Digital Recruiting

Now this is an apolitical US election video - and it's good!

yup - video clip Friday seems to be back.

Anyway - I think this one is very good too.

No way we're cool enough in the country to get such a thing done next general election - but I think someone should edit this for the UK market too - great sentiment hitting out at the apathetic. (and loving the British input in it).

When is it OK to business blog about politics?

A question that's being found out right across America at the moment. With such an impassioned election campaign many business related blogs are having to ask themselves how much their blog personality and any personal political opinion is enmeshed with their business profile.

A blog I like to catch up on once in a while is a great example - you can read it here Common Craft

Sitting in the UK it's of course easier to pass comment on Politics in another country - we're less likely to have passionate clients who would take exception to any comments and take their business elsewhere (actually - even if it was about British politics I wonder if it's probably "not very British" to get so worked up about someone saying something pro or anti one political party or the other?)

But when I think it's safe to blog about politics is when you come across something that is so well executed and amusing that one would hope no matter your political persuasion you'll see the funny side. Or perhaps the fact that I think this clip is so well put together demonstrates my underlying political allegiances in the current American election race - and if I was leaning the other way I'd be struck by how powerful a message has been put together and horrified by the potential reach of it.

Well - here's sticking my neck out and posting something picked up in a number of places for those of you who missed it. I think it's excellent - hope you enjoy.

Please be aware - there's another party other than Mr Obama's to vote for in the American election and posting this highly amusing and very powerful and poignant video in no way reflects any political bias of this blog, it's contributors or any company that they may work for.

That said - anyone else scared witless of Sarah Palin in the white house?!

;-)

  

My long overdue working lunch

Just a quick one, I attended my first my working lunch today and I have to say, I found it to be really useful. Meeting so many media, one after the other was rather intense, but quite useful and informative. To be honest, it way surpassed my expectations, so thanks  Mr. Jamie Leonard for getting me down there to attend your event.

I especially liked the way the media were interacting with other, all chatting and getting on with each other. Richard Nott the Website Director and sponsor of the event from Cwjobs.com mentioned how everyone should collaborate and work together which was refreshing and right on the money. 

Also, bumped into Dom Sumners, who I had to congragulate on his Brand Republic blog. Nice one.

Sinead

Mobile to save Press industry! - an augmented reality?

As online overtakes newspapers, in terms of ad spend and classified advertising revenues diminish year on year, the picture for the press industry could be viewed as pretty bleak.

Fear not press titans! the calvary are coming to your rescue and in fitting, with the delicious ambiguity of life, it will be digital that saves you - digital in the form of the ubiquitous mobile phone.

Put simply, by dowloading software onto your mobile and then holding your mobile phone camera over a press ad, it allows a 3D image to 'jump out' from the page. Thus creating a incredibly engaging, interactive press advertising experience.

This is enabled by 'augmented reality' technology - a theme of computer research that combines real world and computer generated data.

Wellington Zoo, in New Zealand carried out a press campaign using this technology to promote getting face-to-face with the Zoo animals. When a user held their mobile phone over the ad, a 3D animal such as a giraffe apeared...very cool.

We are exploring this for our clients, so watch this space.

Would you believe the future possibilities for press advertising are incredible? Convergence and integration of channels are key.

Check out details at this link, you will need to register.

Sinead

The Complete Online Journey

The latest thing to get me all interested is the news that Atlas Solutions, one of the third party ad servers we use, to track and optimise our online media has launched engagement mapping. This new reporting methodology will allow us to see all the digital touch points on a job applicants journey and not just the last media they click on or viewed before arriving at a clients site and applying.

Instead of the last ad getting 100% of the credit we can see the influence of all media and creative messaging and reveal the entire conversion funnel. This will no doubt help to plan the most effective digital media and creative strategies to attract active and passive jobseekers.

This is good news for display advertising online as they will get some credit and perhaps not so good news for affiliates, Google and maybe even job boards who may dominate online schedules. 

Of course the fact that Atlas Solutions is owned by display giant MSN is irrelevant ;o).

Deeper ROI is always to be welcomed.

UCLA study finds that searching the Internet increases brain function

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, is currently in press at the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and will appear in an upcoming issue.

"The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said principal investigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA who holds UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Chair on Aging. "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, reductions in cell activity, and increases in deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function.

Small noted that pursuing activities that keep the mind engaged may help preserve brain health and cognitive ability. Traditionally, these include games such as crossword puzzles, but with the advent of technology, scientists are beginning to assess the influence of computer use — including the Internet.

Click here for the full story UCLA

Is Paul Harrison actually Derren Brown?

Massive thanks to Chris from Recruiterearth who just posted this video in the comments to the previous post. I just couldn't stop myself posting it again, I wonder what made me. Was it the mind bending graphics or just Mr Harrison's uncany resemblence to a certain mind bending performer!

Find more videos like this on Recruiter Earth

A blog that goes the extra mile?

Ok I thought long and hard about this one after all the fuss we had the last time someone on Digital Recruiting got accused of "competitor bashing". I have to speak out though so I'll keep it brief and to the point.

TMP Worldwide have just launched a commendable initiative based round National Customer Service Week. So far so good. As part of the accompanying web site there is a "CEO Blog" from their CEO Andrew Wilkinson. This is where we hit a bit of a problem, it isn't a blog! No facility to leave comments (not even moderated ones) and no RSS feed!

I would have pointed this out to them on the blog itself but of course I couldn't......

I've launched a new blog

Yes it's true I've decided that the recruitment blogging world wasn't nearly noisy enough so I've decided to set up a new blog at www.recruitingfuture.com . Follow the link to find out what it's about and why I've set it up.

Before anyone starts either panicking or celebrating (delete as appropriate!) this doesn't mean I'm not going to write or contribute to Digital Recruiting anymore, in fact just the opposite. So those of you who are still waiting for me to write that iPhone post I keep banging on about.....don't worry it'll be here soon

Matt

Further Proof that Digital Media is increasingly becoming "just media"

It's with congratulations to one of the founder (if more silent) members of this blog that we can post news of a new appointment at Barkers.

John Buffey (long serving digital media bod & long time night-student in the art of cunning linguism) has recently been appointed as Head of Media. It's not the first time a digitally steeped media specialist has moved into such an overarching role - but, to my knowledge anyway, it's certainly the largest agency to take such move. Should be a good step to ensuring that media is seen as a route to candidate engagement whatever its format and selected upon its merits rather than "paper first because it's what I know" and "let's leave that digital-fangled-online stuff to someone else / include it as a token gesture that probably won't work anyway".

So many congrats John - saw this and thought of you :)