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Google has Facebook-envy. It's not a secret, as Google has (in so many words) admitted to plans of developing a social network and/or integrating social networking elements into its services. If you want to do the research so you can speculate how groundbreaking (or ho-hum) it will be, click here to read a slew of articles on the matter.
As I considered the possibilities, I looked at one of Google's cool, but lesser known tools - Google Buzz.
"Hey Jim," you say, "What's a Google Buzz?"
"I figured you would ask that," I reply.
According to Wikipedia: "Google Buzz is a social networking and messaging tool from Google, designed to integrate into the company's web-based email program, Gmail. Users can share links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments organized in 'conversations' and visible in the user's inbox."
According to Me: It's Google's version of Twitter.
"Okay Jim," you say, "Um... so what?"
"This is a good thing," I tell you. "And this is why..."
I did a bit of nosing around on Google Buzz to see just how many people were active on it. I already knew that millions of people had access to it by the simple fact that Google Buzz is integrated with Gmail which is among the most popular free email providers. (In case you are curious, click here for a list of the most-popular free email providers.)
At this writing, I found that 328,000 people were active on Google Buzz and... hmm... that's not true. What I was able to find out for sure was how many Google Buzz pages were being indexed. Yes, that is a much more accurate statement. This is (of course) a much smaller population than Twitter, but that's cool because it does not restrict our using it for job hunting purposes.
Google Buzz (like Twitter, Plurk and other similar "microblogging" sites) have people talking about all sorts of things like... oh... hiring people. Don't believe me? Let me share with you a few examples I found in a search I performed. Click here to see my search in action. (Please keep in mind that since this is a real-time search, results will vary depending on when you do a search on the same thing.)
Here are some links to Buzz comments and quotes for your review as well:
- Sony's looking to hire a senior developer to join their PlayStation team, and you already know which rumor we're about to entertain.
- RT @AllanCavanagh: RT @emagine_media: We are looking to hire a web developer if anyone fancies living in Waterford, Ireland
- @nathansmith: Meebo is looking to hire a JavaScript engineer: http://bit.ly/9Cxzxp
- @ditojim: Dito @ditoweb is looking to hire a talented individual with a love for Google Apps and a knack for Lotus Notes administration. DM me.
- Will be looking to hire a handyman in the very near future because there's some stuff that Hubby just doesn't know how to do & I'm just physically unable ...
- Friends, we are looking to hire two B.E/B.Tech grads of 2009/2010 batch at Headrun Technologies for working on various projects. Linux exposure is preferred ...
- @cforbesoklahoma: RT @DrAngelaSchmidt: We are looking to hire for one part-time (10-15 hours/week) marketing/public relations position. Candidates must.
Are these formal job opportunities with job descriptions and compensation already planned out? Sure, in some cases. However, some of these (and certainly some not listed above) are Entrepreneurs who want to hire consultants or temporary help and want to avoid paying recruiter fees or job board fees if they can.
Why pay somebody to find someone when they can do a quick Buzz and crowdsource someone from their own network. Money saved. Time saved. The big question is, are you using Google Buzz to find these hidden job opportunities?
If not, and even if you are, here are a few more searches you may want to try:
Happy Hunting!
Jim Stroud
© Copyright Jim Stroud, 2010. Used with permission.
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About This Author:
Jim Stroud produces The Jim Stroud Show (audio and video), an informative and comedic video series for jobseekers. He also produces The Hidden Job Report, a weekly newsletter revealing unadvertised jobs around the world, and The Recruiters Lounge, an award-winning HR blog. When Jim Stroud is not online, he suffers severe withdrawal pains that can only be soothed with chocolate chip cookies and family time. Follow @jimstroud on Twitter to connect with him in real time.
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