On August 19, 2008 I wrote the post titled Gravatar: How To Get Your Picture With Your Comment In This Blog.

I love this simple post for two reasons… one is because it has over 50 comments, and the other is because it helps me and my readers get to know a bit more about you, because of your picture.

I love to see pictures of my contacts… if you have any inclination of using blog comments as a networking tactic I suggest you follow the super-easy instructions on the post:

Gravatar: How To Get Your Picture With Your Comment In This Blog

Thanks to Kristian Andersen for putting this together

Twitter is … weird.  Yeah, weird.  I currently have 11,409 followers, and I wonder how many of those followers are spam and fake accounts. I rarely look at the home page to see what people are writing about (I used to, all the time) because it’s so NOISY.  Too much crap to wade through.

Having said that, I’ve gotten immense value out of Twitter. I put up a LinkedIn Question a few weeks ago asking: Twitter in the job search? I say: not yet. What do you think? I got some passionate replies telling me that YES, Twitter is all that, and other replies saying no way, pick up the phone instead.  Terrific responses.

The irony, for those so passionate about how Twitter is the best things since sliced bread, is that I’m not a Twitter hater… I even did an awesome video on Twitter in the job search. I think it’s a terrific tool for job seekers…

Let me share one of the coolest stories I’ve heard in a long time on how people are getting value out of Twitter (this isn’t a job search story, but it is a networking story).  It’s a terrific story about two ladies who really want to meet celebrity author Keith Ferrazzi in Guatemala… you can read the entire story here, on Keith’s blog.  Here’s the short of it:

Keith was in Guatemala to look at some charity opportunities (read more about Keith Ferrazzi’s charity work here) and let his readers/audience/fans know (Keith’s Twitter account). Sara and Suzette found out and were using Keith’s tweets to try and figure out where he was, hoping to run into him.  Finally, Susette tweeted to Keith asking if she could buy him a drink.

Keith saw that, replied, and the rest is history!  (read his post to see how cool the dinner was)

This worked because Keith was (a) on Twitter, (b) using Twitter, and (c) comfortable with Twitter.  There’s something about communicating with someone through a channel that they are comfortable with.

What’s interesting is that neither Susette nor Sara have done “all the right things,” as far as what others are saying you have to do.  They don’t have many followers, they don’t have bios or websites or links so you can learn more about them… they haven’t tweeted that much.  But they still hit grand slams… just by using the tool.

Not all of your target contacts are on, or use, Twitter.  However, I would check to see if they are.  I’ve communicated with other untouchables through Twitter and gotten further than if I would have just sent an email.

Don’t discount Twitter as a networking tool.  I don’t suggest you go crazy with it (my video shows you how to get value out of it – whether you have a Twitter account or not), but use it like all of the other networking tools you have access to.

I recently read an article (in a newsletter, sorry, no link) about how to use Twitter in a job search. In short, the suggestions were:

1. Get on Twitter,
2. Tweet and get your brand out there, and
3. follow key job people, including coaches, recruiters, etc.

I absolutely, fundamentally disagree.

Not to sound like a pessimist, but the people who usually listen to me are (a) busy, (b) not necessarily early adopters to technology, and (c) busy.  Because of (b) I have to be careful when I recommend any technology.

I’m not opposed to technology, but telling a job seeker to do the three steps above, I think, will give them a false sense of “I’m doing the right thing in my job search!”  I bet I can come up with 20 (non-twitter) activities that are more important than those three steps. I would not put this as a top priority.

But I do tell job seekers to include Twitter as part of their job search strategy.  In a nutshell, I suggest:

• Use Twitter to find people who you can/should network with.  Best place to do this?  Twellow.com.  You don’t have to have a Twitter account to do this.
• Once you find a key contact, see if they have any lists, or are listed in any lists… if so, look for other key contacts to contact.  You don’t have to have a Twitter account to do this.
• IF you want to contact people, consider doing it through Twitter.  Now you need to get an account, but you can do this in a way that gets you in front of key people who you are targeting (instead of throwing twitter-mud on the wall).  Be onbrand and realize the purpose of this is to get a discussion with that person, not to do a general branding tweet.

Addressing point 2 above, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to use Twitter as a branding tool – in fact, it has been quite a tool for me.  But I have resources allocated to branding and marketing, and this fits into that.  Job seekers, like I said, could have at least 20 other activities that are more productive.

Addressing point 3 above, I don’t think there is as much value in following recruiters and those posting jobs on Twitter… no offense to @tweetmyjobs and such services, but if you are spending a considerable amount of time looking at job postings anywhere, there is something wrong with your job search.

Active job seekers should be as wary of posted jobs as recruiters are of active job seekers.

(if you didn’t get that last line, read it again – it might be one of the most important sentences I’ve written on this blog, ever)

I would suggest you follow job search coaches, resume writers, etc…. because they will throw out tips and advice… but if you find yourself reading and reading and reading most of the day, I’d tell you to stop your Twitter activity and go do some of the hard stuff in the job search.

Thoughts?

I’ve been thinking about how and where to find network contacts.

The idea is this: imagine you are a professional who recently entered a job search after working for years in your last job.  Maybe you have had a few changes in employer, or divisions that you worked in.  Nonetheless, you haven’t done any traditional “networking.”

Now you are told you will likely network into your next job.  And you don’t know what that means.

I remember sitting at a small table with a blank sheet of paper with an old retired guy asking me to list “who I knew” – this would be my network list.

My mind was as blank as the paper.

So, the question I pose to you – WHERE do you find network contacts?

Tomorrow at 4ET (1PT) I’m doing a webinar for Netshare called Facebook Essentials for Executives.  I’m jazzed about this webinar and have been preparing for it quite a bit.

Facebook has power in numbers – and I’m amazed at the connections I’ve made because of Facebook that I didn’t make in LinkedIn.  I’m also amazed at the conversation that happens in Facebook that isn’t happening elsewhere.

If you want to brush up on your Facebook understanding, or wrap your brain around a Facebook strategy for you, come on over to the webinar.  It isn’t free but it will be worth it.  Here’s the description:

Facebook is the website that has all eyes on it. They recently announced their 300 millionth signup. (for some perspective US Census Bureau reports the United States recently passed the 300MM mark.)

What does this mean to us as executives? How can we use Facebook as part of our career management strategy and how does it fit with LinkedIn and other social networks? Should executives even have a Facebook strategy? Considering the number of signups and visitors (hovering around 120M per month and the companies who are developing online marketing strategies that include Facebook), it is essential that we understand what it is and what we can do in it.

In this 90 minute session you will learn:

• Learn how to navigate through the noise and clutter of Facebook to find information relevant to you.
• Learn to set up your account and network and, once and for all, answer the question of how to separate your personal and professional contacts.
• Learn to use Lists, Groups and Pages as effectively as any marketer uses them in a commercial environment.
• Learn to develop a search strategy to help you network your way into key company or industry contacts.
• Learn to communicate with network contacts and help them get to know you better.
• Learn to keep abreast of current issues and opportunities within your network…to further develop relationships.
• Learn to find relevant audiences where you can find relevant contacts and further develop your professional brand.
• Learn to incorporate Facebook into an overall personal social marketing strategy.

Register here.

See ya there

There are lots of books on Twitter right now – I was supposed to write one of the earliest but I was in the middle of rewriting I’m on LinkedIn — Now What??? and I wasn’t sure I wanted to write another technical book that would have to be updated every year!  I opted to not do that but instead create hands-on, visual webinar recording that shows you how to use Twitter.

Twitter for Job Seekers (the video) is specifically designed for professionals in a job search.

It is a 1 hour and 24 minues (and one second) video, walking you through what Twitter is, and how to use it in your job search.

It’s based on the idea that you want to find network contacts who can help you in your job search – find people to add to your own personal/professional network, as well as how to communicate with them after you find them.

There is also training on what to do with your own Twitter account. As a professional, what could or should you be tweeting?  (going into personal branding, and how to use Twitter as a Personal Branding tool)

I show you how to get value out of Twitter EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT.  This is essential for many professionals who aren’t excited to jump on this bandwagon, but still want to tap into the power that Twitter.com has created.  There is significant power there – and you can tap into it without even signing up for an account.

I won’t try to convince anyone to get a Twitter account, but I do want you to learn how to use this tool so you can achieve your career management objectives.

To access the recording (as many times as you like) simply do the following:

1. Login to JibberJobber.com.  This is as security measure so this video isn’t shared out inappropriately.  If you don’t have a JibberJobber account, get one on the front page – it takes about 60 seconds.
2. Mouse over the Tools link (from the main menu) and go all the way down to Videos (click on the Videos link).
3. The last tab on Videos is “Premium Videos.” Twitter for Job Search is the last one there.

This $50 investment into your career management is worth it… once you are done you should have your brain wrapped around Twitter as a tool, and know how you are going to incorporate it into your job search strategy.

(if you are already logged into JibberJobber, simply click here)

Nick Corcodilos is the man behind the famous Ask The Headhunter.  Nick’s advice, opinion and wisdom has been read by hundreds of thousands – he has been syndicated for a long time.  Anytime I’ve read Nick’s stuff I found myself agreeing – even if I didn’t want to, his logic and perspective was strong.

Nick recently came out with a new book called How To Work With Headhunters.  I’ll write more about that later.

I sent Nick a LinkedIn for Job Seekers DVD and hoped he would weigh in on it.  I was more than pleasantly surprised by the in-depth and two-thumbs-up report he gave on his blog.  You can read the entire post at LinkedIn for Job Seekers: A personal tutor.  Here are some things from his post that I really liked:

“I don’t write about many products or services because it’s rare that I find one worth writing about. Let’s face it, the Net is rife with hyped-up garbag-io.”

Totally – we’ve been beyond information overload for a long time.

“I expected a slick video of Jason in a suit lecturing me. (I dunno about you, but I can’t stand scripted videos and droning talking heads.) What makes this video so effective is that it focuses entirely on the LinkedIn screen while Jason stands over your shoulder and walks you through every important page, screen, feature and tool LinkedIn has to offer. There’s no droning…”

I hear this a lot – people expect me to be on a stage telling you what to do… in fact, you can see a short preview here, or a long preview here – you don’t see me speaking at all – it’s all my screen as I walk you through Linkedin, with my commentary and advice.

“My plan to skip around and get a feel for the DVD was dashed. I wound up taking my time and taking notes!”

There is a ton of meat in the DVD…

“I’m not job hunting, but I learned much of what I need to know to use LinkedIn for my business.”

Great point – I say it’s “not just for job seekers.”

“I think this product works so well because Jason Alba is immersed in JibberJobber and he spends all day long thinking about what helps job hunters.”

Another great point.  I actually think about social tools from two perspectives: (1) from the professional in career management, whether they are in a job search or not, and (2) from an entrepreneur/marketing perspective, so I can figure out how to grow my own business.

“LinkedIn for Job Seekers costs $49 (if you catch the current promo price). An hour with a tutor will cost you more than that.”

I charge $250/hour for consulting.  My DVD is over 2 hours long. The math is simple on this one

Nick, thanks a ton for this review, it really made my week when I saw it in my Google Alerts

This Wednesday I’m doing a webinar called LinkedIn for Executives.  I spent considerable time developing this webinar and am really jazzed about it, as it has evolved from the two other webinars I’ve done for executives for Expert Connections.

This 90 minute LinkedIn for Executives webinar will go over various scenerios on how EXECUTIVES can get more value out of LinkedIn:

• how an executive finds and communicates with a key contact
• how and what they do with Target Companies
• how they network into a company
• what they could do with the network contacts they grow
• how they can grow their network with relevant CxO and board members,
• etc….

The cost is $50 if you are a Netshare member, $60 if you aren’t.  Register at Experts Connection.

Just who am I to give this webinar?  Jason Alba:

• served as VP, CIO and General Manager at his last employer during the course of three years,
• got laid off and found himself in a job search where flipping burgers wasn’t an option (based on personal expenses),
• wrote the best-selling book I’m on LinkedIn — Now What??? (see Amazon reviews here)
• Created the DVD LinkedIn for Job Seekers (see Amazon reviews here),
• Speaks across the United States on career management, LinkedIn, Social Marketing, etc.

I’m on LinkedIn — Now What??? was the second LinkedIn book in print, and the first to be in a Second Edition.

You can learn more about my LinkedIn thoughts on my LinkedIn blog, but don’t miss the webinar on Wednesday!

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Amy Franko, a business coach out of Ohio.  We had a very nice interview where we talked about a number of things – you can get a download of the interview (as well as a transcription) from this page (I’m #4).

Some of the stuff we talk about (her audience is not job seekers, it’s entrepreneurs):

• thoughts on being an entrepreneur,
• stuff about my book and how I’ve used it as a marketing tool,
• the name of a movie that had a major impact on me as an entrepreneur (I saw it on my way to a speaking gig in Turkey),
• and a number of thoughts on using LinkedIn.

If you have a few minutes and any entrepreneurial inclination, check it out