Quick Shots for #HR and Business Pros – #SMDAY

Sharlyn Lauby

26 Jun 2015

Tuesday, June 30 is Social Media Day. It was started in 2010 by Mashable to recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication. Many cities host a local version – here’s what my community in South Florida is doing. If your city isn’t doing anything, then at least participate by expanding your social network by one meaningful connection. That was Mashable’s goal in 2014, but really I don’t see why that shouldn’t be a goal every year.

As human resources pros, social media has become part of the way we do business. Often the first thing that comes to mind is social recruiting. I partnered with iCIMS a while back on a whitepaper titled, “4 Steps to Social Recruitment”. You can download a copy here.

But there’s more to social than recruiting. In fact, if your organization already has a social recruiting strategy in place, that sets the stage for social learning. Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), has released the 2^nd edition to his very insightful book “The New Social Learning”.

That’s not all. If you’re using social to hire the best talent and social to help them grow, then why wouldn’t you use social to recognize their efforts. Check out this Ventana Research report sponsored by Globoforce on “5 Reasons to use Social Recognition in Business.”

I really think one of the biggest takeaways we need to realize from social media is about learning what works best for each individual both personally and professionally. We don’t have to do it all but we need to give things a try. Check out my 5-Day Learning Plans as a way to test drive some of the more popular social media platforms. You can also share these with friends, family and colleagues who are trying to figure out a new platform as well.

It’s hard to believe that social media day has been around for six years! A clear sign that we need to embrace it and make it a part of our lives. That doesn’t mean it needs to control us. It means we need to learn more so we can use it effectively.

Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby