Earlier this summer I gave three presentations (two free webinars, one conference session) that focused on the intersection between social media and other digital technologies and human capital management, from both individual and organizational perspectives:

• Recruiting in the Digital Era: Guidance for HR Professionals, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers (HR.com webinar, June 14, 2012)
• Career Management in the Digital Era (Forte Women…

The results of a recent LinkedIn (LI) poll (n=482) offer strong evidence of people’s preferences for quality over quantity when it comes to Twitter. For 58% of the respondents, the “sweet spot” is 0-5 tweets a day, and a cumulative 79% said that ten per day should be the max. The quantitative results are enriched by dozens of comments that offer best practice insights via…

Using a decision-making flowchart, this post helps people determine whether they should include one or more hashtags in their tweets. This guidance is offered as an extension of the recent post, 6 Tips to Avoid Making a Hash of Twitter Hashtags. The post also provides links to additional resources that enable both rookie…

I created a LinkedIn poll in connection with our efforts to optimize the Twitter account for the Social Media in Organizations Community (@SMinOrgs). Understanding people's activity tolerance is a critical element of our decision making. I'll also craft and share a blog post that explains how we're currently using the account and asks for specific feedback beyond the poll question. Thanks for your input and for sharing the poll…

Although Twitter continues to grow and mature, many users still engage in some questionable practices when leveraging it. Targeted primarily to Twitter novices, this guide helps people maximize their ability to maintain a high signal/noise ratio and avoid making mistakes that can hurt their individual professional and/or organizational brands.…

As part of SMinOrgs's ongoing effort to provide resources to folks regarding the organizational implications of social media and other digital technologies, we'd like to collect and share a list of books that people have found valuable. We appreciate your letting us know your favorite(s) and/or must-read recommendations, adding a few words about why you like…

On June 14, 2012 at 1:30 pm ET, I'll be leading a free webcast for HR.Com enttitled Recruiting in the Digital Era: Guidance for HR Professionals, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers.

I just uploaded the presentation deck to SlideShare and thought I'd…

Though the hashtag has been around almost as long as Twitter itself, many people still do not understand what it is – or more importantly, how to use it appropriately. This post offers six tips to enable Tweeters to not only avoid looking like a Twitter rube, but to maximize the value of hashtagging for both themselves…

Many people are critical of the notion of social media experts, falsely claiming they don’t exist – and by extension implying they aren’t necessary. These criticisms, combined with the pervasiveness, low cost, and relative ease of use of social technologies, lead many people to assume (also falsely) that DIY and “give it to the intern” approaches are…

Earlier this year I wrote a series of
SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog posts targeted to social media rookies and others who want to engage more efficiently and effectively. These posts capture many of the "Welcome to the Digital Era" themes I highlight in the presentations I give. Scroll down to read more about:



Questions about social media education and training often result in passionate discussions about the relative value of formal and informal learning when it comes to acquiring the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for effective digital engagement. Most of the participants in these discussions are early adopters who have successfully…




Do your job candidates have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for success in the Digital Era? Regardless of the sector people work in, their professional discipline, their place in the organizational hierarchy – and to some extent their career stage – there is a core set of competencies necessary to effectively leverage new technologies to…

The digital divide has increasingly become about knowledge and adoption of new technologies rather than access. Which side of the divide are you on - are you a leader or a laggard? This post offers insights into the factors contributing to the growing chasm between those who have embraced and leveraged new technologies and those who haven’t. It…

Most organizations – even those that are highly engaged with social media and other digital technologies – are not addressing Digital Era risks as comprehensively or deeply as they could or should. My latest blog post helps organizational leaders close gaps in their risk management strategies by offering checklist guidance…

How should we define the keys to successful leadership now that we are fully immersed in the Digital Era? This post shares diverse perspectives on the core characteristics and offers preliminary thoughts on integrating ideas and identifying themes. Readers are invited to contribute additional ideas, insights, and…

Still not certain whether you should take the Twitter plunge? The best way to determine its value is to give it a try. Focusing on using Twitter professionally rather than personally – including staying current with local, national, and global news – this post offers simple best practice…

Questionable practices related to organizational scrutiny of the social networking activity of individuals has received a great deal of press recently. My latest blog post provides food for thought for individuals and organizations engaging in these practices (or considering doing so) to reconsider their choices and pursue better…

You pride yourself on your professional appearance and demeanor. You strive to create and maintain a strong identity and reputation within your organization, with your clients and peers, and in your industry. But are you as diligent a custodian of your professional brand in cyberspace as you are in the physical world? If…

In this post I offer my perspective on social media education and training. I share my thoughts on the education and training debate, report on my efforts to assess and categorize current courses and programs, and provide an initial sketch of what future offerings might look like. The post is intended to initiate dialogue and create a plan…

In the Digital Era, new definitions of acceptable and unacceptable behavior have to address not only new ways of communicating, but  traditional forms as well. This post offers three reasons why unsolicited, unplanned phone calls are a generally a poor practice and reinforces the idea that we must constantly think about the…