industrysourcer.com

The Quagmire of being LinkedIN

dablog — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:07:14 +0000

The Quagmire of LinkedIn

The original LinkedIn business model invented by Reid Hoffman and others has, in fact, been hijacked by “open networkers”: consultants, small business leaders, savvy salespeople and recruiters.

There is a need for the original LinkedIn business model: an online mapping of our trusted known relationships with the opportunity to build on them online and off.

But obviously there is also a great need for a centralized, dynamic, self-populated database on the internet at a relatively low cost. Maybe this secondary need is more valuable, offering the greatest value to more people.

Without the open networkers embracing LinkedIn…would LinkedIn have any real market leadership over the other business social networks?

I anticipate that LinkedIn will create a second tier offering, a secondary site or other differentiator to let both networking models co-exist. If they kill the open networker model, they will be stiffling a huge online success story. There are tough decisions to be made at LinkedIn on how and where to guide the product. Will it become a “Lotus 1-2-3 or altavista” or will it become an “Ebay”-like success story.

It’s confusing, many of the standard features they have seem to encourage the open networker model.

Interestingly, I’d like to see how much revenue is being generated by the open networkers vs the intended original business model users.

Dave Boller
________
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http://www.industrysourcer.com

Will Brain Chemistry Testing eventually become a Recruiting tool?

dablog — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:12:40 +0000

Dr. Amen, a Psychiatrist in Southern California has been doing gangbusters business performing SPECT image scans of patients’ brains. He helps to identify ADD, ADHD, and other conditions that sometimes define traits not to mention problem areas of behavior. He recently did a PBS special and it’s really interesting what we can learn about our own brains.

Some say that SPECT scans or other such methods will eventually become standard practice when kids enter school. Hmm….

Doesn’t it follow then that it may become a way to identify those individuals who are the best for certain positions?

Did you know that a long list of great people would be considered ADD today? President Dwight Eisenhower, Thomas Edison, Einstein, Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps, not to mention artists like Mozart, Beethoven and (of course) Robin Williams.

Politicians, leaders, innovators, mavericks, artists. Also bad traits like lack of follow through, poor social skills or who knows what else…

Will it become a way to screen-out those individuals who might not be the best for a particular position?

Scary stuff isn’t it!!?? Yikes!

It follows also, then that we could not just screen for big individual differences but smaller traits, abilities, and a myriad of other such individual differences.

Talent
versus Experience
versus … Brain Chemistry?

Here me at ERE Webinar “Are Job Boards Obsolete” August 27 2 pm EDT/ 11 AM PDT

dablog — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:10:29 +0000

Moderator John Zappe will lead a discussion in this timely webinar on when or where Job Boards are part of today’s optimal recruiting strategy…or not.

http://www.ere.net

http://www.ere.net/webinars/

August 27 2 PM Eastern, 11 Pacific.

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You kind-of already know what I think…read below..

If Everybody has Personal Content on the Global Network, The Value of all “Proprietary” Networks is Now Weakened.

dablog — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:46:11 +0000

The value of all proprietary networks (personal or electronic) are changing in value.

Internet traffic for all major job boards is stagnant or slowing.

Here’s a perspective sandwich…

1950s…> cigar chomping male employment specialist with a network of contacts. He’s got a network going *way back*.

1960s-1990s…> recruiting becomes a sophisticated and complex skill set. Recruiters build their personal and company networks and deliver value.

1990s…> job boards take advantage of the growing internet population by creating a convenient *data repository* of individuals looking for jobs. A *super-sub-network* if you will.

2005 & beyond….> the internet becomes a ubiquitous network of broadband content created by ….individuals. The *real* global network, diminishing the exclusive value of everyone’s proprietary networks.

Most people are on the global network, sortable by keywords, therefore the value of the *data repository* (major job boards) is greatly diminished.

*The *super-sub-network* (job boards) will never completely go away, it is a convenient resume database for certain positions.

*Smarter job aggregators will create new networks, and new value models on the network. (simplyhired, indeed etc)

*Niche job boards will always be useful, but more so for active candidates (not passive, and probably the more valuable candidates)

But the super-repository model of hotjobs/monster/cbuilder is losing luster as we speak. Except for certain position categories and industries. They are good companies, they will probably adapt.

But the value of all proprietary networks (personal or electronic) are changing in value.

Online Sourcing, social networking & online marketing are contributing to the slow, steady erosion of “Job Boards” & their importance.

Welcome to the network….plug in.