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In the “that-happened-yesterday-who-cares-about-it-now” age we live in, I was really glad this article caught my eye. I’m referring to a detailed, even-handed and informed criticism of ESPN’s handling of the LeBron James trade saga, also known as “The Decision.” What made this article special was that it was written by one of their own: Don Ohlmeyer, who is ESPN’s official “Ombudsman.” The link is here, and I strongly encourage you to read it. You’ll find that Ohlmeyer is very critical (as I think he was right to be) about ESPN’s handling of The Decision and pulls no punches when it comes to the network’s numerous mistakes and serious journalistic integrity lapses leading up to, and during, the over-hyped event.

What makes for a good ombudsman like Ohlmeyer? The definition of an ombudsman is one “who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements,” but I think it of more as a “tell it like it is person,” someone who is immune from—or above—any influence or corruption from the organization he comments on. No killing the messenger here, this person is expected to speak the truth without corporate-speak, prejudice or fear of retribution. When it works, when the person is truly impartial, and truly free to say what he or she wants, it’s great. I actually think more highly of ESPN as an organization for having someone like Ohlmeyer as an ombudsman—though do I think his piece deserved more prominent placement on the ESPN website.

How about in the corporate world? In my opinion, a good ombudsman is something a CEO would covet, as a strong leader wants honest feedback but very often doesn’t receive it, hearing mostly from yes-men or having to work with watered-down, distorted information. A report in SHRM states that a corporate ombudsman is still a rather rare commodity. I think that’s unfortunate, especially with large corporations, as a good ombudsman can give voice to employees or a community that wouldn’t normally have access to top management. Some companies set up an ombudsman program as a result of a legal ruling but SHRM claims most organizations create them voluntarily. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, the answer if yes, BP does have an ombudsman.

The danger of a corporate ombudsman program? If the person in that role is simply there for show, serves as a mouthpiece for top management, can’t speak freely or faces retribution, that’s worse than having no program at all. Many media and news outlets have had an ombudsman for decades, and it’s always been considered a very important position in a one-newspaper city, or a place where a single media outlet dominates the news dissemination for a region.

Does your company have an ombudsman, be it official or unofficial? Do your employees know about this person and how are his/her comments communicated? What would you say to your CEO if you were appointed the role of ombudsman?

Daily living within social media comes with its challenges. One of the challenges that I struggle with is automation vs. personal engagement and the grey area that lies in between. I’ve set up Facebook Pages that sync with new blog posts, Twitter feeds that are loaded within Facebook and within a column within the blog. I’ve synced YouTube and Flickr and Facebook “likes” and Twitter updates to LinkedIn status. You name it, if there’s a method to automatically link/sync/feed into another social media channel, I’ve done it.

Why do we do this? Because there is an exponential strength in being able to connect to your visitors, viewers and fans within the social media channel of their preference. And, it enhances your ability to expand your viral marketing reach. But, I often wonder with all of this syncing and automation, am I missing the true point of authentic engagement within each channel?

Sure, I monitor the blog comments, facebook status likes and feedback and oversee Twitter tweets and RTs in HootSuite. And, I’m also sending out interesting articles I’ve reviewed in my Google Reader and tidbits I’ve discovered and replying back to the feedback I read and sometimes the volume is just enough to feel overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time.

So, while trying to maximize efficiencies with automation the trick is to find the balance between making certain tasks automated while still enabling for personal engagement.

One tip I find very useful in sharing an RSS feed that I always seem to come back to time and time again for quality content is to set this feed up in my HootSuite desktop and tweet out every 3 hours the latest news article. I automatically insert “Interesting News:” before each auto-tweet to alert my followers and others to the content of my tweet. I check out the tweets and topics in my Sent column of HootSuite daily just to be sure I’m not “spamming” out there. So far I’ve found this is a great way to share news and gain followers and start the conversation.

So, my Google Reader continues to be an integral component to my social media marketing strategy. If you have any tips for automation or strong feelings on this issue, please comment! Or tweet to me @JenHitchens.

Did you ever see the old Twilight Zone episode The Eye of the Beholder? It’s a classic. The episode is set in a hospital and is focused on a woman whose face is completely bandaged. The doctors and nurses talk in hushed voices about this being her 11th procedure to help her look “normal.” You never see their faces either until the dramatic climax. The bandages are removed revealing a very pretty woman, however the medical staff’s reaction is one of horror – and we are ultimately horrified when we get a load of them. The hospital staff is revealed and they all have crazy pig snout noses and very disfigured and disturbing faces.

The episode concludes with these words:

Now the questions that come to mind. Where is this place and when is it? What kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm? You want an answer? The answer is, it doesn’t make any difference. Because the old saying happens to be true: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out amongst the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A lesson to be learned— in The Twilight Zone.

So what happens when the eye of the beholder is a recruiter? A beautiful resume doesn’t always land a candidate a job. We all have heard and experienced first hand – whether on a job hunt or in hiring mode – that that an engaging smile, firm handshake and tasteful clothing matter for that critical first impression. However, how much does beauty really matter when a candidate walks through the door?

NEWSWEEK recently surveyed hiring managers and job seekers about the role of beauty in the workplace. The results? Looks matter. Do you agree with these findings? Be sure to let us know.

54% of hiring managers advised spending as much time and money on looking good as perfecting a resume.

Two thirds of business managers said they believe some managers would hesitate before hiring a qualified job candidate who was significantly overweight.

64% of hiring managers said they believe companies should be allowed to hire people based on looks when the job requires an employee to be the “face” of a company at retail stores or in sales.

57% of hiring managers believe the unattractive have it harder at work; while 68% believe that looks impact the way managers rate job performance.

47% of all hiring managers said that they believe some women are penalized for being too good-looking in the office.

I wish the title of this post was really my band name and 1st album title but alas it’s not. Debt, debt, and more debt. We are in a serious amount of debt globally, nationally, and as individuals. All of whom I can expand on in upcoming posts but for now I reserve my dismay at the situation in Europe or, more precisely, the PIIGS – a nasty acronym relating to sovereign debt markets used by financial types likes bond analysts, the international press and academics alike when referring to the economies of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain.

There has been much written and said in the past year about the PIIGS but just how bad is it? This article from the Economist (from May2010) sums it up nicely replete with charts and interactive graphics showing just how messed up troubled the euro-zone PIIGS are.

Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain share the currency (the euro) and an ugly acronym (the PIIGS). Each lost competitiveness after 1999, seeing prices and wages rise more quickly than the euro-area average. As members of the euro, the PIIGS cannot devalue their currencies, making the struggle out of recession harder. Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain share the currency (the euro) and an ugly acronym (the PIIGS). Each lost competitiveness after 1999, seeing prices and wages rise more quickly than the euro-area average. As members of the euro, the PIIGS cannot devalue their currencies, making the struggle out of recession harder.

Add high wage costs, poor productivity, love of cheap imports, and running of huge deficits, the perfect storm many have predicted, is finally here. The economic havoc she reeks worldwide is evident and more remains to be seen but the fiscal health of the PIIGS will remain in question as concerns about the health of banks in Europe have escalated and the tenuous fiscal and financial conditions continue to weigh on the Euro. On the sorta bright side, the dollar has gained in recent months in large part to Europe’s woes and the resilience of our own economy.

The debt crisis is very, very real. And while the battle rages on in DC on whether to practice austerity or stimulate the economy with more state aid, unemployment benefits, small business loans, etc, the regular folks are left to pick up the pieces of a battered economy. But at least the problems are no longer being hidden or shuffled, all this bad news has been out there plain as day. OK world, accountability is the order of the decade. Time to move on…and up from here.

As someone who is closing in on 20 years in advertising, I get it: commercials are meant to sell a product or service (or image), and I certainly have nothing against embellishment, extrapolation and laying it on thick. But some of these commercials are so brazen in their claims, I had to laugh. I hope you will too.

1. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

As parents, we all struggle with what’s most important in our home and what we want to teach our children: kindness, respect for others, responsibility, compassion, honor, morality, etc. I never knew I was missing the biggest ethic of all–mayonnaise. All might look sugar-sweet in this commercial, but I swear I’ve never seen a baby so scared of his grandma. I also love the huge, beautiful banquet on the table and right in the center of it all: a jar of mayonnaise. Still, “It wouldn’t be home without Hellmann’s.”

2. Skippy Peanut Butter

We’ve all heard of subliminal advertising; this one is outright hypnosis. I’m not sure how this idea didn’t get shot down at the agency; to my naive way of thinking, creepy mind control might not be the best way to sell a product. Oh well, it’s 10:19, I’d better get to my grocer and buy 2 jars of Skippy.

3. Schaefer Beer

Oh the joys of drinking alone! Herbie is positively giddy listening to his beer bottle serenading him. Of course, the wife has to ruin all the fun. Maybe once your beer starts talking to you, it’s time to head to a meeting.

4. Stripe Toothpaste

The commercial opens with a congressional report stating that tooth decay is caused by germs (your tax dollars at work). But the real reason to buy Stripe is that because of the cool stripe, your children will be more willing to brush their teeth. Okay…

5. Camel Cigarettes

When you use the tagline, “More Doctors Smoke Camel Than Any Other Cigarette,” there really isn’t anything else to say.

Be sure to come back to this blog regularly to see future installments of Old Commercials to Make You Smile…and Cringe!

There are good and bad ways to stand out from the crowd.

Really bad.

Really, really bad.

When it comes to your resume, make it good. Sometimes standing out from the crowd in a good way can be as simple as having the only resume with no typos. This person’s resume made a list dubbed the 70+ Most Artistic and Creative Resumes of All Time. I picked it for my never ending love of vinyl and it’s overall good design, however the other 69 are pretty impressive and worth a diversion in your day too, so be sure to check them out.

In one of many promotions designed to hype the season premier of Mad Men, fans of the show can now find out if they’ve got what it takes to join the team over at the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in this fun time killer mock interview. See if you make the cut and where you fit in by taking the interview here. Season 3 premiers Sunday, 7/25 at 10pm!

I’m a member of many groups on LinkedIn. Like many of you, I’m sure receive dozens of emails every day updating you about your LinkedIn Group activities, hundreds of email newsletters you’ve subscribed to and hundreds of other emails each day. All of these email alerts probably could provide some value to what you do on a day-to-day basis…if only you had time to dedicate to read every single one.

So, when a discussion thread popped up on my radar from my group, Recruiting in Social Media,  that highlighted “6 Social Media Mistakes Your Company Should Avoid” caught my eye.

Just prior to reading the article, I was feeling like my brain was on information overload…over tired, overbooked and overwhelmed. So the word “avoid” popped out in my eyes. Sarah Hartshorn had some great ideas in this article.

One idea popped out to me (and my current mental state), “Tailor your strategy to each platform before you implement.”

This is a key component not many HR (or anyone else for that matter) understand. It’s not about adding hundreds of fans in an hour using a PPC campaign or thousands of followers in two days through services like TweetAdder (although, these type of automation software does have it’s place in any campaign…just not the driver’s seat). You must be genuine. You must be authentic. If anything I’ve learned from the hundreds of webinars I’ve viewed or conferences I’ve attended, this concept of a ‘platform specific campaign’ is essential. What works on Facebook to your unique audience might not work as well on Twitter or Digg.

So, what’s an HR person to do in this social media craze for recuitment exposure? Look to experience. Look to seasoned professionals (ahem, like Alstin). Watch, observe and learn and THEN plan your strategy. Social media takes time. And, yes, it can be overwhelming at first but stay the course and the results will follow.

Connect with me on Twitter @JenHitchens if you’d like to chat about this topic or post your comments below on some areas that are a challenge to you within social media recruiting!

Social media has been a game changer. It’s made us rethink how we like our news delivered. How we prefer to communicate with each other. And how we portray ourselves to the world. Personal brands are no longer resigned to the famous.

For many of us our personal brands are connected to our professional identities. For example, my handle on Twitter is @AnnetteatAlstin. I use Twitter to share happenings at Alstin, links back to this blog, contests we’re running and all around interesting HR or social media news I come across. Sometimes though, that can be a little monotonous. I tweet more personal sidebars about my comings and goings at work too — a great restaurant I tried in Center City for lunch, a funny video, or being stuck on a late Septa train. It all needs to be pretty innocuous stuff because these tweets are not all about me, it’s all about me at Alstin.

Read this tweet from former CNN Senior Editor of Mideast Affaris, Octavia Nasr who was using this Twitter handle, @OctaviaNasrCNN:

Nasr, who invested 20 years of her career at CNN, was ultimately fired for her tweet about Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah who has been described by the AP as, “staunchly anti-American and linked to bombings that killed more than 260 Americans.”

After her firing Nasr posted an explanation, apology and remorse for her tweet saying:

It was an error of judgment for me to write such a simplistic comment and I’m sorry because it conveyed that I supported Fadlallah’s life’s work. That’s not the case at all. It’s something I deeply regret.

Her firing has been controversial. Stephen M. Walt, a professor of International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School, pointed out in an editorial, “plenty of American journalists and politicians have shown ‘respect’  for various world figures with hands far bloodier … but it didn’t cost them their jobs.”

Thinking back on my blog discussing  the ”Cisco Fatty” tweet and the importance social media policies (and common sense), my first question on all this was:  What are CNN’s social media guidelines for employees?

 So I Googled, found their policy and it reads:

Don’t list preferences regarding political parties or newsmakers that are the subject of CNN reporting. Unless given permission to comment publicly on the issues or people we report on as a CNN analyst or commentator, it is important that you and all other CNN employees be independent and objective regarding the news and people that we cover. If you publicly declare your preference for issues or candidates or one side or the other of the public policy issues CNN reports on, then your ability to be viewed as objective is compromised.

With the delicate balance of reporting in the Middle East, it seems that Nasr is correct in copping to making an error in judgment. Even with very clear social media policies, I don’t think we’ve seen the first or the last of these sort of firings in the forseable future. We are human after all. In the mean time though, please, whatever you do,  don’t follow any of these examples.

For the most part, I prefer to spend my reading time in the world of make-believe, vastly preferring fiction to well, reality. Every once in a while, though, something from the land of non-fiction really grabs my interest. This time it was Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. The book expands on his famous Atlantic cover story, Is Google Making Us Stupid? where he posed the question: Are we losing our ability to read and think deeply?

The premise is that the scattered, multi-tasking and distracted lives we live have been proliferating for decades, and that now we have—with the Internet–the perfect medium for scattering our attention. Carr says to think of it as trying to read a book while doing a crossword puzzle.

The genesis of him writing the book, and the part that really resonated for me, can be found on Page 5:

“Over the last few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I feel it most strongly when I’m reading. I used to find it easy to immerse myself in a book or a lengthy article. My mind would get caught up in the twists of the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration starts to drift after a page or two. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel like I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.”

Sound familiar? It sure did to me. What I really liked was the balance in the book–this isn’t a trash piece on the Net—in fact, Carr spends a lot of time talking about technological innovations through history as well as the great benefits of the Internet (obviously an invaluable tool for a reporter). He goes on:

“The boons are real. But they come at a price. Media aren’t just channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. Whether I’m online or not, my mind now expects to take information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in a sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.”

Whether we want to admit it or not, the Internet and emerging information technology carries an ethos to it. With books, the focus is on deep, contemplative thought. With the Internet, it’s the rapid, hyper-distracted sampling of small bits of info from multiple sources.  Now that we’re all getting used to the Internet as part of our daily lives, we’re getting better at scanning and skimming, but at the risk of losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation and reflection.

Obviously, the implications are scary—as we become used to constant interruption (how many emails have popped up on your screen while you’ve read this? How many times has your iPhone buzzed? Your TweetDeck chirped?) we may even lose the ability to tune into more subtle forms of human emotion like empathy and compassion.

To hear a radio interview with Carr about The Shallows, click here.

My opinion? There’s really no going back, and it’s naïve to think the technology we use in our daily lives will regress. Still, I believe (as Carr states) that we can get better at both types of thinking, so I’m going to make more of an effort to have that quiet, unplugged, contemplative time. How about you? Have you felt your ability to concentrate slipping? What do you do about it? Please comment below!

Top Three Summertime Sources for Creative Inspiration

If you’ve read my “Five Simple Steps to Greatly Increasing Your Creativity,” you know that I’m big on “Creating Your Own Inspiration.” In fact, that’s one of my Five Simple Steps. Years spent meeting agency deadlines have taught me that inspiration is usually sparked by hard work, not the other way around. In my personal quest to create more art, I have been striking out in search of things that personally inspire me. Summer is here. Don’t let this season pass you by without exploring how it can uniquely inspire you too. Here are my Top Three Summertime Sources for Creative Inspiration:

1. Send Yourself Back to School
So many courses. So little time. I’m lucky enough to live in an area that is rich with art schools. Every time I receive a course catalog from one of these schools – from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to Main Line Art Center – I salivate over the classes that are offered. This semester I actually did something about it and signed up for “Image Transfer Techniques” with Andrea Snyder. Knowing the various techniques to transfer images to artwork will add a new, strong tool to my creative repertoire. Is it convenient to come home from work and head directly to a three hour evening class? Absolutely not – some nights I have to drag myself there. But once I’m there, I find myself re-entering that elusive creative “flow” – the feeling of being fully immersed in what I’m doing. Lots of new ideas are flowing as well. I’m excited by what I’m learning and doing. Busy schedules aside, for me nothing beats an art class to get you inspired.

2. Find a Mentor
Before I embraced this advice, I hated hearing it. How exactly do you go about finding a mentor? And what do you say to them once you track one down? It always seemed phony and unrealistic to me to pursue a mentor in the traditionally advised sense. So I’ve adapted this advice in a way that works for me. I consider my mentor Scott Kelby. He’s a world-renowned author on digital photography and all things Photoshop. He’s also the President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. I’ve also never spoken to him or met him. So how is it that I’ve never met the guy but I consider Scott Kelby my mentor? He transfers his know-how through multiple accessible channels, including books (more than 35), podcasts, web sites and magazines. He is an expert in my primary areas of creative pursuit and he is able to convey his knowledge in a way that I find both compelling and easy to understand. To me that’s the definition of a mentor. This summer, I’m rereading his “Digital Photography Book” and directly applying what I’m learning from him into my photographs. Spend some time finding somebody who inspires you in your own creative pursuits. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to meet the best in your field, you can still tap into their knowledge.

3. Two Words: Road Trip!
For me, nothing beats a road trip for seeing things in new ways – literally. I’m just back from nearly 900 miles on the road. A trip that took me from Philadelphia to North Carolina and back. Stops along the way included Hatteras, Ocracoke Island, Chincoteague, and Ocean City, Maryland. Everywhere I went I was inspired. From photographing wild ponies in Chincoteague to gathering sand for future projects from the beaches of Hatteras – I didn’t go anywhere without coming away with new ideas. Wherever the road takes you this summer, commit yourself to discovering new ways of being creative along the way.

So here I am, armed with new knowledge of transfer techniques, hundreds of photos, and several bags of sand. Will great art result? Who knows? But I’m definitely inspired to find out.

In these days of Skype, text, and instant messaging, email, conference calls & social media, has the art of the in-person meeting gone out of style?

Everyone’s busy on a daily basis. Our days are so filled with work, family, extra-curricular activities and basic maintenance, many of us often proclaim that there isn’t enough time in a day to keep up. So we find ourselves multitasking, ultimately using email and IM’ing to communicate throughout the work day to keep things moving along smoothly and systematically. But if we eliminate the occasional face-to-face meeting from our agenda completely, can we really get the job done to its full potential?

I’ve found that meeting with a client in-person often proves to set a project on the right path more so than direction via any other medium. Speaking to the client team involved offers you the chance to get the perspectives that count and receive their motivation in a more clear and passionate explanation. Designating a time to discuss specific plans face-to-face provides an opportunity to share information in an animated conversation that is supplemented with facial expression, body language and tone of voice. We’ve all experienced the misconceptions that may occur in the reading of an email (Do you take writing in ALL CAPS for a harsh yelling tone? Or does cryptic messaging sometimes sound slick and sarcastic when you’re IM’ing back and forth?). True intentions that sometimes get lost in the writing, could easily be construed in a simple conversation. You can get more done in a face-to-face meeting than electronically, because there is a connection that comes with physical presence that not only allows the flow of communication to come through in a more vivid conversation style, but also provides access to further information brought on by simple observation.

Engagement in carefree conversation adds that element of understanding and personalizes the interaction. This contributes to the transfer of information and ultimately helps build relationships. Connecting in-person is key in developing good relationships, and people are more inclined to do business with those whom they have a relationship with. Social Media is a prime aspect in the business practices today, but it should be balanced with face-to-face interaction. The in-person meeting gives all involved a better sense of what each other is about. Think about it – would you make a hire based solely on the strength of a resume/application? Or do you require a 1st, 2nd, and sometimes 3rd interview before making the final decision?

The latest forms of communication are valuable, effective and necessary in the evolution of business tactics today, but we must not obliterate the tried and true practice of engaging in-person. It’s only natural to prefer to do business with those you know, like, and trust. Good business requires a mix of online and physical collaboration. There is a strength in having all bases covered.

I’ll admit it, I’m an “Apple Addict.” I first fell in love with my beige Mac G3 mini-tower back in the late 90s. I admonished PC users and thought the “I am a Mac” commercials  were laugh out loud hilarious. I still point out, to this day, to my stepdad (a Microsoft martyr) that the Microsoft “Windows 7 Was My Idea” commercials are completely ironic because every ‘feature’ that is touted in those commercials was a Mac function about 3+ years ago. (Let me tell you, pointing this fact out, does NOT make for good dinner conversation.)

So, when I saw on the news last night that the iPhone 4 has flaws, it made me pause. Had I invested too much energy and enthusiasm into Apple ? Was the new iPhone really as bad as I had seen on YouTube?

“Argh,” I thought. Here I spent years defending a company, their vision and passion to rebuke people who said, “Stupid iPhone!” And, look at where my loyalty has led me…down the road where Consumer Reports “can’t recommend the iPhone4.”

So, Steve Jobs, “Watcha gonna do?” Because holding the phone another way isn’t going to cut it. And some crazy ‘Bumper’ at $29.00 is just as ridiculous a solution as inserting golf balls and shredded tires into the BP oil debacle.

I also thought it was interesting that Apple was reportedly posting antenna engineer job opportunities (Hmmmm. One person’s tragedy is another person’s treasure?)

So, while I continue to battle with my own aging Macbook…which is taking longer and longer to manage multiple tasks simultaneously (and also  sounds like it’s going to take flight due to the whirling noise of the ‘soon-to-be’ broken fan), I’ll continue to support Apple.

Perhaps there is at least a small silver lining to this issue?Maybe a few out-of-work engineers will get an opportunity to work for a visionary employer (who occasionally takes a stumble).

Call me an optimist. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Oh, and if you’re looking for some great social media events coming up this summer, click here!

And if you want to view the Consumer Reports video…here ya go:

Employment-at-will, the HR law of the land in most states, is often cited as follows: “The employer is free to discharge individuals for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.”

There are a lot of other definitions and summaries, but the one that always stuck in my head is, “You can be fired for a good reason, a bad reason or no reason, just not an illegal reason.”

I remember when I first started working in the industry—I thought: Really? The law says it’s okay to be fired for a bad reason? Even NO reason? Like after 50 years of employment I could be fired because I have on a yellow shirt that day and my boss hates yellow? I could be fired because they can’t stand the sound of my voice anymore? Because if they have to look at my face one more time they’ll go crazy? I could be fired because…well, just because? What is this, a marriage? (just kidding, honey).

Of course, being fired for a shirt color or other ridiculous reason is rare, and often in these scenarios the employee will contend that these “at-will” reasons are used as a cover for an illegal dismissal. It’s not the fact that Joe has on a yellow shirt but because Joe is older and due a pension. Not because we hate the sound of Sally’s voice, but because Sally is pregnant.

Of course, under employment-at-will, the employee has the same rights. A worker is equally free to leave his job at any time, for a good reason, bad reason or no reason. In most cases, an employee can get up from his/her desk and walk out the door with no repercussions.

Obviously, so many people lost their jobs over the last few years—and yes, some because they were low performers, but I think in most cases business conditions were so awful their companies simply couldn’t afford to keep them any longer.

Now here’s a new wrinkle that’s a product of that lousy economy: I’ve read a few disturbing articles stating that because most companies are so desperate to show their customers, shareholders and vendors that their business is rebounding, some are using “creative” firings and terminations–since a round of layoffs would signal weakness when they need to project strength. If these people are not in a protected class or are not being dismissed for discriminatory/illegal reasons, they have little recourse.

My perspective? I think overall, employment-at-will makes a lot of sense, and is fair and just for both sides–but like everything involving laws or policies there are always a few groups that try to abuse the law—and we need to keep an eye on them. For now, just don’t wear your yellow shirt to work.

Here’s some good employment news for you: Gallup’s Job Creation Index has remained more positive in recent weeks than at any point since the fall of 2008. However, the American people still feel like they are on shaky ground. Check out these numbers:

The availability of jobs plays a key role in how we view the state of the economy and while jobless rates may have declined, so did payrolls in June. Rather than end on deflating news, Gallup further reported, “Even while the average American has become more negative when asked to assess the state of the economy, U.S. workers remain more likely to report that their employers are hiring rather than firing.”  How can we gain our confidence back? If we can hold steady on that trend, we’re on our way.

Last night, after heading home from a day at Alstin on the R3 train I opened the door to my now oven-like car and saw on my dashboard a reading of 107 degrees outside. Man, it’s hot here in Philly! Another 100+ degree day is on tap this Wednesday. Besides staying in the AC and drinking lots of water, be glad that you are not this Philadelphia worker who has laid claim to having the hottest job in the county.

You’ve got to love Saheed Dillard’s deadpan delivery describing his typical work day spent atop a steam roller applying super hot asphalt, “You feel like you’re sitting on a grill and I am the hamburger or the hot dog.”  We hope Saheed doesn’t get too charred today and for the rest of us stuck in this heat wave, stay cool!

I’ve had an article saved in my browser window for a few weeks now. Not because I’m lazy and never close out my Chrome browser (although I have to admit I tend to keep my macbook on all the time—yes, I realize that this is not being ‘green’ nor efficient).

The reason I’ve had this article, “How we got to 40,310 Facebook Fans in 4 days”, open for so long is the inherent value I found in their numbers, details and visuals. It’s not often someone reveals their “social media” hand and provides statistical analysis and a step-by-step tutorial on their marketing methods.

I also recently read an article by Amy Porterfield posted on the SocialMediaExaminer.com site on July 2nd and she made a really good point…

The formula for Facebook page success:

Vision + Branding + Inbound Marketing + Engagement = A Rock-Solid Facebook Page

I ‘like’ it. It makes sense and it’s a formula that would work for any line of business. You don’t have to sell t-shirts or be a big chain discount store to build up a big ‘fan’ base on Facebook, you just need to create your own enthusiasm and passion around your mission.

This sounds great for b2b or b2c companies. But, how does an employer do that?

Well, (after you develop a Social Media policy – see my other blog post) you can:

1. Engage the people who are your biggest cheerleaders and get them involved in participating in your social media activities.
2. Engage people who are already in the social media space. Send around an email to all employees asking them if they enjoy blogging, tweeting or are avid ‘facebookers.’ If you craft your social media questions in the best manner (ie. ‘We’re not asking this to spy on you…only to see if you’d like to use your great social media skills to spread the word about how great your employer is…’) you’d be surprised the number of people already doing things in this space for their hobbies and/or interests.
3. Work with your ad agency (hint, hint – Alstin!) to craft a design that is engaging and honest (another hint: use static FBML everywhere on your page! If you don’t know what I’m talking about – click here for a great tutorial. Or, view the FB app here).
4. Think outside the box. Create specific Facebook “tabs” for hard-to-fill positions or frequently open positions – insert into these pages well-designed content that entices people to not only become a ‘fan’ but also to search for a job opportunity or post a comment or question. Transparency is your friend in social media. Trust me.
5. Promote your Facebook page on your corporate site. I know, I know the Marketing folks and/or your Web or IT team is going to have a bird over this, but push for it…Amy Porterfield’s section on inbound marketing proves the point on building your fan base is most efficient and inexpensive way to build a following.
6. Update frequently…and that means everyday. Whether you’re featuring a specific job, announcing a new contest or poll, uploading new photos of a specific event or party or posing a question to your audience…it’s integral to keep your Facebook page content fresh and focused on your fans not so much on you.

Well, that’s all for today. Tuesday is already proving to be a hot one for us in Philly (and much of the east coast from what I hear). Apparently the ‘heat index’ will be 107…I guess we’ll be ‘sweating back to work today.’ Hope your holiday weekend was great!

Alstin wishes everyone a happy and safe 4th of July and a Happy Friday! While we’re at it, here’s some silliness to kick off your weekend – if you’re on Facebook, you’ll enjoy this one.

“Renaissance” may not be the best word to use, but typography, more specifically font faces, underwent an explosion in the past ten years. Thankfully, it’s slowed down a bit and the waters are beginning to clear.

The computer, which set desktop publishing afire, allowed just about anyone to design a typeface or create a flyer. The results have not been pretty. A quick search will turn up thousands of typefaces based on people’s own handwriting. Where typeface designers used to spend months giving faces a matching look and feel, where weight mattered and the kerning between the letters would allow elegance to come through, we now have wild one-offs with absolutely no consideration for how the letters fit together is taken. Sometimes classic faces are simply tweaked and given a new name. Think of the ubiquitous “Arial” font, a Helvetica stand-in that has awkward tweaks (like the slant on the top of the lowercase “t”) that apparently were made to simply avoid paying royalties to Helvetica.

People love their fonts, and for some people, the uglier the better. “Comic Sans” is the reigning leader of a long line of fonts that are seldom appropriate for anything. Yes, you could add “Bradley Hand” and “Papyrus” to round out the podium, but using a single ugly font is not the most grievous assault to the senses. That comes from those who insist on mixing it up a bit. Perfectly reasonable people, who know better than to wear polka dots and stripes together, or plaid and paisley, will somehow feel comfortable creating a four font ensemble that would scare even the most stalwart “Dingbat” off of the page. Alternatively, though you’d think most would know better than to wear two different shades of red together, it’s not uncommon to see two fonts that are close enough to be siblings mashing it up on the same page. Just ground one of them and let the other hog the spotlight. The less fighting the better.

Fortunately, the internet has largely been free of this assault, due to the limitations of HTML 4. The upcoming HTML 5 allows “designers” to embed their fonts in the pages. The future is looking bright. And tacky.   - j