Unlike Cupid and Psyche, Zeitgeist and Research are usually uncomfortable bedfellows. After all, why flirt with the fickle, especially when it comes to the expedient ebb and flow of web technologies. I’m convinced that one of the key reasons why researchers have been slow to report on internet trends has to be down to frightening speed at which things become obsolete. And that means no one’s interested in putting their hand in their pocket to buy the results.

Forrester, an independent research company based in MA, is a notable exception to the rule. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, both Forrester consultants, are responsible for Groundswell, the definitive tome on social media. Published last year to critical acclaim, it highlights real world successes in communication, from Sony’s use of blogs to Intel’s Wiki obsession.

They’re also responsible for the Groundswell Awards, which recognise excellence in accomplishing business goals with social applications. There’s a current call for entries, at which is where I sat up and took notice. The awards has its own fascinating system of appraisal. There are seven categories: LISTENING, TALKING, ENERGIZING, SUPPORTING, EMBRACING, MANAGING, and SOCIAL IMPACT. Of course, you need to have your copy of Groundswell to hand for the definitions, but you get the general idea. You can look at the runners from last year on the current Groundswell blog.

Personally, I found the analysis of these sites fascinating, mainly because it was all driven by real metrics and supported by hard facts, which is a rare thing to behold. It also got me thinking about the opportunities for building some genuine knowledge around the impact of social networking and apps and the employer brand. After all, if the commercial interests and benefits can be well documented and served up in useful chunks, there’s hope for us in the recruitment industry yet.

There are quite a few fantastic advances in technology in the film Minority Report that would provide hours of mirth and fun, not to mention some genuine value. The sick-stick, the jetpack and those brilliant hover-ships that would doubtless be liable for extra c-charge costs but are mercifully easy to park. However, the one resounding image most of us took away from that movie was the highly evolved computer interface that Mr Cruise tames in order to manage information visually.

So far, a number of developers have tried to lay the foundations of visual search. But the latest one to catch my eye is Viewzi, which heralds itself as “a whole new way to experience search”. Yes, it’s prettier. And, yes, it’s more geared to those with more tread on the tyres of their right brain. But what’s really interesting about it is how it allows us get a little glimpse of something that could fundamentally up-end the way we navigate the digital landscape.

Recruiters take notice. This technology would allow a resourcer to shuffle, assess and recall candidate video like a deck of cards. It could be used to negotiate your way through a truly interactive CV, packed with narrative clips supporting an application. It would absolutely revolutionise training programmes. And that’s just the start. The only thing that’s holding it back, other than the costs of producing compelling digital video, is the colossal download rates you need to make it seamless. But one’s things for sure. It’s only a matter of time before these kinds of interfaces make it out of the minority and into the mainstream.

Found this fascinating article about retention rates during tough times which is well worth a read. It suggests that, rather than sitting tight when the credit crunch snaps, people are less likely to hang around, shunning company loyalty in favour of higher pay. Engagement is clearly more important than ever.

It’s quite simple really.
Do:
recycle paper, plastic bottles, cans, glass, cardboard, plastic cutlery - and all rinsed of course.
Don’t:
recycle your leftover lunch, tea bags, plastic bags (we should all know by now they take 1000 years to degrade!), your sandwich wrapper, bread bags, ketchup wrappers, sticky stuff. And… don’t print unless necessary, send an email instead, use recycled paper, take a re-usable bag to do your shopping, and the list could go on….

Just some of the basics.
Do remember.
Don’t forget.
Be green. It’s not that hard.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So said someone infinitely wiser than I am. Still, it’s starting to become something of a life-motto for me (although may just be a cop-out for my general level of disorganisation). I can’t help but think that by planning things in advance and putting oneself in a world of diaries, itineraries and schedules, you’re missing out on all the excitement that comes with stepping into the unknown, and the rush of blood to the head that gives birth to those hair-brained schemes that make life more enjoyable.

And where would we be without those visionaries, willing to jump in with both feet to tasks that most other people just see as ridiculous? It’s a bit of a cliché, but without the oddball who thought it was a good idea to get underneath a cow, squeeze the dangly bit and drink what came out, your breakfast would have been a much dryer affair this morning. And society seems too quick to pour scorn on those willing to stick their head out of the window of life’s moving car. Just take John Darwin. You’ll have seen him in the news lately being lambasted for faking his own death whilst apparently on a canoeing trip, and using the insurance proceeds to hotfoot it with his wife to a new life in Panama. Sure, it was irresponsible, reckless and downright illegal, but there’s a significant part of me saying “good effort mate”. Schemes don’t come much more hair-brained than that.

So it’s with that in mind that myself and a long time croney have decided to nick off around Europe for a few weeks, armed only with a rail pass and an appetite for strong continental beer. This is both an exciting and worrying prospect, but at least I know it’ll be entertaining. I speak no languages. I don’t even have a big enough bag to get me through more than a weekend away. I think I’ve got a passport….

It’s this same spirit of foolhardy adventure that found me on the other side of the world back in 2002 with dangerously insufficient funds and a “how’d I get here?” look on my face. But that was one of the best years ever, so I guess that’s proof positive that the best plan is not to have a plan. I started writing this blog under the assumption that I’d have a lot to say about my impending adventure but thinking about it, if I did, then that would be something of a contradiction in terms. All I know is that for a fortnight next month, I’ll be in a foreign land. After reading this entry, you pretty much know as much as I do.

Oh and Jamie… if you don’t see me for a few weeks in March, now you know where I am.

Who knows? If you want a deadpan punchline, then great. But did you really mean it? On the other hand, stating that X from SuchandSuch Monthly is a real card, and you just can’t wait to hang out with him out of work hours, may be taken at face value. It’s a minefield that less skilled writers such as myself face everyday. Anyway.

Hello everyone. As the new boy, and under the gentle pressure of Mr. Scott, I thought I’d dip my toe in the Blogbridge waters and see what either tickles it, or rears out of the water to bite it off.

I’m not really sure how this works; do I suggest a topic, and wait for the conversational deluge? Must I select a category, or can I post my aimless ramblings under a catch-all “misc”?

If a particular point of discourse is needed, then perhaps we may start with this:

Penguins are, most likely, inherently sociopathic and amoral.

Bear with me. When has one ever considered your feelings in any way, shape or form? What have they done for us recently?

I was once bitten by one of the little buggers. You don’t turn your back on one a second time, I can tell you. I think I’ve already milked that story on the first floor, though.