Ning lays dead on the page without someone driving it- as Jason demonstrates.

Not pushing for all conversations in one place, but looking (as an example) at the political blogosphere (left and right) where cooperation and robust cross-linking and promotion is the order of the day……

I originally had a few paragraphs in this post on why I was committing these values to paper right now, but decided that the explanation took away from the simplicity of the post. What it boils down to is that we’ve got some big changes on the way — changes that the bloggers on the site will like — and it’s made me reevaluate the way that we interact on ERE. To me, the first step in doing that was to answer the question “why are we here?”

Jason’s done a phenomenal job with RBC, and I envy his energy. If we are being totally transparent here — and we should be — then we should acknowledge that recruiters are splitting their time between more than just two sites. There are literally dozens of Ning-based social networks for recruiters, several of which are home to vibrant and growing communities. There are great conversations happening at Cheezhead and at FoT. There are terrific pockets of community for recruiters at LinkedIn and Twitter.

It’s a brave new world, and no site will ever be big enough to hold the entire conversation. It’s certainly not my goal to try.

Transparency is a difficult value to sustain; we all want to hide our warts, and often with some good reason. Perfection is irrationally overvalued, and spin is always in.

In that spirit, I hope ERE recognizes that the last redesign was pretty much a failure, at least from where I sit.

The dual log-in is an obvious killer, enough said, but the blogs need to be front and center: good blog talent has to be seeded with eyeballs to build an audience, while at the same time showcasing the great posts by steady but also-ran bloggers. You can’t treat em all the same and expect traction, and a skilled editor has to keep the blog space fresh and compelling while growing some stars. ERE has done well for its stable of article producing authors, who are sort of bloggers in a sense, although in a somewhat long form.

ERE has its own niche with its events, journal, and the articles, but lets be transparent about the fact that the community has now divided its time between ERE and RecruitingBlogs. Jason Davis has a ton of energy laser beamed on community building, and ERE needs to go forward with that fact in mind- working the contours of a changed situation.

I hope both sites evolve in directions that are mutually supportive- those whiteboard statements are interesting, but awfully passive; ERE can and should be an active force in this business. An example of that was the ATS research-something still in demand…thread after thread rises, gets some comments, and fades away…..

although I think made another mistake in abandoning the ATS research/info space- still a regular need for lots of folks) but it must be said clearly that Jason Davis with his energy

@Russ: Thanks for being a part of it all!

@Dayna: Thanks for posting – now I need to read the Squaredime Letters!

@Todd: The Golden Rule pretty much says it all.

Great foundational values – and precisely why I enjoy ERE.

Open dialogue and debate which respects each person’s right to their perspective is how we all can get better at what we do.

The key is for each of us to remember to open our mind before we open our mouth.

However, we must be understanding and aware there it takes a unique combination of life and professional experiences to accept the “It Is What It Is” mentality. Most, if not all, talent at this level come across poised and confident, relaxed yet aware, and extremely quick to solve problems, leaving nay-sayers in the dust and tend to get frustrated with policy and procedure. They need room to think out loud without hesitation or expectation. They need at least 2 hours of brainstorming and an blank whiteboard to draw circles and lines connecting the data and business models connecting ideas to impact. It takes quite a company to embrace such a person…. is it, perhaps the ability to embrace all of someone, the only way businesses will function in the future? If so, you guys are getting a head start. Kudos!

Thank you for your leadership in our community.

This will serve to keep ERE out front as a valuable resource.

Thanks again for your work and all the work of your team.

Your commitment to revamp is just an example of how ERE is dedicated to innovation.

Might not be a biggie, but thought I’d note it here.

Looking forward to see end result.