This week, I read a great article by Career Rocketeer about how to use Twitter more effectively to express your gratitude to those who re-tweet you Tweets. Here are three things I learned form the article:

1.     Do not just thank the person for re-tweeting your message.  Use this as an opportunity to either engage them in a dialogue about a topic, or use this as an opportunity to get to know them better so that you can engage with them in the future. Try to use their first name so you can create an emotional connection with them.

2.     Add them to one of your customer lists. This is another way to thank an individual for their efforts.

3.     Re-Tweet instead of jus saying thank you. A nice way to show appreciation to someone is to re-tweet something they have written on their blog, or something they have recently tweeted about.

This article is chock full of great ideas. To read more, go to:

http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/12/8-ways-to-say-thank-you-on-twitter.html

Twitter, follow: @CareerRocketeer

Time Management Tips for Dealing with Social Media

I read a very interesting article in Social Media Today on how to deal with the feeling of overwhelm associated with managing one’s social media interests as well as everything else a job seeker has to deal with. Here are some quick tips as outlined in the article:

§  Have a focused social media strategy. That means, don’t try to be everywhere or you will be in information overload. Pick two or three sites that map to your target audience and where you want to express your personal brand. LinkedIn should be one of them.

§  Leverage Tools. There are very good tools available to help with social media content such as TweetDeck, Hellotxt and Hootsuite. Select one or two tools you are most comfortable with and learn how to use them to streamline your time.

§  Establish Routines. Set aside a few times during the day when you’ll check out your social media sites. The rest of the time, it is okay to unplug.

§  Manage Expectations. Just because someone emails you or sends you a direct message does not mean you have to answer asap. It is okay to say, “I got your note, but need a little time to respond.”

§  Manage Disruptions. It is very easy to get sucked into spending all day on social media sites. At the beginning of the day, set your top three priorities for the day and make sure you stick to them. Plug your social media activities around the top three goals for the day.

For additional ideas and information on social media, read www.socialmediatoday.com

Tweetiquette for Beginners

Lay-offs and increasing unemployment; Oprah and Larry King; these are all factors that have contributed to Twitter's rise from an obscure social community to an online behemoth. People now see Twitter's usefulness and its possible solution to everything, from an oppressive regime in Iran and to the portal to a new job after a pink slip.

Regardless of what it was, Twitter has gained acceptance by the mainstream, and should now be an integral part of any person's branding arsenal.

NOT A "HOW TO GUIDE"

It is not the mechanics of Twitter that are complicated, but the etiquette. Therefore, this article expands upon the 'how-to,' and discusses proper tweetiquette to help avoid a tweet pas (if you have read previous articles of mine about Twitter, I employ wordplay ad nauseam).

@ SYMBOL

Everyone on Twitter has a Twitter-name. Whenever you refer to, retweet, or respond to a person in a "tweet' (the characteristic 140 character message) their name must always be preceded by the @ symbol. This action is commonly referred to as a ‘mention.'

For example, my Twitter name is jdvarlaro, but if you were to write to me, you would type @jdvarlaro.

Why?

1) The @ symbol tells Twitter to send your response to the person's mention box. This person now knows you replied to something they wrote, retweeted it, or just said something really nice about them. Without the @, the message is not sent to their mention box, and there is no way for the person to know of your mention, unless they are following your tweets constantly (and trust me, NO ONE follows anyone's tweets constantly).

2) Your messages are broadcast to everyone following you. EVERYONE who follows you can now click on that person's name, and be directed to their Twitter account. This is extremely important tweetiquette, as mentioning someone without the @ means your followers cannot click and find them. Although, if you begin a tweet with @name, only followers who are following both you AND the person you write to will see your message.

Wait...What's A Retweet?

If you like something someone wrote... retweet it. For example, if you like something I tweet, type RT @jdvarlaro and a copy of my tweet. The @ ensures that I see you retweeted me, while your followers read that I wrote it and can now follow me, or retweet the entire message. And, people love to be retweeted.

Now, it is not uncommon to see messages retweeted 3 or 4 times. Just follow the same procedure, typing RT@name of the person who retweeted the message you like. Essentially, your message would read like this:

RT@Joe RT@Bob: I love to retweet!

Decoding the message is such that, Bob was the originator of the message "I love to retweet." At which point Joe retweeted Bob's message. Then, liking the entire message, you retweeted Joe.

You only have 140 characters, so in a multi-retweet shorten words and cut vowels - just be mindful to not cut a person who retweeted.

DIRECT MESSAGE

A direct message is Twitter email - it is only visible to the recipient. Precede the message with D @person's name or just use the Direct Message option on your Twitter home page.

A word of caution: A direct message is NOT the primary means of conversing on Twitter, and excessive direct messages can be a Tweet Pas.

Conversing on Twitter is open for all to see - and this is the part that many people new to Twitter do not understand. You speak; sometimes directly to someone, sometimes to no one; and people read it and can comment, add, or do nothing about it. That is just the way this social community functions.

# SYMBOL

Occasionally, a message will be followed by a # and then a word or acronym. Known as a hash tag, it allows all of the tweets containing the "#..." to be followed as one, continuous conversation.

Most famous is the #followfriday usage: every Friday, you endorse the people you like by tweeting @their name and #followfriday. This tells other people 'hey, follow this person!' If you were to search #followfriday, you could follow all of the tweets containing that tag.

By the way, #FollowFriday is an institution on Twitter, and is standard tweetiquette.

Other Uses of the "#"

The # is also employed in the event of breaking news. The protesters at the G20 summit in London tweeted and tagged all tweets #G20. Anyone on Twitter was able to read and participate by searching #G20 and tagging tweets with #G20. More recently, the Iranian Elections and the controversy which ensued created a massive amount of Twitter activity, causing people to go as far as making their Twitter pictures green in support of the protestors.

This method of tagging is also used to conduct political and news forums. You can read my article "Twitter and Politics; Twolitics" about how I participated, through Twitter, in a town hall meeting in Massachusetts (and how my question was answered by the Governor of Massachusetts).

Don't Stop With Twitter; Experiment With Other Social Media

It is important to mention that right now, social communities are in flux; 2 years ago it was MySpace, last year it was Facebook and Linkedin, this year it is Twitter, next year, who knows. The best thing you can do for your brand and your online presence is to gain a familiarity with a good sampling of social communities, and network through those effectively and efficiently, while keeping your ear to the floor regarding any new up and coming communities. If you hear of one, try it. This method is good practice and will continue to maintain your online brand.

THE GOLDEN RULE: TWEET THE ONE YOU'RE WITH

Regardless of the community, all online social communities follow the golden rule: by supporting others and interacting, you will gain support. I refer to this as ‘social narcissism.'

This is the basis of tweetiquette. Retweeting, @ symbols and the ilk do just that - show support and interaction with fellow tweople (tweeps and tweople are permissible, never use twits!)

Unfortunately, newbies, as well as some corporations and celebrities do not understand, or just ignore the golden rule. But while celebrities and some corporations can ignore it, if YOU want to be loved (and followed), well, you'll have to give love out.

So do not be selfish, and 'tweet the one you're with.'

John D Varlaro CPT, MBA
John, The Humanistic Strategist, is a business consultant and leadership coach based in Providence, Rhode Island whose expertise in marketing and organizational development accentuates the people in business. You may read more articles by him on his website, www.TheHumanisticStrategist.com

Four Tips for Using Social Media to Find a Job

In this economy, finding a job is extremely tough because of hiring freezes, lay-offs, outsourcing, and major competition. Graduates are entering the job market just as seasoned professionals are being let go, and there are a limited amount of positions available. So how do you find an edge and apply for a job before thousands of others have gotten in line before you? One trick that will help you stay connected without stalking Craigslist all through the night is to take full advantage of all the opportunities that social media and social networking can offer. Here are 6 tips for using social media to find a job and stick out amongst the competition.

1.      Pick the right social media site. There are countless social sites to log on to, but if you want to really connect with the people who can help you the most, you’ll have to weed through all the noise and create a strategic game plan. Sign up with a general social site that’s popular first, like Facebook or LinkedIn. Then, depending on your industry, you should research the niche social sites that attract people in your specific field. For example, if you’re an artist, you may want to try out ArtBreak . Decorati is a network of interior designers who connect and post information about sale items.

2.      Be professional and sensible when setting up your profile. Don’t use any silly nicknames or inappropriate pictures of yourself. Stick with your real name, real contact information, and a professional, flattering photo.

3.      Know the difference between posting a resume and explaining your interests. Different social sites have different forms to fill out, but generally speaking, no one wants to look at your profile and see the resume you copied/pasted onto the site. Allude to your skills and past work and list interests and hobbies that are relevant to the type of work you do, but add a separate link or page for your portfolio.

4.      Don’t be afraid to reach out. Social media is all about making connections that you wouldn’t ever be able to make in the real world. So don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to people around the country and around the world. Ask them about their job, explaining that you’d like to enter the industry or learn how to get experience. You’ll be surprised at how friendly and open people can be when you ask the right way.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the job search websites. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310 at gmail.com.

How to Make the Most Out of Your LinkedIn Groups

When LinkedIn launched its new Groups Directory last year, the business-oriented social networking Web site opened up a wealth of possibilities for new professional connections for you. Would you believe more than 90,000 possibilities? Well, that’s how many groups LinkedIn has available.

Through an easy search function (by keyword or category), you can quickly access information about many groups that might interest you. And, many that you might want to join. This can enhance your networking capabilities and improve your professional contacts for your job search or career reinvention.

If you’re interested in professional advancement, promotion, investigating a new field, or just keeping up on your career, networking is always considered one of the most important factors—if not the most important factor—to use to achieve your goals. And, one of the best ways to do this is through a variety of professional associations and alumni organizations, or attending conferences related to your career.

LinkedIn can improve your professional contacts through the directory function. However, with 90,000 possibilities, how do you make the most of this feature? First, you must get organized to take the best advantage of these opportunities. You don’t want to request to join a bunch of groups without investigating whether they can truly help your professional development.

Here are a couple of steps to take initially:

1.      Consider what groups (size, type) would benefit you the most

2.      Decide on which type to join—professional, networking, corporate, alumni, etc.

3.      Search the Groups Directory by keyword or category

4.      Review the overview of groups you might be interested in

5.      Be selective, don’t join any group without thinking it through

And, that is the key. You’ll be wasting your time if you join 25 groups, but don’t have time to work with any of them. You would be much better off joining three to five groups to start—perhaps one of each of the following: professional, conferencing, networking, corporate, and alumni—and become involved with them.

You can make new professionals contacts, join different discussion groups, exchange messages and queries, and sign up for a professional conference or seminar. These activities will help you grow your personal professional brand, extend your professional network, and not spread yourself out too thin.

Joining some LinkedIn groups will help you establish your professional network, stay in touch with your group associates more easily, and help you discover additional business contacts inside and outside your groups. If you start joining groups in a deliberate, organized fashion, you will eventually be able to expand the number of groups you’re involved with, and, thus, continue to expand your professional network.

Power up your online networking by joining LinkedIn Groups

You’ve joined LinkedIn and already have a number of professional and personal contacts to whom you have linked up with, but all of these people are your friends and current or former co-workers. How do you go about expanding your professional network?

One way is to join a LinkedIn group or several groups. It’s a great way to meet new people, join in topical discussions that may be of interest to you, and expand your network for future professional advancement.

There are two ways to join a LinkedIn group—you can find a group you’re interested in and request to join that group, or you can be invited to join a group. Either way you must be approved by the group’s manager before you can become a member.

To get started, you can look at other members’ profiles and see which groups they belong to by simply clicking on a group logo in their profile. Otherwise, you can just search for a group in the Groups Directory. To use this method, just:

·        Click on User Groups or Groups on the home page’s left navigation bar

·        Click on the Groups Directory tab

·        Find Search Groups box

·        Select a category from drop down window

·        Click on Search

Once you have a found a group that interests you, you may request to join the group. After this process is completed, you will be able to click on the group’s link and explore its overview page, which will describe current discussions. Through the members tab, you also will be able to see who the members of the group are, read their profile information, and send messages to them.

The other way to join a LinkedIn group is via invitation. If you are invited to join a group, your membership already might be preapproved. To find out if you’re preapproved, make sure the e-mail address where you received the invitation is one of your confirmed e-mail addresses on your LinkedIn account. You can check by going to the home page, and under Account & Settings click on E-mail Addresses.

Whether you have sought out a group or have been invited to join one, the new discussions you will be involved in and the new group members you will be affiliated with will help you expand your network and may well prove to be important factors in fulfilling your job search or career reinvention goals.

I read a very interesting article this morning about a young 22-year old who used Twitter to get a job. Within one week of posting her “Tweet”, she had an interview. Within two weeks, she had a job.

This article is living proof that building connections and following up with them using online social media is the way to go. To read the complete article, click here.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123103484826451655.html?mod=rss_PJ_Main

We’ll be covering Twitter in greater detail in our newsletter this month and also in the blog.

Clients frequently ask me if it is important to have LinkedIn recommendations. Well, the answer is YES!!!. Recommendations on your profile are a great way to demonstrate your skills, strengths and accomplishments articulated throughout your profile.

Here are some helpful tips on beefing up your profile with “Recommendations”

1. You can use the standard feature button on LinkedIn “request recommendation”. However, I think this is too impersonal. I would recommend contacting the person via email and asking them that way.
2. Let them know you are working on improving your LinkedIn Profile, and you’d really appreciate a recommendation from them.  You can even say “it’s similar to letter of recommendation, but should only be about a paragraph.”
3. Coach the person on what it is you would like them to focus on. Be clear about your personal brand and the things you would like them to emphasize.  “It would be great if you could focus on X, Y and Z.  When worked together on a project a Company Z, I think you saw my ability to collaborate with individuals from various departments and I would appreciate it if you could write something about this.” 
4. Try to have at least 2-4 recommendations on your LinkedIn profile from a variety of constituents-former bosses, colleagues, business partners etc.

Yes, recruiters Use LinkedIn

I must get the question several times a day-Do recruiters use LinkedIn?

A colleague wrote a great blog post on how recruiters use LinkedIn to source candidates. Recently I was coaching two of my own clients on how to improve their LinkedIn profile to maximize their visibility and to more clearly articulate their brand. No sooner than two days after posting a revised profile, they both mentioned to me they had been contacted by recruiters for positions. Try it for yourself and see!!!!

In the meantime, if you would like to read Meg’s blog, here is the link.

http://www.executiveresumebranding.com/blog/

New LinkedIn Tool Improves Networking

LinkedIn is offering a great new tool for you if you’re looking to network as a way to expand your career options or to change careers. LinkedIn already provides LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Answers to help you further your career, but LinkedIn Events will assist you in finding events and conferences pertinent to your career or to a new career that interests you.

This service is provided to LinkedIn users, but it’s easy to become a member. Just go to www.linkedin.com and sign up. LinkedIn will use the information you have provided in your profile and the professional network that you build up to recommend events that you can use to expand your professional association or to explore a new career.

On your professional page, LinkedIn will set up a list of conferences and professional events geared toward your career or business interests. These are plucked from LinkedIn’s database of more than 8,000 events, and specifically sent to you based on your job history, title, and career background and aspirations. This information will list the event name, date, location, and how many other LinkedIn users will be attending.

You also may check out a longer description of the event that includes information about the schedule, goals, and speakers, and participants for that event. This information panel also will tell you the cost, if any, the event’s Web site to link to for further information, who else might be interested in attending, and contact information about the organizer.

LinkedIn also allows its subscribers to search through its entire database. You may search through events based on your location, by date, by industry, and by topic. You even may search through the names of speakers or organizations holding such events.

Once you’ve decided to attend an event or conference, you can alert your LinkedIn network as to your status for the event. And, you can keep updating your digital resume on your LinkedIn profile with each event or conference that you attend.

Because LinkedIn is all about setting up your own personal and professional network, this tool will allow you to see what other professionals in your network are doing, where they’re going, and what interests they’re pursuing. This will set up opportunities for you to network and make new connections, whether your goal is to advance in your career or to explore the possibilities of a new career.

And, if your goal is to change your career, you will be able to create an entire new network in a potential new field, attend events and conferences that will help you decide if this career is for you, and network with new connections that might help open the door for you for a new career.