Joe Gerstandt | keynote speaker, freedom fighter, freak-flag flier

I do believe that this is a golden moment for the human resources profession.  I also believe that this discipline is in need of a golden moment, so I hope that it we act on this opportunity…aggressively.

I think that it is important for human resource leaders (and other business leaders) to understand the nature of Web 2.0 and how it is significantly different from 1.0, but it also seems valuable to share specific examples of how to apply these tools to human resource work.  Jennifer McClure and other H.R. and recruiting bloggers have provided some good insight on this, and I would like to follow in their footsteps and build on the momentum.  So, in the course of the next couple of weeks I am (hopefully) going to share 100 fairly specific ideas for human resource leaders and practitioners to consider for implementing Web 2.0 tools, understanding Web 2.0 tools and diffusing that understanding across the organization.  Please feel free to share your ideas with me as well.  I will be sure to give you credit when I add them to the list and will greatly appreciate your help!

10.  Sponsor a local social media conference, seminar, unconference or barcamp.  A great way to connect to and engage with local thought leaders and get a front row seat for conversations not yet in the mainstream.  This will also help you to begin positioning your organization as a mover, shaker and innovator.

11.  Start using Slideshare (and teach all of your people to use it) to easily (and without paper) share powerpoint slides.

12.  Use Delicious (or Diigo, or Stumbleupon or Evernote, or something else) to easily and quickly share information, links to blog posts, articles, research, events and other online information and resources.  You can easily collect and share information for you and your HR peers, as well as information more of interest to your internal business partners.

13.  Begin drafting a social media policy for your organization…and use social media to get started. Use Twitter and LinkedIn to ask others how if they have a policy in place, how they went about crafting it and if they can share their policy with you for consideration.

14.  Make it normal.  Be relentless in talking about social media and sharing tips, information and tools.  Make sure that every single member of your HR team is fluent in the language and culture of social media and social networking.  Does everyone on your HR team know why Web 2.0 is 2.0?  Have they used social media and social networks to seek out additional perspectives to what they are working on or struggling with?  Where are they finding new and valuable information and resources?  Encourage them to be consistently exploring and sharing.

15.  Celebrate what works.  Find, collect and share success stories of organizations (yours or others) that have successfully integrated social media tools.  Stories are easy to remember and share, and they help people have specific ideas of how these tools can be of value.

16.  Seek out and join formal or informal networks outside of human resources in order to learn how educators, bankers, advertisers, and candlestick makers are thinking about, talking about and using social media tools.

17.  Join the Social Media and HR Group on LinkedIn.

18.  Sponsor a monthly lunch ‘n learn session in your organization featuring speakers on different social media topics and tools.  Feed everyone and bring in someone to give a basic overview of a Web 2.0 topic or tool…you can probably find a local person willing to do this for cheap.  Some potential topics:

• Google wave 
• Skype
• Video editing
• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Ning
• Twitter
• Blogging
• Wikis
  
• Second Life
• Blogging 101

19.  Really learn how to use stuff.  Get online and ask others how they use different tools and reward your team members when they share tips, new applications and shortcuts.  Have a tip, tool, shortcut, hack of the week or month award.  Celebrate the skilled use of available tools and celebrate sharing.

20.  Build and maintain your own Twitter Follow List to help your staff plug into valuable insights.  Share Twitter follow recommendations with other leaders in your business (whether they are on Twitter or not) so that they know you are using Twitter, that you find it valuable and that you thinking about what would be of value for them.