May 2012

SoConBuzz Marketing Masterclass, taking place on Thurs 21st June, is designed to be an in depth look into buzz monitoring, with peer to peer learning sessions, including roundtables and workshops; and exciting masterclasses. 

We're delighted the organisers have offered 2 lucky Chinwaggers the chance to win a free conference ticket worth £99.99.

Entering the competition could not be easier, simply fill in the form below by Monday 11th June and a ticket could be yours.

This is a time of unprecedented access to free support for your career and/or business (ED: think Chinwag's Careers Day this Weds).

Whether you’re a school-leaver or a graduate looking for a first job, an entrepreneur / freelancer starting out, or an employee looking to change direction, there is no shortage of individuals and organisations willing to meet, help and support you.

But what to do when you get that opportunity?

Based on a reasonably reliable mix of experience, observation and (occasionally hilarious) anecodotes from others here are a handful of things to help you make the most of the experience, and to leave a positive impression on those who might be helpful again later…

Matt Alder, founder of MetaShift and one of the leading brains in the social recruitment world, recently back from a tour of Silicon Valley, quizzed Morgan Missen, FourSquare's Head of Talent on their approach to finding new talent.

Turns out Silicon Valley has even more acute problems in finding talented staff, particularly engineers, than many of the companies in the UK. As Missen points out, every person they offer a job, has competing offers from the other Silicon Valley giants. Watch the full video

Like every 'social-media' guy, I dream of a world where the noise falls away. For years we've been helping brands and their PR firms kick off conversions about their products. We've created a deafening, hyperworld of mischief that flows ever more quickly towards becoming nonsense.

The fundamental truth is that there are only so many social media tools people can be expected to use and only so many ways they will want to interact with them. The smartphone brought the contact point into our hands. Facebook and Twitter fulfilled the rest. There's little you can't do on those platforms that really adds value to a person's every-day social desires. Or so I thought...