Infographic: Around the World in Social Networking

Insider Check-In at Foursquare HQ

While attending SourceCon in NYC, I had the opportunity to tour Foursquare's HQ. Co-Founders, Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai were there to greet me too. As an active user, I was simply thrilled just to check-in to this location.

Naveen and Jenny at Foursquare's HQ

The genuine passion of each employee is evident when the elevator opens to their offices. Although people are productive and focused on their work, you sense that they are motivated by a greater purpose. I talked with two outstanding employees, Carol and Eric. It was refreshing to hear about their responsibilities and sincere dedication to Foursquare's users.

Their offices include private meeting spaces with badges on each door, a kitchen, disco ball and lounge areas for their staff to work comfortably. Innovation, kindness and creativity are valued and on display. It is no surprise that Foursquare is hiring and growing. I'm hopeful that the collaborative core and culture will remain the same. Visiting Foursquare only reinforced my belief in this organization and its continued success.

Customize Content to Feel Like Home

Yesterday, I returned to Atlanta from a business trip to Minneapolis with a world-class employer brand and recruitment team. Being back in the Midwest rejuvenates me, especially since I was born and raised in Iowa. When I meet someone that knows my hometown, there is a stronger possibility of a trusted relationship. We have much more in common, including friends, values and shared experiences.

When you post content online to a unique niche, it should feel like home to your ideal audience.

1. Use familiar lingo: Using the phrases and language that your audience uses will allow for better communication, understanding and interest.
2. Find their sounding boards: Have empathy for your audience and their fears. Search social networks, groups, newsletters, blogs and discussion boards to see their immediate problems, join those conversations and offer solutions.
3. Connect visually: Show photos and videos of your target audiences’ locations, surroundings, events, etc. Do your photos and videos include people that they feel are like themselves?
4. Leverage role models: Your audience looks up to certain celebrities, thought leaders and public figures. Read their books, watch those shows and understand why they inspire your target audience. Your message should reflect those ideals and stir the same emotions.
5. Demonstrate genuine interest: When the message is too contrived or fake, it will cause a negative reaction. Do you want to be viewed as an outsider with a revenue-based objective or as an insider with an opinion that people trust?

The Super Connector - Online Hype or Hero?

LinkedIn unveiled it's newest product, InMaps. When connected to your account, it shows a visual impression of your connections. When I linked mine, this response appeared: Sorry, but your network is too large to be computed, we are working to increase the limit, stay tuned! To be fair, I have over 22,000 1st level connections. No matter what size network you have; you can create meaningful relationships.

Here are four ways to be an online super hero rather than just an ego:
1. When connecting for the first time online, share something that you genuinely have in common with that person. Start a relationship built on similiar characteristics, values, life/work experiences, hobbies or even the ideas that you share.

2. Never spam new connections. When I accept someone's invitation on LinkedIn, it frustrates me when I immediately get emailed a newsletter from him or her. Be respectful. I may have checked out your blog and already signed up to get your updates through my RSS feed.

3. Have a goal to eventually take the discussion offline. At some point, you may want to extend an invite to a group/event, meet for coffee or even provide a referral to another colleague. I have a list of folks that I can't wait to meet face-to-face this year.

4. Don't forget who brought you to the dance. I learned this from my Grandpa. Remember those trusted friends who have helped you get this far. Be sure to set up monthly collaborative meetings with those colleagues. My family in Iowa reminds me of where I'm from and where I want to be in life.

As I learned from Kat Cole at a recent conference, when you choose to communicate or not, you are always communicating. Be a super connector to those in your network and do much more than just accept their invitation on LinkedIn.

This One's For You, @Armano

Last May, I was a speaker at the Social Media in Recruitment Conference in Chicago. Some of my favorite colleagues were in attendance and we enjoyed being in such a hospitable city.

During my time there, I had the opportunity to meet David Armano. I'd been following (not stalking) him on Twitter and reading his blog, Logic + Emotion. After a few direct messages, David was kind enough to meet me and Eric Winegardner for happy hour with some of his colleagues, Suzanne Marlatt and Blagica Bottigliero, at the ROOF of theWit. David's transparency instantly earns your respect, while his demeanor captures your attention. However, I wasn't prepared. We chit chatted like you would with a stranger in the line at the DMV and I missed out on building a genuine relationship.

When you meet someone that you admire, be prepared. Discuss a specific experience, best practice or any advice they shared and how it inspired you. Also, don't be afraid to ask a follow-up question that shows you want to learn from them or get their perspective on a decision that you are facing. After your brief meeting, send him or her a handwritten note or at least an email to say thank you.

This March, I'll be speaking at SXSW Interactive with Robyn Cobb on how to "Shine a Light on Others to Build Your Brand". Hopefully, the invite to join David at the Edelman SXSW party is still open and I'll have the second chance to share how he has unknowingly had a positive impact on my career.

Five Ways to Generate More Interest in Facebook

With over 500 million users, Facebook continues to bring us closer together. Take a look at these five tips, if you would like to get more attention from your target audience in this social network.

1.  Start with a strategy
When you started your business and put in a phone line, did you think that customers would call you immediately? Of course not, your company had a marketing strategy to increase the amount of calls your sales people would receive. Like with any marketing channel, Facebook requires a specific plan in order to gain the most ideal results. People are not going to flock to your Facebook Page, unless you have significant brand equity.

2.  End the stream of posts from games or applications
Playing games is one of the most popular activities online. When you post an action from these online games to your wall, you separate yourself from others who do not share your love of these applications. Most of your non-social media friends do not know how to hide different posts or specific content within Facebook.
 
3.  Take the conversation offline
Don’t rely solely on Facebook for your marketing plan. Continue to pick up the phone and/or meet with your clients at their offices on a regular basis. Use Facebook to enhance your relationship and connect socially with your contacts. Invest more time making introductions or reconnecting with colleagues at networking events.

4.  Reveal who you are on a daily basis
Show different sides of your life, interesting views and inspiring stories from people that you admire. Think about who you are and what you value. Is this reflected everyday in your wall on Facebook through your photos, videos, comments and likes? When you post content that is relevant and important to your audience, this increases the participation on your Page.

5.  Highlight others
Earn more social networking credibility by genuinely promoting others. There are many ways that you can give appreciation to others on Facebook. For example, you could write a recommendation for a colleague or mentor in LinkedIn and then post a link to their profile on your Facebook wall. By showing that you value your trusted relationships, it will help you create new friendships too.

Networking Lesson: Meeting Kevin and DeLana Harvick

Thanks to the Speedway Children's Charities, I met Kevin and DeLana Harvick before the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kevin is a respected NASCAR cup driver with an impressive list of accomplishments. Plus, Kevin and his wife, DeLana, are active on Twitter. Their tweets are authentic. They also created a social network for Harvick fans, called Fan Central.

During the pre-race festivities, Kevin and I rode in the back of a Chevy truck. Kevin was so pleasant. We talked about the pending launch of his Foundation's Twitter page. Afterwards, Kevin even allowed me to take some photos with him next to his car. Kevin introduced me to his wife, DeLana, as a super tweeter. DeLana also thanked me for donating to the Speedway Children's Charities.

As a NASCAR fan, I wish more drivers would be as genuine online and in-person as the Harvick team. I enjoyed our conversation, their kindness and willingness to donate their time for an amazing charity.

The good news is that we all have the potential to make a positive and lasting first impression. Never forget the power of meeting people face-to-face. It will trump everything that we could do online.

Social Networking Around the World

Today, I was honored to give a webinar on the global trends of social networking to Avanade. Thank you to Search Wizards for this opportunity.

Many of the global Fortune 100 companies now recognize the value in frequent and continuous online engagement. Some are using more than one platform and learning to understand the existing online preferences of their targeted talent pools. From a recruiting perspective, if you are actively involved in conversations with ideal candidates, it increases the effectiveness of your organization's employer brand strategy and recruitment marketing efforts.

Take advantage of the social networking platforms available globally to highlight the positive aspects of your employer brand and truly interact with candidates.

Social Networking Around the World - Jenny DeVaughn

Everyone Wins on Foursquare

During my childhood days in Iowa, I played Foursquare at recess and even indoors during the winter months. Now Foursquare has become a virtual game that I access on a daily basis with 540,000 other users.

The new Foursquare is a location based social networking resource that you access from your phone. Its users check into actual locations. You get points for checking into locations and may even become the Mayor of a venue. For example, I'm the Mayor of the Starbucks on 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta. Users are awarded badges for checking into certain venues or for accomplishing a certain task. If you check into 5 different Starbucks locations, you get a special badge and a free drink.

Here are some benefits of playing Foursquare:

1. In-Person Networking
Foursquare can find users that you follow on Twitter or your friend on Facebook who are also using Foursquare. You have the ability to also follow their checkins, as long as they approve of you as a friend on Foursquare. At SXSW, it was a great way to track which panels and parties people were attending.  I could use Google Maps, which is embedded into Foursquare to meet up with ideal contacts. 

2. Top of Mind Awareness
Maintaining multiple relationships over time is difficult. Foursquare allows me to show my contacts in other cities my activities when I check into venues, including my workplace. You can combat the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. You can connect your Foursquare account to Twitter or Facebook to update your status when you checkin, become the mayor of a location or receive a badge.

3. VIP Treatment
Many businesses offer specials when you check-in for the first time or as the mayor of their business. You also get to know other regulars that support that same local venue. Companies can create a feed of the checkins at their locations too. Your customers are announcing with pride that they are at your location. Wouldn't you like to reward them? You can also use a widget to highlight these visitors on your website: http://www.placewidget.com.

4. Real-Time Reviews
You can add tips and also read advice from others who have visited the same location. Users can also connect directly to Yelp to read additional reviews in detail. As a consumer, you will make informed buying decisions. Businesses learn ways to improve their operations and relationships with customers.

Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare at SXSWIf you are still in doubt, keep in mind these accomplishments that Foursquare achieved in the past year:

Over 500,000 users
Over 1,000,000 badges have been awarded
Over 1.4 million venues with 1200 offering specials
Over 15.5 million checkins

Foursquare and other geotagging options will continue to evolve and become a part of every company's social strategy.



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.

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!