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Twit Twoo, who’s looking at you?

Submitted by Simon Lewis on June 19, 2009 – 12:29 pmNo Comment

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Birds: are they really the forgers of social networking?

Pigeons: Talk about the rise and fall. Once considered the pioneer of communication delivery, now the devil’s dinner. Certainly Ken Livingston thought so. ‘Enough’s enough’ he harrumphed one day. So he clambered into the loft, brought down some little suitcases, stuffed them with clothes and unceremoniously kicked one of London’s icons straight out of Trafalgar. ‘And don’t come back!’ Nelson’s face is still tinged with tears.

‘So what’, you bellow. Pigeons are vermin. Rats with wings, they are. Good riddance to the mess and be gone with the flapping. Ornithophobics rejoiced and parents stopped worrying when their children fell from the fountains onto the floor. Is that pigeon ‘do’ or ice cream?

Yes, but birds, you see, are not only considered by experts to be the first breed of dinosaur, they also linger fondly in the memory of the old folk; them that served in the Great War and, of course, generations before that. Their ability to provide a vehicle for essential communication was, let’s face it, particular clever. These rats with beaks inaugurated networking and, my, how that has changed…

Not that many years ago ‘networking’ meant attending industry dinners, pitching up at events and speaking inexplicable twaddle at those exhibitions your boss made you go to, often having to make quick decisions whether to engage in conversation or not, the badge pinned to your jacket the only identification between you and the other suits parading aimlessly round the assembly hall.

Like a lot of other social interaction, such as dating, letter writing, verbal communication etc., ‘venue networking’ is now being superseded by digital forms of communication. The internet, with its vast array of interactive tools allows you to drop into other people’s lives with a few clicks of button; all via a laptop and from the comfort of your sofa. You choose your interactions, decisions being made largely based on profiles instead of badges. Digital networking is the here, the now, the future. Or is it?

I am now probably considered a veteran of marketing recruitment, having been working in the sector for over 20 years. In that time I have placed (thankfully) a lot of marketing professionals. Some of those date back years, and I am still in touch with many, operating a symbiotic relationship, where I have placed them on more then one occasion and they have recommended to me people, provided me with roles to fill as well as introduced me to new clients. Indeed the first person I ever placed in direct marketing – in 1896, no, 1986 – is someone who has built a long and distinguished career and is still running an agency today. I still place the occasional Account Director for him but more importantly he has recommended me to hundreds of people over the years.

The inexorable rise of networks, such as LinkedIn and Facebook to name but two, have given me the chance to expand my network considerably and I am now ‘friends’ with hundreds more people and ‘connected’ to many others. Twitter, popularised by Jonathan Ross and Stephen Fry is another online social network that allows me to follow, or be followed.

I have recently experimented with people where I have purposely only ‘spoken’ to them via a networking site as opposed to the old-fashioned email or the ancient art of telephony. Long gone is letter-writing, that only 25 years ago, was the alternative communication tool to the telephone. The pen and typewriter are now consigned to history. They nestle neatly in boxes labelled ‘ancient’ alongside the pigeon, semaphore, Morse code and smoke signals! If pens were an animal they would be a Panda.

Whilst I cannot claim to be the world’s next great social commentator and it is true that my survey was based on no more than three people, I can confidently proclaim that talking to people and using personal emails as opposed to proprietary email systems through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter, does create a better response and more positive interaction.

I do not think these sites are useless for creating networks – indeed quite the opposite. For a recruiter they represent a comparatively easy way to find people for specific roles and with specific skills. Indeed, the web allows us to ascertain whether someone is suitable for a position, ages before that person is even aware they are being considered for a role. There are, of course, consequences to this.

Networking will, like many other activities become more web-based. Managing and maintaining a web presence on sites such as LinkedIn and Bebo and others that follow will become more important. Equally the inexorable rise of Twitter will make a huge impact in networking, and I think that this has the potential to become a very important networking tool. Facebook, too, is a global phenomenon that has exploded into everyone’s consciousness, though I would recommend keeping activity on this as private as possible. I am staggered at the number of people whose privacy settings allow strangers to look at their photos, profile and general activity. It does influence decision making (positively as well as negatively) but you have no influence as to how you come across.

These networking sites come and go. Some websites can become irrelevant very quickly. Friends Reunited? Alta Vista? MySpace? Who had ever heard of Twitter this time last year?

In conclusion, there is little doubt online networking is growing and has very quickly become an important resource for recruiters and employers alike. However, it is not a replacement to traditional networking and should be used in conjunction with proper contact – equally do not think by posting your profile on LinkedIn that people like me will come beating a path to your door – it usually doesn’t happen like that. If you decide you are actively looking for a role the best approach is to identify those recruiters who are most appropriate for your level, industry and whom other people recommend. Talk to more then one recruiter! No agent, however good they might be, can claim exclusivity on every marketing brief. When you do speak to a recruiter make it known to them that you were recommended to them by a person – you will be afforded a better approach – it is human nature.

This is the tangibility of networking.

Finally if you are an active job seeker then posting your CV online is a very useful exercise. The only problem is that 70% of CV’s that we see posted are either poorly written, badly laid out or provide information that could potentially be construed as discriminatory and will be overlooked by potential employers. At Premier Consultants we now offer a service through http://www.cvrite.co.uk to make sure people’s CV’s stand out as this is absolutely critical in periods of economic downturn.

Russell White | Managing Partner, Premier Consultants | Twitter: http://twitter.com/Russell_Premier

Additional content: Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs