And to give ERE their due, they did solicit articles recently in an effort to get more variety. Perhaps that should be done every other month!

I occasionally share your opinion, though encourage you to stay connected to ERE. It seems that about 1 in 5 articles pertains to the needs of the TPR, or the the working relationship between the TPR and Corporate Recruiters. That is a high enough ratio to keep you connected, and to provide you with new ideas.

Granted, much of what appears here is self- promotion, or is derived from minutia-minded scholars, some of which have never actually recruited anyone, but do know a better way to do it. If nothing else, hang in for the articles by Lou Scott, and a few others who have made their living in the trenches. We cannot be reminded too many times how to do the basics of this business, and finer details, too.

We’ve all been through the discovery that gobs of Web traffic does not equal success. I think in the next two years we’ll also discover that gobs of interaction isn’t necessarily success either.

The real value in social interaction is when the audience becomes truly engaged. Not just ‘engaged’… I said ‘truly engaged’. The ‘truly’ part comes when candidates think to themselves, ‘I’m really glad I found this site.’

So maybe it’s not just a Webinar… Maybe it’s a virtual presentation for the most qualified applicants. Or maybe it’s a podcasts that demonstrates the right career conversations for hard-to-source professionals (with e-mail Q&A just to make it real Web 2.0).

The key is that candidates can find fun anywhere. What they want from YOU is value toward their mission. Something that gives them an edge or helps them feel the high-touch of a satisfying engagement.

Existing networks may also serve your needs better than building a social network of your own. Utilizing networks like LinkedIN, Facebook, or Plaxo as a means of staying connected with the best candidates will keep you from trying to boil the ocean.

Most importantly, I think we all need to recognize that an article on ERE can?t provide the specific solution that will work for you and your business. The quality solutions are buried deep down beneath what seems to be the most repetitive droning. Web 2.0 solutions hold some real promise if we can think past the commonplace solutions at the surface.

How many generic internet networking articles by self-promoting blogging consultants before we say enough?
Sure, I don’t have to read it…but, I’m posting this to suggest that we move on to some new topics. Please.
Thanks,
Joe