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“The “wage gap” is not so much about employers discriminating against women as about women making discriminating choices in the labor market.” .

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Today, I spoke to Amber MacArthur, who is a new media host/producer, strategist, speaker, and author of Power Friending. In this interview, Amber talks about her new book, how to stand out, how to show ROI in social media, and more.

What is “Power Friending” and how did you get the idea for the name?

I got the idea of “Power Friending” when I was thinking about how the Internet has changed the definition of a friend and how important it was for businesses to learn more about this changing definition.  When practicing social media, it’s key to work hard and push the boundaries, so I think the “Power” reference is significant.

What makes you stand out amongst the new media crowd? What do you recommend to others who are having difficulty standing out?

I’ve been participating in social media for most of my career. As far as having trouble standing out, I think it’s important to communicate in the social media space on a regular basis.  Consistency is the only way you will see results.  Think of practicing social media like going to the gym; if you only go once a week, chances are you won’t get the body you want.

Why are so many people having trouble showing real business value when it comes to social media?

I think a lot of businesses are looking for a return on investment in the form of money, but the reality is that social media is simply another way to market and it’s difficult to calculate direct ROI.  However, there is definitely return on engagement.  In other words, you can build community and loyalty, which leads to sales.

What success stories have you seen for personal and corporate brands?

Zappos is perhaps one of best examples of social media done well, so I encourage everyone online to learn from them.  From listing employee tweets on their website to their CEO’s active online life, Zappos has grown from the inside out.  They’ve made social media a priority inside the company, so it’s been easier to build community externally.

How have you developed your own personal brand and turn it into a book deal with Portfolio?

I’ve always tried to have a strong presence online and respond to emails, messages, tweets, etc. with a personal touch. As for my book deal with Portfolio, the timing was right for me since I have turned my new media expertise into a career on the speaking circuit and a book is a natural fit.  Portfolio represents many great authors in the digital space, so I’m honored that they signed me on.

—–
Amber MacArthur is a new media host/producer, strategist, and speaker. She is the author of Power Friending. Most recently Amber worked at Citytv as its New Media Specialist in 2006, reporting on new media and interactive news and trends on a national news program and hosting/producing Webnation, a half-hour current affairs program about internet culture. Prior to Citytv, Amber spent two years working as a TV host/producer with tech guru Leo Laporte at G4techTV, a national television channel entirely devoted to technology. Amber also developed “commandN,” a popular video podcast that covers online and offline technology trends. Aside from experience in the broadcast industry, Amber spent four years as a web strategist at Razorfish and software start-up HigherMarkets, both in San Francisco. She also worked as a web strategy manager for Microsoft Canada, but she is a Mac fan at heart.

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If you are facing a job interview, you may not think about asking questions yourself when in fact, you can and should. There are many great reasons you should ask questions in a job interview. For one, you want to make sure you are really the right person for the job. You also want to be sure the position you are interviewing for is what you understand it to be.

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Going "green" in the workplace can lead to more green in the bank according to a new survey released today from Buck Consultants, an independent subsidiary of ACS, A Xerox Company. The survey showed that the number of U.S. employers... Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com

A lot of businesses like to chatter about the importance of their people. This is little more than lip service to the minions.

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Here are a selection of tweets from April 2010:

• Leadership—It's (Much) More than Position - Imagining the Future of Leadership Series-Harvard Business Review http://bit.ly/d3LH7y
• Scott Eblin: Three Dozen Predictable Situations That Executives Will Face in Their Careers http://bit.ly/d1cp0S
• "He's great, but there’s something missing." What It Means to Lead with Presence by John Baldoni
• FT: Think clearly in a crisis and be decisive by Stefan Stern http://bit.ly/ahXZhM
• Often when we talk about great leaders, we mean great managers. Much of leadership training is about developing formal skills needed to be great manager.
• 6 Steps to Greater Than Yourself by Steve Farber http://bit.ly/9eNpR7
• FREE eBook: Meeting of the Living Dead | New Rules of Work http://bit.ly/b6JfMV (PDF)
• JohnBaldoni: Is there a way to defend yourself without being defensive? http://s.hbr.org/9ZNbnm
• C.K. Prahalad: The Responsible Manager by Bret L. Simmons http://bit.ly/9x5TlZ
• Dr David Ballard: Study suggest moral actions may increase capacity for willpower & physical endurance http://j.mp/dhktmk
• Tom Peters: Putting my stake in the ground on this: EXCELLENCE IS NOT AN "ASPIRATION." EXCELLENCE IS THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES
• Brian Davis: Doing what is right no matter what it costs you > http://bit.ly/aIol6m
• "Your ego is not your friend and does not have your best interests at heart." @scottleadership http://bit.ly/bp8TFg
• Wally Bock: Book Review: Appetite for America http://bit.ly/dr3ZR5 Great review of a important part of bus/cultural history
• Paul Johnson: Great Leaders Listen and Tell the Truth via @forbes http://cptl.st/90NHvY
• What leaders do, as distinct from from what leadership is, has changed dramatically.
• @NewRulesofWork: New blog post: First rule of Management is showing up http://ow.ly/1xFCo Too many mgrs missing in action.
• 10 Famous, Inspirational Leaders and Their Favorite Books http://bit.ly/cof0wx
• @rosasay: Have you tried Smashwords yet? My free ebook there: http://ow.ly/1yyCD Become an Alaka‘i Manager in 5 Weeks
• @coachgoldsmith: "To Help Others Develop, Start with Yourself" http://bit.ly/d2TtdE | Good read!
• @tom_peters: Must read Washington's "Rules of Civility"-110 rules which guided this quintessential gentlemen | http://bit.ly/c6BsB
• FT: Dear Lucy: Lesson in learning to lead from where you are http://bit.ly/9GDsct
• “By the end of this course, I hope to be the least important person in this room” says Wendy Richmond (what leadership sounds like)
• @DavidWeedmark: It's time to Re-define Leadership http://bit.ly/cQzoFV
• Ten Things to Stop Avoiding by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/9m6jsy
• @RosabethKanter: A leadership pause: Great leaders have often lost power, struggled, then returned as better leaders http://bit.ly/blN2GE
• @LeaderTalk: A Crisis of Confidence http://bit.ly/cjxBDQ Getting past the "disorientation phase of the learning cycle"
• You can’t teach an old dog new tricks because you wear out before the dog does.
• @mikemyatt: The importance of leading change: http://bit.ly/aXieQZ
• The Economist: Psychology of power http://ow.ly/1vQSJ Power corrupts, but it corrupts only those who think they deserve it
• To innovate: We have to be willing to risk looking like we don't know the answer, or maybe even the question.
• "It's easy to be a short-term hero." Paul Polman CEO of Unilever in FT
• The Collapse of Complex Business Models: http://bit.ly/cwIwxq
• Strategy+Business: Management by Reflection http://ow.ly/1tRZH The most powerful way to learn is by reflecting on your own experience

See more on Twitter.

One of the mainstays of the 'business' blog world is the occasional book review post.  Bloggers get pitched by PR agencies or writers all the time to see if there is interest in reading and potentially reviewing the latest work on management, marketing, leadership -  you name it.  Other times bloggers provide their take on one of the popular business books of the day that have a subject matter in line with their blog's focus and target audience.

Some recent (and good) examples of this kind of review are Paul Hebert's look at 'Switch', or Kris Dunn's take on 'Linchpin'. Switch is all about influencing people to change, right in Paul's sweet spot, and Linchpin, with its focus on results and getting stuff done aligns well with some of the recurring themes of Kris' blog.

I don't write many book reviews on this site, since in the case of books like Switch or Linchpin I am either a bit late to the party, or don't really have much to add to or improve upon what people like Paul and Kris (and lots of others) have already covered. More so, in the case of the majority of books I read, they are not really in line with the realm of what this blog is (theoretically) about, technology and HR topics.

So when I picked up Kaya Oakes' 'Slanted and Enchanted : The Evolution of Indie Culture' a few weeks ago I did not intend on writing about it on the blog. I am actually not sure why I bought the book, maybe I was a bit tired of reading about how to convince people to do stuff they really do not want to do, or undergoing more admonitions of how to be fantastic and awesome by just being fantastic and awesome.  Possibly it was the cool looking cover.

Either way, after completing the book I felt like posting about it. Not so much a 'review' but just some observations of the similarities between indie culture and what is going on in the HR space lately. The book is essentially about the history and evolution of so-called indie culture, that is creative works done outside the 'mainstream' of corporations and organizations and without much concern about the viability or financial rewards.

In the book's retelling of the origins, early heroes, development, and export of indie music, books, art, and design I saw some parallels in the creation, distribution, and eventual attempted absorption by big corporate interests of indie culture, and some of what is starting to happen in the HR and Talent world where this little blog (and hundreds of others) reside.

When I think about the growing influence of the HR and recruiting blogs, radio shows, and bootstrapped 'unofficial' Unconferences in the Human Resources community it seems to me not unlike some of the stories in Slanted and Enchanted. Death Cab for Cutie gets a major label deal and makes regular appearances on The OC, and HR bloggers now routinely get press credentials to 'mainstream' HR events, get asked to make speeches or sit on panels, and many major and entrenched organizations and associations are trying to figure out how to understand, embrace, and possibly even absorb elements of this growing 'indie' movement in HR.

I think it is fantastic the the 'Indie HR' community is getting more recognition, notice, and is gaining (subtly) in influence with the mainstream HR world.  But here is the thing, as 'Indie HR' gains acceptance and gets more intertwined with 'traditional' HR is it in danger of losing what makes it so vibrant and meaningful?  Will it get toned down, homogenized, or otherwise turned into just another extension of the status-quo?

Last thought, in 'Slanted and Enchanted' Kaya Oakes says this about what being 'indie' really means:

Independence means rebellion, risk, tenacity, innovation, and resistance to convention.

She was referring to art, music, and poetry.  For those of us in 'Indie HR' we could be talking about interviewing, social networking, performance management - you get the picture.

As Indie HR goes more mainstream, can it still remain rebellious?  Or will it resort to making VH1-friendly videos and counting the royalties?

This afternoon a new Ms. Learning Management Systems will be crowned.  Who will it be?  Will GeoLearning successfully defend their crown?  SumTotal Systems and Cornerstone OnDemand are ready to fight their way to the top!

For those that aren’t familiar with HRchitect’s wildly popular Beauty Pageant Webinar Series, here’s what you need to know:

• Top vendors compete for your votes, bragging rights, and the illustrious title of Ms. Learning Management Systems
• Each vendor has 10 minutes to present, than takes audience questions during the interview portion of the pageant

HRchitect has developed a format to help guide each vendor on an outline of what should be covered during each portion of the pageant.

Evening gown – To start off each portion, we ask the vendor to come out in their best ‘outfit’ – corporate overview, history, specific identity, financial viability, marquee clients, leadership team, etc. This will be the grand entrance.

Swimsuit – Here the vendors will show some skin in this portion – usability, configurability, etc.

Talent – This portion will cover functionality, technology/integration, global ability, etc.

Interview – This will be the Q & A section from the audience.

Don’t miss this exciting event to help crown the winner and learn more about our contestants!  The pageant starts at 11AM Central and registration is available here.

Can you imagine having to wait 30, 60 or even 360 days to legally launch a business?

And what if you could shorten that length of time with a bribe?

What about paying a bribe just to get your Internet connection set up in a timely fashion, all on top of the standard fees?

Same thing with your phone system. Your office space. Your office supplies. Your employee benefits package.

We can't really imagine, because even though we have our share of corruption and malfeasance in the U.S., the barriers to launch a business are few these days.

In India and other countries around the world, it's just standard practice to cut through the red tape. Bribery is a economic necessity, part of the biz dev machinery.

Capitalism rules the pleasure center. Fewer regulations are a buzz-kill.

Check out the latest podcast from NPR Planet Money on this subject.

But we're better than that, right?

We bribe incentivize our employees with bonuses and prizes and extra time off -- all on top of their salaries and benefits and standard vacation time and the good feeling they should get performing their jobs.

We bribe "wine and dine" our prospects to close, our customers to retain -- all on top of making the business case to them and servicing them well and the good feeling they should get using our products and services.

What am I trying to say? That by our very DNA we are highly competitive and reward-seeking creatures.

We want it all and we want it now.

Business growth only happens with the right team captains and go-to guys and gals, the closers if you will. The rewards are in the tangibles -- albeit a paycheck bump, bonus or a bribe -- the American dream.

And that's okay, as long as we temper it with humanity and the desire to be a better me.

Don't just call me a cynical idealist, call me to do some business.

We're hard-wired for pleasure, baby -- ain't that the economical truth.

Don't forget though, coffee's for closers only. ABC - Always Be Closing.

(Please note that the following clip is not edited for foul language. You've been warned.)

Post by Kevin W. Grossman (join me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn - and now join HRmarketer on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!)

Which of the following 2 scenarios is more powerful?

1) You meet someone at a networking event, and introduce yourself and what you do.

2) You meet someone at a networking event, and while you’re talking, an unexpected 3rd person joins the conversation if only to say how much they appreciate yourself and what you do.

That’s the power of vouching.

Quick case study

I recently attended a local Internet conference. After one of the sessions, I struck up a conversation with one of the speakers after the auditorium had emptied. I liked what he had to say, and was surprised to learn that he was also from my hometown of Montreal. As we were chatting, another attendee came into the auditorium, immediately noticing us near the door. The other attendee came over and immediately told my conversation partner how much he liked my website JobMob. I in turn introduced him to the speaker also.

The speaker was clearly impressed.

Why the vouching worked so well

Relevant

Our conversation took place at an Internet conference, and the attendee (the “vouch-er”) was recommending what I’m doing online.

True

While it’s debatable whether an opinion can really be true or false, if it can be confirmed by reliable sources, it’s probably true.

Honest

The attendee’s vouching was really what he thought, and and not the result of some preconceived incentive or marketing plan.

Unexpected

I hadn’t beckoned to the attendee, who clearly came over of his own volition because he felt compelled to voice his opinion.

Credible

The speaker had already met the attendee earlier at the event, so the attendee was a (somewhat) known entity whose credibility could be trusted. The fact that I – the “vouchee” – was present and actually knew the attendee also gave him credibility. Being present also gave me an opportunity to reinforce the recommendation.

Why vouching is triple-win

The vouchee – obvious, this is the person on the receiving end of a recommendation.

The voucher – people simply appreciate people who honestly vouch for others in an unsollicited way, as if they might turn around around and vouch for them too at some point. This builds the brand of the voucher as someone worth knowing.

The listener i.e. receiver of the vouching – they’ve just met not one, but two people seemingly worth knowing.

Who have you vouched for recently?

Author:

Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.

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