HR Florida State Conference and Expo - Day 1/2

I'm geeked to be at the 2011 HR Florida State Conference and Expo for a variety of different reasons. As it progresses I will express those reasons more fully through blog posts, tweets, and other content. Bear with me if I appear to discuss random topics without providing the proper context. In the end I believe all will be clear. If not, feel free to stop me in the hallway or send an email/tweet/Facebook message and ask for clarity.

Today was the pre-conference Social Media Academy,  a two-part, six-hour in total session led by Michael VanDervort with Ben Eubanks, Bryan Wempen, Kris Dunn, and myself as back-up singers subject matter experts. The purpose was twofold. First, the morning session was designed to help attendees learn more about why they should embrace the concepts, if not the actual tools of social media. Why should you be aware of what's out there, how it's being used by competitors and those that may want to do harm to your brand, and how it can enhance an organization's strategic efforts (particularly around talent management) were the guiding ideas that drove Michael's presentation. Michael also invested time in discussing the benefits and features of the big 3 social networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook). During this time Ben, Bryan, and I offered our thoughts while engaging in our the HR version of Geek Squad, helping interested parties set-up profiles on those respective sites.

Actual photo from the Social Media Academy session. That's me on the right, by the way.

The second part of the day was more of a traditional presentation session, led by three untraditional people. Bryan started, offering his perspective on how to build an audience for one's brand through social networking. What I appreciated most about his was the emphasis on thinking it through before you take a single step. Defining your purpose is the most important part of the strategy (in or out of social media) because it helps define the outputs and outcomes of one's efforts. He spoke to the group as business professionals, as opposed to social media rookies, and he had their solid attention throughout the presentation.

Ben was next; he spoke about being a solo practitioner at a small company and how he uses social media to push the business forward in certain ways. He also spoke emphatically about making time for social media, in spite competing demands. He compared it to making a commitment to one's professional development. Simply put, it's about the investment and if you don't you'll be left behind.

Kris wrapped it up with a rapid-fire presentation about social recruiting. Somehow he powered through 60 or so PowerPoint slides in 45 minutes. He talked broadly about ways in which companies could at a minimum be doing to support recruitment through social media. Kris received the best compliment from an attendee where she said, "You kept me awake!" Again, Kris had their attention, just as Bryan, Ben, and Michael did.

Overall, it was a good session. What I observed was that, aside from the engaging presentation styles of my social technology team mates, was that the audience truly wanted to be there. It was a 6-hour Sunday pre-conference session for general, not strategic, HRCI credits. It would have been very easy for any of the participants to take it easy in preparation for more other topics of discussion being offered throughout the week. They made a choice to be there, to engage with us, to participate, and ask good questions. For those that did so, I want to thank you for that.

There was a more elevated body of knowledge on display regarding social media than I've seen in similar venues. Is this a sign of the tipping point for Human Resources professionals when it comes to social media? I don't think we're quite there yet. I do believe that it's much closer than ever and probably in 3 years or so I'll need to come up with another selling point to get me invited to another HR conference. But if that means the profession will be better respected, more fully utilized, and properly compensated for their contributions that'll be okay with me. Besides, I'll be focused on what's next on the horizon.

Thanks again to those that participated in this year's Social Media Academy. I look forward to seeing you on Monday, August 28th, at the 'Putting Social Media to work In HR' panel discussion.