LinkedIn and Branding: The new Lingo in Professionalism

With over 175 million professional subscribers and still counting, LinkedIn has become the new platform for branding and selling. From individual seeking jobs to recruiters wanting them, LinkedIn is one stop shop for all. (It's like Walmart for the professional world)

There was a time when we had to get in touch with recruiters to apply for jobs, seek references from friends and family to get in touch with some of them; but with LinkedIn things have become literally opposite. Now, if recruiters find what they require in you they will catch hold of you, no matter where you are. 

I personally feel Professionalism is all about marketing yourself (No matter what you do). The way you present yourself to the world reflects a lot about your character and your worth. Our Social status reflects a lot about our professional status as well. Like, I mentioned in my previous blog, that an employer didn't select a suitable candidate for the job just because he found some not so decent picture of his on facebook. (Well, this is just one example of how social worlds play an important role in portraying one's professional character.)

With LinkedIn advancing in the service it offers, there is whole lot of stuff that people are not at all aware about. 

So, some of the tips I would like to share for people out there 

1. Connect with like-minded people – This way you will not only evolve socially but professionally as well.
2. Participate in Discussions – This way you know what's being spoken about in the world today in your area of interest. You also get to connect with more people. The more people you have the more credibility and authority u have in your area of expertise.  Similarly, the more connections you have the more people u can get your profile in front of. 
3. Knowing about company – It is as important to know about them as it for them to know about you. LinkedIn helps companies to get closer to their employees and also postings are posted n the company's group. This way it becomes easier for employees as well seeing jobs in a particular company.
4. Re-factor you profile - Use all the tools provided by LinkdeIn such as "SlideShare" "Blog Link" to make your profile more competent with others...and many more provided here.

I feel, LinkedIn is just one piece of the puzzle. You'll want to supplement LinkedIn with profile on faceook, in addition to some technical blogs. Also, it is important that your LinkedIn profile should be consistent with your social profile. 

The best part is LinkedIn requires less upkeep, but to leverage it to the best of your benefit, you will need to invest some initial time in it.

QR CODES: What are those Fragmented chessboards structures you see :/ ?

     Imagine being at a party and having one of these business cards....(Wouldn't people be flabbergasted looking at you and wanting one of those...I would definitely be one of them)

  

     Quick-response codes, better known as QR codes are an innovation by the Japanese.Unlike the traditional bar-code design that comprises of a strip of horizontal lines, the QR code is like abstract art (almost like the chessboard that’s in a fragmented format). So, incase you are thinking about what exactly are these abstract art squares, I have an answer for you…

      QR codes are small symbols that you might find on various retail products on supermarket shelves. It is basically a link, a web URL that helps you track information about the product on any device that has a camera. It simply requires you to install a QR code reader on any of your smartphones, which will then decode the design image into readable understandable information for the buyer. The QR code is more meaningful than conventional ones as it can store much more data in them.

However this is not it, the QR codes are contributing in a big way to bridge the gap between the consumer and the seller of the product.

      The very nature of this technology of being so easy to operate and access information almost instantly (hence the name Quick Response), and most importantly free has open doors to many benefits for the seller and the consumer.

      Companies can save on money on advertising by implementing the usage of the QR codes. There is this interesting feature with which one can track a QR code. This way companies can track the number of people actually using the QR code and change their marketing strategy accordingly.

I personally feel that with such an inexpensive way of tracking, companies can focus more on marketing their products rather than saving up on costs.

      Also the usage is not just limited to detecting information about the products but can be used as a wonderful medium for advertisements, billboards, business cards and so much more.

      Although many of us haven’t experienced this wonderful technology but for me being an avid Tech- Knowledge fan really appreciate this piece of innovation.

      So for all you people who want to get a little more tech savvy…

My quick advice:

1) Install the QR code reader in your smart phones

2)Polish your photography skills

And you are all set to hit the supermarket, Scanning....

Social Media Monitoring :What's that ?

Technology has now made it possible to know what's happening in practically any corner of the world instantly. 

It has evolved the way we think, live and interact with the world.

   Long gone are the days when one had to plan in advance to go out shopping or for companies advertising their new store or products in the daily newspaper for a couple of days for the masses to know. 

The virtual digital age has advanced to such great levels that you can purchase anything with a single-click. (Yes, seems magical, isn't it?...thanks to Amazon) 

The social media platform has hence become a great platform not only for corporations to market their business but also for customers to vote their opinion about products.

But we must not forget that every coin has 2 sides to it and so does this Social Media Mania! With its features also come its repercussions.

The fact that...

a. Social platforms are public.

b. These pages are viewed by millions of user daily.

Make social media have its own set of pros and cons.

How does Social Media Monitoring help ?

To know what other people think i went on to look at a few blogs and came across a wonderful tagline which reads "Social media need you and you need social media." Isn't it so true in today's world where it has helped our life's become easier and connected with us with one another easily. Today we are all living in a world where logging in facebook and twitter are part of our daily chores. 

A report stated that more than 43% of the people login facebook before 8 am (Isn't that enough to show how addicted we all are ?? )

Moving forward.....

    SMM's intent to know about customers, their expectations and staying connected with them is just one aspect of Media Monitoring  but not limited to what NSA does to the people of this country ( if you know about all the latest speculations concerning security ).

While understanding about Media Monitoring I found that of lately, SMM has been used in connection with hiring new employee, and in one such case, a candidate reported that the potential employer went 20 years back to find comprising material that had been posted online because of which he was denied the job.

In another similar report, A Pennsylvanian detective had only the nickname of suspect, but not the real name. He turned to facebook, found a picture, and eventually apprehended the person (Doesn't it look so dramatic...)

But surprisingly this is reality and Social media makes this possible.

Recently, SMM has raised a lot concerns regarding security and privacy which is also quite evident from the 2 examples, but that's a different tangent to be discussed, may be for another time.

   I would love to know what you guys feel about SMM and its implications. Whether should there be a law enforced as such which defines the guidelines as to what is the limit?