New Wave of Internet Pioneers

NEW WAVE OF INTERNET PIONEERS
Move over Chang, Gates, Lewis & ClarkBy Mark A. Leon, Talent Acquisition Specialist - Hewitt Associates

Once a year, an elite group of privileged collegiate basketball programs are invited to “The Dance”. Many in the professional and social world also refer to the three weeks in March as “March Madness”. During this period it is estimated that almost 2.1 billion dollars of lost productivity occurs as workers stream games, gamble and lose site of the task at hand…continuing the growth of the economy.

From the moment beginning with summer practice to the last tip of the ball in conference tournament play, young athletes give their heart and soul on the hard court to compete in this prestigious event.There is so much more to the game than twelve gifted players with pure talent for shooting, blocking, stealing, dribbling and rebounding. A true basketball giant is a result of a great and continuous marketing campaign. The marketing campaign leader is the head coach.

The most successful marketers in NCAA basketball history included Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Bob Haskins and Mike Krzyzewski. These men traveled thousands of miles, went door to door, offered a chance at a great education and rewarding growth experience and nurtured new talent year after year to build the reputation and later success of their programs.

This methodology has continued on in the age of Social Networking, the next great revolution in the ever continuing pursuit of global consolidation. Global consolidation is the ability to take the masses of internet tools and provide avenues to condense them into a standardized toolkit at the palm of your hands.Whether you are a Mixxer, Tweeter, Facebooker, Skyper, or MySpacer you have choices to make. How do I want to be represented in my internet community?

Biz Stone, Evan Williams (Twitter), Kevin Rose (Digg), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Tom Anderson (Myspace) figured out a way to bring the world together one profile at a time. Capped in sandals, Diesel jeans and worn out retro tees, these pioneers of content integration are marching from New York to Los Angeles launching not just websites but a vision for the future. These are the Lewis and Clark’s of the information age. They are rewriting the rules of technology.

It is no longer enough to be integrated to your small community of professionals and friends but to align yourself with the globe. We each have a voice and these founders of the global social mobility movement have transformed the way we communicate and think. New York Magazine, Vogue, and GQ are praising these men as the next great heroes. They are stepping in where Jerry Chang, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs left off and taking us to heights that either we are ready for or not. Whether you are on board this train, it is moving faster and faster by the second.Are these Gen-Y Warlocks of the Internet Underworld true marketing geniuses or are we just playing a game of follow the leader. More importantly, with copycat sites developing daily, how do they maintain their competitive edge?

The answers are simple:

Understand your customers

Understand trends in technology

Develop the most user friendly capabilities on the marketCater to a global audience

Ensure the tools and applications are available to customize and individualize

Be Trendy…Don’t be afraid to set the bar higher

Many of the web applications in place now are have mobile capability to keep in touch on the run.

Why are these networks some important to our everyday life. There are many reasons including keeping in touch with loved ones, sharing technology and resources, maintaining professional networks, developing personal talents, reconnecting with past acquaintances, developing communities of activities and interests, or just exploiting a unique talent to make a name for yourself, but no matter what these sites do not discriminate but promote self expression. There are many reasons, some noble, some selfish but the tools are now in place to maximize exposure and minimize time.

All major media is now learning that the internet is the key tool to maximize viewer numbers and profitability. Television, radio, print are utilizing the web tools to increase overall visibility. Clearly, the 2008 presidential hopeful understood this immediately and did all could to take advantage of this form of media. The most successful: Barrack Obama.Even with the success of other media, the web can only enhance that stature. With 73 million people watching the premiere of 2009 American Idol, it is the Twitter and Myspace faithful that will launch or destroy a musical career.

Now we find ourselves in a full blown global recession. The topic in the forefront of the news: JOBS. Careers are lost, families are in dire financial straits and people are looking for answers. Many are hoping for exposure.The talent is there and the opportunity to attract, train and harness that talent with limited cost is at a prime.

The utilization of social networking tools as a cost effective and creative method of bringing in the best is at our finger tips. Talent Acquisition has taken the next steps in technology overload. Together companies, agencies, and colleges are using these tools of communication to maximize territorial research and not only find the best regional talent but the best global talent.

Take the lead in the HR Community and step into the world of communication consolidation but be careful. Words can spread like brushfire. Now is the time for us to step away from the conservative framework and become the next pioneers in Talent Acquisition.