Like My Page, Please!

We have a problem.

No life endangered, no major economic threats. Nothing that will alter the course of history. Just something awkward.

See, back in the old days of 2009, you became a fan of pages on facebook. You set up a page for a business or an organization, and you could say “become a fan.”

Now, when you want to show your support for such a page, you click on a link that says you “like” this page.

In some ways this makes sense. You are showing your approval for a business or organization or other entity, giving it the old “thumbs up.”

It’s the language that gets clunky.

See, you need 25 people to “like” your page so you can get a “vanity” facebook address. Instead of a string of letters and numbers following the facebook url, you can then be www.facebook.com/ASNKidneyNews, for example (yes, we made the count yesterday). While trying to make that hurdle, I had a dilemma. What should we call these people? Fans? Gee, facebook went to all that trouble to change the process name… Should we really tweet that we only need one more fan? Perhaps they should be called “likers?” Although that sounds really, really weird. And, it is only 1 small typo away from lickers, which could get even weirder.

How do you recruit these people? Some say “follow us on twitter (@KidneyNews) and facebook (www.facebook.com/ASNKidneyNews), although my own preference is to use the verb “follow” specifically for twitter. Yes, saying “fan us on facebook” sounded wrong, but so does “like us on facebook.” Nothing is quite as good as “become a fan.”

And saying “we need one more person to like us on facebook to meet this goal” sounds pitiful. Won’t someone like me, please?

I have no wise Solomon-like solution. But I am feeling awkward. And I am open to suggestions.

Career Maintenance in the 21st Century

Today I heard a story on NPR’s Morning Edition about social media and applying for jobs. That resume printed on heavy bond in a matching envelope is so 20th century… and we are almost a decade into the 21st! Sending a printed job application makes you look, well, old, or at least out of touch.

Some folks have found jobs through FaceBook or Twitter, but the most popular professional networking site is LinkedIn. This site allows you to set up a resume with current and past positions, education, more detailed descriptions of interests and job responsibilites, and a short status update similar to those on FaceBook.

The fun is just beginning! You can add links to your blog or other web pages. Apps let you share travel plans, books you are reading, and PowerPoint presentations or other documents.

The real power of LinkedIn is its networking. Using your places of education and employment, email address book, and interests, the site locates people you may know. You then ask them to “join your network” which is like being a “friend” in FaceBook. You can also ask your primary network contacts (your “friends” to continue the analogy) for recommendations. These can be viewed by others on LinkedIn to support your online resume. My public view is shown below:

Those who have joined LinkedIn can generate a bare-bones resume in PDF format as well.

Once you have set up your primary network and, perhaps, joined some groups, you can then arrange “introductions” via the service. Say you want to meet someone from Company X. You can search for Company X and identify people. The service reports those who are linked to your network. Secondary links are those connected to your primary network, and tertiary networks are one more step removed. You can request introductions via these links and eventually make contact with people.

A number of companies and headhunters use the service to find contacts who may want jobs they have or may be able to suggest appropriate candidates. When you sign up you specify what you want to hear about and how you want to be contacted. I am not actively job hunting, but I get at least one inquiry a month this way.

LinkedIn has been called “FaceBook for Professionals.” It is a useful tool for job hunting and career maintenance. If you are over the age of 18, you probably need a profile!

It's been an interesting 2 weeks since I last updated my blog. First, I've experienced every respiratory virus in the area since returning from vacation. At least they didn't spoil Hawaii!

Next, I spent a week on the clinical service. Lots of patients wanted my immediate attention last week, even though my head was imprisoned in snot!

I am beginning to explore other web venues for use in pleasure and business. I now have a page on FaceBook, primarily for personal stuff, and my page on LinkedIn for professional postings. I also signed up with Twitter (see tweets at right) although I must admit I don't quite get it. "They" keep saying how addictive it is, but it hasn't pulled me in the way FaceBook did.

I will keep playing with all of this stuff, because I am a bit of a techno geek. Maybe someone out there will share with me their use of Twitter (or similar microblogs) and how it makes their life better.

BTW, the photo above is a red-crested or Brazilian cardinal. Got a shot of this guy while we were climbing up Diamondhead.