In the past few years, LinkedIn has become the top social media site for professionals. Users can post their resumes and connect to industry peers. Recruiters and corporate leaders can scan the site to search for potential candidates. But for creative professionals, LinkedIn has long been lacking a place to display multimedia projects, artwork, or photos.

Until now.

Just last week, LinkedIn developed a new app called the Creative Portfolio Display. This app allows creative professionals from the advertising, digital media, or film industries to showcase their portfolios more easily.

Scott Belsky, the CEO of Behance created the LinkedIn app and emphasizes the importance of using the LinkedIn portfolio as the place to display professional work alongside the professional profile. This new app allows users to display creative projects in their LinkedIn profiles after simply adding these projects to the Behance Network.

This new feature is exciting for creative professionals in the media industry. Advertising executives can now create one central portfolio on LinkedIn and the service is absolutely free, allowing users to upload an endless number of multimedia projects.

Check out Chris Crum’s article at WebProNews for more information on this new app:

http://bit.ly/ct1aYp

So Many Links, So Little Time

Check out this interesting book review by John Horgan on Nicholas Carr’s latest book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.

Try not to check your email before you get to the end of this sentence. See? That wasn’t so bad.

“While toiling over what you are now reading, I scanned my three email accounts dozens of times and wrote a handful of emails; I responded on my cellphone to a score of text messages from my girlfriend and kids; I checked the balance of my bank account to see if a promised payment had arrived . . . and so on.

Yet I’m relatively unwired. I don’t do Twitter, Facebook or Skype. And I did all this digital darting hither and thither even though I found the subject I was supposed to be writing about—Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows”—quite absorbing. And disturbing. We all joke about how the Internet is turning us, and especially our kids, into fast-twitch airheads incapable of profound cogitation. It’s no joke, Mr. Carr insists, and he has me persuaded.”

Read the rest on WSJ.

Check out the neat video below of an art installation created by Christopher Baker and Juhasz Marton Andras (and blogged by Austin based group Public School.)

Here’s the idea behind the installation:

“The Murmur Study by Christopher Baker and Juhász Márton András constantly searches Twitter for phrases like eww, argh, hmph and grrr and then prints the guilty tweets on one of 30 thermal printers. The endless ticker tape gathers on the floor below. The purpose of the installation is to analyze the prevalence of human emotion through technological sources such as Facebook and Twitter.”

Murmur Study from Christopher Baker on Vimeo.

Check out more photos and Public School here.

Mosaic illustration by Jennifer Daniel for the New York Times

Are 5,001 Facebook Friends One Too Many?

By Aimee Lee Ball for The New York Times

THE British anthropologist and Oxford professor Robin Dunbar has posed a theory that the number of individuals with whom a stable interpersonal relationship can be maintained (read: friends) is limited by the size of the human brain, specifically the neocortex. “Dunbar’s number,” as this hypothesis has become known, is 150.

Dear Bev: How Should I Use Social Networking In My Job Search?

By Beverly Weinstein

Creating a strong online presence is key to a successful job search in the digital media industry. Not only is social media an integral tool for recruiters to find viable candidates, but it’s also a great way to show an employer that you’re well connected and versed in the space.

A recent Career Development event held by Advertising Women of New York addressed this subject for job seekers and media executives looking to build a professional reputation online. I gathered a few new pointers from fellow recruiter, Regina Angeles.

LinkedIn
You probably have an account on this site already, but so do 65 million other members. So how will you be found in the sea of profiles? Keywords.

When searching for candidates, recruiters and employers plug relevant keywords into LinkedIn’s search function and develop leads for potential candidates. If you’re profile isn’t chock full of all the important words that describe who you are and what you do, you’ll probably get lost in the shuffle. Think about what value you can add to an organization or department. Is it revenue generation? Team leadership? What are your key skill sets? Sponsorship sales? Cross-platform marketing? Get specific with your keywords and experiences and you’ll be on your way to optimizing your profile.

Another way to increase your visibility on this network is by getting your professional network to recommend you. With the click of a button, you can request a brief recommendation from your colleagues and clients. They serve as a quick reference guide for contacts in the industry and how well-respected you are. Also, having three or more recommendations makes you three-times as likely to pop up in search results. Take the time to request them; it’s worth it.

Twitter
You’ve heard about the importance of this social network a million times. Still struggling with how exactly it pertains to you? You’re not alone. But if you’re a job seeker, there are more than a few tangible ways that Twitter can help. Don’t be afraid to make an account and learn the ropes.

Angeles, multicultural recruiter and CEO of TALENT2050, offered great Twitter tips, like the new site www.tweetajob.com. Sign up to receive relevant job postings sent to your Twitter feed. Likewise, most big job boards have twitter accounts that you can follow to make your twitter feed a veritable real time feed of all new opportunities you might want.

Job Boards vs. Social Networks

Speaking of job boards, don’t forget about these tools as well. But dig deeper than Monster and CareerBuilder, there are a multitude of more focused niche sites (Angeles recommended IvyExec and Doostang.) But don’t just rely on seeking jobs, start seeking employers.

This is a point I make to candidates repeatedly and one that Angeles mentioned, too. Use sites like Linkedin to research companies rather than just positions. Find out about the kinds of companies you want to work for and use your professional network to find someone there to connect with. This is where the networking really comes into play.

Use LinkedIn and even Facebook to network as you would in the real world. Send people messages rather than passing a business card. Reach out to see if they can provide you with a helping hand. Getting your foot in the door is a lot more likely with a personal connection, while responding to a job posting on one of the big job boards rarely produces results.

Don’t Wait to Be Found

So you signed up for Facebook and LinkedIn and you made your first tweet. Why aren’t recruiters knocking down your door? You need to engage with social communities, not just become a stagnant member. Actively using these tools is key to making them work for you. Update your status on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter with a link to an interesting article. Start speaking to your network and they’ll speak back.

Angeles wisely emphasized knowing your audience within your social networks. Are you looking to find a job in digital media? Show that you know the space by sharing relevant information about news in the industry. Looking for consulting clients? Speak to that audience by establishing yourself as an expert in your field. Share valuable industry information, perhaps a blog post you wrote on new industry trends. (Hint: blogging is another great way to engage in social media. There are plenty of free sites to help you get started: wordpress.com, typepad.com, and blogger.com are just a few.)

Another great tip Angeles provided: Link your social media networks all together with a service like HootSuite. Update your status or post a link on one site and it will push the update to all of them, saving you time and making social networking more manageable for a busy schedule.

AWNY will be holding 2 more events on Career Development. Check out www.AWNY.org for more information.

Find out more about improving your social media presence at www.dearbev.com/services

Read the column on MediaPost.

With things starting to look up in the new year, many employees who have been too fearful to change jobs in the fluctuating economy of 2009 are beginning to pursue new opportunities. Instead of fearing how to handle being fired, executives are confused as to how they should resign.

Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article with tips on resigning on good terms. According to the story, 60% of employees say they intend to leave their jobs when the economy improves. That’s a staggering amount of people who will be turning in their letter of resignation. The WSJ offers some good advice on maintaining good relations with your ex employer and some more obvious tips like, um, don’t steal office supplies on your way out. Here are some of the highlights:

“Make an appointment. “Be formal and make an appointment with your boss,” recommends Tanya Maslach, a San Diego, Calif., career expert who specializes in relationship management issues. “Prepare what you want to say. Be direct and engaging—and be transparent,” Ms. Maslach says. She also recommends offering to help make the transition easier; ask your boss how you can best do that. After the discussion, put your resignation in a hard-copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional help you’ve offered.

• Stay close. Consider joining an employee alumni association, which often serves as a networking group for former employees. It can be a good way to keep up with changes in the company and industry—and find leads to new jobs down the road. Keep in touch with coworkers you worked closely with; they may end up in management roles.

• Be honest but remain positive. Be helpful during the exit interview but keep responses simple and professional. Don’t use the session to lay blame or rant about coworkers, bosses or the workplace.

• Scrub your digital footprint. Clear your browser cache, remove passwords to Web sites you use from work, such as your personal email or online bank account and delete any personal files on your work computer that aren’t relevant to work. Don’t delete anything work related if you’re required to keep it.”

What shouldn’t you do when resigning? You probably shouldn’t tweet that you’re leaving before you turn it that letter of resignation. Yesterday, Jonathan Schwartz, now former CEO of Sun Microsystems, tendered his resignation in the form of a Twitter haiku saying “Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more.”

An original and very post modern way to quit, to say the least. But today’s Media Post Online Daily Newsletter references Schwartz’s resignation in a cautionary article on using social networking in the workplace, citing more companies cracking down on employee’s web chatter with rules and regulations regarding any company information. In other words, be careful what you tweet.

By Beverly Weinstein

The first interview is a little bit like a first date. You want to give just enough information to keep someone interested, but not so much that the next night you’ll be eating dinner alone.

Some candidates have launched into well-produced and neatly bound PowerPoint presentations that are all about who they are before the interviewer has a chance to offer them a glass of water, much less give them an overview of the job.

What’s the rush? You want to be able to tailor your comments and emphasize your experience in a manner that’s as relevant as possible. If you talk before you listen, that’s virtually impossible. What you do say can be much more damaging than what you don’t.

Too Much Too Soon

“It’s an ill-conceived idea to just start with a presentation on yourself before you know what’s expected,” said Gary Schuman of CDL Consulting, a management and leadership consulting firm.  “You have to understand what the buyer’s (aka the interviewer) needs are. Understand what the product is about before you present something.”

Show and Tell

This isn’t to suggest that you shouldn’t come armed with examples of your work, so you’re ready if it’s relevant to the discussion with the interviewer. Whether you’re working in a job like promotion or design, or you’re a finance person that has developed a new reporting tool, visuals can make an impact. However, be careful not to leave anything behind that would be considered proprietary.

Presenting With Technology

I’ve been interviewing candidates recently for a promotion job. Several have created Web sites with samples of their work. It’s easy to pull up a link on my computer. In addition, I’ve noticed that with the growing popularity of netbooks, candidates simply power up and share their work that way.

Read the Column on Media Post.

Our lack of attention to this blog in recent weeks is a small testament to the improvement of the market place. We’ve been busy recruiting for several digital media companies and while the economy as a whole still has a long way to go, we’re starting to see job opportunities pop up and are starting to feel hopeful for the new year ahead.

In working with several cutting edge digital media companies, it’s hard not to pay attention to the interesting divide between the digitally connected Millennial generation and the Baby Boomers who manage, them while simulatenously learning a thing or two themselves. The  New York Times  recently had an interesting column by James R. Gaines, Editor in Chief of the online publication FLYP. Gaines is over 60 and a seasoned journalist and editor who headed major print publications including, People, Time and Life. FLYP is an online magazine of sorts that is exploring new forms of multimedia journalism. But the loads of experience and expertise Gaines has to offer to his staff of young writers, tech experts, and multimedia gurus, he finds, are often matched by the insight into emerging technologies and new media that his staff provide him with.   It’s an interesting balance for a long-time manager. And one that sometimes reminds him of how much he has to learn. It’s humbling and thrilling, he says. And he is mostly excited to help these younger players conquer this new frontier as he calls it. He likens his roll to that of a parent, helping and providing for but not being a friend.  Gaines seems ok with this unusual management roll he finds himself in and he reminds us at the end of the column that while he might be the novice when it comes to the technology, the core of his company, and of all digital journalism, is still to tell a story. And that’s where his expertise really comes into play.

“MEDIA will change as radically as technology allows, and right now the Internet is moving over the media landscape like a tsunami. But the job I learned to love when young was to tell stories, and the story has lost nothing in this transition. It is as elemental and as riveting as ever.

Everybody’s worried about the device. Could Microsoft’s Courier be the answer, or the iTablet? Good question, but not the most important one. It’s less the device than the devices — the crafts and the art of storytelling — that need updating most urgently for the digital world.”
Gaines’ story is reminiscent of a topic we touched on in the past: this divide between generations and how the future of media will be shaped by it. As we recruit for many digital companies on the brink of becoming leaders in the digital space, helping to form and create their teams and interviewing the candidates that will make these companies successful, it’s interesting to see the strengths and weaknesses parties from both ends of the spectrum bring to the table.

How do you think the tech boom has affected the leadership now expected from the baby boom?

And how will the younger set fair when business requires more of them than their computer savvy?

Read Gaines’ story on the New York Times.

Want to get a sneak peek at some of the new features Facebook is working on and test them out before their rolled out for general usage? You can! With Facebook Prototypes, the social network allows users to give a few tools a test drive while they’re still ironing out the kinks.  Here’s how.

Go To Applications in the Bottom Left hand corner of the Facebook browser.

Then click Browse More Applications.

In the left hand column of options, the last one reads Prototypes. Click here.

Now you’ll see a listing of new tools and features still in beta that you can try out.

Facebook warns that many of them still have bugs and kinks to work out, but if you want a glimpse at the future of the site, give them a whirl.

One I’m trying out is Enhanced Event Emails which gives you the ability to save Facebook events to your Outlook, iCal, or Gmail calendars right from the invitation email you receive. I tried it out and the Google Calendar option did not work, but I saved it to my iCal without a problem and now won’t have to keep track of my events in two different places. Nice!

Give them a whirl and let me know which ones you liked and which you didn’t.

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal offered up a new program called Postbox that can transform your email inbox and make you the organized professional you always wanted to be. Or so it seems. We’re going to try it out and report back on it. But here are some of the proclaimed perks of Postbox.

The program, created by former Mozilla employees, shows some similar features to the trusty Firefox browser the company is famous for, such as high security standards to keep your communications protected. But the real goal of the program is to get you organized.

Postbox sorts and catalogs your emails and attachments, grouping files types together  by format as well as by category for easy access.  Take a look at this screen shot featured in the WSJ to see what your inbox might look like.

Now if only there was a gadget that did that to my closet…

We’re always looking for new gadgets and programs to organize and simplify technology for us. So check back with us and we’ll let you know how we liked it.

Read the WSJ article.