Social Networking

How can social networking technologies be used?
I am in absolute agreement with Frank Langfitt that "professional recruiters have started hunting for job candidates using social networking technologies". An initial step in the right direction for both the recruits and the recruiter, this method of searching is gaining popularity and acceptance. I believe this way of looking for potential job candidates is very modern, innovative & informed way. Not only you get the brightest people, you get people with a wide presence and recognition in the circle, industry and society. At least that is a good start instead of browsing through paper resumes! The same benefits go for the person with this LinkedIn profile.

I have always been a proponent of rotating employees in a company (on a temporary basis) so that they understand the very basis of other people's jobs and learn about the pillars of the institution they work for. Reading about Nissan's initiative to create N-Square is parallel to my thoughts(Hall, Kenji). Creating N-Square is a very thoughtful idea. Imagine knowing about your colleagues beyond the vicinity of your cubicle, the problems they face, the solutions they look for, the knowledge we can share. A company can benefit greatly from this hidden knowledge well and tap into new ways to boost morale, productivity and overall results.

Benefits to the society
There can be several examples of this kind of innovative thinking. But the bottom line is the advent of Web 2.0 and these various tools with which social networking is possible on a personal basis and now even on a professional basis. Find a friend you always thought of, or maybe never thought of, from Facebook or Batchmates.com. Recommend a past or present colleague on LinkedIn. And get recommended. Update your resume without applying to any job and still get searched by potential employers. Social networking is not only to update your status or poke someone, it is the real world where jobs change, thinking change, people change and eventually a change in society happens. It happened drastically during the wars and industrial revolution, but today we are peacefully and gradually changing through technology and networking.
News travel fast - the cousin in New Zealand had a baby, or a friend in Nigeria just informed about riots breaking out in Abuja. Information travels fast and reaches the desired audience fast.


"Dark side"
Like all things in life, there has to be a 'dark side' of this. Although I am no authority on technology, I fear that people rely on these networks too much to forget the actual human element of life. The hosts of these networks can manage to know all your private information (Vogelstein, Fred) and use it in ways the end users would never realize. What if this data is lost or stolen? I know Facebook has repeatedly been in trouble with various authorities around the world regarding privacy issues (Zee news). I still find it hard to trust any of these websites.

As for the professional side, due to the fact that even the president can see N-Square at Nissan, I believe the employees might be more than reluctant to put in their true thoughts and problems. On the contrary if the company culture encourages it, there might be open discussions also. But rarely that is encouraged by the upper management. Can the opinions you express on N-Square be used against your promotion?