Dear readers,

Since I talk a lot about finding jobs, I thought that a a Q&A with someone who does the actual screenings and meetings that help get you in the door would benefit a lot of folks.

So I asked my friend and former colleague, Brian Batchelder, to answer some questions that give you the recruiter’s perspective – the person sitting across the desk from you when you are wondering “what is this person thinking?”.  His very good answers are below.  And not that I need this disclaimer, but this is WTF to the FTC (sounds like rap, doesn’t it?): I was a Senior Vice President as Fleishman-Hillard.  And here’s Brian’s disclaimer: “The following is my personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the views of my employer or its clients.“

From Today’s Washington Post headline.  This makes #snowmageddon #1 look like child’s play.

And have I mentioned how much I hate snow? We could get up to FIVE FEET.

Ok.  I am not going to win any sartorial challenges in the coming months, but my choice of headwear has drawn both interest and mockery – globally.  In my contribution to last week’s “For Immediate Release,” my friend Shel likened my hat to one that a paperboy in the 1930’s would wear – the little kid hawking papers on the street.

Not to be outdone, my friend Dave in Germany decided that it was not just enough to TALK about the hat – it has to be celebrated.  So in the spirit of poking fun at myself, here goes.  And Dave – just remember that your ass is grass and I have the lawnmower.

The original profile pic:

“Extra”-terrestrial interest in the hat:

My hat is famous:

My hat is MORE famous:

So, I’ll will leave it to others to describe the “HAT INCIDENT.”  Lill?  Kristen?  Megan?

Please comment.

Mark

I have been mulling over this post for some time, but yesterday, crystallized it finally in my mind.  I think there are many who believe that if you are on Twitter, Facebook or [insert social media tool here] that somehow, you live in your Mom’s basement with the curtains drawn and screech like a ferret when someone introduces light into the room. Not true. I am lucky to have integrated social media into my life.  In so many ways.

So I have compiled a list below of how social media, in one form or another, has impacted my life.  Sorry for the long, post, but if you get tired of reading it, you can always click here to read about SEC Interim Temporary Final Rules.

You’re back?  Good. Here’s my list:

Friends Whom I Have Not Yet Met

Ike Pigott really got me thinking a couple of weeks ago when he CALLED me.  How about that?  As usual, Ike is smart and funny, but he has this great idea.  How about, once in a while, we take the online world over to Ma Bell and call each other?  Ike, as usual, you are dead on, so you highlight this list.

Matthew, who, despite being a Yankee fan, you are an ok guy – and responded to a then desperate blog post from me about recurring pneumonia with sound advice about taking some herbal medication.  And in that year or so, I may have had one cold.  What a difference.

Thanks Jonathan, for the wonderful comment you made on my blog last year about my children. Thanks. Julia, you noticed my posts and offered immediately to donate to my little girl’s campaign to raise money for the children of Haiti.  We share a lot in common on parenting, and I can’t wait to meet you one of these years. Tim, we’ve done a Media Bullseye Radio Roundtable together and tweeted, but your posts and tweets and both funny and insightful.  I love reading your stuff. Neville, I feel like I already know you and am certain that in 2010, we’ll finally get to meet in person.  And I am grateful for the opportunity to be whom David Wescott calls “FIR Boy.”  And Shel, in my mind, you literally wrote the book on online public relations and I am so grateful to be part of the FIR community.

Kami, we too have done a Media Bullseye Radio Roundtable together, I feel like I know you and am 100% sure that you are going to kick ass in your new venture with Geoff.

And speaking of Geoff, I can’t leave out our recent Twitter conversation about the fun night you, me, Larissa, Mark and Shel had, celebrating his birthday.  And Mark – it was so awesome catching up between speeches at the PRSA event yesterday.

Friends I Have Met Because of Social Media

Jason, you top this list.  Not only are you smart as hell, you are funny as hell and I am lucky to call you a friend.  So I’ll start with a “BlogWorldExpo 2009 list” and mention how much fun I had connecting with Shauna, Tac, Eric, Shannon, Ed, Jen and many, many others last October.  I think that it was a contact high just meeting each other. I was in the speaker ready room with Guy Kawasaki, for Christ’s sake.  And as I was doing the Garth and Wayne “I’m Not Worthy,” Brian Solis took a few moments to chat – and was funny and down to earth. And Dave – I’ll be getting that speaker proposal in soon.  2009 was one hell of a good time.

Kate, you too are special, not only for the “Keep Austin Weird” person you are, but also for the kindness you displayed when you responded to my daughter’s Haiti drive -and emailed her.

And special shout-out to Doug, who is not only funny and smart, but did the Pan Mass Bike Challenge to raise money for the Dana Farber Institute – and mailed me (old school) a handwritten thank you for my little donation.

Eric – meeting you last week was a blast.  And I am beyond psyched to be working on stuff in the future.

You are a real friend. Shonali, although we are geographically close, we don’t get together enough.  That needs to change in 2010 as well.  You are smart, funny and one hell of a networker.

Academic Mentions

Robert, you have set the academic social media standard for others to follow.  But what is so clear is that you care enough about your students to push them to have REAL LIFE experience with it.  To dare to try while they learn.  PROpenMic is brilliant and I constantly see you pushing for job opportunities for your students.  As an instructor myself, I can tell you that that particular part of teaching is not in your job description;  it’s in your character. Barbara, I am dying to meet you via Skype video or however I can learn more about what you teach.  And (Robert, too) count me in for a guest appearance at computer screen near you.

Really Special Academic Mentions

This is for my Georgetown peeps.  Not only was teaching seriously one of the greatest joys in my life, the fact that so many of you have kept in touch me with me, asking advice (educational of life advice) is just plain flattering – and humbling.  And as we have transitioned from professor/student to friends, I am so grateful to know you, Lill, Megan, Anne, Kristen, Shannon, Jessica, Claudia, Mike, Sunaina, Georgi, Raquel, Laura, Sherice, Jolie, Joe, Shilpika, Alma, Tarun, Anca, Aimee, Becky, Catherine, and Josie (please move back – mid term elections are soon – heh).  A couple of you have moved out of the country since you finished, but still keep in touch,  It means a lot.  And what was even more meaningful was watching several of you walk across that stage and get your diplomas.  I was like a proud pappa.  And I know that I suck because I know that I have left someone out completely by mistake, but that’s why they have the “edit” button on blog posts.  And yes, I could have died a happy man after that picture.

People From the Past

Most of this comes from former employers (I have a lot of them).  I firmly believe that if you are real friends, the friendship transcends the term of employment.  So David, I have watched you go from an agency newbie to someone who has completely mastered the art of social media – and regularly kicks my ass in the stuff you write.  Hillary, I will never forget that you were there for me when my mom was dying. Never.  Same for you, Maura, Jess and Layle.  Spencer, it’s great that I still get to see you from time to time.   I love reading about your life, too, Oona.  Jaselle – I miss our completely off-colour (with a nod to the British spelling) jokes and still remember our pub night out in London (BC for you;  Before Children).   All of you remind me of the times when APCO was a FAMILY – not a soulless corporation.

Cheryl, you and I are polar opposites in just about everything in life, but still good friends. And that is so awesome.  Monica, I so love that we can still keep in touch – and now that you have climbed the corporate ladder of success, you have not forgotten this little person.  And since it’s just the two of us reading this, how about getting me a corporate gig in Miami?  Winter sucks.

And Tom – we pretty much started in the whole “Internet thing” together in the late 90’s.  Fun times, those.  And yes, it was randomly generated.

What Got Me Hooked

Chip, the friendship that we developed over the years and has grown was the spark that helped ignite my passion for social media.  And Jen, it’s been zillion years since I last saw you, but I have loved working with you on articles or podcasts and you always have smart and funny things to say either on my blog or my Facebook page.  And you are real friend – a Prince says “ruff” to Ralph.  Sarah, we both suck for never meeting face-to-face now that we live 10 miles apart.  I would really like to correct that in 2010 as well.

And thank you to Lourdes and Laurie for finding me after all those years.

This post is too long, but, for a long time, I have been thinking that when I tweet something like “I’m sick,” or “at the vet,” or “today blows,” I will, at some point hear from one of my social media/online/offline friends.  And I have never really said “thank you,” because when I get that little Facebook message back, or that tweet saying “What’s going on?” it makes all of the difference in the world.

Thanks, social media.

Mark

P.S. – As a demonstration of my thankfulness and devotion, I got carpal tunnel syndrome inserting all of these links.

P.P.S. – For those of you who know my, um “irascible” personality, NO this post does not mean that I am dying and this is my epitaph.

P.P.P.S. – There are so many outbound links in this post that I fear that I will disappear from Google all together, bleeding links.  Linkey love, anyone?

It’s rare that something catches my attention and holds it for longer than three seconds, but I was no less than stunned at the backlash yesterday when Steve Jobs rolled out Apple’s latest creation, the iPad.

Holy crap, Batman.

The #1 trending topic on Twitter yesterday was NOT the iPad, but #iTampon.  Several women reacted with comments like “This shows that no women were involved in naming the device.”

My thinking?  Lighten up.

The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article this morning entitled  “Apple iPad tablet called iTampon on Twitter; women tweet, “and the author, Zennie Abraham, commented, somewhat indignantly:

And the vast majority of tweets referencing the iTampon are issued or retweeted by women. And adding Apple’s self-inflicted insult to that injury is the Apple iPad video itself, presented by three white male Apple senior level employees and including no women, and one very provocative segment where a man is using the iPad, where it’s placed between his legs and at his crouch, and the woman points to a feature on the iPad right near his crouch.”

Oh, where to start.

1. In the last sentence, the word is “crotch,” not “crouch.”  If we are going to go all ballistic (gasp!  Did I mean “balls?”) on the male species, at least spell that part of our anatomy correctly.
2. The vast majority of responses were tweeted or retweeted by women.  Really?  Perhaps I am not up on Twitter, but where is the box where you check your gender?  And what aggregator enables someone to tally this magic number?
3. It was presented by three white males. Guess what?  Perhaps — just perhaps — these were individuals who were closely involved in the creation of the damn thing.
4. And a woman pointing to a man’s “crouch?” Oh, the horrors.  Pretty soon, they’ll go back and move Lucy and Rick’s beds together in the old “I Love Lucy” shows.  And if you think THIS is provocative, walk through the grocery store with your children today and see how many times the word “orgasm” is listed in soft-core porn magazine like Cosmopolitan.

So here’s the Alpha Male perspective (and yes, I am ready for the inevitable flaming):

1. I don’t remember there being an uproar when IBM rolled out the “trackball.”  There were not men with the online equivalent of torches and pitchforks protesting the completely offensive, intentional and unjust allusion to the male anatomy.  And women actually TOUCH THESE?
2. Where is the outrage on mattress pads?  Men and women lie on these things together — and gasp — sometimes take their clothes off!
3. Women wore shoulder pads in the 80’s.  Oh, the outrage!  Are all of these women now headed back to the closet, burning their shoulder pads?

Conclusion:

Ladies, I don’t want to hear any more about menstruation than  you want to hear about us getting kicked in the balls, jock itch, or any other affliction which is unique to the male species. And in the midst of the greatest economic collapse — maybe now a double dip recession, wars on two fronts and Obama bin Laden’s ugly mug showing up on a TV screen near you more than Conan O’Brien, THIS is something to get worked up about?

So maybe — just maybe — everyone can put down their torches and pitchforks and think for a moment this very important thought:

Before the whole “Internet” thing, we had this handy-dandy little device called a PAD — OF PAPER.  And we wrote on it.  And we read it.

Lighten up people.

Mark

P.S. – I have linked to the image from the SF Chronicle article.  Click on it.  At the end of the image name, you’ll see “apple-ipad-phalic.jpg.”  Hello pot? Kettle here.