How your default picture is worth a 1000 words.

Finding a good picture is tough. I have been thinking about changing my recent Facebook/Twitter/Social media accounts default picture these last few days and I have found myself thinking about how a picture can convey so much in today's society. A picture is literally worth a thousand words in Social Media. It is usually the first thing people notice about you when they go to your account and look you up. If you look up an old friend and/or colleague, through Facebook or twitter, their picture will be the first thing you look for, especially if it's an old friend from high school. A picture will tell you a lot about the person beyond the normal physical changes the person has gone through in the past few years. This is especially important if you have set your page to private. That one picture is your only hope to catch the attention of others that you have not talked to in years. I recently wrote a blog at the beginning of the month on how the Internet has branded us and I forgot to mention how much our pictures have. Your picture is the logo of your brand, the image that most people will signify you with. If you're a blogger like me, or anybody else, this is important. You want your picture to signify that you are smart, intelligent, but to many people they want the picture to say something else. They use it to show their children or loved one(s), or maybe show off a particular sport or event that they are fond of. Regardless of the reason, of why it is there and it helps to convey a certain message to the people who are looking you up. Want to be seen as a family man? Make your default a picture of your kids. Just got married? Add a wedding day picture. Want to be seen as jovial and fun? Add a Halloween picture. The possibilities are endless. Regardless of what your picture is there is a reason why you choose that one. So take your time choosing your default picture, because it can scare away the very people you are hoping to find.

What Google Buzz has taught people about their privacy on the Internet.

If you did not hear it in the news yesterday morning, it was announced that Google was facing a class action lawsuit because of the information that Google Buzz leaked to perspective groups. If you are not familiar with Google Buzz, Google Buzz is the new social networking device created by Google that is now incorporated into Google mail(WWW.Google.Com/Buzz). This application reminds me a lot of Twitter and is Google's attempt at creating a network of contacts through your e-mail address. When the application first launched, it automatically put everybody into groups which at the time did not seem wrong. Google wanted to cash in on the fact that people were still trying to figure out Google Wave, and many had no pure friends on the list. This was a good idea in principal, however many people found their information being transferred to groups and networks that they were not even aware of joining. Now many people are throwing their hands up in arms and joining a class action lawsuit that could prove to be devastating for Google and the future of Social Media. In a world filled with social media and real time search, we have nothing left to hide. A friend of mine asked me this very question the other day as she found all of my personal information posted on Facebook. "You're inviting stalkers," she told me as she found both my address and phone number listed on the page. Well, my thoughts are that all of this information can be found online anyways, so why not have it listed here. If you Google Cole Watts, two of the search results on the first page send you to either my Myspace page(WWW.Myspace.com/TheBilljake125) which I have had since '03 or my Twitter account(WWW.Twitter.com/Cole_Watts). I understand what this girl was saying when she said I should be worried about a stalker, but in today's day and age you can find almost anything you want to about a person in a matter of minutes. A quick google of my parent's home phone gives there address and names. So, yes, I am giving the "stalkers" free reign to my info, because I know, if they really want to find it they can and will in other ways. I am just eliminating their search for the information. If I was anyboy else, I might be worried but as a 25 year old, single white middle-class male I have nothing to worry about. Now let me get back to Google Buzz. I understand that E-mail is a completely different vehicle than Social Networking. Many people have personal information that they send every day in their e-mails to friends and co-workers,but E-mail has been leaked since the early days as companies such as Google used this information to select advertisements that meet your particular needs. People have to understand though in today's world that the day of privacy has ended and the day of being searched has begun.

How Human Resources hit the 2.0 level.

Bye bye human contact. That simple comment, slowly reflects on what has happened to us in today's society. Because of Social Media we are less prone to have actual conversations in today's world, more now than ever before. A friend of mine and I recently had a discussion about the loss of true emotional contact one receives, when it came to getting a job. You do not introduce yourself, or anything of that nature these days, instead you go to a website or submit an e-mail...hoping for days on end that you will get a call back. Instead of spending hours on end ranting as usual, I would like to focus on this particular topic, how social media and technology has affected the Human Resources world. A lot of people will tell you that the job market has changed in the last five years, especially with the downfall of the economy. The job market has changed a lot because of the economy, but most people forget that technology/social media has a fair amount to do with the changing of HR practices as well. Let's look at Joe. Joe graduated from college and needs to find a job. So he goes online, because nobody does paper applications anymore. The day and age of filling out a paper application is gone as many companies have decided that it is more environmentally friendly and that it will save them thousands of dollars. Joe knows this, so he decides never to leave his apartment, instead spending hours on end searching through job websites such as Monster, Indeed, and Craigslist. Joe is the typical person. To find that dream job, there is no reason to go out anymore. You simply stare at your computer for eight hours a day hoping for that one call/e-mail back. Joe finally finds a job he wants but as he applys for the job, he ends up coming to a 35 page questionnaire asking him his thoughts on drugs and would he ever steal from the company. These surveys, more properly called likert surveys are used to weed people out who do not fit the particular companies personality assessment. Joe now, just like every other applicant spends hours just to fill out this survey, not answering the truth, but answering what the company wants to hear, like the average American. I have had thousands of conversations about these surveys and I personally think that they do more harm than good. Joe spends the next few days wondering if he's going to get hired. He looks up the companies management online and e-mails them wondering if they received his e-mails and if there is anything more that he can do. Two weeks later, after not hearing anything at all Joe gets the message he dreads. An automated message saying that he did not get the position he wanted. Now I am writing you the story of Joe, because we have all gone through this. We have all sent out a resume and not heard anything back. I believe that the HR process needs to be reworked in someway to avoid this confusion. Regardless of my thoughts one can tell just how much technology has changed the HR process in the last five years. I understand that now more than ever before that HR specialists are being bombarded with thousands of resumes, but there has to be someway to fix this mundane process. What does Joe or any other person do at this point? They revert back to their social network. This has led to the power of Social Media in the work place. As soon as you land your first job, you learn one thing, no matter what anyone says, your network matters even more so than your qualifications do, when it comes to getting a position. Social Media is now changing this through such career oriented sites as Linkedin.Com, where you can keep complete track of your professional contacts. So as you plug away at your job, trying to find the best fit for you, plug away at your social network as well. You would not believe it but your peers might be just as useful in finding that dream job.

How to Create a Successful Brand, the Lost way.

As time goes by many companies are working around the clock wondering how they can create the next big product that everyone will want. Once they have what they view as this wonderful product created,it is next to the branding station. CEO's are awaiting the count down of the product launch, as they are imaging their product and company being the next big brand, in an already branded world. But as they launch this product how do they plan on creating this brand? As I sat on my couch last night I was wildly amused that the show Lost, if followed, is an excellent example on how to build a strong product line. Step 1: Have a good product. Before you market your product and have dreams of success it all starts with the product. No matter what people say if the product is not good it will fail. Imagine JJ Abrams walking into a crowded business room of Hollywood Execs and pitching Lost. "Imagine a plane crash and 44 passengers stranded on an island. We follow them over a year's time as they learn to survive with the various monster's that plague them." Though the show has slightly geared off it's original premise, the product has remained good and intriguing enough to keep people's attention for the last six years, winning various awards along the way. Step 2: Engage the Customer. If you have watched an episode of Lost, you know it is filled with Easter Eggs. From phone numbers that are flashed on the screen to fake Driver's licenses that give you interesting addresses. Once you have a good product you have to encourage your customer to enjoy and talk about the product even when it is not in their hands. Step 3: Listen to the Customer. If a product is failing their is a reason why. If their is a feature that customers like, find out. Lost writer's originally planned Michael Emerson's character Benjamin Linus to only appear in a few episodes, but after receiving positive reviews from fans around the world the character stayed and proved to be a prominent character in the show. Step 4: Accessorize. Once you have that million dollar product it is time for the lunch boxes and action figures that will link to your core product. These will not be for everybody, but your niche collector and die hard fan will die for these. They cannot get enough of your show right now, so give them a little bit more. Microsoft knew this when it invented Windows. Look at the success of such products as Microsoft Office. Step 5: Give back to the Customer. Throw conventions and Q and A's in which the consumer can engage their product at the very highest. Everybody from Apple to Blizzard Inc, to comicbooks have been doing this over the years. Invite your customers in and make them feel like a part of the product. So that is it. Follow these steps and you should have a widely recognized brand for years to come or just simply a hit TV show that has left, millions confused since day one.

Superbowl Reflections.

As I was watching the Superbowl last night, I followed two Twitter groups curious to see people's reactions of the show. The first one I followed was the #SB44 which was the superbowl's hash tag, which was literally flooded with thousands of people watching the game. The other group I followed, was the nice folks at JHP Advertising, who allowed me to share my advertising thoughts with. As I followed both groups, I was pleased to see Social Media have such a strong force during the game. The commercials however, were an entirely different beast. I wondered a few times if the commercials had forgotten that they were there to sell a product. These thoughts came primarily with the Doritos and Budwiser commercials? The commercials were funny and creative but what did they tell us about the product? The Google Ad I personally loved. I had heard it was going to make an appearance, but I did not know in what fashion. I found the Advertisement to be simple and in a time of over the top jokes and celebrity commercials, it was creative in it's simplicity. A number of ads, I felt really hit the spot. They were both creative and funny, and surprise, they actually tried to sell the product. These include Monster.Com, Career.Com, and Teleflora flowers. Also how I could leave out the Letterman commercial, that literally left me and my roommate stunned. The advertisement was a success and not just for Letterman. I feel that this was a commercial for not just Letterman but Late Night as a whole. Worst Ad: Now I have talked to a few people on Twitter about this, who disagreed and many who have agreed. But my choice for worst commercial is GoDaddy.Com. The shock value of these commercials had already ended, when they first debuted this campaign years ago, and I feel that these commercials are now in just bad taste.

How the Internet has now Branded you.

Many people talk today about how important a brand is in today's society. What feelings or thoughts that a particular item conveys, is very important, as an item tries to build rapport with it's customer base. Imagine computer giant Apple, who survives on their brand name. You hear Apple and you immediately think words like "Smart" and "Innovative". These words have came to signify not only their technology but the grand in general. People perceive brand's as an item or company so much, that they forget about branding themselves. Now your names mean a lot in this online world. When you were growing up and going to your first job interview at the age of seventeen or eighteen, the first thing you always heard, from your parents, was just how important that first impression was. Your parents would spend hours with you going through your wardrobe and trying to find the perfect outfit. Well the same thing can be said about your online presence. The first thing in today's society that many people see is your e-mail address or your social networking name. Your online identities say alot about yourself. Would you rather read an e-mail from RacerFan32@Gmail.com or Steve_Wozniak@Gmail.com. Which sounds more professional to you? If you read Racerfan, you can jump to two conclusions, either he has some affiliation to the sport of racing or you can jump to the conclusion that he is a nascar fan on the weekends. These names and persona's mean everything, and many people tend to forget this. How often have you viewed a Myspace page that is simply titled "Crazy B****" or some other random name. Many times, if you are intrigued you do, but more often than not you ignore them. Especially in today's professional atmosphere, there is no reason to view a "Crazy B*****" unless she's someone trying out for a new reality show. Imagine Linkedin.com, a professional social networking site, where you can post your resume on. Through Linkedin.com, you can create and manage your own resume page. Now imagine as someone sends you their Linkedin domain, as a place you can view their resume on. Would you want to hire WWW.Linkedin/in/RacerFan32, even if he is qualified for the job? You know immediately that this person does not care professionally if he is using such a name, but maybe the race means more to him than the position. This has caused quite a stir in recent years as people find it so hard to get their naming rights. Early adopters are quick to get their names, but imagine everybody else in this three hundred thousand packed country. Surely there are thousands of Jack Smith's and even a few Cole Watts'. Many professional sports players have found problems with this in the past as many have found their name rights bought up before they even get a chance to register them for domains. This has caused quite a controversy and many people offering money for their name rights'. Your domain name means a lot. No matter, what you say. It is your online persona that your friends come to recognize you as. What is your online persona? Do you have the same name for everything? Or do you just wing your names as you go? Because no matter what you pick your domain name says a lot about you, more than you probably think.