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I was doing a search for search engine marketing on Google and saw Bing advertising in the sidebar via Adwords.  Has anyone else noticed this? I think it is interesting that Google is allowing Bing to advertise on Google.  Here is a screen shot. Click for larger view

There is a very interesting article over at NevilleHobson.com this morning titled “Job requirement: Twitter followers” that discusses a recent job posting by BestBuy in which there is a preffered qualification of having 25o Twitter followers.  After reading this I am wondering if having a “personal social media portfolio” will be something that will give the edge to future job hunters.  If a freshman in college begins to utilize social networks and maintains those social networks until graduation, what will that group of social network accounts be worth?  I can see where in certain industries, especially sales, where existing personal networks could be very valuable.  This seems to be the next logical step in preparing for the work force.

I look back on two occaisions in my past when I saw this same concept in use only on a pencil and paper level.  When I got out of the Navy in 1987 I went to work for a major insurance company and the first two days on the job the only thing I did was make a list of everyone that I knew no matter how well I knew them. Everyone from best friends to the guy that took my money at the local convenience store for a cup of coffee. This was to be my core list of sales calls.  A few years later I took a job as a car salesman (hardest job in the world by the way) and once again the first couple of days at work were devoted to making a list of everyone I knew.

So now that I think of it the concept is not new just the technology involved. We have moved form legal pad and pen to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace et al……  Maybe CIS 101 in college these days should include how to start and maintain a personal social network.

What are your thoughts on having these networks as a suggested job requirement?

I suppose the title of this blog post says it all.  It is a little long I will agree.  I certainly have not learned all there is to know about SEO, but I realize there are many changes going on at this time and I want to discover and learn more about off site techniques including social networking to drive traffic to my websites.  I guess the question I am asking myself is which is more valuable and produces the best results; off site social networking to drive traffic or onsite SEO for the search engines and subsuquent discovery by visitors.

I am curious as to what your opinion is?

There are CEO’s and COO’s and CTO’s and CFO’s.  Could a CSNMO (Chief Social Network Mangement Officer) be far behind. With more and more companies, both large and small, embracing social networking, how long will it be before a dedicated position is created within a company for a full time professional social network manager?  It would definitely be an interesting job. I wonder how the marketing department would look at this position? Would they consider a threat or would they embrace and support this individual.

Paying someone to be a full time social networker could have it’s benefits in establishing a more personal relationship between customer and company. By providing customers the ability to interact with your company via Twitter, Facebook or any other social network, you are bringing your business to a more personal level. As a social networker who creates an online persona and then uses that persona to interact with followers you have in effect brought your company down to a one to one level with the customer.  People like the ability to communicate with a company, to provide ideas and suggestions as well as complaints, and the smart social networking manager will use this information to better their product or service.

Maybe the time has come to add this position to your company. What is your opinion?

I had an interesting discussion about Twitter with a good friend over the weekend. She is a well educated medical professional and is 47 years old. I was sitting at my dining room table after eating barbecue and my Moto Q phone started dinging that messages where incoming.  For several of the people I follow on Twitter I have my phone set to send me messages when updates are made.  I picked up the phone and was reading through the latest batch of texts and she asked what I was reading.  I said “I just received some Twitter upatess”, and she looked at me with kind of blank stare and said “what in the world is a twitter?”

I suppose I just assume because I know what it is that everyone else knows also. Wrong! Her 16 year old daughter piped up and immediately said something to the effect of “oh mom don’t you know anything!!” So I tried to expain to here as briefly as possible what social networking was and more specifically what Twitter was and how people us it to keep others up to date with various aspects of thier life. I told here there is everything from business to personal messages flying around and you can really get insight into what other people are doing and what they are interested in.  More importantly though this conversatoin turned to the whole use of mobile communications devices and social networking and the impact it is having on lives.

She admitted she was technologically resistant as she thinks it takes too much time to learn to use these advances and that they are too complicated. I told her on the contrary they can actually make your life easier.  I showed her an example with one of the people I follow on Twitter who is an employee of Southwest Airlines and where he periodically posts special announcements about reduced fares.  I showed her a contact of mine on Facebook who works for Dell Computers who offers discount codes only for Facebook contacts.  I could see the light coming on as she listened.  Then she said how can all of this be used in my day to day life. I gave her this example.

A friend of mine went to a locally owned regional store that sells electronics, stereos, televisions, computers etc….   He saw a nice 52″ high definition television but thought the price was too high. The salesperson was really putting the pitch to him to buy the TV but Kevin, the shopper told the salesperson to hang on while he looked something up. He then proceeded to pull his Iphone out of his pocket and went online and found the exact same television at Best Buy for almost 400 dollars cheaper with free delivery as well. He showed his Iphone screen to the salesperson and said I would really like this tv but I can go across town and get the same model for this price. The salesperson said wait a minute and went to talk to the store manager and he came back and said they would match the price and he got his new tv.

This is just one example of how technology and social networks are working in business and personal lives to make things easier. I told my friend that the time is coming when department stores, restaurants and other business will offer special discounts via Twitter, Facebook and other similar programs which will be advantageous to both the consumer and the business. I told her imagine getting a message on Friday evening that says something to the effect that on Saturday from 9 until 3 XYZ department store is offering 50% off everthing in the store to Twitter followers only and to use promo code “whatever”.  Only Twitter followers of that particular store would get the discount.

I told her that was only the tip of the iceburg and that there is so much more possible…………..  So if you are over 40 and not quite sure what all this Twittering, Facebooking and other “ing’s” are all about, just ask a user and you will be suprised at what it can do for you.