With the economic situation affecting millions of lives globally, we are connecting and reconnecting in new ways. People are attending networking events in droves to learn new skills and meet new people. Groups with mutual interests are self-forming and self-directing collectively without any formal structure – and producing great work.

And with these behaviors comes the impetus to open up, to be transparent, to admit our vulnerabilities, to drop selfish agendas and begin looking beyond ourselves to meet not only our own needs and desires but those of others.

One tool that answers this is social media.

Connecting with others is a social activity. Connecting with others in a meaningful way is networking. And networking with a collaborative view in mind in an online, virtual way (called web 2.0) will surely change the way we work with others. For a history on this kind of social change through social media, see Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom by Matthew Fraser and Soumitra Dutta.

In the past few years, social networking and social media have become prominent topics in the ongoing transformation of life online.

By now, you have surely heard of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, probably Twitter, and maybe even read a few blogs. But what hidden value does each of them hold for you?

Consider that social media is changing the way we connect, work together, and sustain relationships, and you will quickly see why it matters.

Social media is the technology that knits together, online, what you do in real everyday life: talk to people, bond over commonalities, and form mutually beneficial relationships.

Social media thrives on participation and making connections. It is media in which you can easily participate and add your contribution. It is an arena where your unique perspective has influence and your precise credibility is prized. Whether you’re a high school drop out or an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, your offerings may be a real value to others and a key motivator for you to keep active in various virtual communities.

Once you understand how to use the various tools (the ones most relevant to you), you will find that they extend your reach by many degrees.

Social media is the set of tools, the digital manifestation, the driving the need to share important information in ways that are simple and efficient.

As social networking sites like Facebook have exploded–especially for the babyboomers—we now share with other people in our network more about our lives and the lives of those we know.

It’s been said that, “It isn’t who I know that matters so much as who my friends know” that makes the difference. Those second-degree connections (what Malcolm Gladwell calls loose affiliations) have proven to have the most value in networking and in marketing. Now technology makes it easier to uncover who knows whom. Ready to play private investigator without being called a stalker?

Browse through a friend’s LinkedIn connections. Did you know that David knows Charlie who knows Shawna, the same Shawna you happened to meet recently by chance?

Your circle just tightened by a degree through closing an outlying tangent. The added benefit is that Shawna is friends with the hiring manager of a company where you want to work. This is the magic of networking. Even economists like John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison are realizing the magnetic force of such networking. They call it the Power of Pull.

It’s also the power of social media: it flattens and equalizes the access to information that makes it possible to connect to people and ideas that are important to you.

When you share a New York Times article on Facebook, you share it with every one of your friends there. What conversations are you creating? What questions are you helping to answer? What sparks are you igniting? You may not always know but taking credit isn’t where the value lies. Inspiring another person is where your currency now trades.

With simple tasks you can do each day, this eBook teaches you not only the tools you need to use regularly but also how to use them in an integrated fashion that increases your online presence in ways that get you recognized as a go-to person. By taking ownership of your digital footprint, you begin to build Brand You. Brands (and careers) are not built overnight. Both require hard work. Now is the time to seize the (free!) tools to make you more agile, more connected and a great resource.

Adopt these behaviors today – not only when you are job searching.

I’ll publish them on my Google Calendar, which you can subscribe to for easy reference. I’ll tweet buy Schock them also. Hashtag triad is #Geoff #Seattle #networking

The point is to bring more people together, and to reduce the social anxiety of attending events where you may not know anyone.

I love networking, and networking with buddies makes it easier to meet more people.

Know of an upcoming event that I haven’t listed? Add it to the comments, and thanks for sharing.

Remember: Pay It Forward

The List – Attending

GPiS Facebook Group, November 5

SAM Remix

Extract divx

at Seattle Art Museum, November 6

Seattle Lunch 2.0 @Gist, November 13

Thankful for Your Network, November 19

Additional Events – Suggested
Building Brand with Social Media: How Starbucks Does It and What They’ll Do Next (PSAMA, November 11

Marketing Careers in Transition (PSAMA, November 13

Seattle Job Social at Twist, November 19

]]> http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/11/03/networking-in-seattle-for-november-2009/feed/ 0 http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/08/18/the-best-and-worst-cities-to-look-for-a-job/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/08/18/the-best-and-worst-cities-to-look-for-a-job/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:01:19 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=366 The Best And Worst Cities To Look For A Job

Seattle ranks 13 out of 15 with 1 job posting for every 3 people unemployed

]]> http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/08/18/the-best-and-worst-cities-to-look-for-a-job/feed/ 0 http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/04/27/how-to-nail-an-interview/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/04/27/how-to-nail-an-interview/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:47:00 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=280 How To Nail An Interview

Hide a video camera, interview people for a job that doesn’t exist, for a company that doesn’t exist…all supposedly so you can learn how to interview better.

Sure, the candidates (victims?) are textbook examples of what not to do at an interview. It’s simply sad how poor their answers and behaviors are. But knowing this guy created this as a way to learn how to interview better – would YOU (as a recruiter or hiring manager) – ever hire him after seeing this stunt?

]]> http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/04/27/how-to-nail-an-interview/feed/ 0 http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:45:47 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=145 On March 5, I spoke with Lewis Lin who is an interview coach in Seattle. Brushing up on skills is one of those basics we need to revisit periodically. That’s how I first came across him.

In a terrific half-hour consultation, he gave me three great approaches to use in presenting myself:

When the most common question, “Tell me about yourself” is asked, don’t talk about your most recent situation first. Start in the past and work forward. This lets you illustrate how your responsibilities have grown, your experience has expanded, and how you have receiving increasingly higher levels of responsibility. For me, this means starting with when I finished university and briefly describing (in order) my roles since.

Focus on three traits that really define you. This gives you a package that is easy to condense into memorable comments for the interviewer. Tailor these for the job you are interviewing for as well.

When it’s your turn to ask questions, focus on having the interviewer fully divulge how this role integrates with the overall organization, and how the hiring manager sees you contributing in this role. Inevitably, job descriptions omit elements that are less tangible than which software you know how to use. In my experience, it’s smart to ask what personality traits they think the ideal candidate should possess in order to be successful. What you know how to do is only half the equation; how well you get along with others in doing it is the other half.

Lewis is very friendly, easy to talk to, objective without being abrasive. When you’re job searching, it’s easy to feel down about yourself, to feel like you’ve done something wrong that landed you in this predicament. We forget there are over 12 million OTHER people unemployed right now because we sit in front of a computer all day – alone – looking for a job. Nevermind we sometimes forget to network with people in person as much as we should.

I highly recommend contacting Lewis for a consultation and to sign up for his services. His suggestions helped me re-align my focus and delivery so that I feel in control of my interviews once again. We need more services like his to be mandatory with unemployment benefits, in my opinion.

]]> http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/feed/ 0 http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/22/malcolm-gladwell-outliers-at-seattle-chamber/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/22/malcolm-gladwell-outliers-at-seattle-chamber/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:51:58 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=55 Listen to Malcolm Gladwell speak at the Seattle Chamber about his new book “Outliers” via the Chamber’s podcast.

EXCELLENT book – a must read.

http://www.seattlechamber.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,2952&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&p_menu_id=3862

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