When I was in Uni, a tutor in an HR course I was taking asked the class "Why was HR gaining such importance in the workplace now days?" (circa 1993) My answer was probably a little controversial as I was in a class full of wannabe HRy types, including a tutor. Because HR types/professionals are talking it up more, pushing the importance onto everyone.

Is social media the same thing? Is it just seeming to gain importance because of the circles I am mixing in? Is it a false dawn? Is it getting increasing importance because everyone is just talking about it?

When Greg Savage reported that when presenting to a room full of Recruiters that only 10% of attendees were engaged in a Social Media platform, it got me thinking.... Am I getting the value out of it?

I know the reasons why, you cant not help reading about them. I've found a few people this way, but what if my market or key demographic was not one engaged in this medium? Why would I hang out and invest time in such areas?

Please share any successes to help me, the more unusual the better