I couldn’t agree more. Now that I’ve got everyone I know in LinkedIn, what can I do with it? The tools they provide me to use with my network are stupid and they won’t provide an API to let me do what I want.

Thanks for the tip on http://www.collectivex.com, I’ll take a look at it.

=C=

Let me know what you think.

This ain’t a pitch, just my take on it because I think they ‘get’ social networking.

The problem I have with LinkedIn and others is that you spend all this time developing your network, but then there’s nothing to *do* with it.

CollectiveX is a bit different because:

1. You can have private groups, branded if you need it. This isn’t a selling point for me, but for some it’s significant.
2. Group members share objectives: things they want to accomplish, so there’s always motivation to interact with people or share a connection for someone who can help.
3. Group members share key connections: people they know, not necessarily in the group. The catch is, you don’t get names of these folks, just title, company, and how close the member is to that person. This is key, because if one member lists as a key connection the VP of Something at Big Company and has him on speed dial, and another member wants access to that person, that member has to actually network/socialize/communicate with the other member. It’s not an automatic process. Networking works in a ‘real’ life way.
4. A very smart search, and appropriate use of ‘web2.0′

So I think Clarence has cracked the social networking nut. If you care, Mike Arrington calls CollectiveX the LinkedIn killer. It changes the game from seeing how many connections you can collect, to sharing your goals and helping fellow members with their own goals.

This is common with other people in my next level who i have asked aboiut their success.
I have once contact who really worked it hard….1500 contacts - he has given up on it as well.

I garee with the gving away data as well, plus helping untword people accessing info about you who could use it for less than savoury purposes.

BTW Carl, you are not using your own plugin on por blog any more??? How come?

By my understanding above, you feel that a corporation should be run by whomever can program the cleanest code or manage a database the best.

What an interesting place that would be to work, I think.

You are of course correct, Cal. After all - you can teach any IT guy to fill in a form (as stated above.) I couldn’t agree more.
And when your company runs into some FMLA or EEOC issues, you could quickly train that same IT guy to ensure that the other 49 employees are in compliance and that your company is safe from violating any laws.

Come to think of it - the IT guy could also brush up on the new EEOC standards in regards to what is an “Internet Applicant” so that you aren’t accused and penalized for discriminating when you perhaps did no such thing. Then again - you might as well get him to ensure that all of your other IT guys aren’t asking any inappropriate questions (How’d you lose that arm? Do you have kids? etc.) during job interviews - since each IT manager will be doing their own hiring. (of course - your IT guy in question will no doubt handle the referrals, attend those events, speak to those colleges and bring you EVERYONE that expressed an interest in the job - we don’t want your IT guy to not pass any resumes along.) ;)

Don’t forget that your IT guy will also need to be pretty savvy on benefits and taking care of any issues that your other IT staff may run into - personal issues - drug abuse - family violence - FMLA - mental wellness - Family assistance - and all that.

You know…. The more I look at that IT guy now that he doesn’t have any time to program or check code or do any type of IT responsibilities… He sort of looks like an HR person - and not just a form filling paper jockey - he’s swamped! (and you and I both know that these are just the tip of the iceberg for what a true HR department in a sizeable company deals with - don’t get me started with unions!)

Cal - your assertion that you could teach a Sales Person to code is right on the money. But lets reverse that and realize that you’ll run into an equal problem teaching a hard core IT guy people skills or compliance issues, etc. And it may not be that the IT guy can’t learn it - it may be that he could care less and hates that kind of stuff.

But just because he hates it, doesn’t mean that the function should go away or could be run by just anyone, sir. His situation alone proves this.

FYI - I had the same discussion last week with an HR person that thought poorly of IT as a whole. When you generalize your nurture a disdain for a “group” of people or department like this you are doing no better than those HR persons you’ve formed your opinion *from*.

Also - Employee of the Month programs are crap. Just my humble but correct opinion - they were flawed from inception.

BOTTOM LINE:
I’m a results oriented manager as it sounds you are as well, Cal.
I appreciate productive employees and persons. I cannot appreciate those that hide behind “knowledge” or “fiefdoms”
HR has them. IT has them.
Anyone denying either of these is either out of touch or in denial.

Agreed on the liberal media, Hollywood, and Sir Joel (*gasp* an HR person that reads him regularly?!)
I may not add you to my LinkedIn list just yet, but you’ve surely made it to my bookmarks. :)

I’ll take your posts out of order and respond to the last one first.

You have invoked the name of his holiness, Pope Joel. :) Yes, that’s an excellent article and should be read by every IT manager.

Here’s my take on the hiring process:
http://www.calevans.com/view.php/page/nerdherding

My beef with HR is simply this. In the world I live in IT people (with possible exceptions for Directors and above) actually *do* things. HR people don’t. I’ve never seen an HR employee be given “Employee of the Month” for the best filed form. They exist simply to process paperwork and make sure guidelines are followed.

I can appreciate that this is a job that needs to be done and don’t despise them because they don’t contribute to society. I despise them because (other than Bobby) they build little fiefdoms to try and justify their existence. They set rules and policies that actually hinder people from doing their job. 9i.e. all resumes must be screened through HR before they can be passed on to the hiring manager.)

I live in a technocracy. What you have done and can do with technology determines what power you have. Respect is earned by merit, not dictated by memo. So when an HR person tells me they want to prescreen all my resumes I immediately start climbing the corporate ladder in hopes that I can find someone who doesn’t have their head stuck up their ass and will help me around this problem. To date, I’ve only had one company where I couldn’t circumnavigate the rule but the time it takes to get around it is time wasted.

I say in all seriousness that a properly run HR department provides a valuable service to any company. So does a properly run Janitorial departments. Let’s not pretend that HR actually produces something that the company needs though. Let’s treat them as what they are, paper pushers. Assign them the respect they deserve as low level cogs in the machine and relegate them to a cube farm somewhere so that they are out of the way. Because the only way an HR department is beneficial to a company is if they are out of the way.

And I don’t need to listen to them tell me IT is just stupid. I said it to a VP of sales once and it applies equally to HR.

“I can teach my programmers to sell” (or in this case fill out forms) “Can you teach your sales people to program?”

Sorry, not mad at you, this is just one of my hot buttons. (Don’t get me started on the liberal media or Hollywood!) :)

Thanks for writing,
=C=

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/SortingResumes.html

/me moves back into the workforce…

I can identify with your frustrations of needing to hire good people only to have viable job seekers removed from consideration because an “HR person” is just keyword screening and ditching the rest.

While keyword screening has it’s merit, just like anything else, there is a downside if used incorrectly. If a person is using the method of keyword search as their ‘prescreener’ so to speak - they’ll no doubt lose MANY otherwise qualified job seekers. A sad part of the business when you’ve rookie or generalized recruiters that don’t bother to learn the business they’re recruiting for.

It’s incredible what a little communication and active listening could do BEFORE the recruiting for a specific skillset or title starts, eh?

Of course - don’t forget…
Every time you bash HR as a whole - the same is done to IT. I’m always amazed when I listen to the same arguement from both sides of the fence.

“They are so stupid - they just don’t get it.”
“They have NO idea how the business works.”
“No one but ‘them’ would understand that.”

Why can’t we all just get along? :-)

No offense taken whatsoever. In fact I’m flattered that you posted about my invite but I totally understand your reasoning and appreciate your honesty.

If you’re ever looking for work here in Florida give me a buzz and I’ll see if I can be of help. I’ll keep your PHP offer in mind as well. ;)

~Scott