Social Media and HR

More from the Frontlines on Social Networking!

Presented by: Lance HaunCommunity Director, ERE Media

Before you take notes

• This information will be available online as well as some of the other resources I mention at:

http://rehaul.com/about/resources

What You’ll Learn

• An intro to social networking• The tools that are available• Potential positives/problems• Social networking policies• How you can get engaged in the

process

Who am I?

• Community Director for ERE• Former HR Professional• Blogger at Rehaul.com• Started and sold a social

network for HR professionals (HRM Today)

• Speaker and writer about using social networking in HR

What Is Social Networking?

• Web based• End user driven• Free (or nearly free) tools• Open access to all• Transparency over privacy• Widespread adoption• Defined by change• Crowdsourcing

Social Networking is Global

Tools Being Used Today

Actually, it is more like this

Older Tools

• Newsgroups• Guestbooks• Forums• E-mail discussion listservices• Chat rooms• Intranet

Blogs

• Major platforms: Wordpress, Typepad and Blogger

• Long form entries with news and opinion

• Popular HR blogs include: – HR Capitalist– Punk Rock HR– HR Bartender– Fistful of Talent

YouTube

• Video hosting and search• Second largest search engine• 24 hours worth of video is

uploaded every minute• Over 95% of content uploaded is

user generated (not uploaded by a media company)

Facebook

• 400+ million people on Facebook• Half of users login at least once

a day• Second most popular site on the

internet• 70% of users from outside of US• Site was translated into 70

languages with the help of 300,000 volunteers

Twitter

• 75 million active users• 12th most popular site on the

internet• Powerful search functionality• Media companies using it to

break news (instantaneous news)

• Other companies using it to track trends, reputations or customer comments

LinkedIn

• 65 million members• Half outside of the US• Business networking and groups• Considered the new Rolodex or

Resume• Median age is older than most

social networking sites

Wikipedia

• Online, user created encyclopedia

• Three million English language topics

• Content is edited via a fluid group of Wikipedia enthusiasts

• The wiki system is being used for collaboration in organization

Niche Social Sites

• Subject matter specific• Tend to be small, intimate• Driven by several leaders• Examples: Lawyrs, AerHub, and

MechanicsHub

Some Hype, Some Facts

• Social networking is a popular topic (especially in business)

• Popular topics tend to get overhyped

• Doubters doubt, Kool-aid drinkers drink

• What’s reality, what’s fiction?

Hype

• Social networking is the solution for everything!!!

• Thousands of people are getting fired or disqualified from jobs due to it

• Building strategy around social networking is a proven winner

• [Insert social network name] is the greatest thing ever

Facts

• Social networking can go hand in hand with your general business strategy

• Your employees can use social networking reasonably

• If done correctly, companies are having success using social networking for recruiting and branding

• Companies lack control of most content being generated

Personal Experience

• Blogging at least twice a week for four years

• 3 of last 4 companies had internal chat

• Facebook/Twitter used to contact people instead of e-mail

• One company had a social networking policy

Want A Policy?

• Rules of thumb:– “Don’t be stupid”–Would you say it in person?–Would you tell your boss what you

did?

• Social media policy examples– Intel– IBM– Kodak

Engaging in Social Media

• Curiosity• Discovery• Reading• Sharing• Commenting• Critiquing• Creating• Networking

Discover: LinkedIn

• Join (if you haven’t already)• Create a profile• Connect with past business

connections• Ask questions• Join groups

Discover: Facebook

• Join (if you haven’t already)• Explore career related pages• Join interesting groups• Use Facebook search• Interact with other users on

Facebook pages and groups

Discover: Twitter

• No need to make an account to start!

• Search common terms– Use a hashtag (#) to do a search– Try #shrm #hr or #tacoma– You can try unique names without a

hashtag (ex. Boeing)

• Sign up and follow other HR folks

Discover: Niche Networks

• Search Google for industry social networks– “HR social network” or “aerospace

social network”

• Most allow open access but some may require membership

• Interact in a more intimate setting

Advice from readers

• Helen – Follow your audience, don’t just go to popular sites

• Janet – People need to remember who signs their check

• Benjamin – Understand how your employees are using social media

• Lisa – Networking with colleagues is a huge benefit

• Ben – Just read and watch to start

Next Steps?

• Reading regularly• Sharing with peers and co-

workers• Commenting and critiquing• Creating and engaging an

audience• Networking online and in person

Questions?

Contacting Me:

• 360-356-1760• [email protected]• rehaul.com• ere.net• linkedin.com/in/lancehaun• twitter.com/thelance• facebook.com/lancehaun