7. Talking LinkedIn Along with a Funny Side Note Because It's My Birthday

What's good y'all? Today is the Bossssssssss' birthday (I'm 22) and I am currently in the library but I guess I can't complain because Mardi Gras was the best weekend/decision of my life.

I wanna talk about LinkedIn and how you can use it to get a job because it's tough these days. I just read an article by Brian Wallace titled "How to Get the Most out of LinkedIn" and it made me realize that I need to start using LinkedIn more since I am graduating soon and haven't made much of an attempt at finding a job. I created a LinkedIn account for one of my Kogod classes a while ago but have yet to really take advantage of what it has to offer.

LinkedIn is a great tool to expand your business network in the same way that Facebook is a great way to expand your social network. I think soon it will be standard for business majors to include that they have a LinkedIn profile as apart of their resumes. It is also an excellent tool to use for research: information before business meetings, information on interviewers for jobs, and background checks. It can also be used to gain knowledge in your industry by checking out questions that have been posted by other members.

Another reason why I plan on utilizing LinkedIn more is that I think it is here to stay because the fact is that they have 60 million users worldwide. I also believe they will come up with some innovative apps which will help make LinkedIn even more attractive and useful.

On another note, I was checking out an ESPN article earlier tonight about an Oregon WR who just got kicked off the football team by the head coach for making inappropriate posts and status updates, here is an example: "I wish I could block whites as friends as and have blacks LOL, cause apparently I'm misunderstood." I just found this too funny and had to post it...some people are just so dumb.

This is just another example of how you must about what you post in any social network because what you post/how you represent yourself can get you in a lot of trouble. How miserable would it be to be fired for you posted on facebook!

2. Social Capital, Six Degrees, and SNA

What's good y'all? Hope everyone is enjoying their extended weekend thanks to the great Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, I read two very interesting articles related to evolution in social networking and how to adapt and manage this change in the workplace. The articles are listed below with links:

Improving Your Ability to Share and Connect (Mark Zuckerberg on the Facebook Blog)

I understand that Facebook will continue to evolve over time and the amount of information available to users will increase as well. These are things that Facebook must do in order to stay ahead of the competition but here is a question that I want to pose:

At what point in this evolution will there be TOO MUCH information available to users? Are we at this point now with the Live News Feed?

I can log on to Facebook right now and know what most people did last night just from the live news feed which is a little creepy. I understand that people don't need to update their status' with what they did or plan to do but the live news feed makes everything a little too easily accessible...can you imagine the next updated and improved live news feed?

In the end, users will have to adapt or decide if they want to continue with social networking. My guess is that they will choose to adapt.

Clive Thompson on Real-World Social Networks vs. Facebook 'Friends'

Reality mining is an intriguing science that is so precise due to the massive amounts of information available. It is able to predict actions in daily life based on the frequency and date of an event.

When will businesses start taking full advantage of reality mining? Does this violate the rights of employees? I know that I wouldn't want my boss to know everything I did every single day. I think it would create anxiety in the work place thus creating a negative environment.

I have no problem, however, with reality mining being used to help predict the spread of disease outbreaks, social trends, and other hidden phenomena.

Alright thats enough from the Bosssssssss for this week. Peace.