Rene Faucher’s Values & Ours

Rene Faucher is a former boss of Andy’s.  Almost 3 weeks ago, Rene had a fall on the ice while playing hockey and hit the boards.  This fall resulted in Rene being paralyzed from the chest down.  Although as friends and supporters, we know this man has the will and energy to change is prognosis.  He’s very positive and already starting to feel new sensations that weren’t there a week ago.  You can read his updates on the Facebook Fan Page ‘Friends of Rene Faucher‘.

Rene is a 40-year-old father of three young children is expected to be in the hospital for at least a year through his recovery and rehabilitation. He did not have any long-term disability insurance. He had recently wound down his business where he worked with Andy and was starting to develop plans for his next venture.

Rene’s story touches Andy and I on many levels because we share many common values:  he’s an amazing dad and loving husband, entreprenuer and idea man, and an optimistic and caring soul.  He’s a good man who has been faced with a terrible situation that any of us could be placed in.  In Rene’s word to Andy at the hospital, “You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”

It is for all these reasons that we have been working with the Ottawa 67s to put on a Family Fun Game in Rene’s honour.  We hope that you will join us, our family and friends, and many of Rene’s family, friends and supporters on February 7th at 2PM at Landsdown.

I would like to send a special thanks to Patrick Whalen and Sheryl Hunt for being instantly ready to help and incredibly supportive.  The Ottawa 67s is an organization that also shares our values of community, kindship and enjoyment of life.  Hats off to you all!

Focusing on the Pitch

This week the Algonquin PR students and I focused on understanding product branding, personal branding and developing their ‘Positioning Pitch’.  In a WhyHire.me profile, students have 350 characters to develop their clear concise message which sets the tone of their personal brand. It should highlight their keywords which could include personality traits, skills, strengths, or values which they discovered in Dig Deep.  Additional ingredients for their pitch include a ’splash’ of proof to provide validity and a target which could be a position, industry, value system, or location they have in mind.

At first it seems easy to write a paragraph but soon into the process I start hearing: ‘this is hard’, ‘I don’t feel comfortable writing about myself this way’ and ‘I really don’t know what makes me unique’.  These are initial thoughts that many people have when they start this process. However, it’s so important to put in the time to craft a message that is clear, unique and strong for not only your profile but your overall personal brand which will be used in meetings, interviews, emails, career fairs, resumes and more.  Employers want to know what grads have to offer, what makes them different and how they can solve the organization’s business problems.

I look forward to reading their pitches as they start to pop up in our social network and I hope a few of these students will get a chance to use their pitches at the upcoming Algonquin College Career Week (Feb 8-12).  Career Week features a job fair and a series of information session and networking opportunities for past and present students to connect with industry.

Start by Digging Deep – Values, Passions and Strengths

Yesterday, my class of Algonquin PR students and I started the process of digging deep.  Many people think that our program is centered around social media tools.  There is no question that technology is a large part of getting your personal brand online but first you have to develop a clear message.

We start the process of self-discovery by looking into several key issues including; personal values, personality, strengths, achievements, passions, the opinions of others and finally, we take a brief look at weaknesses. To many this seems to be a little far from the original expectations of developing an online presence but you have to start at the heart of the matter.

People don’t give enough thought to what they are all about, what they can offer the world, and what they want to offer the world. We’re all so busy, overworked and overwhelmed to give ourselves the time we deserve. It’s easier to think about stuff, to-do lists, tasks, technology, friends, ….. We all need to take the time to think about what’s important to us, what we have to give to others and how we want to continue to develop and grow.

Do you know what your values, passions and strengths are? I hope my PR students now have a better handle on these big issues and now know what their keywords and phrases are, we will see next class.

Go…..

The Winter 2010 version of WhyHire.me is up and classes are underway.

With every new version we take 3 steps forward and one step back. The beauty of software development, I suppose. With our enhancements comes the need for refamiliarization. With new features there is always some regression. Like I said a few posts ago, life is beta and software is a part of all of our lives now.

I introduced the second year Algonquin College Public Relations students (the graduates of 2010) to WhyHire.me today. I’m thrilled to be working with them to develop their personal branding using WhyHire.me. They are getting ready to enter the working world and have considerable real world experience for us to work with. They are familiar with social media tools because they have used several in classes already and they are trained communicators that are open and eager.  Couldn’t ask for a better combination.

I asked them to rate what they experienced today in class.  I gave them three options for evaluation – thumbs up, middle thumbs or sideways thumbs, and thumbs down. I think all evaluations should be so simple. This was their answer!

READY, SET…..

We’re on the verge of a new academic term which is very exciting for us.  Within days we will have another 500+ users on the Winter 2010 version of WhyHire.me.  More users, more schools and a lot more changes!  A little daunting at times as we have worked into the wee hours but so incredibly exciting as we see our program grow and develop with the help of our users and their institutions.

Our inaugural term was Fall 2009, when we launched 650 users from Algonquin College, Carleton University and Centennial College onto the system.  We experienced a few bumps with provisioning (we were putting students in the right classes until exam time), interface usability issues (they all want the system to be like Facebook – although I am thrilled that we are being compared to a 350 million user system with thousands of staff, they are big shoes to fill and not the same kind of product), and it was obvious it was time to upgrade the blogging component.

Our students created a group called Facebook vs. Whyhire.me which provided us with feedback as well as the Support group that was set up by us.  In addition to the groups, we have had countless in class and online conversations with users about issues to improve and all of our schools did their own research into the use of WhyHire.me.

Overall, we are thrilled with the results and appreciate the feedback.  The Winter 2010 release will include integration of WordPress (Yeah!), a new Zone that will provide the learning tools in a very dynamic environment for users, and dozens of small changes that will make the usability and experience more enjoyable for everyone.  And of course, we have cleaned up the provisioning and we dramatically simplified our pricing model.

We know that all the students want it for free but as an organization we do not want to develop an advertising based model when the product is being delivered in educational institutions. We just don’t think it’s right and will continue to follow the model of student payment based on institutional, and professor endorsement in a class, similar to the textbook model. Students will receive an account to the social network plus their personal URL, an 80 page eBook and interactive learning modules. The pricing for Winter 2010 is $29 for 12 months or $39 for life. We simplified it for all the different programs and uses.

This term Memorial University will be integrating WhyHire.me into a E-Marketing class and the MBA program. The Ted Rogers School of Business Hospitality and Retail programs (Ryerson University) will be using WHM in two separate HR oriented classes. Algonquin’s PR students will be developing online personal brands and well as the 3rd year Business Marketing students, where we piloted the program last year, and lastly, we will have another gang at Centennial jumping into the world of personal branding.

So, we are on the edge of our seats: uploading, testing, teaching and just on the verge of ………GO.

Life is Beta

Several weeks ago a student asked me if we were finished developing WhyHire.me. I looked at her and said we are in perpetual beta because we are constantly on the hunt for new features that students, teachers and employers are looking for and integrating the latest tools that are available.  That’s when the discussion evolved into, “isn’t everything in beta?”

One of our goals as a business is to evolve and be listening to the needs of our different audiences. We have to be ready to change, adapt and evolve. But doesn’t that hold true for life in general.

We are teaching our students that they need to discover their passion, reveal they initiative and connect with industry. By adopting an entrepreneurial approach to their careers, they will in turn stand out in a competitive market place.  This is also a philosophy of being prepared for change and continually evolving.

As businesses and as individuals, we have to all stay current, continue to learn and evolve because life is beta. There’s always room for improvement and you never know what’s just around the corner.

Reconnecting with Thomas Lynn at Algonquin College

The Story:

Thomas Lynn was a student of mine three years ago in my Marketing 1 class at Algonquin College.  I remember that Thomas was a mature (returning to school after having a careering in social work) from PEI, with 2 boys and he was an excellent student that asked questions, participated and had a keen interest in Marketing.  Turns out that he has majored in Marketing at Algonquin.

Last summer, we briefly ran into each other in a hallway and swapped ‘hey how are yas’.  At the time, Thomas was working on a project for the business school.

I recently stumbled upon Thomas on Twitter a few weeks ago when I was looking for an update from the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition which was held at Mohawk College on the weekend of November 19th.  I went to Twitter Search and was looking for anyone commenting on what was happening at the competition.  That’s when Thomas and I reconnected. These were the Tweets I was following that night:

With Twitter you read from bottom to top. You can follow Thomas on Twitter @thomaslynn.

After I read the post, I congratulated him, connected online and proposed that talk more about social media marketing and networking in Ottawa.  We ended up meeting at the first ever Gen Y Ottawa event at the Mercury Lounge along with close to 100 motivated Gen Yers.

At the Gen Y event Thomas and I talked at length about his experience with social networking tools, his win at OCMC and what his WhyHire.me experience would be like next term in his Transition to Marketing Professional class.  We also talked about my upcoming speaking engagement in his Integrated Marketing Communication class.  I needed to understand what level of knowledge the students had prior to my talk.

Our discussions have continued and Thomas is recently started a WordPress blog which we will help him attach to his WhyHire.me profile next term.  The story will continue as the pieces of Thomas’ social media marketing strategy for his personal brand evolve.  The icing on the cake will be pulling the pieces together and further explaining the potential next term.

The Experiment:

This post is legitimate post but also a test of SEO for student Thomas Lynn, Business/Marketing student at Algonquin College in Ottawa.  I will reveal the story as the experiment progresses.

Phase I – I googled Thomas Lynn and Algonquin College and in 1 minute after completing the post I found Thomas on the first page of Google in our blog.  I then googled Thomas Lynn and Ottawa and I found him in 1 minute on the second page of Google.  I tried Thomas Lynn and checked 10 pages and couldn’t find my blog entry.

Phase II – I added tags to the post including Algonquin College, Thomas Lynn, and marketing student.  I also added the first phase of our story, the past.  The results were that in 5 minutes Thomas Lynn and Algonquin College was the first entry on the first page of Google.  When I searched Thomas Lynn and Ottawa the blog post showed up on the first page as the 5th entry.  I still can’t find the post on the first 10 pages of when I just include his Thomas Lynn.  I guess I should point out now that my Thomas Lynn is fighting for search with a man that is on death row which makes this experiment more interesting.  Now to add to the story above; the present.

Phase III – I added the Twitter connection to the story which which included links and some new tags.  The results of the search did not change in 5 minutes but I will check again later this afternoon.  Google bots need some time to find your story.  Phase IV will come tomorrow.

Phase IV – Results are the same.  Phase V will occur as part of his WhyHire.me profile next term.

Converting Fears to Confidence

Over the past week, Andy and I have spoken at a variety events including:
- a professional development session on social media tools for staff and faculty at Algonquin College;
- a presentation on personal branding for the Algonquin Alumni Association:
- a case study presentation on WhyHire.me at McGraw-Hill Ryerson’s What Really Works: Strategies to Improve Teaching and Learning Conference at UOIT in Oshawa;
- a presentation to Women in Science and Engineering at Ottawa University; and
- an introduction to personal branding to the Queen’s MBA program while on tour in Toronto.

The audiences have been very different, yet the theme of ‘fear’ keeps rearing its head. We are in a period of great change and to many, change is scary. Social media is changing the way we can and are communicating. This in turn will change the way we teach and market ourselves in a competitive market place.

When we present the concept of putting yourself out there by blogging, using Twitter or even possibly producing video, we are often greeted with shock, horror and disbelief. But the power of these tools for communicating and connecting can’t be denied. The hard part is putting yourself out there and giving it a try.

I have noticed over the last week that students are getting their profiles ready for grading. They are changing photos to be more professional, blogging about more mature topics, and altering their positioning pitches to articulate the essence of their personal brands. In other words, they are experimenting and learning. In WhyHire.me our students can face their fears and discomfort in a safe environment. They need to learn about exposing themselves, articulating their offering, and defining their experiences with different forms of media. The program along with help and guidance from their professors, provides them with a place to learn and become comfortable with these new communication tools and trends (blogging, Twitter, photos, video, Delicious, linking, transparency, documenting experiences).

When they are ready to launch themselves into the working world, they simply change their profile setting, and the search engines will do the rest. Until then, they can experiment and become more comfortable with some of the latest communication tools and trends and convert their fears into confidence.

Starting our Co-Op

Amber Naslund, community manager at Radian6 and blogger at Altitude Branding, shared a post today, Social Media is a Co-op.  I like her way of thinking.

Two hours earlier, we were the discussing how our learning content at WhyHire.me has to evolve and develop through collaborative partnerships.  We do not claim to be experts in everything related to our program.  Our team offers great experience in teaching, marketing, coaching, communication tools & approaches and technology development but there are many other pieces to our training that we want to continue to develop and evolve, and we are looking for partners to assist.

So, from Amber’s perspective, I’m starting my co-op.  Over the past few weeks, I have been anxiously awaiting Sue Murphy’s eBook, Creating Video for the Web: Tips, tricks and tools for telling amazing stories.  Sue had been thinking of developing an eBook and we have been looking for some fresh and insightful content to share with our students on the subject of producing video for their profiles.  Sue is making the content of her eBook available on her website at no charge.

This eBook will be a great new resource for our students.  We hope to work with Sue in upcoming months to develop some customized content for our specific application and I will be putting together some new video assignments based on Sue’s content.  The co-op starts.

As Amber Naslund states in her post;

“They’ll build social media like a co-op. Driven by a team united voluntarily, toward common goals, and equally invested in the outcomes.

Collaboration is not just a feel-good buzzword. It’s the idea that our business is built more efficiently through shared knowledge, and shared responsibility.”

I look forward to more collaborative work with Sue Murphy and others with specialties and knowledge that will make the teaching and approach of WhyHire.me more powerful and engaging for our students.  We can’t do it alone.  Well, I guess we could, but like Amber, I don’t think that makes the best product, service or experience for our customers.

Over the Hump & Playing in Their New Sandbox

It’s the end of October and also the middle of midterms for college and university students across the country.  I guess you could say we are over the ‘hump’ of the first term.  Getting over the hump means that we have activity in the WhyHire.me portal.  Most students are 60-75% finished their learning modules.  We are starting to see new photos uploaded, pitches being written, blog posts going up and videos being loaded.  And for the most part, unless you are in one of our classes, you can’t see any of it.

You can’t see anything because you are not in a class that has adopted WhyHire.me as a program and learning environment for personal branding.  Those that have chosen to use the program have closed the doors to the public while they learn and explore the world of social networking for personal branding.  Yes, this generation is very aware of social networks because of Facebook, MySpace and YouTube but they are not familiar or comfortable with using social networks for developing a professional presence.  That’s why we have developed a place where they can learn and experiment with their classmates and professors.  We’re also playing with them in their new sandbox.  We have 14 classrooms involved in business programs at Algonquin College, Centennial College and Carleton University.

I spoke to a few classes recently and here are a few comments from students in the class:

“The presentation was great, I really enjoyed it even though it was pretty early on a Friday morning. I can say it was very inspiring for me, gave me new ideas on to what I can do with me as a brand.”

“After your talk today (which very much inspired me), I was thinking I would film an introduction video of myself for the profile. A sort of visual media piece to make me stand out and inform people of what I’m about.”

“I think the lessons and system are very educational. The creativity and thought put into this system is very much appreciated. It’s about time we started stepping away from just the traditional resumes and use technology to help promote ourselves. Congratulations to you and your team for being so innovative and allowing a new perspective into the education system.”

I’m looking forward to the second part of the term, as more students play, experiment and start to understand the power of the developing their own personal brand.