Sticky Media Group

Business Blogging - 6 tips to get you started

2010-10-26T12:47:00.008+01:00

Starting up your own business blog? OK, first thing’s first. We’ve rounded up our top 6 things you need to get sorted before you even think about hitting that publish button….

Listen To Your Audience - First off, you really need to learn who your customers are, where they hang out and what they are saying. There are lots of monitoring tools out there and the great news is that many of them are free. As well as Google Alerts and Twitter searches, tools such as Social Mention (a real-time search engine that pulls in data from a range of social media) are a great way to plug in relevant keywords and get an insight into who your audience is and what they want to hear.
Position Your Blog – When creating your blog it’s really important to consider the value that it is bringing to your target audience and to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Your blog should provide pertinent information for consumers interested in your area of business. A clear goal and theme makes it a lot easier for readers to understand what to expect and more importantly it helps them to connect with the content.
Choose Your Bloggers - Picking your bloggers is one of, if not THE most crucial things to think about as they will be the voice of your brand. Make sure you find a “voice” that is authentically yours. Pick people that are both knowledgeable and interested in the areas you want to cover and have a great writing style and presence. It they are truly passionate then that enthusiasm will shine through and ultimately make your blog a lot more interesting to read too.
Write Some Guidelines- Once you’ve chosen your bloggers it’s worth creating a set of editorial guidelines for them to follow. Before embarking on your blogging journey, you should consider the “dos” and “don’ts” of blogging from both a company and a blogosphere point of view. These guidelines will help you to set the level of interaction and help you to avoid bad publicity and diminished credibility.
Create Cornerstone Content – Absolutely vital. You only get one shot at a blog launch, so make sure you have plenty of well-organised and targeted content planned and written. Create something interesting and useful that will act as a motivator for subscribers to get on board.
Find Guest Bloggers - If there are other blogs in your industry, seek out the top influencers and ask them to do a guest spot. Google Blogs: Is particularly useful for finding the volume of conversation occurring on particular search terms while BoardReader and Board Tracker are useful tools for tracking conversations happening within forums.

Next week we'll take a look at how to promote your blog once it’s gone live, including our number one top tip to really get you noticed!

The new GAP logo, was it all just a cunning viral marketing ploy?

2010-10-08T16:48:00.006+01:00

Ever since GAP quietly introduced their new logo to the company’s web site for the first time on Monday morning, critics have been quick to voice their dislike of the new design, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites have been literally buzzing with reactions.

One Twitter user has even created a site where you can ‘make your own Gap logo,’ which is already making its rounds on the web (users have already created close to 5000 logos of their own).

But is the new logo just a clever move by Gap to spin some of the public outrage into a self-deprecating defence of its unpopular change? I definitely smelled a rat, a brand as strong as Gap doesn’t just release their logo without thought, warning, or a plan of action. Surely all their employees, stores, and partners would have had to been notified months in advance?

In response to the backlash Gap offered the following “Well, can you do any better?” response on its Facebook page:
So was it Gap’s original plan to crowdsource the project or more of a reactionary coping strategy than a well-laid marketing plan?

Either way, as a marketing strategy it has certainly done it's job. People who might not have shopped in GAP's stores, looked at their website or even thought about the design of it's previous logo are now talking about the GAP brand. It's a brilliant idea to keep the news fresh in peoples minds, and to engage them in your brand. You even have to 'Like' the GAP facebook page to leave a comment and I'm writing a blog about it now...genius!

7 Simple SEO tips to get you Started...

2010-09-27T17:30:00.005+01:00

We get lots of people asking us about SEO, what they should do, what they could do and what they definitely should not do. It seems that a lot of 'gurus' and unscrupulous SEO companies have been over-complicating the whole thing unnecessarily and in light of this we have decide to shine a much needed spotlight on the often confusing area of SEO information and misinformation.

SEO is not rocket science. Yes, SEO moves fast. Yes, the strategies change periodically, but the simple essence of SEO basically stays the same. A respectable SEO agency will admit SEO is challenging but will explain as much as they can to you simply and will tailor your campaign to your budget.

Don't believe the hype. SEO results don't come quickly. Ethical SEO campaigns can take a considerable amount of time to develop and become effective but it will definitely be worth the wait.

Some SEO companies use the same SEO techniques for every client they work for and claim this is an efficient approach to SEO. This just isn't true. Every business is different and requires a unique SEO campaign. If your SEO campaign is not tailored to the wants and needs of your business, it is highly unlikely to make a difference.

Oh and our favourite...you really need metatags…yeah, if this was 1999. Now you need so much more: social bookmarking, press releases, content syndication, a blog and someone to run it, some viral content as linkbait, and about 500 more good sites linking to yours with your targeted anchor text.

In our experience, SEO is all about understanding our client and their customers, following good practice and utilising a combined understanding of search engines and web technology.

Here's a few tips to get you started:

Know your market – choose your keywords based upon what people are looking for, NOT the other way around. There are a range of free tools and some paid ones which are perfect for helping you, Google Adwords & Word Tracker are ideal programs for this.
Clarify your business goal, brand objective and value proposition. These are extremely difficult to do, but essential to your success. Answer these first!
Solve a problem for your customer. Make sure the page does this with proper SEO and a call to action. It comes down to answering a user's specific question.
Re-Work & Write your content - If you have already worked on some content think about re-working it to include some of your new keywords but be warned: don’t go over doing it and make sure it still reads well.
Start a Blog. Blogs are all about content. Search engines love content. They don't love Flash, and they're still struggling with photos and video, but they absolutely get content.
Get Social. Social Media is a great option of getting quality, inbound traffic.The nature of the social web encourages participation: sharing, voting, commenting and linking. Popular social content gets exposure, traffic and can result in a substantial number of relevant inbound links.
Great content + Great User Experience + SEO = Traffic simples!

Do You Know Who's Watching You?

2010-08-16T11:03:00.007+01:00

Well, do you? You might be surprised....

I thought I would share this infograph I received from the guys at Wordstream, it's easy to forget just how much of your personal life is accessible through social media and this graph is a great little reminder of the importance of being 'in the know' when it comes to privacy and controlling the information you share online. (click on the graph for full view)

Infographic byWordStream Internet Marketing

Getting Social with Virgin Media

2010-07-28T13:56:00.005+01:00

If Twitter can make mainstream headlines, is there a place for it inside organisations? Virgin Media thinks there is, and have used Twitter to increased collaboration and engagement at their company.

Collaboration is fundamental to employee engagement in organisations today where relationships have changed; hierarchies are disappearing; knowledge is more in demand; and individuals expect employers to provide tools that allow them to communicate freely.

Technology makes it possible for employees to connect and communicate easily and quickly across functions, hierarchies, divisions and countries. This sharing of ideas, opinions and knowledge generates incredibly valuable information, vital for informed strategic decision making and, ultimately, business survival.

“Getting social” is a hot topic at Virgin Media – here's how they transformed the way they communicate and collaborate internally using social media tools and techniques.

Intranet - This is the main online channel used internally to communicate.
The Grill - This is a live online web chat, 'grilling' someone within the business. Anyone in the business can ask the individual getting 'grilled' questions, and it is a great way to get views and opinions aired and shared within the business. It is filmed and recorded for the archive.
Forums - These are similar to the intranet, but sit separately within the structure. Although nervous initially regarding the time it would take to manage them, the forums actually self manage themselves and have needed very little moderation. They have proved effective because they invoke different responses from different people across the business.
Wikis - These are information wiki's across the business. They have grown into their own micro communities, as individual sections of the business build up their own 'local' knowledge communities. These engage people differently, because they are reliant on colleagues working together to populate them with information.
Twitter -With over 100 offices across the UK, Twitter has enabled connections at Virgin that wouldn’t have happened before. It has opened doors for people needing answers and support on a whole variety of topics – from IT support, to finding solutions to customer problems, to tips on where to get the best beer for those travelling to other offices. They have a 'locked account' (they simply protect their tweets) that currently has 430+ people (otherwise known as “Twits”) in their online community. employees join in on everything from twitpic caption competitions to sending out top tips, (“toptwips”) to help their community keep up with the latest developments on Twitter and other social media tools.
Blogs - They currently have 25 blogs being written within the organisation on a wide range of subjects. They actively encourage anyone to blog and share them within the Virgin Media network.

Virgin believe there have been five real benefits from using the multitude of channels as part of their communication strategy:

Real-time feedback on real-time communications
Social media has revolutionised the way they are able to reach out to diverse cultures across different geographical boundaries, and link many of them together, by giving them different channels to do this.
It has helped them move away from just being an information 'top-down' company, by instigating all these 'bottom-up' communication channels. All employees now have a voice.
The employees can choose which way they communicate with other employees, and how they share information with each other.
Their employees are now taking responsible for their own communications and information which they are sharing with one another. They are not waiting for Virgin Media to 'tell them something' they are now using colleagues on the network to help instead.

Have your say

Would you consider using Twitter internally to help employees collaborate and communicate? Why or why not? Virgin as a brand is young and innovative, and the corporate culture encourages experimentation of new technologies, but how would you convince leaders of a more conservative organisation to allow employees to try something like Twitter? Let us know your thoughts below!

Next Week: 10 top tips on how to begin to incorporate social media platforms into your communication strategy.

What's Your Brand Doing For You?

2010-06-21T12:26:00.003+01:00

In a climate of skills shortages and severe competition for the best potential recruits, how do you best stand out from the crowd? An employer brand has the ability to attract and retain the right people, influence productivity, engage, motivate and innovate. Employer branding highlights the importance of taking the hiring process seriously and the rich rewards it will bring if you get it right. All employers, regardless of size, location and structure, have an employer brand, but many organisations lack the time, resources or knowledge to form a powerful strategy for their employer branding.

Good employer branding has a huge positive impact on an organisation's profile, attractiveness and strength. It's not just about about logos and clever adverts, it's about engaging with job applicants and promoting your organisation as an employer of choice, consistently through every aspect of the recruitment cycle. The way in which a candidate is treated during the recruiting process has a long lasting impact on your recruiting success and ability to attract top candidates.

In a nutshell, your employer brand is the voice and image of the communication you implement to attract and retain employees. It is what identifies you in the marketplace; it's what makes your company distinctive.

Still not convinced it matters? - Five reasons why employer branding really works:

1. Shortage of skilled labour: As the number of possible choices job seekers can make is becoming even greater in the marketplace and as globalisation impacts increasingly, employer branding strategies prove critical. Employer brands act as a psychological trigger in candidate's heads. These are very powerful triggers in the job market and can play a key role in candidate's job choice. Companies that are perceived to be attractive employers will have an easier time to recruit top talent.

2. More with less: a mantra coined during this economic downturn, there is high pressure to cut costs and increase productivity, which has made the need to get the right people in the right jobs even more crucial. Employer branding results in more successful recruitment and retention of top talent. Moreover, by properly communicating the reality of the work environment, companies are more likely to attract talent that fits their organisational culture, thus increasing the people with the right skills in the correct positions.

3. Growth & profitability: hiring and retaining top performers is essential for growth and to maintain a competitive edge. Employees who have the right skills, experience and knowledge, in relation to the critical areas of a business to drive growth, are strategically important. Bottom line, employer branding increases your profit margin.

4. Popularity: research on the talent market reveals that people want to work for companies with great reputations, and they often turn to family members, friends or colleagues for advice and approval when making a decision about which employers to consider. In addition, the consumer/corporate/employer brands are becoming intertwined. If a company is viewed as being an unpopular employer, it will consequently affect everything else and cause disequilibrium in the corporate ecosystem.

5. Strength: being an attractive employer provides a company or organisation more bargaining power, as employees will want to work for them more than anyone else, even those that have rare and in demand skills - irrespective of salary levels. In addition, good employer branding is constantly maintaining an image of being the most desirable employer, and giving the right reasons or incentives to attract the best candidates.

Remember that the actions and activities of organisations are becoming more visible due to the increasing number of people joining and posting comments on social and business networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Employees and job applicants will continue ranking companies based on a higher level of internal insight into the company gained on online communities. As a result, businesses that promote good employment branding and communications will, in the long term, feature high on the “best places to work” lists and their employees will act as ambassadors of their brand. Every aspect of how prospective candidates are handled.

Of course, it is not just the communications aspect of the recruitment process that needs to reflect the employer brand. Every aspect of how prospective candidates are handled is worthy of consideration from the moment they make contact with the organisation through the selection phases to the subsequent offer or rejection. By recruiting intelligently and selectively you can better develop employee branding. Once your employees understand your brand and objectives—and buy in—they’ll be in a better position to act as ambassadors for your brand.

How the New LinkedIn Feature Could Give You the Inside Track

2010-05-14T12:02:00.003+01:00

LinkedIn have recently introduced a new feature that enables users to follow companies they are interested in, called Company Follow. On the surface it’s a small change, but it could have major implications for both LinkedIn’s individual users and companies. Company updates will let you know about profile changes, new hires, recent departures and promotions within an organisation.

Nearly a million companies already have their company profiles on the professional networking site, and as the LinkedIn blog puts it:

“Starting today, you can be in the loop on new developments, potential business opportunities or even job opportunities by following companies of interest to you… Most importantly, this feature can deliver insights - you may be surprised at - such as the pace of hiring at your nearest competitor or the start of a whole new industry as you see web technology companies hiring geography teachers (for e.g.).”

I think it's a really smart move on LinkedIn's part. LinkedIn has always been known as the professionals social network or B2B networking playground online, so this feature makes sense. LinkedIn users can follow a company, by just selecting the Follow button on the companies profile or a member who is associated with a particular company. They'll be able to easily view the companies they are following and they will also receive recommendations on companies they might be interested in following.

So,where do you begin? Here's a few tips to get you started...

Companies

Companies use LinkedIn for various ways such as building a community, gaining new talent, or watching its competition. The Company Follow feature will ensure greater success for using LinkedIn to it’s fullest potential.

1. A new stream of followers and potential employee opportunity can be built. There is no restriction on the amount of companies a person can follow allowing a followers to build.

2. Pay attention to the competition. If anyone can follow you so can any company so know who is paying attention to you.

3. They said what? Know what the conversations surrounding your business are whether you like it or not. It’s better to know than not.

4. Keep your employees happy. By following your competitors you will know if they are in need of someone who could be found in your company. This provides you with an unique opportunity to keep your employees happy in ways that matter most.

5. Follow freely. You won’t be blocked so follow your competitor to protect your company and find ,if needed, new employees.

6.You may want to keep an even closer eye on what information you and your employees put on LinkedIn now – it was changes to profiles there that revealed that Apple had bought Intrinsity, and that was even before the introduction of this feature.)

Job Seekers

1.Be selective of the companies you follow. It’s imperative to follow companies where you will be of greatest value and that have a good reputation.

2.Discover what hidden jobs these companies may have by staying current its news.

3.Who’s coming and going? Find out what jobs are opening or closing and why.

4.Promotions. A friendly congratulations to an employee receiving a promotion can garner itself into a beneficial networking relationship.

5. Know what “Top Dogs” have joined with the company. By knowing what Executives or Senior Managers have joined you can insight into what the company is doing, accomplishing, or needing, which could be window of opportunity.

Resource Solutions Group (RSG) short-listed for prestigious Award

2010-04-29T11:14:00.002+01:00

Resource Solutions Group's successful brand launch and internal marketing campaign, ‘I’m RSG’ has been short-listed for Best Marketing Campaign in the Recruitment Consultant Industry Awards, sponsored by 1st Choice Software.

The RSG campaign relied on the passion and personal integrity of both senior leaders and their staff to shape and transmit our single-minded proposition, ‘Empowered Thinking, Proven Delivery’ and encouraged employees to feel their views were recognised and valued to increase their levels of engagement in the company.

Take a look at some of the RSG videos

“We tried to engage everybody into the new vision for the business. We drew upon our own staff’s personality, ambitions, experience and expertise and then used that information as a platform for developing and delivering our brand message. The beauty of this is that it allows RSG’s proposition to be personalised, instead of becoming some glossy corporate message that is delivered without adequate content. The feedback I have received from all areas of the company has been overwhelmingly positive. Through a smart execution the team have raised the bar and set new standards for internal communications.” said Mike Beesley, Director of Group Sales and Marketing.

The Recruitment Industry Awards judging panel met on Wednesday to sort through ‘the exceptionally high standard of entries’ and the Awards ceremony will be held at Grace in Great Windmill Street, London on the 3rd June, 2010.

The panel was chaired by Recruitment Consultant editor Jim Tanfield and was made up of TEAM UK’s Liz Longman, Elite Leaders managing director John O’Sullivan, Thomas International chairman and chief executive Martin Reed with Front Page Publishing’s Paul Harwood and 1st Choice Software’s Roy Snart.

Judges’ chairman Jim Tanfield said: “The standards for a majority of entries was exceptional and judges had their work cut out to find a winner in each category. There was something incredibly heartening about the diversity of entries, with small and large recruitment firms alike as well as the support services, wanting to celebrate their achievements following a turbulent economy.”

To view the shortlists for all five Recruitment Industry Awards categories, including Best Marketing Campaign, visit http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/news/shortlist_announced/2726

Sticky Media is an RSG company

Don’t Tweet That! 10 tweets that will get you into hot water...

2010-04-08T16:27:00.027+01:00

Leading on from my last blogs look at the Nestle Facebook disaster, I thought I’d follow up with a few words about one of its biggest rivals, the mighty Twitter.

Time and time again people have posted things to their corporate Twitter feed that has really blown up in their face and surprisingly, the big corporate machines have been just as guilty of this as the rest of us. So I've rustled up a few tips to help you stop your tweets turning into 140 character time bombs that explode into twittersphere.

In all honesty, I look at Twitter in the same way that I look at other sources of written communication - books, blogs, magazines, websites, social networking - they all have a purpose and can be used effectively but each presents it's own dangers as well. This is a huge challenge for companies.

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter can definitely add value to any business that uses it well. It is a great way to reinforce your brand, share news and important information, gather feedback, advertise and most importantly, start a dialogue with your customers and prospects – and the only cost is the time of the people involved with managing your Twitter account.

But it's surprising just how many organisations don’t use them effectively and there are some who don’t even seem to think before they tweet. Surely, before you’re going to say something publicly that will reflect on your company or brand, you should take just a split second to think about what you’re posting? I know the first thing that pops into my head isn’t always something that I’d want to broadcast!

Here’s a little list I pulled together for corporate tweeters:

The Definitely Do Not Tweet List!

1. Don’t just use twitter as an advertising medium – it doesn’t work that way. Twitter is designed for relationship building. The most successful corporate accounts provide insights and value to the general listener.

2. Don’t complain about your colleagues or clients on Twitter. If they don’t read it someone else will tell them about it, trust me, it will get back to them!

3. Don’t get defensive about negative criticism of your company or it’s services, use the opportunity to show those listening that you care about what they think and try to resolve any issues they have.

4. Don’t post about any confidential company affairs or finances. This can get your company in a lot of trouble and will almost definitely leave you without a job.

5. Don’t publicise any private issues or jeopardise the company’s working relationships.

6. Don't #hashtag every topic. After a while, your topics will just be ignored and you will be un-followed.

7. Don't tweet about any issues you have with a co - worker or your employer or anyone else for that matter – try talking to them about it! This just makes both you and your company look really unprofessional (not to mention a tad passive aggressive!) not such a good look.

8. Don't tweet your eating habits. Seriously. Just don't do it.

9. Don’t think having an anonymous account or user profile makes any of the above okay.

And Finally...

10. Don't use completely unrelated hot topics or events solely as a PR opportunity to further your own name and social media rank and position, people will see straight through it.

To illustrate this last point, I leave you with this example, posted by the official Google Maps API twitter account, just after the news broke about the death of the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson. It's a pretty insensitive attempt to use some completely unrelated news to attract people to their website, which they have since deleted:

Nestle’s Facebook Fiasco.

2010-03-25T12:27:00.024+00:00

Last week, chocolate maker Nestle became the centre of a Facebook feeding frenzy when the operators of the corporation's Facebook page made a rather hostile response to some of it's critics’ comments.

The situation began when environmental protection group Greenpeace, who are known for their unorthodox methods of gaining attention, created a video parody on YouTube of Nestle’s KitKat chocolate bar.

The video parody (not for the faint hearted) suggests that the production of a key ingredient in the product, palm oil, leads to the destruction of rainforests.

Nestle demanded that the video be taken down but it went viral, reappearing on multiple video sharing websites. Then Nestle's Facebook page was flooded with angry comments from Greenpeace supporters, whom the activist group had encouraged to change their profile photos to anti-Nestle slogans that incorporated the company's food logos.

Nestle’s Facebook administrator countered with the following threat:

Nestle: We welcome your comments, but please don't post using an altered version of any of our logos as your profile pic - they will be deleted."

Unsurprisingly this attempt at censorship didn’t go down particularly well and a barrage of angry critics flooded their page:

Paul Griffin: Your page, your rules, true, and you just lost a customer, won the battle and lost the war! Happy?

Nestle: Oh please .. it's like we're censoring everything to allow only positive comments.

Darren Smith: Honey you need new PR

Jagos Golubovic: I was a big fan of your products, but now, when I saw what you guys wrote, I think I'm gonna stop buying them.

Helen Constable: I'd like to know if the person writing the comments for Nestle, actually has the backing from Nestle? I doubt it. Even a dumb ass company like them would get such an idiot to be their public voice.

Nestle: I think you missed out the 'not' there, Helen

Hyra Zaka: is a nestle rep running this page?????

Responding to one of hundreds of messages about the deforestation and it's effect on endangered Orang-Utangs, the administrator brazenly countered: "Get it off your chest - we'll pass it on."

Not only was this a social media disaster, it’s managed to bring the central issue - the company’s connection to deforestation in Indonesia and its effect on indigenous people and Orang-Utans - to more eyeballs than even Greenpeace could have hoped for.

What happened to Nestle happened because the person charged with managing its Facebook page was either under-qualified or unprepared to do their job properly. Handled differently, the attack on Nestle’s facebook page could have been better managed and the outcome could have been radically more positive for the brand.

Here’s a few Corporate Facebook tips that Nestle would have done well to remember:

1. DON’T insult your fans - negative comments and the way you respond to them is visible to all your followers. Aggressive and inflammatory remarks are a sure fire way to antagonise even the most passive reader.

2. DON'T Censor their comments - silencing your critics will only add fuel to the fire. As bad as it might seem to have criticism showing up on your Facebook page, it’s infinitely worse to have the mainstream media pick up on your censorship, unless you live in China, the internet is a democracy.

3. DON’T respond unless you have something positive to say. Nestle’s mistake was responding to criticism before they had a valid point to make. By the time they announced their plans to use 100% renewable palm oil by 2015, the damage was already done – nobody was willing to listen.

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Tune Up Your Social Media Talent

2010-03-19T16:21:00.014+00:00

Last Year, 11.8 million people tuned in to watch “Britain’s Got Talent” when the now infamous 'SuBo' made her screen debut . But in just a few days, the video of that same show on YouTube had generated more than 80 million views. That’s TV 11.8 million, YouTube 80 million. Anyone who grew up with television as the quintessential mass medium may need to take a moment just to absorb that fundamental shift.

2009 was a banner year for social media. Fuelled in large part by the impressive growth of Twitter and LinkedIn and the adoption of both by major brands and recognisable individuals, it's safe to say that social media truly went 'mainstream'. And more and more people have a nagging suspicion that things like Susan’s YouTube video are stark examples that social media tools really are changing the way that we communicate.

Through social media tools, a business can stay connected to a larger number of contacts and the networks they belong to, have access to the information and opportunities in those networks, and do it better and faster. Social Media Marketing provides businesses with a powerful tool that doesn’t need an overwhelming amount of complexity to be useful.

Here are five tips for companies looking to take their social media efforts to the next level in 2010.

1. Start small. It is best to start your Social Media transformation slowly. Let the change take its course without forcing it. If your company has several brands and products, pick one and start from there. Use this as the stepping stone for the Social Media transformation in your company. You can only change so much inside your organisation, so choose your battles wisely.

2. Find the right people to handle the transformation. You need sufficient manpower to successfully prepare your organisation for embracing Social Media. You need to find the right people to handle this endeavor, otherwise it will inevitably fail; the people behind this effort should be passionate - passionate and enthusiastic about building a relationship with your customers and your target market. Do not delegate this task to the person with the least responsibilities. This job needs specialisation and passion, not just free time.

3. Sync the technology. Your marketing or PR people should have the right resources in order to turn your plans into reality. Otherwise, find a new agency. Your agency should be able to understand Social Media, because only then will your efforts become successful.

4. Set and follow goals. You should have set goals as soon as you signed up for your Twitter and other social media accounts. In fact you should have had goals before you even signed up for your first social network account. Having goals will allow you to use social media effectively because you have a guide.

5. Don’t obsessively count fans and followers. It’s not the quantity of followers you have, it is the quality of followers that really matter when using social media for business. Stop obsessing about the number of followers you have and instead focus on really developing a strong community around your brand.

6. Commit to the whole thing. Using social media for business requires time and commitment. Make sure you really commit to updating your social media accounts. Some individuals and companies start a Twitter account and then abandon it without full understanding how it can really help them. You might encounter some problems or troubles as you go along but just keep going. There is no perfect social network and you just have to keep working on what you started to get the best results.

7. Check out the competition. Social media will provide you with opportunities to learn more about your competitors as well as your industry.

8. Plan for the long term. Granted that your initial efforts worked, where will you take it? At the beginning, you should start small, but you should plan big in case your plans do work. Your plans should go beyond making Social Media part of your organisation; instead, your plans have to be long term—and everyone in your organisation should be prepared. Using Social Media means putting a premium on the role of the customers in your organisation. This can be daunting and unsettling, so proper planning is required.

Recruiting in 2010? More Hints from the Experts:

2010-02-16T09:29:00.002+00:00

Back by popular demand… more helpful hints from the experts as to how your organisation can pick up the talent it needs to get it through the economic labyrinth ahead…

6. Hire in haste, repent at leisure

OK, as noted in the last blog, you’ve got to get a move on when planning your recruitment strategy for the recovery and beyond - but that doesn’t mean you should rush into the actual hiring activity too. Panicking when facing gaps in your team, or when worrying about letting a flood of new talent flow through your fingers, won’t help your organisation through the next months and years. Take a deep breath and ignore sudden rushes of blood to the head; hire with tomorrow in mind, not just the next five minutes.

“While the prospect of increased workloads may at first be daunting, employers must not succumb to the temptation to indiscriminately fill vacancies irrationally or as soon as possible,” cautions Adecco’s Steven Kirkpatrick. “Even when it seems that candidates are lining up at the door, employers should never rush into their hiring decisions. Just because they feel that time is not on their side; inevitably this will only impact negatively on other staff through increasing their workload and could affect the business in the long term. Poor hiring can be expensive too; often lowering productivity and in the worst cases employers may be forced to re-hire again if the candidate is really not up to the required standard.”

7. Be aware of the bigger picture - understand the recruiting sector

Obviously, it helps pretty much everyone in business to have an understanding of the broader economic picture; however, those working in recruitment should recognise the benefits of understanding not just those sectors into or from which they’re recruiting, but also the recruitment sector itself. Significant changes are occurring within the industry that affect both the market and the ways in which recruiters operate within it. Miss the bigger picture while you’re busy rolling out your sector-specific pitch, and you could also miss the boat entirely.

Robert Richards of Devonshire says that his company “is approaching the recovery conscious of two core themes. Firstly the sense that the 'War on Talent' continues unabated. Secondly; organisations should be (even) more flexible in the way they on-board their talent.

8. Using external recruiters doesn’t mean you don’t have to be flexible

There’s a definite temptation when outsourcing your recruitment to insist on very rigid parameters in terms of compensation and incentives for potential hires - but setting a price and sticking to it might not make the most of what your recruiters can do. Allowing a bit of flexibility into what your providers can offer, in terms of access to things like bonus packages, pension provision, healthcare offerings etc, might well mean they can secure top talent at a lower salary level than you’d budgeted for.

“Many clients seem to believe that the market is flooded with great talent and that as such they can stubborn with their demands,” warns Rob Grant of Dragonfly Recruitment. “Good people are still hard to find and employers who show flexibility - be it in working arrangements, remuneration or other aspects of the recruitment process - will find themselves more likely to find the perfect person.”

9. Look inside as well as out

As a successful organisation you’ve got to be confident of your ability to hire and retain talent right from the very first day it walks through your hallowed doors - so if you’ve spent all this money, time and effort on attracting raw talent why not try to utilise it when seeking to fill new vacancies? Especially if you have access to an internal talent pool.

“Employers should not overlook the possibility of internal promotions or re-structures. Although business cannot afford to “just leave it” when business picks up, employers should consider that they may have sufficient resources within. Be clear on just how much work there is to be done and who has the potential bandwidth to assist in a role outside of their original remit,” recommends Adecco’s Steven Kirkpatrick.

10. Make your voice heard, all down the chain…

Everyone wants the ear of the top brass - so ensuring you’ve got it becomes all the more difficult (and of course all the more important) - but it’s advisable to make sure as many people as possible, boardroom to postroom, understand the importance to the organisation of coherent and cohesive recruitment. After all, everyone can do their part to make the recruiting process and the talent-retention element as smooth and successful as possible.

“Smart hiring decisions will help build a more productive workforce with better retention; which in turn helps build good company morale and saves the company money in the long-term. Once the economy turns around, employee goodwill will be of paramount importance,” urges Nick Walrond of Sanderson Recruitment plc.

Recruiting in 2010?

2010-01-25T15:08:00.015+00:00

2009 was a tough year for a lot of us but many employers are now strengthening their operations in preparation for the economic recovery. So what can we expect from the recruiting market in 2010? Here are our predictions...

Increased vacancy activity - As employers sense new optimism in the market they are now thinking of long-term strategies to strengthen their business and this includes planning for recruitment during 2010.

Candidate movement - Following a particularly tough year, we will see a significant increase in the number of employed people changing jobs as their confidence grows. Some will be passive job seekers, tentatively keeping an eye on opportunities that become available. Others will look for their next step up.

Skills shortages - As we emerge from the economic downturn, the challenge for talent remains and will once again rear its head. Skills shortages will again become evident. Already there are shortages of particular skills. As the search for the best talent rises, the pool of available talent will diminish throughout the year.

Good employers will thrive - Employees were front-row spectators to their company’s recession response. During the downturn, the ‘good’ employers shone. They maintained their focus on their employees’ career development and staff relations. These companies are now viewed very positively by job seekers. They are well-placed to attract the top talent in 2010 as a result.

And here’s some helpful hints from the experts as to how your organisation can pick up the talent it needs to get it through the economic labyrinth ahead…

1. Generosity can save you money

It’s been very much a buyer’s market in recruitment recently - but that shouldn’t dissuade you from erring on the side of generosity when it comes to talking terms with the really top talent. Just because the market’s tightened up significantly in general terms, doesn’t mean the competition isn’t just as keen as ever to attract the very best employees - a refusal to budge on the top end of what you’re able to offer potential new staff could end up proving very costly as you either fail to secure that key talent or see it drift off over the horizon sixth months down the line, lured by a better offer…

“Offer a fair deal…and save money!” advises Nick Walrond, Managing Director at Sanderson Recruitment Plc. “Because there is so much competition for roles it is very tempting for recruiters to secure someone on a significantly lower salary than the current market value - but this is really just a false economy. Recruiting individuals is a big investment and having to replace someone is a waste of money, time and effort. It is really important to make sure that remuneration is commensurate with the market and that your new employee is truly happy with the offer. The reason is simply that you will risk losing that person as soon as another opportunity materializes which offers a salary more closely matched with their level of experience.”

2. Don’t go long-term if you don’t have to

Just as an increasing number of jobseekers are only looking for part-time or short-term contracts it might make sense for you to consider these options too. For many reasons - such as forthcoming M&A activity; possible transformation programs looming; new systems implementation; perhaps the possibility of an outsourcing deal shaking up some of your departments - your organization might want to maintain a fairly flexible headcount even at relatively high levels. Tying yourself down to long-term contracts when none is needed can be expensive, inefficient and unwieldy.

“If employers are unable to find the ideal candidate then they should consider alternative employment options. It may be most suitable to employ temporary workers that can quickly and easily come in and keep operations running as normal until a full-time solution is found. Alternatively, if workloads are likely to lessen in the near future, e.g. the work is seasonal then perhaps a longer-term contract worker would be a sufficient replacement during busy periods,” says Steven Kirkpatrick, Managing Director of Adecco staffing in UK and Ireland.

3. Be prepared for the “reluctant jobseeker”

Sudden changes to the economy shake up the job-market in many ways, but one of the most profound is the injection of new types of jobseeker into the fray. A wide variety of new experiences and new ways of thinking come into the picture for recruiting organizations - but they can be accompanied by a whole host of different challenges facing the jobseekers themselves…

“The issue of quantity has been fuelled the past two years by a new dynamic to the labor market: the reluctant jobseeker - the individual that has served an organization diligently for many years climbing the internal career ladder, performing different internal roles and earning a year-on-year salary increase to reward them for their loyalty. These are the ones that seem to struggle most; type-cast through a combination of the stigma of redundancy, not being considered for potential roles because their salary expectation is too high, they're unlikely to be sufficiently agile to 'fit' culturally into a new organization, they live in the wrong geographic location or they have not worked in the industry sector that the potential employer demands. Going forwards; both applicants and employers need to be willing to show flexibility and focus on positives and where value can be achieved,” according to Robert Richards of Devonshire Communications.

4. LinkIn - yesterday, if not before…

Get on LinkedIn, along with over 53,000,000 others - many of whom are actively searching for their next professional challenge. Social networking might still have a few “downtime” connotations in the stuffier corners of the business world, but this is business networking - and, really, if you’re not on LinkedIn by now what actually are you doing?

“Link with your LinkedIn network. Daily updates – indicating what you’re working on – update your network. Grow and manage your network daily. And, reach out to your network and search for potential matches to your jobs. LinkedIn is one of the most awesome tools to happen to recruiting in many years… use it and build it daily. If you’re not active on LinkedIn you’re probably not a serious recruiter,” enthuses Greg Bennett, global practice director for The Mergis Group.

5. … And put the pieces together with Jigsaw et al

Of course, LinkedIn isn’t the only online community recruiters should be aware of. There are plenty of other sites with useful data and helpful applications to assist you in your hunt for talent. Even a familiarity with less typically business-focused networks like Facebook and MySpace can give you an advantage by opening doors to specific interest-groups, geographies etc (not to mention helping with any viral marketing you might be deploying).

“Another great tool is Jigsaw,” says The Mergis Group‘s Greg Bennett. “Frequently you’ll see a profile on LinkedIn that really looks like a strong match and you’d rather not use an InMail for a variety of reasons. Jigsaw is, basically, a barter sight for business cards. I’ll see a name on LinkedIn and then search it on Jigsaw and usually find a direct phone number and email address for the person… very handy tool… While LinkedIn is my primary source site I also utilize others such as Plaxo, Xing, Facebook and to a much lesser degree, Twitter. ”

Next Blog: 5 More Hints From the Experts...

*Helpful hints from the experts first published by Jamie Liddell, Editor, Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) - www.ssonetwork.com

Brrism #3: Who Are You?

2009-10-23T11:44:00.006+01:00

The Lowdown

On Wednesday evening, I had the privilege to attend the third #Brrism (“it’s Brrizzle for Social Media”) at Pervasive Media Studio with a bunch of likeminds and social media folk, from various organisations and backgrounds.

Mostly creatives of some sort, the group of about 25 were a colourful collection of writers, bloggers, trainers, designers, social media geeks, photographers and more. Many were just getting started with Twitter and Linkedin, and others had been with “social media” since its conception in the late 90s.

Facilitator Michael Corbett (@KobB) hosted the first Brrism in August this year as a social media meet-up based on a central theme (with a few ideas for breaking the ice and networking) where attendees could then self-organise during the meeting and discuss related topics of interest.

The Hoedown

Wednesday’s meeting was based on the theme of identity and how one presents oneself online, and therefore began with a “Who Are You? Hoedown” designed to break the ice and get everyone talking about what they do. All participants had a name badge complete with organisation and self-appointed tagline, with the idea being that if people could correctly guess your job, then your tagline was therefore an accurate representation of yourself.

I carried “Jack of all trades – master of fun!” – Based more on myself as an individual, than the organisation I work for. (Although that’s pretty fun too).

After this initial icebreaker, we then formed groups to discuss several topics offered by members of the group. My group for example was “Google Wave; is it just a massive timesuck?” Of course, these topics were quickly strayed from, but resulted in equally interesting debates.

The Slowdown

The group then reformed as one, and discussed some of the behind the scenes action of Brrism and where to find information on events.

After a brief tidy-up session (Pervasive Media Studio kindly provides the space to Michael and Brrism for free), the majority decamped to The Watershed and continued discussing the event.

Brrism was an excellent opportunity to meet fellow social media aficionados and discuss everything from post-apocalyptic fiction, to older generations using Twitter (case in point: @ivybean104).

For more info on Brrism, visit the blog or the wiki and follow Michael Corbett on Twitter. You can also follow the #Brrism hashtag on Twitter. And hope to see you at the next one!

There's an App for that...

2009-10-15T13:34:00.008+01:00

Own an iPhone? Then there’s at least a 1 in 2 chance you’ve downloaded a paid app for it.

According to AdMob’s Mobile Metrics, “Nineteen percent of Android users regularly download one or more paid apps a month, compared to 50 percent of iPhone users and 40 percent of iPod touch users.”

The trouble is, we’re being inundated with thousands of applications that aren’t necessarily a step in the right direction, or indeed, useful, including this one covered by Mashable this week:

Viper SmartStart iPhone App

The app combines the Viper SmartStart remote system (a device fitted to some US cars to allow them to be started without a key and remotely) with an iPhone app that can unlock, lock, start and open the trunk of your car from virtually anywhere.

One of the main advantages being touted is that you can start your car in the winter and begin heating it before you leave the house. Great. Unless your iPhone is stolen. (edit: apparently, you still need the key to drive off. Doesn’t this make it even more useless then?)

Or your car whilst unlocked. Brilliant.

The consensus on Mashable, is that it’s just plain lazy. As per peacechicken’s comment below:

Which brings us neatly onto price. The system is $499 if your car isn’t currently equipped, or $299 for the module if your car does currently have SmartStart. The app itself is free.

Now maybe we’re being too harsh on the app itself, when we’ve really got issues with the system. So we’ll let you decide.

What other useless apps are out there? Let us know in the comments.

Brizzly Beta: Brilliant

2009-10-05T09:40:00.012+01:00

We received a beta invitation code to Brizzly last week and thought we’d give it a go. Not just for social media research reasons, but because we felt compelled to, given our location in the South West of England…

Brizzly is a web-based Twitter client similar to Hootsuite (our current Twitter client), but dedicates a lot more screen area to your Twitter Home Feed, and pushes groups (Direct Message Inbox, and Sent Messages etc.) to the left bar, with Trending Topics and pop-up Direct Message events on the right.

Obviously, as it’s still in Beta, there are a few creases to iron out, but on the whole it’s pretty streamlined with some good features.

So let’s have a look:

Features

Trending Topics (TT’s) - are editable and updateable in real-time, meaning you can click on a TT and change the description yourself, and then watch for updates from others. It works on the “Wikipedia principle” and as a result, remains largely accurate. If Brizzly admin feel it’s getting out of control, then a lock will occasionally appear preventing further editing.

Media embedding – when anyone posts an image or video (typically on Twitpic and YouTube), they appear embedded below the Tweet so that visiting the link to see the content is no longer necessary. (Unless of course you want to leave a comment on it.) This is a great feature for us, though sometimes it can be a little tricky if someone has uploaded media NSFW (Not Suitable For Work)...

Image courtesy of @FirstDigg

Accessible ReTweeting – For anyone with Hootsuite, or other client, then this is already old-hat, however, if you are still using Twitter, this will be invaluable. Below any Tweet are the options to “Reply”, “Retweet” or “Favourite”, so you don’t have to copy and paste to ReTweet, or write your recipient by hand for a reply.

Groups – If you have lots of followers Tweeting about different subjects, you can add them into a group and view them one at a time.

Real-time updating – Again, you’ll be impressed if you currently just use Twitter. Brizzly updates whenever you are “idle” i.e. not watching a video, typing a message or browsing Tweets.

Multiple accounts – Manage more than one Twitter account from tabs at the top of the Brizzly interface.

Link-shortening and lengthening – Brizzly will automatically shorten links from your submit box when posting a Tweet, and will automatically lengthen them in the home feed if there is enough space.

We're impressed with the way these all work together to make a great Twitter experience. It certainly saves us time when Tweeting and makes it easy to read other's Tweets. And we've yet to miss a Tweet thanks to a yellow box that appears around new ones.

In case the Brizzly team are reading, we’d like to suggest a few features that we’d like to see, and no doubt some of these are in the pipeline anyway.

Improvements

A follower list – This is where Hootsuite also falls down for us, as we have to follow-back new followers by opening Twitter itself. It’s not possible to do so in Brizzly or Hootsuite at present. Seeing as this is one of the most important things you’d want to do, we’d expect to see it here.

Scheduled Tweets - One of the best things about Hootsuite is that you can schedule a Tweet for a later time and date. We'd like to see the ability to do this in Brizzly.

A choice of accounts to ReTweet from. On occasion we find a great Tweet on our home feed, but would prefer it to be Tweeted from another one of our accounts. This can only be done by copying the Tweet in question and memorising their account name, then changing accounts with the avatars and then pasting. Unless your accounts both follow the person in question, and even then, it’s a case of scrolling down and finding their Tweet.

Different colour backgrounds for each of your profiles, or the ability to add a custom image background. When you scroll part-way down the page, the avatars are no longer visible and it’s possible to forget which account you are in, and post a Tweet from the wrong one by accident.

Fixed end columns – At the moment, the left and right columns only stay in place as you scroll, if there is a DM visible on the right. If you close the DM, the bars then scroll with the Tweets and disappear off the top of the screen. In Firefox 3.5.2 anyway…

Instant updating of new DM’s – This works most of the time, as you will see a DM pop-up from time to time. However, sometimes a log-out and re-login is required to see new ones.

A list for adding followers to groups – At present, you can add followers to a group by creating a new one, and typing in the follower’s name. Admittedly, a drop-down does appear when you type a letter, but this is slightly flawed, as some followers do not appear. What we’d like to see is a grid of followers in alphabetical order, or a scrollable list in addition to the drop-down box to make choosing followers easier.

As we’ve mentioned, it’s still very much at the Beta stage, so we’re giving it a fair trial for the next few weeks. So far impressions are great, and with some improvements it could well be the Twitter client of choice.

If you’d like an invitation to Brizzly, just follow us on Twitter @sticky_media, and send us a DM with your email address, or leave us a comment below. We’ve got 10 invites to give away.

Brizzly have changed the way codes are given out, and now we can only send invites to an email address rather than provide a link with a code. We hate spam as much as you do, and will never send you anything you don't want.

Are you measuring Social Media ROI? 84% of professionals aren’t.

2009-09-24T09:14:00.014+01:00

Now that Social Media has established a place in our society and has proven to be a “fundamental shift in the way we communicate” and not just a passing fad, the inevitable question has been asked…

How do you measure Social Media ROI?

Whilst many businesses have embraced the power of social media for marketing by conversing and listening to followers, just as many businesses have shied away from the concept, at least for the time being.

According to Equation Research’s “2009 Marketing Industry Trends Report”, 37% of brand marketers claimed that “there is no established way to measure effectiveness”. And 37% responded that they didn’t know enough about Social Media to begin using it.

Even more interesting then, is the statistic claiming only 16% of professionals worldwide currently measure the ROI of their Social Media marketing.

Luckily, help is starting to emerge on how to measure ROI in this new arena. (And advice on not measuring here… and here)

Check out our quick list of resources:

Mashable - How to Measure Social Media ROI for Business
ComputerWorld – What’s Your Twitter ROI? How to measure social media payoff
BtoB – You CAN measure social media ROI
And Interactive Insights Group – ROI Superlist

Have you found any more great resources, or have any tips for professionals? Should the question be "WHY measure social media ROI?" Comment below...

Google FastFlip and Bing Visual

2009-09-15T12:08:00.007+01:00

FastFlip is Googlelabs’ latest offering, allowing users to view the latest news in easy-to-read image format, rather than standard news aggregator text format.

As the name suggests, it’s fast, and much faster than loading image-heavy news pages. Google appear to be placing the emphasis on being able to read online news as fast as you can in print.

It’s also available on Android-capable devices and the iPhone with tactile page turning.

This comes on the same day as Bing launched “Bing Visual Search” which displays rows of image content instead of your typical text search results, to help you search via visual information.

The kind of thing that would be useful if you wanted the name of someone, but could only remember what they looked like.

It's a promising concept, however, it only appears to be available to US users and it requires Microsoft’s Silverlight to work...

So far, responses on Mashable are mostly negative on the lack of information for non-US users and the mandatory Silverlight installation.

Google win this round, Microsoft.

Are there any alternatives? Leave your comments below.

Post-Twitter Future: The Next Big Thing

2009-09-08T14:42:00.023+01:00

Twitter is huge, we get it. It’s great for business, and it’s great for making new contacts. It’s great for a whole host of things from finding people in your area, to telling you that your washing is done.

So what’s next? Twitter and the big 3 are sure to keep on growing, but what will be the next big thing discussed on social media, spoken about in seminars, and misunderstood in the tabloid press?

In terms of technology, 3D television is rapidly approaching the consumer market, Augmented Reality is gaining in popularity from brands, and Google have announced that they will be launching an online Monopoly game using Google Maps…

Ok, so perhaps that last one won’t change our lives too much. Although it does sound quite addictive.

Let’s take a look:

3DTV

Sony has announced that they will be developing an affordable 3DTV, and that it will be ready for release at the end of 2010. BSkyB have also announced plans for a 3D channel next year.

We can’t wait for 3DTV to pave the way for immersive and innovative advertising. All bets on Honda to come up with something viral-worthy in 2011.

Augmented Reality (AR)

AR is the combining (or augmenting) of the real world with a computer-generated image or overlay. This is a technology that is being rapidly caught onto by some fair ly big names. Check out this video from Toyota which uses a normal webcam, some AR software and a machine-readable symbol printed on a piece of cardboard:

We expect this technology to really take-off in the next few years, but it’s already gaining ground with the big players.

For more examples, check out Revolution Magazine’s Top 10 AR Campaigns.

Google Monopoly

“Monopoly City Streets” is an online game of Monopoly which uses Google Maps as the game-board.

The game launches tomorrow (9th September – unsurprisingly, a popular day for product releases and promotional events) and will allow players worldwide to build houses, skyscrapers, rubbish tips and many more places of interest (!) on real streets.

Players apparently receive $3million game dollars with property prices varying between $50,000 and $100million.

Check out the official Monopoly City Streets website.

[Update 09:00, 11/09/09: Get buying your streets, Monopoly City Streets is back online.]

In Other News:

OrangeT

As you’ve probably heard this morning, Orange has announced a merger with T-Mobile, which will place them in the lead in the UK market with a combined 37% market share. This will allow a “new force in the mobile phone market” and hopefully an increase in network coverage and quality.

And in keeping with the topic of this post, this may also mean a greater investment in new technologies and services.

Apple Event

Also using the portentous release date of “09/09/09” as a publicity tool is Apple. They started to fuel rumours last month of a special event, causing speculation about a possible product launch.

We reckon it’s the Apple tablet, but all will be revealed tomorrow.

The Events

And never one to ignore a special date, illusionist Derren Brown launches “The Events” tomorrow with a live show where he attempts to predict 5 out of 6 lottery numbers. Not surprisingly, he's been banned from buying a ticket.

Catch Derren’s show live at 10:35pm on Channel 4.

New Toys: Wooshii, Hootsuite 2.0, Twitterskins

2009-08-28T15:11:00.014+01:00

Friday again, and this time an extended weekend to look forward to. This week has been very productive in terms of finding new social media tools and apps. Here are just a few of the applications we’ve signed up to:

Wooshii – Currently still in Alpha, this new viral marketplace allows brands, creatives and publishers to create an account (with a combination of the 3 titles if you wish) to “buy, sell and spread viral marketing campaigns”.

We, like many others have had the chance to preview the site before it goes live and it looks quite promising. The main idea behind it is that creative people can upload their creations for others to purchase, brands can circulate their viral campaigns and have them rated and sent across the web by everyone else, and publishers can earn money by publishing content on their website or blog.

We’ll keep our ears to the web for this one, and let you know when it goes public via Twitter @sticky_media.

Hootsuite 2.0 – You may well have heard of this one already, and especially if you had the first version of Hootsuite. For those of you who don’t know, Hootsuite is a web-based platform for managing your Twitter profile (or multiple profiles) and viewing analytics data, similar to TweetDeck, only for the web and not the desktop.

Hootsuite boasts several new features including customisable, draggable columns for your Tweets, more statistical capability and an auto-refresh.

As we’ve said above, it’s great for managing multiple profiles and if you class yourself as a Twitter power-user.

TwitterSkins – This is a great new website by Ben Townsend (@Twitte_rskins) featuring Apps, Mashups, Follower Tools and Skins (including some free downloadable ones).

We got featured in the skins section this week thanks to Ben, who is rapidly adding new ones everyday including @MarketingDonut and @Tamar from Techipedia.

Add yourself by visiting the “Submit a Skin” page.

That’s all folks, have a great bank holiday weekend, and let us know if you find any more great apps and sites in the comments below.

BT suspends graduate recruitment as recession ends?

2009-08-24T11:16:00.028+01:00

Telecommunications company BT announced today that they would be suspending their graduate recruitment scheme with no current plans to reintroduce it, citing the recession and “headcount pressures” as the reason for the axe.

This comes on the same day as The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) claim the recession is over, thanks to the biggest increase in business confidence since 2007.

Findings from the survey of over 1,000 chartered accountants show a record rise in confidence from -28.2 at the end of March, to +4.8 at the end of June, "suggesting the UK recession is at an end" according to ICAEW’s CEO Michael Izza.

Also today, the CBI have called for part of the Government’s £500m recruitment fund to be used to create 50,000 new apprenticeships, and for businesses to be given a subsidy of £2,500 for training younger employees.

Director General of the CBI, Richard Lambert said “Young people are being hardest hit by unemployment, and the government must increase the opportunities available to limit its scarring effects."

So, how will BT’s decision affect graduate unemployment? Have your say in the comments below.

Top Tweets of the Twitter #lists Meme

2009-08-19T14:06:00.031+01:00

The #lists hashtag is currently trending on Twitter about to-do lists with a twist.

For those of you not yet in the know, the basis of the Tweet is confirming your completion of a task (hence the “to-do”) and ending by rhyming “to-do” with anything you can think of.

So, in no particular order, let’s have a look at some of the best ones so far:

@bluno Just played a prank on a Ranger Smith in Jellystone Park, so I can cross that off my Yogi Bear & Boo Boo list #lists

@M1N10N On a plane, eating the chicken meal and it made me violently sick over the pilot ;( Thats one more off my flew-chew-spew-on-crew list #lists

@bethanee_c Just finished recording a duet with Take That so I can cross that off my Lulu list. #lists

@philmscribe: Nodded in affirmation to some solid, unarguable fact. Can cross that off my Too True List #lists

@LudditeWebDev That's me done the red square on the board, but not the green, yellow or blue squares. One crossed off my Ludo list. #lists

@thomasblythe Just told an old woman with more kids than she knows what to do with, what to do, crossing that of my living-in-a-shoe list #lists

@njhamer Just said hello to Pete Townshend and talked about my generation. So I can cross that off my The Who list #lists

@FilthyLurker just rendezvoused with Sean Connery on a russian sub, so I can cross that off my buckaroo list. #lists

@mr_craig Learned the difference between a drag queen and an electropop duo. Can cross that off my La Rue/La Roux list. #lists

@stooopot Made a kite from garden canes, Fed the panda, constructed a small beach hut. That's my Bamboo list sorted. #lists

@daveyp I've just met a minor character from Blackadder. I can cross that off my Le Comte de Frou Frou list #lists

@steelcatDelivered the scripted line before David Tennant's first line in this scene, so I can cross that off my cue Who list. #lists

@ManoDestra Went to the Highlands, chased some haggis, tossed the kaiber and did a bit of a fling. That's one off my Och Aye Tha Noo list. #lists

@lesleyhoss Just learnt to pronounce silent consonants, so I can cross that off my gnu list #lists

And our favourite so far:

@bluno Just returned my dead parrot to the pet store, so I can cross that off my Norwegian Blue list #lists

We'll update with new ones, but in the meantime, have we missed any blinders? Add your favourites in the comments below.

"New Scottish Time" - Hoax? Or legitimate finding?

2009-08-18T10:14:00.016+01:00

News has broken on the interwebs of a possible geographical miscalculation from back when time zones were designated, meaning most of our clocks are out by 20 minutes.

Read the PR release here: http://www.prlog.org/10312906-edinburgh-researcher-discovers-time-is-more-relative-than-we-thought.html

Right now, social networks are all a-Twitter with the story and the hashtag "#watson24hour", the Twitter page of Mark Watson's 24 Web Show. #stephenfry is also credited with early posts: "The source for new information on time appears to be #watson24hour" (3 Hours Ago) and "Can it be that it's 20 mins earlier than we thought it was? That GMT has to be recalculated in light of new evidence? So I'm hearing..." (4 Hours Ago).

So far, the claim has not been verified as legitimate, and even Wikipedia is maintaining a page on "New Scottish Time" as marked for "speedy deletion" if it turns out to be a "blatent and obvious hoax".

Sticky Media will continue to keep its collective ears to the social media wall.

[Update] Further to our thoughts of a hoax, anyone digging to Mark Watson's 24 Show, will find the following posts and a reference to the tasks page -

By: admin
Posted: 18 Aug 2009 12:24 UTC
The show has begun! Welcome to all.

We are currently deciding what to do about the fact that the show started 20 minutes late.

By: admin
Posted: 18 Aug 2009 01:42 UTC
We have decided to change the world's reference time zone to New Scottish Time. This time is 20 minutes behind the current reference time, GMT. See the tasks page for more information.

A hoax after all. But a clever one at that. We're off to catch up 20 minutes of work.

Is Social Media a fad? - Social Media Revolution [Video]

2009-08-17T14:10:00.011+01:00

Check out this brilliant vid about the growth of social media and comparisons with traditional media:

The guy behind the video, Erik Qualman can be found at Socialnomics.net, and followed on Twitter @Equalman.

Also, see the similiarly styled "Web 2.0 - The Machine is Us/ing Us", a popular video from 2007.

How Not to Succeed in a Video Job Interview + Competition (Win Skype Prizes)

2009-08-13T09:48:00.013+01:00

More and more companies are starting to use Skype to interview potential employees, given it’s usually much cheaper and more convenient than meeting a candidate in person.

However, just like with a face-to-face interview, there’s a right way and a wrong way...

Check out this terrible mock-interview by Walletpop’s Jason Cochran (or “Mason Mockran” as he is here) and head over to Walletpop to enter their excellent competition to win Skype prizes (including a 2.4 GHz True Digital Stereo Wireless Headset).

Posted by Ady Harold - Web Marketing Manager

If you would like to get in touch with Sticky Media Group please visit our web site for contact information and further details on our web services.