Consult, Manage, Change

Social Media it is time to set goals and make plans and strategies for the year

What do you want to achieve this year with your strategy and approach to social media and the use of tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook?

To help you clarify your thinking here are some social media predications for 2012

• The use of LinkedIn by recruiters, customers and your competition will continue to grow
• The use of twitter will make a comeback
• Social Media will provide you with information, knowledge and wisdom if used correctly
• Smartphones put the power of social media at your fingertips
• Your clients will demand more from you and expect that you have a social media presence
• Having a social media strategy will become a competitive advantage
• More and more apps will be available to increase your efficicney with posting information to social media sites
• 2012 is the year of convergence your personal and business brands will merge

Business professionals in today’s technology rich environments are presented with many opportunities to market ourselves through many channels. The rise in the past 5 years of social media platforms has provided us with amazing opportunities to leverage our networks both nationally and internationally.

All professionals either independent professionals, teams or companies need to have a social media strategy and approach.

Many business owners and professionals ask me “What sites should I use”? and “How do I integrate all of my social media sites”? In addition, the big question I am asked is “Should I use Facebook for business”?

When it comes to social media strategy often the questions are:

1. Can I use Social Media to increase my sales?
2. Can I use Social Media to increase awareness, of both my business and skill sets?
3. Do I use an independent professional to help aid me through the definition of my Social Media strategy?

Tomorrow is Monday 16th Jan and a lot more people will be back to work. The summer holiday break in New Zealand is fun as we have Christmas and New Year celebrations during the summer break.

Unfortunatley holidays always come to an end and when back to work looms you get to thinking if you like the work you are doing. If you are about to go back to work and you start feeling dread and stress then it is time to change jobs!!

People ask me about work/life balance. Work and life are not two distinct things you can lock away in a box! Work is life and life is work and if you are not enjoying it then you need to make some changes. If you are not looking forward to work then make a change.

Update your CV, register with a recruitment agency, update your Linkedin profile and find a job that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.

I do not want to see unhappy people at work make the work lives of other miserable just because you are unhappy and dont want to do anything about it!

Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Durban Climate Change Conference - December 2011

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, brought together representatives of the world's governments, international organizations and global society.

The discussions sought to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.

http://unfccc.int/meetings/durban_nov_2011/meeting/6245.php

So what happened? Was it more talk and no action. Well just about!

A marathon UN climate conference approved a roadmap towards an accord that for the first time will bring all major greenhouse-gas emitters under a single legal agreement.

If approved as scheduled in 2015, the pact will be operational from 2020 and become the prime weapon in the fight against climate change.

The deal was reached after nearly 14 days of talks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Are you really interested in the outcome? If so then, the outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention can be found at the following link:

http://unfccc.int/documentation/documents/advanced_search/items/3594.php?rec=j&priref=600006741

Want to know what your country representatives told the meeting? The follow this link:

http://unfccc.int/meetings/durban_nov_2011/statements/items/6584.php

One thing that I can predict is that we should not wait for the Politicians to solve this issue for us! Collective business leadership and action is required.

What are you doing to be the change agent?

Social Media for professionals – networking in the new age

Business professionals in today’s technology rich environments are presented with many opportunities to market ourselves. The rise in the past 5 years of social media platforms has provided us with amazing opportunities to leverage our networks both nationally and internationally.

What is the difference between networking and social media? In reality nothing! Networking involves the use of social media and social media provides many different platforms for networking.

Many business owners and professionals ask me “What sites should I use”? and “How do I integrate all of my social media sites”? In addition, the big question I am asked is “Should I use facebook for business”?

An online network provides unmatched freedom, enabling participants [you and your clients and potential clients] to post inquiries and information at any time and from any place.

Business networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people.

Business networking allows the business person to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time.

Social networking focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others

Let me cover the three most popular social media/networking sites first.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn started out in the living room of co-founder Reid Hoffman in 2002. The site officially launched on May 5, 2003. At the end of the first month in operation, LinkedIn had a total of 4,500 members in the network.

As of September 30, 2011 (the end of the third quarter), professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate that is faster than two new members per second.

The company is publicly held and has a diversified business model with revenues coming from hiring solutions, marketing solutions and premium subscriptions.

As of November 3, 2011, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 135 million members in over 200 countries and territories. Fifty-nine percent of LinkedIn members are located outside of the United States.

There were nearly two billion people searches on LinkedIn in 2010. Based on third quarter 2011 metrics, LinkedIn members are on pace to do more than four billion searches on the LinkedIn platform in 2011.

If you are in business then you need to have a profile in LinkedIn.