Social Networks Black Day…

Social networks are in the news today. First up, lawyers have been permitted to serve debtors with default judgments through Facebook. Article here. This is timely considering my plea yesterday for the online world to be viewed with more validity than it has been in the past (I’m on the phone to my web-estate agent as we speak.  “Buy up!”.  Sorry, did I say that out loud?)

Also some 1.3 million users will stage a ‘blackout’ protest tonight and turn off Facebook to draw attention to their dissatisfaction about recent changes to the site.

And to top it all off, LinkedIn is offline because it is upgrading the site.  I hope that LinkedIn users will like the changes the folks there have made.  I’d hate to see a candlelight vigil or hunger strike over its alterations.  Who knows, the 1.3million Facebook protesters could have another gig on their hands.

Social networking sites like Facebook are integrating into the fabric of our careers and personal lives.  No longer can they be viewed as a Gen Y distraction.  They are an essential tool for communication, both formal and informal.  Next time you get a Facebook invitation, do not toss it away with an OldManScrooge-like Hmmmph & Phooey…or else you may be all alone in Christmasses to come.

Get a Job, Gen Y!

Way back in 1999, Business Week proffered some sage advice. It told its readers this:

“The marketers that capture Generation Y’s attention do so by bringing their messages to the places these kids congregate, whether it’s the internet, a snowboarding tournament or cable TV.”

It seems that finally, after all this time, some folks in recruitment are taking on board the advice.Speaking of Gen Y’s, remember when News Corporation purchased the in social networking site MySpace and made some Gen Y’s very rich? CareerOne, also part of News, has now officially integrated its job search into MySpace.I’m sure you’ll agree that the page looks great. And I’m a bigger supporter than anyone of the growing need for businesses of all descriptions to use the internet as their primary marketing tool. However, there is a glaring problem with the way the team at CareerOne has executed this innovative marketing plan.Consider for the moment that you’re a 20-something gen-yer, ipod eared and determined not to take a 9 to 5 job, but aware that your parents are getting narky about your not paying board…food…your own toiletries…I’ll stop now, before I sound like a moaning Babyboomer.Anyway, you’re on MySpace, checking out your own profile, and think that you might start your job search. You type in “jobs”and search myspace. I’m pretty certain that the crew at CareerOne would like it if that particular search produced their page. Instead, this is what our Gen-yer would get:Sure, there’s a link to MySpaceJobs on the homepage, but guys, let’s face it, the only people who enter MySpace through the homepage are the Boomers and Gen-xers who go in posing as 25-year-olds!Point is and this one extends across the board in internet marketing, when you’re sitting in your board rooms, guys, when you’re huddled over your copies of the latest McKinsey propaganda, have a think about how users approach their search and make yourself available within the spaces where you want to advertise. Marketing 101.