The following is an excerpt from “Gonzo Sourcing and the Evolution of Online Social Networks” By Shally Steckerl.  Read the entire article here.  Shally is a guru when it comes to candidate sourcing and recruiting, and his whole article speaks to this more in depth, but the section I’m clipping is specifically applicable as well to the job-seeker:

The Evolution of Social Networks

Online social and professional networking tools like LinkedIn serve a significant business need as an aid in expanding your   professional influence beyond our simple human capabilities. This is particularly so among recruiters, who more than any other professional, depend on their networks for business success. According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar, humans can only maintain stable relationships with around 150 people. That number refers to significant relationships such as those in a family or tribe and other purposeful groups. In “The Tipping Point”, Malcolm Gladwell explored the Dunbar number’s effects on the dynamics of social groups. Those theories have been popularized and given rise to many business-related applications.

Systems for managing and sharing relationships have long existed. From the original contact management systems like ACT! and GoldMine, to the very first networking sites like sixdegrees.com, each walks a fine line between sharing too much information and not enough to be of use. However, they have all tried to multiply our ability to maintain business relationships with hundreds, or even thousands, of people. It is this author’s opinion that in our hyper-connected world, this is a needed evolutionary development.

The Neanderthals and Modern humans were contemporaneous species yet only one survived. Why? One often debated theory is that the evolution of more rapid and complex communication created stronger collaboration among communities and this made them better equipped to survive famine through the Ice Age. Though it has its opponents, I tend to agree with communication being at the heart of our survival.

Our new threat is the digital divide. Network-aware devices already talk to each other: 4 billion people use mobile devices to connect. I believe we humans are becoming “network aware” and in fact some of us are already native to the digital environment. I’d like to call them “hyperlinked humans” and many experts are already using the sixth-sense analogy to explain a certain digital nativity that allows us to know more about each other as members of our community by the trace we leave in online networks.

That suggests that social networking technology is an evolution of critical human faculties. Ad-hoc convergence of online social networks already exists in digital natives. Those of us who “live online” make the networks do what we want them to do, even if the technology isn’t there to officially connect them. Research in neural science includes the discovery of mirror neurons. These cells make it possible for us to experience communications from others intuitively and empathetically (source).

“Humans, it turns out, have mirror neurons that are far smarter, more flexible and more highly evolved. […] a fact that scientists say reflects the evolution of humans’ sophisticated social abilities. “

“The human brain has multiple mirror neuron systems that specialize in carrying out and understanding not just the actions of others but their intentions, the social meaning of their behavior and their emotions.”

Like mirror neurons, the evolution of online social networks are central to our community tactic for survival. Technology is successful and gets broad market adoption when it makes an existing human process more efficient. Combining social intelligence with digital communications enables us to build communities exponentially faster and at a larger scale than ever before.

Why do Social Networks Matter?

They matter because our economic system is threatened with extinction. Our response is no longer merely top down as it has been in the past where we were handed dictates from our superiors. Today’s leaders are sometimes our peers and subordinates. The new paradigm is one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-one. Through online social networks and the promise of Web 3.0, our experience with communication is richer than ever before.

Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you or with your organization, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities or your services, or just sell them yourself! They may be unfamiliar with you, your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something.

Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect. Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. But none of this is a passive act where we sit back and gather information. To get the most from talent communities and social networks we have to get involved. How? Read on…

Marketing Yourself on Social Networks

You probably already know that you can contact people in your online networks to:

* Rekindle old connections

* Maximise value in your weak connections

* Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers

* Find and meet prospective jobseekers, clients, prospects, or other business partners

* Grow a network or referrals

* Heighten your corporate and personal brand

* Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence

* Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay or promotions

* Increase visibility which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organisation as well as externally.

And you probably already use these networks to:

* Educate yourself and ask questions about other organisations

* Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries or individuals

* Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them

* Leverage contacts you already have.

All of the above is great, but you are probably already going it. If you dare to be Gonzo, take the next step and be peripatetic. Here are some other ideas on how to market yourself and your organization online:

Purpose-built Communities?

A purpose built community doesn’t have to be a dedicated stand-alone website. Though it would be ideal if you had the budget or expertise to build your own, you can easily create one inside LinkedIn, Facebook or Ning. Because people are more likely to accept an invitation to join your group than they are to be personally connected to you as an individual. It’s just too personal to be “connected” with a stranger, but with safety in numbers there’s much less risk in being part of a group.

A purpose-built community can be a conduit for you to gain your audience’s trust and attention if you offer valuable insights or information they don’t get elsewhere. Once you have built up a community you know have permission to occasionally send a message to all the members, even if they are not directly connected with you at the individual level. Groups are also team projects so you don’t have to be the only one who creates content, sends messages, approves members, moderates posts, and all the other time-consuming group management activities. If any of your team members decide to leave they can simply be removed from the group and there’s no risk of them taking the community with them like they could if it was their own personal network.

Participate in and create Groups, Pages, etc.

• On LinkedIn they are called Group, but there are also Groups and Pages on Facebook, and Lists on Twitter. A community built on Ning is essentially also a group. Groups can be purpose-built and very specific including demographics, or professional and personal interests.
• Members of groups or fan pages read and generate content, link to news and start or engage in discussions. All of these are an excellent way to converse with your target community, to be both a participant and an observer.
• Members can view al other members, network with them and send them direct messages.
• On LinkedIn the Groups Directory is searchable by title and keywords. In Facebook you can find both groups and pages. On Twitter you can find lists.
• You can a group, page or list for free on either of them.
• Groups can be a great niche candidate pipeline.
• Easy way to quickly build your brand in your target niche.

Utilize the power of Direct Advertising:

• LinkedIn Direct Ads are a very inexpensive way to reach highly targeted audiences
• Target your audience by:

–        Company Size

–        Job Function

–        Industry

–        Seniority

–        Geography

• Ex: ad seen only by Accountants at Manager or Director level, with companies larger than 1,000 employees and in the Atlanta area

Answer Questions and Engage Your Audience

• Engage in conversations with your target prospects by answering their questions or by asking them to answer yours
• LinkedIn Answers Q&A categories where members pose and/or answer questions, the questioner designates which were good answers and which was the best answer. Within Facebook you can ask questions inside of both Groups and Pages. On Twitter you can send out a tweet with a question and receive instant response.
• But don’t just ask, answer! Answering questions helps establish you (and your team’s) credibility in your area of expertise
• LinkedIn’s Advanced Answers search allows you to find questions (or answers) by topic, keyword, answered vs. unanswered, keywords only in the question, etc.
• Examples

–        Ask for feedback on where to find more people like them

–        Answer questions about your company and jobs