The Coca-Cola Company's New Social Media Principles

In this video, Adam Brown, of The Coca-Cola Company, shares some insights regarding their new social media policy, known internally as their "Online Social Media Principles". All Coca-Cola associates who wish to represent Coca-Cola, must complete a company social media certification program.

If you would like to review Coca-Cola's new social media policy, you may download the pdf here: http://bit.ly/ccsmpolicy. Thank you to Digital Buzz for breaking this story.

Social Recruiting Boot Camp

My first speaking engagement of the year is delivering a "Social Recruiting Boot Camp" at the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Recruiting Society. Hope to see you there.

Here is the official invitation:
Let's kick off the New Year with one of the hottest trends in recruiting! In part 1 of our 3 part series of Social Media content, Jenny DeVaughn, Chief Enthusiast Officer (CEO) of Social Precision, will help you start 2010 in the right direction.

Jenny will get rid of your social media timewasters and make sure that your social recruiting strategy is in top form. Jenny has been on the front lines and used social media tools to reach her recruiting, business development and career goals. With some consistent and persistent effort, you can also get the social recruiting results you have always desired. This will be an interactive and energetic session that you do not want to miss.

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Recruiting Society's January 2010 Meeting

Tuesday, January 19th
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Mirant Corporation
1155 Perimeter Center West, 1st Floor Assembly Room
Atlanta, GA 30338

Cost:  Complimentary for members and $20 for non-members

Meeting Time:  5:30 - 6:00 PM - Networking and Registration
                        6:00 - 7:30 PM - Presentation

Register online at http://bit.ly/tagbootcamp and walk-ins are welcome.

Start Off 2010 Right with a Social Recruiting Checkup

As we begin another year in our recruiting careers, it is time to assess our social recruiting efforts. Here are some tips as you reflect and refocus your online social recruiting goals:

1. Examine your social media footprint. You can start by visiting Pipl.com to see what information exists about you online. If you don’t like the content that is shown, you have an opportunity to immediately change it. Start commenting on blogs of influencers in your industry. Contribute a post to ERE or Recruiting Blogs. Be a part of Twitter conversations to share best practices. Create a Google profile.
   
   
2. Your social media presence should reflect your passions. Reassess your professional goals. It may be time to hire a career coach to help you identify strengths or skills that you are overlooking. Read, Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk for inspiration.
   
   
3. Update your avatar. I had the same profile picture for over 6 years, until a close friend suggested that I change it. It is important that your photo shows who you are professionally.
   
   
4. Review your online bios. Due to size restrictions, you will have different versions on Twitter, LinkedIn and your company website. Your bio should reflect what makes you special and different from other recruiters, including critical keywords so that your profile can be found. Is your bio a long-winded press release that no one will take the time to read?
   
   
5. Plan your social media activities after you set specific goals. Social media networks are designed to engage. You may start in LinkedIn searching for an IT candidate and 30 minutes later you wind up in an alumni group looking for old friends. In order to combat this, calendar specific functions. For example, from 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM, reserve time to find 10 qualified candidates for your Java Developer opening.
   
   
6. Change the frequency of your social recruiting activities. Social media never sleeps. How often do you update your Twitter or LinkedIn status? When was the last time you posted something to your company’s Facebook Fan page? Set Outlook reminders to ensure that your communication is consistent to your social media communities.
   
   
7. Keep paying it forward to candidates. Conduct a complimentary webinar for your ideal candidates on a subject that they truly value.  Volunteer to speak or review resumes at job seekers groups, like a career ministry to help those who need recruiting resources now more than ever.
   
   
8. Outline your job notification process. When you get a new opening within your company, how do you promote it to your networks? Is there a standard process based on past recruiting metrics or a random series of posts depending upon how you are feeling that day?
   
   
9. Evaluate your accomplishments on specific platforms. Hopefully, you have been measuring your recruiting activities. Review your past placements. Where did your best referrals and candidates come from? When you are determining which social platforms to focus your resources into this year, don’t believe the hype and the propaganda of biased resources. Your best social recruiting platform may be an internal network from employee referrals or cold calling niche online directories of candidates. Remember that your social recruiting strategy is unique.
   
   
10. Add innovative tools to your social recruiting tool kit. It may be time to reevaluate your career website and the candidate’s experience with your online presence. Maybe you should consider incorporating video, jobcasts, Facebook advertising or an iPhone app for potential candidates. Be sure that any tactical choices support your comprehensive recruiting plan.

In the ever-changing world of social recruiting, there is always room for improvement. Continue to engage with potential talent in new ways and measure your results of each social recruiting campaign. Let’s continue to evolve our social recruiting efforts in 2010!

VIDEO: Waving Goodbye to 2009

Here is a quick wrap up of the year's events in a Google Wave:

At the end of the video, Google challenges us to start discussing the possibilities for next year in a set of multiple waves at http://www.discuss2010.com.

World Map of Social Networks

Via TechCrunch, Vincenzo Cosenza has updated his infographic that shows the most popular social networks on a world map, based on the most recent traffic data as of December 2009 as measured by Alexa and Google Trends.

You may click on the map for a larger view of Facebook's world domination. If you are recruiting in specific countries, are you targeting your ideal candidates within the most effective social networks using the right message?

Using Facebook to Identify and Recruit Talent

Facebook has over 350 million users from over 70 countries. Many companies are not effectively recruiting from Facebook and are missing out on its massive traffic.

This is a copy of my slide deck from my webinar: Using Facebook to Identify and Recruit Talent. You can also search the tweets with the webinar's hashtag: #FBrecruit.

Using Facebook To Identify And Recruit Talent - Jenny DeVaughn

Useful Facebook Links for Recruiters:
Create a Facebook Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

Find Friends (scroll down to search by company) - http://www.facebook.com/find-friends

Advanced Search Beta 2.0 Application - http://apps.facebook.com/advancedsearch

Facebook Gadgets - http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets

Thank you to Katherine Mehr with Human Resources IQ for inviting me to deliver this webinar as a free gift to my colleagues for the holidays.

You can also read my previous blog post, "Is Facebook the Best Untapped Social Recruiting Website?" that I wrote in October.

The View From Inside TEDxPeachtree

TEDxPeachtree is an event that brings creative people with many different experiences and talents to discuss ideas worth spreading. This year’s theme was “What if…”. Those who wanted to attend submitted an application to a selection committee and only 100 attendees were selected.

It was an honor to be invited to the inaugural TEDxPeachtree. It was held at the Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD) in Atlanta, GA. The vibrant artwork that lined the white walls and the modern designs throughout the building provided the perfect backdrop. The event was streamed live with multiple cameras and by the best media professionals available. 

The most inspiring presenter was G. Ross Mason, who shared global insights regarding healthcare. In August 2007, Ross was involved in a bicycle accident that paralyzed from the collarbone down. Prior to his accident, Ross was actively involved in triathlons, scuba diving, surfing, climbing and a NASCAR certified driver.

Facing his own adversity, Ross created the Healthcare Institute for Neuro-Recovery and Innovation (HINRI) Ventures, Labs and its foundation. He is a living example of courage and character without any wishes for self-pity.

Ross challenged us to risk more, reflect more and leave more behind when we are gone. He urged us to invest in the people sitting right next to us.

After the event, I paused to reflect on the meaningful comments Ross declared and pondered, “What if?” We often spend a lot of time networking and reaching out to new contacts or potential clients. As an alternative, we could strengthen our existing relationships and make a bigger impact. Sometimes we spend too much time focusing on what we don't have yet and should appreciate what we have already created.

Thank you to the sponsors, organizers, including applicant selection committee, and all those behind the scenes that made TEDxPeachtree possible. You have given me several ideas worth spreading.

Stop Trying to Please Everyone

At the SITE SE Ignite Innovation Conference, we were honored to hear the Keynote Speaker, Jerry S. Wilson, board elected Senior Vice-President, who serves as the Chief Customer and Commercial Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. He is also the co-author of the book, Managing Brand YOU.

Jerry's presentation renewed the audience's passion for maintaining our own individual brands. Sacrifice potential clients to stay true to your internal compass and values. If you try to be all things to everyone; you will ultimately fail. Jerry asked, “Does MTV care if Grandma hates them? No. They love it and the more, the better results that they have with their target audience [teens].”

Jerry also challenged us to unleash the power of our own unique brands. Jerry recommended having more fun, taking more risks, not mimicking others and doing work on your own terms. Do you have loyal clients or a whole bunch of people who just think about you?

Are You Unemployed?

As recruiters watch the unemployment rate increase or decrease to anticipate hiring for next year, here is a quick way to determine if you are truly unemployed:

Keep in mind that I believe that being unemployed is a state of mind. Again, I'm not trying to downplay the severity of the issue. Every person has strengths and gifts. It is up to you to find a way to monetize them!

Profitable Silver Linings in This Recession Cloud

When you work in the recruiting industry during a recession, one benefit is having additional time for other activities that you normally wouldn’t be able to add to your workload. I found these silver linings during 2009:

1. Twitter
   I’m continually amazed at how 140 characters can impact your life, brand and career. This communication tool allowed me to extend my network nationally, discover breaking news and share best practices with leaders in multiple industries. I’m grateful for the variety of relationships and knowledge that I have gained.
   
   
2. Local Professional Organizations
   Being a volunteer within SHRM-Atlanta, NAAAP Atlanta, TAG Recruiting Society, ProWIN and other local professional associations gave me the chance to aid other colleagues who were in difficult career transitions. I found myself trying to motivate others to find their true passions in life. In turn, I was truly inspired.
   
   
3. Conferences
   By taking the time to travel to attend and speak at several conferences this year, I gained experiences that I couldn’t get from working at my desk or from a laptop. I met many new virtual friends in person, created innovative ventures and felt the collective support from others who were also working diligently to prosper in 2009 and beyond.

As my business increases, I will continue to be active on Twitter, volunteer in professional organizations and attend or speak at conferences. I’m excited about the business opportunities and trusted alliances that have been generated. Here’s to continuing to work together to reach our goals!

Follow Your Twitter Friends in Real Life

According to its developer, Presselite, Twitter 360 is a new iPhone 3GS application that enables you to visualize the location of your Twitter friends using the Twitter's Geotagging feature.

Here are some features of Twitter 360:

• See the latest tweets of your friends and the location from where they were posted. When a tweet is selected, a blue arrow (compass) is displayed to show the direction and the distance to the location from where the tweet was posted. The distance is updated in real time as you walk.

• It is fully compatible with Google Maps. It is possible to locate your nearest Twitter friends from your position on Google Maps within the application.

• Switch off the geolocalization option in the setting to be in "invisible" mode. Your friends won't be able to see where you are tweeting anymore.

It seems like only yesterday that Michael Marlatt was discussing the possibility of using your phone to connect with potential candidates or ideal business associates using geotagging. Now it's becoming a reality through mobile applications like Loopt, Foursquare, Plancast and now Twitter 360. Will Twitter 360 and these other geotagging mobile applications be adopted by corporate entities or just used for casual non-work purposes?

The Google Story In Two Minutes

When I visited Google in June, it exceeded all of my expectations. Here is a well-done and entertaining look at the history of Google in two minutes:

The Best Conversation About LinkedIn I've Ever Had

This is a guest post by Bill Seaver of MicroExplosion Media. While attending BarCamp Nashville, I saw Bill give an outstanding presentation. I enjoyed meeting Bill and other talented members of the Nashville technology and media community. Bill and I had a great conversation about LinkedIn and other social media tools. Thank you to Bill for compiling this blog post and producing the accompanying video:

That title pretty much describes my feeling about this conversation with Jenny DeVaughn of Social Precision in Atlanta. I met Jenny at Barcamp Nashville last month and realized she has expertise in LinkedIn…something I have been less than enthusiastic about in the past.

In this video, Jenny provides excellent insight into how to think about LinkedIn.

The biggest takeaway for me is that LinkedIn is NOT a communication tool like Facebook or Twitter. It’s a research tool. If you make that distinction, it changes everything. Jenny shares some of the ways (some of which are almost scary) you can tap into LinkedIn for business research, business development, networking, and competitive intelligence.

If you’re trying to figure out where (or if) LinkedIn fits into your social media strategy, I think the 12 minutes in this video will be helpful. I know it’s got me rethinking LinkedIn.

What You May Have Missed In LinkedIn from Bill Seaver on Vimeo.

Use Social Media to Fight Cancer

During this Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to join my HR Carnival for Charity colleagues and dedicate this blog post to my favorite cause, the American Cancer Society. By becoming a volunteer, I witnessed the vital support that it provides to cancer survivors and their families.

You may not be aware of the depth of the American Cancer Society’s social media influence to mobilize its fundraising and volunteer communities. Here are some of its social media highlights:

Virtual Fundraising in Second Life
For the past five years, its signature fundraising activity, Relay For Life, has taken place virtually in Second Life. This year it attracted 200 teams with 2,000 avatar participants and the event raised over $274,000. Jenifer D. Waldrop of the American Cancer Society stated, “We have used Second Life for successful event fundraising, however, there is a lot more that we can explore.” This video gives a comprehensive look into Relay For Life in Second Life:

Cool and User-Friendly Tools
The American Cancer Society has declared itself as “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays”, because they believe that every birthday represents another victory over cancer. For their More Birthdays campaign, the American Cancer Society has a website with simple ways to support this cause. One can send an e-card, create your own birthday page, promote this cause via Facebook, make a donation, add a badge to your website, create a customized “More Birthdays” Evite and download wallpaper for your Mac/PC.

Active Presence in a Variety of Social Networks
Most charities have an active Twitter account and Facebook Fan Page. The American Cancer Society is also active on Friendfeed at http://friendfeed.com/americancancer and has a YouTube channel jam-packed of inspirational videos.

Live Chat and Interactive Blog
One glance at Dr. Leonard (Len) Lichtenfeld's impressive bio and you soon understand why he is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Len also writes the posts and manages all comments on the American Cancer Society's first blog called Dr. Len's Cancer Blog. In addition, Dr. Len conducts pre-scheduled live chats on a variety of cancer-related issues. The blog and live chats provide a much needed forum for thoughtful conversation on cancer topics.

Thank you to Michael VanDevort for allowing me to be a contributor to the HR Carnival for Charity with this blog post. Here's to a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

VIDEO: Social Recruiting Summit #MonsterSocial Tweetup

Click here to view more photos from the event on Flickr taken by Alana Lombardi.

Thank you to Eric Winegardner (and his colleagues from Monster Worldwide), Alice Joy with 675 Bar, Kathy O'Reilly, Ernest Feiteira and Kathleen Smith for making the tweetup a reality. We appreciate everyone who joined us for the tweetup. Although I love keeping up with my professional network using social media, it is so much more fun meeting in real life.

VIDEO: Social Media ROI

Your social media strategy must be a part of your comprehensive marketing plan. Tactical components from a social media campaign can fail, if they are not properly aligned with your company's goals. There is a return on investment (ROI) when using social media tools and it can be measured. Don't believe me? Watch this video:

VIDEO: The Best Private Social Network for Corporations

Launching in 2010, Salesforce Chatter seems like the ultimate private social network for corporations. According to WebProNews, it lets users collaborate securely in real time with: Profiles, Status Updates, Feeds, Groups, Social Apps, Google Docs, Twitter, Facebook and more. Users are also able to build customized applications. Plus, this is all accessible via your mobile device, like an iPhone or BlackBerry.

It will be sold for a monthly fee of $50 per user and includes Salesforce Chatter, Salesforce Content and Force.com. Check out the quick video introducing Salesforce Chatter:

Social Recruiting Summit: Lessons Learned

When an event has Laurie Ruettimann as the Chairwoman, a list of unbelievable speakers, attendees from all over the world, quick hit sessions and is located in the city that never sleeps, my expectations are high. The Social Recruiting Summit did not disappoint. Here are a few of the insights that continue to resonate with me:

1. Monster Worldwide should add a new revenue stream: event planning. I spent time organizing the #monstersocial tweetup with Eric Winegardner, Alana Lombardi and Kathy O'Reilly. Each person I interacted with from their organization was exceptional. The 675 Bar was a great venue. The tweetup was also a success due to the dedicated help of Ernest Feiteira and Kathleen Smith.
   
   
2. When discussing social media and recruiting, show me the data! We want to see the actual return on your social media investment. Master Burnett, Fred Wilson and Gerry Crispin provided lots of insights and the true analytical impact of social recruiting.
   
   
3. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. Blame it on my Midwestern roots or the influence of my parents. When speaking or interacting in a public social network, I always try to find the good points to comment about people or organizations. In the past, I haven’t always succeeded and I have been deeply humbled by those moments. One can deliver an authentic and memorable message to their target audience by being polite.
   
   
4. The recruiting industry is full of unselfish leaders. I’m grateful to be a part of a conversation with those who are willing to share their experiences and miscues in social media, even in front of their competitors. Also, there are many of our colleagues that work tirelessly behind the scenes, especially the ERE team so that we can attend conferences like the Social Recruiting Summit.
   
   
5. Conferences are more rewarding when we include everyone. I loved the Google Wave started by Chris Hoyt. It was like having a live wiki of the event where we could instantly collaborate and have a document to review or update in the future. ERE also provided the live feed online and posted the #socialrecruiting Twitter stream via Twubs. We could share ideas and feedback with those who were interested in the event, even if they were not there in person with us.

Thank you again to those who made certain that the Social Recruiting Summit was one of my favorite conferences this year. I appreciate the ways you have encouraged me to continue to evolve and learn. Hope to reconnect with my friends, old and new, again soon.

Update on Friday, November 20, 2009 at 2:01PM by Jenny DeVaughn

View the cool Social Recruiting Summit #monstersocial tweetup video by clicking here.

If You Like Interrupting People, You'll Love Google Wave

My initial thoughts of Google Wave are positive. It is a real-time online collaboration for teams. As you type, you can see others in the same wave type live as well. You soon discover who has exceptional typing skills and are able to quickly brainstorm ideas. I would love to see it enhanced to provide streaming live video for these discussions as well.

For those who are drowning and not riding the Google Wave yet, remember that it takes training, time and personal experiences to learn to be efficient with any tool, especially Google Wave. While few are Google Wave experts, it is important to dive in and see if Google Wave is for you. Most of us who are splashing around are very open to sharing tips and ideas. Click here for a helpful and free guide on getting started in Google Wave. You may add me to your contacts at jennydevaughn@googlewave.com.

As Amitai Givertz said, “There is no comfort in the learning zone and no learning in the comfort zone.” Break free of your comfort zone and jump into Google Wave.

Check Your LinkedIn Profile for the New Twitter Update

If you have already connected your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, your Twitter name will now show up in your profile with a link to your Twitter page. This is a great enhancement for those of us that use LinkedIn as a research and business development tool.

Still need to join your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts? Click here!