How human resources practitioners can use social media to improve communication with their employees, protect their company brand, and enhance their career skills. Why it is essential that they do so.

1. Human Resources and Social Media Improving Communications

2. Already in the conversation, whether you know it or not (5 minutes) Understanding social media is an essential skill for HR practitioners! Where to go to learn (5 minutes) Applying the tools (5 minutes) Human Resources and Social Media

3. My main point is a simple one, yet powerful. If you are in business, and especially if you are a major brand, you are already involved in the social media dialogue. The choice your company faces is whether you want to do anything to proactively manage, direct or influence the conversation by taking part in that dialogue. My advice is that you should be, but that decision is not an appropriate one for every organization. HR professionals are also already engaged in the social media dialogue whether you know it or not., and frankly whether you like it or not. You face the same choices I just mentioned above. You are already in the conversation

4. The time is coming soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe sometime in 2010, but it is definitely coming to your office. I’m not talking about the end of open enrollment, or even the end of the decade. I am talking about the day in your HR career when you are confronted by the need to make a strategic recommendation about social media. Most HR professionals won’t be ready! If you will just invest a little time, you can position yourself to enhance your career. You can also ensure you aren’t suddenly thrust into the position of biting off more than you can chew at the time you are forced to go on a social media intense diet! Why do you need to be ready? If you work in an organization of any size, it is very likely that you are already being discussed in social media somewhere. One of your employees did something wrong on the internet today somewhere. Eventually, you are going to hear about it or be asked to assess the severity of their action. You will be asked to make a recommendation on how to handle this event. You need to be ready! Government agencies, labor unions, and other groups are communicating via social media. Do you know what they are saying? Do you know where to look? You should. Social Media – an Essential HR Skill

5. What should you be doing to get ready? Understand that social media is not the equivalent of rocket science. It does involve technology, but it is only a type of tool. Tools can be used for good or evil. Don’t make developing a policy the highest priority on your professional agenda. You need to develop at least a general understanding of the principal tools first. This doesn’t mean you need to develop the competency of a power user. Think about how social media tools might be useful within your organization. Think about how social media tools might be used against your organization. Think about identifying internal and external subject matter experts on social media who can offer advice and support. Think about doing this BEFORE you are called on to give advice. If you wait until then, you are already too late. Think of gaining social media expertise as an opportunity to develop your strategic presence at work, then think about taking advantage of this golden opportunity to enhance your career. Social Media – an Essential HR Skill

6. If you work in an organization of any size, it is very likely that you are already being discussed in social media somewhere. One of your employees did something wrong on the internet today somewhere. Eventually, you are going to hear about it or be asked to assess the severity of their action. You will be asked to make a recommendation on how to handle this event. You need to be ready! Government agencies, labor unions, and other groups are communicating via social media. Do you know what they are saying? Do you know where to look? You should. You can gain major points by being positioned to provide leadership in this area. Social Media – an Essential HR Skill

7. A quick list of places that Human Resources professionals should be looking at, especially if you want to increase your exposure to social media and how you can use it in our field. LinkedIn- You need to create a profile NOW if you don't have one. Do it today before you go back to work on Monday. Facebook- See above, except you can probably wait until Monday to do this. HRM Today- go to this site, mingle with the people, read the blogs (including Human Race Horses)and sign up. It's free and easy! RecruitingBlogs.com- even if you are not a full-time recruiter, this single site is a treasure trove of information and networking opportunities. Create a profile on Wednesday. HR Alltop- on Thursday, make a note to bookmark this site, go there often, and read the blogs. Immerse yourself in Google<--- through this link you can use an hour this coming Friday to sign up for a Gmail account, add GTalk, set up your Google Readeraccount, and learn how to use RSS feeds(that little orange box you see everywhere) to aggregate news and information and make yourself into a business ubermensch! Saturday is party time - get social by joining twitter, FriendFeed, or some other social media aggregator. Now that you are going full speed ahead, you will mingling all over the world in a few weeks. If you are still on cruise control, sign up for Plaxo, which is a less heavy duty aggregator that also functions as a great contact manager. Where to go to learn

8. The Social Web

9. Learning to use these tools effectively takes time. The amount of time required is less you fear Many resources and tools are free. Help and expertise is available within the HR community! Michael VanDervort http://thehumanracehorses.com Twitter: MikeVanDervort eMail: michael.vandervort@gmail.com Phone: +1 813 417 8781 Applying the tools

10. Video link – Did you know? 4.0: http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2009/12/14/social-media-did-you-know-4-0-video/ Renee L. Robbins – Learning Putty http://learningputty.com/2009/10/22/7-creative-ways-to-introduce-social-media-to-your-team/ Starbucks, social media, and Unions: http://humanracehorses.blogspot.com/2009/05/starbucks-and-social-media.html What the F*** is Social media?: http://humanracehorses.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-f-is-social-media-2009-update.html Resources