What's a Web 3.0? That was the topic of an introduction to social networks and their business uses, especially for the job search, at the AbilITy Connection meeting yesterday afternoon at Goodwill of Southeastern Wisconsin. Dave Rice from Centare Group and I were co-presenters for a group of Business Advisory Council members and proteges. We went over the basics of the evolution of the Web from an informational source to a commerce provider, to more intelligent and social tools that have arisen with in the past five years.
The emphasis of the conversation was on tools that have potential to make the job search easier. We limited the disucssion to LinkedIn and Twitter, because we were running in a live lab situation where new users set up profiles on both services during the presentation.
Like most of the presentations on New Media I've been involved with over the past few years there are always one or more people in the audience who are concerned about the privacy of their data. Yes, these are gee whiz tools, and, yes, I can see the practical applications of them, but am I not exposing myself to identity theft? The argument I usually use, and which Dave and I used this time around, too, was that anyone interested in gleaning your information for nefarious purposes has better places to go than these social networks. Your birth and social security data are findable by anyone with half-a-brain. Additionally, Dave made the point that if you do not manage your own online information and profile you run the risk not only of looking like you are not in control of your professional life but also that if you do not manage your online information, someone else will.
The perception of professional control over your online footprint is becoming increasingly an issue with Information Technology professionals. Of the many recent events and user groups I have attended, I am finding it more common to have the people I meet ask if I am a LinkedIn user. After the exchange of a business card comes the invitation to connect via LinkedIn to cement the relationship. Furthermore, I think it's only the most disconnected recruiters who do not avail themselves of looking up a potential hire online prior to an interview, going first to LinkedIn but soon afterwards checking Google, Facebook, Myspace and elsewhere.
Finally, I love events like these because I almost always learn something. As much as I am using social networking and other 3.0-ish tools on a daily basis, there's always a tidbit to pick up here and there. This time I learned that Twitter has further simplified its use by automatically shortening long links which I drop into my updates. Good-bye tinyurl, I guess! Or at least it's good-bye to having to visit that site directly.
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