the old Blogspot address, I invite you to subscribe to HR Soot at this new location.  All new posts will be published at www.hrsoot.com.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged and supported this experiment!

#ProjectSocial – Why Should I Be Social Now?

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As fall acquieces to the promise of snowflakes and bone-chilling temperatures in Minnesota, I’ve been contemplating the almost surreal experience that I label as the last few months of my life.  In addition to my #TrenchHR work, I am back in school (I suffer an incurable disease for learning), and I continue my journey deeper into the world of social media and blogging.  Some think I’m crazy, but in my mind these new experiences are complimentary; perhaps together they will result in real understanding.  It takes effort to grow.

Out of the Cave

During my first telephone conversation with Lisa Rosendahl, my #ProjectSocial mentor and partner, I confessed that I had been living my professional life in a cave. My leap – or perhaps more accurately described as a limp – into the world of Twitter and blogging has helped me to learn a few things about my own biases, many of which have been holding me back:

• I had been avoiding the HR network largely because there are many things about our profession (and yes, some good people in our profession) that drive me crazy – I elected to go the course alone (e.g., I have never been to a HR conference

• With a little effort in social media, I quickly learned that there are some very progressive and highly intelligent HR people living outside of my cave, and they were relatively easy to locate and engage

• There is a cadre of like-minded professionals who are interested and active in changing the practice and profession of HR, and

• My opportunity to contribute to the dialogue was a simple as my willingness to engage others, whether through the power of the social media space, or more traditionally.

The Risk

In the abstract, the thought of publishing my opinions and rants on a blog was exciting. While I have no shortage of ideas about what to write, I have found that how I write is the more challenging proposition. For example, trying to keep my thoughts under 750 words is painful; under 140 characters is an art. On the other side of this public discourse equation was the realization that there were actually other people out there reading what I had been writing, and some of them might be compelled to respond.

As the concept of being professionally social transcended into reality, I experienced a moment or two of anxiety. In this virtual space, I was leading with my thoughts and ideas, and not my title, my position, or my credentials. I discovered that where I had been, and what I had done was not relevant compared to what I think or what I have to offer. It’s a sobering epiphany; to realize that my desire to share my professional experiences is not an end, but rather a foundation for what I hope to contribute. While all of this does come with some personal and professional risk, it is also the opportunity to contribute to something that is more meaningful than self promotion The People

One of the first people I followed on Twitter was Charlie Judy (@HRFishbowl); his was also one of the first HR blogs that I read regularly. I connected with his message about the need to put people back at the center of our strategic HR journey; his writing also has an edge that speaks of passion. He had obviously thought more deeply about this than I, and he articulated what I had felt for the last few years far better than I could have.

The real value to all of these experiments isn’t what I may or may not produce (or how I might brand myself), but rather the relationships that I am developing with real people along the way. If I turn some attention to the number of HR professionals who continue to dismiss the concept of social media for themselves and their organizations, I have this to say: Social media isn’t simply a strategy or new means for communicating the same old messages. Being social in today’s environment is about the ability to develop new relationships without the inconvenience of artificial barriers, such as geography and position

If you’re interested, but don’t know how, then please sign up for #ProjectSocial (Ben Eubanks, Victorio Milian) and allow another HR pro the opportunity to help you learn. At a minimum, you’ll run the risk of developing a new relationship with someone you otherwise would never have known.