We are in the midst of a global corporate culture change being driven by social tools and behaviours. One of the many ways this is occurring is within the hiring/recruiting processes.

No longer will a simple resume suffice to land you that dream job, or any job for that matter. Today, hiring practices have turned to Google as the defacto research tool; sometimes prior to an interview, sometimes even during the interview to vet the details you’ve provided on the spot. Imagine, for a moment, that nothing comes up in that search…. how likely are you to get the interview, or job if your knowledge and experience can’t be corroborated digitally? And what are your chances if the search returns no results for you, but does return results for another candidate?

Let us not kid ourselves: there is no such thing as “even footing” or fair playing fields when it comes to job searching and landing that right position. We all must do whatever we can in order to stand out as the right candidate for any job we may go after. In this new fluid world of corporate culture change, we have an amazing amount of tools at our disposal to help with that. Here’s a smattering of the easiest and most effective which can aid you as a buoy in your online presence:

• LinkedIn: For professionals, this is a simple must-have these days. More than a resume, it is a network of opportunity that goes well beyond just job-seeking. Build your profile and join in some group discussion and you’ll begin to see the deep professional value both during the hiring process and within your day-to-day activities after you’ve been hired. While you are working on your profile, make sure you avoid these 14 mistakes and ensure you are putting your best foot forward.
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• About.me: Some may call it a virtual business card, but this site is more than a simple card. It allows you to connect your other internet properties and act as a jumping off point, while also letting you stand out creatively with visual interest. Like LinkedIn, however, there are mistakes that can be made. Take the same advice above and apply it to this site as well to make sure you have a professional presentation and have the right text added to help with search engine optimization (SEO).
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• GooglePlus and Google Authorship: If you blog or write articles you are doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t setup/connected your Google Authorship to your GooglePlus profile. I’ve blogged about how to claim your authorship before, and I’ll say it again: this is the single best way to improve your search ranking/results when people look for you. Setting up your GooglePlus profile with relevant bits of information will help your Google Authorship show more robustly and help you stand out even further in search results.
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• Twitter: Yes, there is solid business value to Twitter. It’s not just a bunch of tweens speaking in acronymic code. Twitter is a great way to build a robust network of quick and easy shares pointing to even better content around the web. Links shared via Twitter and other networks also work to improve the SEO of that content, so when you share your blog posts or articles, you are increasing not only your reach but also your search results.
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• Facebook: My advice here is going to differ from the above (and from what I actually do)- lock down your publicly visible content to provide only a professional image to anyone whom you’ve not added as a friend. This will help you keep in lock-step with your about.me and LinkedIn profiles so you present a consistent and professional image. This will also let you use Facebook for your more personal/casual use with friends behind the security of a more tightly controlled public profile. But don’t lock it down too tightly, having a little bit of content publicly visible will help give people a sense that you are indeed there and active.
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All of these channels will work to improve your search-ability and allow you to focus and drive the right content found about you. Call it building a personal brand, or just managing your digital persona; making sure the right content is available and searchable will go a long ways to helping you land that next job. If you still think it is okay to ignore social media channels, think again: it could be the difference between extended unemployment and that next six-figure-income job. Sharing your expertise and knowledge to help others is the new paradigm of corporate culture.

I can’t say it more simply than this:  if you don’t have a social presence, you don’t exist. That job you want? It will go to someone else who does share their knowledge socially.

I blogged in December 2012 about how 2013 would be the year of influence. More so than influence, however, I think now it is simply the year of social.

The past few months have proven that true, but no more than in this past week while I was out in Orlando at Innovate, IBM’s new Technical Summit. Not only were there a ton of great sessions in the social business track, but I was able to connect with a huge number of colleagues also working in the space and share not only some of our difficulties and frustrations, but also the huge wins we’ve seen in our own areas.

For me, the biggest part of being able to attend was to build an in-person connection with so many of my coworkers whom I’ve only previously worked with in socially collaborative spaces online. I called this out in our kickoff meeting on site as my favourite Innovate moment, and after flying home, It still holds true. To me, that is one of the greatest benefits of social media: already having built a relationship through online networks allowed us to dig right in to wonderful discussion as if we’d met years ago. The reality of this is, of course, that we did meet years ago… just not in person.

This is the new world of business. One where professional networks are built and curated in social channels on-line, then strengthened and supported in gatherings like conferences or periodic on-site meetings. It allows for global collaboration to occur 24×7 in effective and meaningful ways, and then reinvigorates passion for our work. In fact, that was one of the great realizations I had this week:

Watching so many people passionately discuss topics, I realized that so many of us work in such specific industries or have expertise so focused that we tend to bore most others in our lives. So when you gather people of like mind, skill, and passion in one place, the conversations flow freely, as we now are able to talk with others who are as passionate as we are and understand not only what we are talking about, but the importance of it all as well. I rarely see people’s faces light up like they do when they can share with someone else who really “gets it”.

But there really isn’t anything new under the sun. Just like cloud computing, social business isn’t anything new either; just the tools (and subtle changes in etiquette) have evolved in innovative ways to do it all better. (Yes, I just said cloud is nothing new. Remember dumb terminals? That was cloud computing before the name.) Now, things have evolved and cloud is absolutely a critical piece of business today, but the core hasn’t changed. Social is in the same boat. Business has ALWAYS been done socially. But today, we can use new tools and innovative thinking to build those business relationships and maintain them in a scalable fashion, so when we meet in person we aren’t spending time learning about each other before we know enough to begin accomplishing anything, but rather spend our time on deeper conversations based on that online social connection.

All we need to do as social business professionals is to help break down the preconceived notions that this newfangled thing is just for kids, show people that it isn’t as unfamiliar as it seems, and really can prove to have huge business impacts from the measurable to the esoteric and un-quantifiable.

The power of social isn’t just in sharing knowledge on-line though. It is in the networks of trusted people we bring together, to surrounds us with amazing and wicked smart peeps who can agilely pivot and attack problems to not only succeed with their business goals, but blow them out of the water and rebuild the entire understanding of success. We’re seeing that from the top down and bottom up. Yes, 2013 is indeed the year of social.

While I contemplated how to work the word in to my daily writing, I realized that the word itself tied directly in to my work in social business at a strategic and conceptual level, as the connotation of “errant” implies a negative while the denotation can actually become a positive.

Let me explain: Trying to be a change agent is hard. Changing culture is hard. But, what is often perceived as errant behaviour is one of the most critical pieces to accomplishing any success in changing a culture or being truly innovative. It is the dissent, the disruption, that many see as problematic but is critically necessary to break the culture out of its comfort zone and become more open to new ideas; ideas that may initially seem errant, but grow to become better methods or ideologies and ultimately change culture with positive effect.

Errant ideas or behaviour are simply that which stray from what is considered proper or standard. While this can indeed be negative or harmful in some ways, can also be positive and beneficial when thought and consideration is applied with informed intent. By way of example I point to the disruptive technology we know as Twitter: when used with informed intent the service can be an amazing agent for change by allowing perceived errant behaviour and ideas to be organized into an effective force for revolution.

Be it toppling ineffective governments or organizing against corporate greed, disruptive technology and the people who use them are on the forefront of culture change. Without our ability to stray from the standards, we doom ourselves to a stagnant and unsuccessful existence.

I was lucky enough and honoured to have been selected as one of the first Blue Galaxy stars (and have my very own poster as seen below) to help drive the idea and enable people on the ground to really begin participating in solid social conversation. Mind you, I wasn’t selected to lead or drive from a formal project management perspective. Rather, like all of the other Blue Galaxy stars, we were chosen because we lead by example: not only can we talk about how to play in the social spaces and make the most out of the amazing capabilities to connect with some seriously cool and smart people, but we’re all walking the walk as well. Leading by example, showing everyone what can be accomplished in these spaces, really driving our own successes and IBM’s successes at the same time; that’s what makes everyone who’s part of Blue Galaxy a star.

Social business isn’t about marketing. It isn’t about driving sales. It isn’t even about improving efficiencies or bypassing convoluted process. It is about connecting people with other people to achieve mutually beneficial successes: that is social business, and that is what Blue Galaxy does.

Blue Galaxy brings together the right subject matter experts in the right channels to ensure widespread success across all clients, brands, and disciplines around the globe by simply sharing our expertise where it can be helpful and add value. I’m humbled and honoured to be involved in such an amazing initiative and to be able to attend IBM Innovate 2013 as a Blue Galaxy star and share my passion for social business.

But don’t let this fool you, this isn’t just an IBM thing… the ideas behind it are relevant to anyone who has expertise in their field and can share in the social spaces. While the Blue Galaxy moniker is IBM specific, the concepts and capabilities involve us all regardless of affiliation. If you’re a tech writer, you have expertise and knowledge to share. If you’re a long-haul trucker, you have expertise and knowledge to share. From a farmer to software developer, we all have knowledge in our realm of expertise which can be shared and help bolster successes across disciplines and in turn help us further our own successes as well.

Call it hippie2.0, but the successful businesses of the future will be the socially enabled, open, transparent businesses which share their expertise and knowledge with the world.

But social conversation also has a darker side; one which has an equally transformative power, but often goes unrecognized until the damage is done. That dark side is the undermining striation and polarizing effect of opinionated conversation.

While social media has given anyone with an internet connection an audience and a voice far greater than history has seen before, how we choose to wield that power to express opinion must be done so with thought and intent. Without it, we begin to see that dark-side rear its head and begin culture shifting us into opposing sides of issues that are either wholly irrelevant, or have far more facets than a simple two-sided opinion could accurately contain. As with most things in life, there are very few times when something is as simple as right and wrong.

How we discuss these issues, however, can either serve to help or hinder our cause… or in an even more Homeric manner, help or hinder our future. We are all embarked upon our own Odyssey, and the choices we make on a day-to-day basis relating to how we use our social voices, defines our collective end result. Understanding how our words impact not only ourselves, but our community and our culture is a critical insight we need to recapture.

Take, for example, current political discussions. I am certain that neither of the major parties are hell-bent on destroying the United States. More so I am also certain that both parties believe in their hearts that they are doing the right thing to ensure the success of the country and avoid failure. That is not, however, the indication anyone would get from social conversations which frame the issues into an us versus them mentality; that we are right and they are wrong. This deeply polarized view leaves no room for the plethora of grey areas that surround such complex issues involved with a government covering such a vast geographic region and the millions of people to whom it is beholden.

Social media, by virtue of the short sound-bite type postings, encourages over simplification of complex topics when the realities of life dictate the absolute opposite: that there are not simple solutions to the issues we face today. After all, if there were simple solutions, these diametrically opposed conversations would be short-lived and the simple truth of right versus wrong would prevail. Instead, we are faced with conversations laced with vitriolic and polarized speech, serving only to widen the gap between “us” and “them”.

The dark-side, dear friends, is the chasm of divergent opinion growing between us all. That chasm, as it grows, pulls us apart from community and drives us towards more insular engagement bordering on xenophobic, and the desire to remove ourselves entirely from open conversation.

The take-away and call to action here?
Pause for a moment and recognize that none of us want to destroy our country. Before using our social soap boxes to lambaste perceived opponents of opinion, step out for a moment and look at the larger picture to see all points of view knowing that anyone who holds a differing opinion feels just as correct as we do. So, when we return to our social channels and engage in conversation either in our own posts or as comments in others’ posts, we are sure to do so with respect, rationality, and an understanding that we are all in this together. If we can do that, we can begin fighting this chasm of simplistic and polarized ideologies and work not to build a bridge over it, but to fill it in so it no longer even exists. Realize that when we use our social pedestals to speak, people really do listen and with that audience comes responsibility to use your voice wisely, with an understanding of both the positive and negative effects it can have.

There are countless examples of how businesses have done the right thing or the wrong thing in some social channel and all the acclaim or shame as a result, but I want to discuss here are the businesses that DON’T go viral with the right thing, but continually DO the right thing day in and day out. The right thing they are doing? Their best effort.

What do I mean by this though? Isn’t a best effort failing when other businesses are going viral? here I say no. There are two kinds of social businesses: the ones who are trying to be rock stars and gain the largest following they can, and then there’s everyone else: those businesses which day in and day out provide not only information, but true social engagement through responsive posting. This means listening to their audiences, keeping the pulse of their own channels under their thumb, and knowing what the right kind of response to mentions or comments will be.

In social business, responsiveness and attentiveness are critical. Knowing how, or even if you need to reply is a bit of black magic and most certainly an art form in itself. But, what I have found is that most people just want a response even if you can’t provide a comprehensive answer. This is what I mean by best effort. Sometimes it is enough to simply say: “Hey I saw your post and am working to find more information for you”…. so long as you do actually follow-up again later. Best effort could even mean doing a few quick searches to find some links which may help the commenter/poster.

So what IS the right thing?

• Be responsive, even if you don’t have the answer.
• Be personable and human
• Provide your best effort.

By way of example…

I was recently delighted when a large corporation replied back to one of my own posts, not only with some personable words of encouragement, but with a link they thought I may benefit from… and they did this all within 5 posts between us in the course of under 30 minutes. Was my direct issue met with a 100% solution, no. What I got was a personal touch point that made it known I was heard. THAT, my friends, is best effort and responsiveness defined. And that is what a social business is.

No one has all the answers all the time, pretending otherwise is silly and your audience will see right through it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help people even though you don’t have the right answer, sometimes just a response is all the answer a person needs.

For whatever reason, our culture has supported and ingrained the idea that failure is bad; that we must do everything in our power to appear successful regardless of the actual truth. I’m sure you’ve heard the business advice often provided to startups: “fail fast and fail often”. When this advice is taken to heart failure ceases to be scary and simply becomes a form of very valuable feedback. It is precisely this (or really, ANY) kind of feedback for which we are all so starved. Some of us get more feedback than others, granted, but I’m relatively certain none of us get anywhere near enough of it.

By only highlighting our successes, and hiding our failures, we are actually doing ourselves and our businesses critical disservice. How can we grow and evolve, or do the *right* things when we sublimate such important feedback and pretend we are all amazingly successful?

And wouldn’t you know, as I was writing this post, I serendipitously came across the following article also posted today by Brian Solis: Disruptive Selection – Natures way of weeding out the average business

In some ways, I think failure is seen as a disruptor as Brian points out: like it is something to stifle and subdue, rather than learn and innovate from as a lesson in either what not to do or how to change. Fear drives both the aversion to disruption, as well as the desire to hide failure. But, as Brian points out, the digital Darwinsim metaphor fits nicely as disruption (and failure) naturally evolve towards deeper innovation and ultimately more successes when it is understood and allowed to occur. Progress and success, however, are only stifled when disruption and failure aren’t even allowed to be recognized or acknowledged.

It is the cycle of business; innovate or die. In this cycle we must not only make room for disruption and failure to occur, but embrace them when they do. Only then can we see true innovation, change, and eventually success again.

Being a social business doesn’t mean just talking about the business. In fact, in most cases it means rarely talking about your product or service using the 80/20 guidance: that is, 80% of the time, talk about other things, highlighting other people and content, while talking about your content and business only 20% of the time. This balance of topics will help keep you from becoming that company shill we’ve all seen on the social channels, you know, the one who only talks about themselves or their business.

Now, I can hear you as: “but how does NOT talking about your business bring business results?”

Simple, actually. Regardless of your role in any organization, being active socially around your expertise helps others see you and recognize you as knowledgeable in your field. This is what I have been referring to as digital eminence previously. This digital eminence not only reflects on you as an individual, but also on your employer and others with whom you associate. It is that digital eminence which helps build trust within your network as well as in your extended networks. It is that trust based on identification of expertise which has a long-term business impact and brings real value to any organization.

So, when you hear me talk about being a social business, it doesn’t mean that the business is posting on social networks. No, it means that the employees are engaged in social conversation around their particular areas of expertise and helping to solve problems or share knowledge using social tools. It doesn’t matter if that area of expertise is directly related to the product or service provided by the business, as the digital eminence of the individual still works to improve the eminence of the business as a leader in its space.

Don’t just broadcast company lines; have conversations around your specific expertise and see what being a social business is really all about.

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image credit: Some rights reserved by woodleywonderworks

Today, rather than selling you on the value of creating your online eminence and thought leadership, I want to talk to you about a single small refinement that has the largest impact when sharing online.

One of the key items in the IBM Social Computing Guidelines is the idea of “adding value”. This means asking yourself before posting if this is going to add any value to the conversation, or if it will add value by creating a conversation worth having. Now, I think most of us can rationalize some sort of value into nearly everything we post today, so I’d like to touch on how to improve this notion of “value add”.

The single most effective and easiest way to add value is to provide some sort of context or commentary when sharing any link. Have you see people share only a link with no other text around it? How often have you clicked on those links? I’m willing to say rarely to never. You may also be thinking that most of what you reshare from others is self-explanatory; and in many cases it quite well could be. But, unless it is an eCard meme, I’m guessing there’s value you can add to anything you share or reshare… especially if you are sharing in a more professional context. Let’s take the following example which shows how I added value to a share that was already potentially self-explanatory:

In the example below, Susan shared Robert’s post on G+. Since I don’t follow Robert, Susan’s share gave me immediate value as the content was interesting to me… but when it comes to resharing, how could I add even more value to Robert’s post and Susan’s share? Simple: I added my own perspective as to why this post has value for me:

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Adding your own insights or context does a few things to add value here: One, it provides a reason for your audience to pay attention and click-through to the link or content you found interesting enough to share. Two, it begins to build up your own digital eminence as people begin to understand your views and insights on what interests you. And as a third tangential benefit, adding context and commentary like this surfaces you in Google search results lending even more weight to your personal digital eminence.

Don’t believe me? Need a real world example? Try Google searching on the phrase “digital eminence” and you’ll find that my content is not only one of the top 3 results, but two of the highlighted images are also from my own posts. Results which have come directly from adding value when sharing these posts from myself or by others.

If you want those same kind of results (or better) for yourself start adding your own commentary and context to the content you share. Soon, you’ll find your own name popping up in search results like this too! It really is the single easiest and best way to build your own digital eminence around the topics which interest you… you’ll thank me when a hiring manager does some quick searches and hires you into that new role because YOU show up in the results.

Success in social business, however, is something entirely different. Oddly enough, I think this very same behaviour which works to my detriment in traditional business  has been a key player to my success in social business: the lack of focus on my own achievements, and more focus on helping and/or highlighting others’ successes and accomplishments.

Unlike traditional business culture, the social-media culture tends to reward this altruistic nature of sharing while similarly demonizing the overt self-aggrandizement. Those who are seeing great success in social business are the ones who are sharing not only their own content, but more readily the content of others. In the social spaces, ego is damned while the authenticity of altruistic sharing is lauded.

With that, I’d like to share this TED talk on what motivates people in work. Specifically, I’d like to call out the idea and connection here that motivation to engage in social business can come from more than just individual personal benefit, and that success in social business will be seen when more people are engaged as the builders rather than observers/evaluators: