Creating Social Media Identity @TechHR

It all started with some colorful bean bags and a cup of tea. A perfect setting for some interesting conversations. Isn’t  it?

I sipped that perfectly brewed cup of tea and was amazed to see some savvy product demos around me with a perfect blend of HR need and Technology support. This was the  ‘Unconference’ area at the Tech HR hosted by People Matters, where we were waiting for one  of the most awaited session with Social Media guru, Gautam Ghosh. Have been following Gautam Ghosh on twitter for long and this was my first experience to have live interaction with him. Unconference as the word suggests was an informal setting for some direct interactions with the speakers and that definitely made all the more interesting . What an apt place to learn from the experiences of some aspiring entrepreneurs and HR stalwarts.

Gautam opened his discussion with quizzing people a bit on social media and for once I had to stop tweeting and start being more attentive towards it. I of course didn’t wanted to be caught off guard and this is what I could capture from his thoughts on “How to make Social Media Identity”

“Twitter makes you celebrity” : Yes imagine the fun of having 1k+ followers and flaunting the same. Twitter not just made this possible but also allows reaching the unreachable. Where physical media would simply add to the odds this one made it quick and unbelievably smooth and much higher on connectivity.

“Social Media is the new customer care”: He shared an anecdote about how a popular telecom player sorted out a pending issue in record time with just a simple ‘tweety complain’. Social media accessibility has given an edge to customer and this for sure has been quite a trend setter. Thanks to the power of information speed that no one can be taken for granted. Not only does it affect the employer branding but also positions the organization differently. What probably couple of calls or an email could not do, now the solution is just a tweet away. Social Media is making organizations  walk on tight rope whether to lose one customer or stop many others from even trying their products.

“It’s a Personal learning Management system”: Social Media has an immense potential for self learning. It’s about learning from your own fraternity and imbibing knowledge for good. Learning can be through medium like webinars, twitter chats, Facebook groups, and subject matter blogs. Infact he mentioned how MOOCs have added a new dimension to social learning and now global learning is just part of daily dose.

“Use Google news for better”: Specific to twitter it’s all about give and take. Learning is incomplete without sharing and here is Gautam’s quick tip. Subscribe Google news and share the relevant topics with the followers. Though it can be very overwhelming but using hoot suite helps lots in managing time yet connecting with the best.

There was much more which he discussed like how blogging gives a voice and platform to an introvert personality and how everyone has his own choice towards different social media. I could have not agreed more on all what he said and coming from him made so much more sense. I am thankful to people matters to give me an opportunity to connect with some very interesting people and learn about how Technology has impacted the age old HR domain.

We all look forward to see a future where people management is more tech savvy without losing the real Human!!

 

 

5 Communication Lessons on Twitter

 

“What's the fun in having one more social media account?”

Yes, this was my reply to a friend who once asked me to join him on twitter. Hardly did I know that soon I would be advocating the same social networking platform and would be using much more than even the one who recommended. Honestly I am in love with the tweeting bird ,more than I was with Facebook or Orkut. Reason being it not only connects me to the entire ecosystem’s update in just 140 units also learning has a new and a simpler meaning here? How?

 

Twitter has made me a better communicator!! Somebody like me who always had to take B Sheets when others could manage their answers in just A, writing crisp yet effective has been a challenge. Twitter just made sure that I stick to express my fullest and still save myself from negative marking.

I know how it feels to listen now. Reading interesting tweets and marking favorites is a nothing more than listening, imbibing and appreciating other person’s thought. A skill I always desired to have and now I know what all I could have learned only if would have let the other side talk a bit more J

Another very interesting aspect is of engaging a conversation. So what you tweet or Re Tweet talks about your virtual personality which can have a pull or a push effect. In order to connect it important to add value to your follower base. Learning the tricks of the trait from twitter, I am sure next time when I break the ice it would melt forever!!

So what if I don’t upload my picture or my bio on twitter, I still will have people following me back. Assuming without providing the entire information can just shatter all your expectations. Updated profile helps to connect with right audience and in turn generate better traction and communication.

One of my favorite picks from twitter is that RT’s and links go very well till it is balanced by your own personal thoughts in those 140 letters. Missing on your personal views or expression can be as bad as a leader always quoting somebody but hardly saying anything quotable.

These are just some of my communication lessons from twitter and I am sure many more are on way to come. Way to go Twit Twit!!