Influence! (?)

 

   It never seems to go away!  In fact it’s speeding up – almost every week I see something new about influence using social media and / or through social connections (vs through authority).

A lot of the blog posts I see are fairly anti this trend, see for instance these posts if you’ve not already read them:

• Mike VanDervort: Influence isn’t a big thing, really…
• Neil Morrison: Social influence or social propagation

 

But then these challenges doesn’t stop the proliferation of tools.  One of the most interesting is the new Social List from the Sunday Times:

 

 

Unlike a lot of my social media counterparts, I’m generally in favour of these systems.  Why?, well I tend to agree with commentators who suggest that social connecting and media use are increasingly important.  For example, I recently input into some research on the future of HR conducted by Rohit Talwar and Fast Future.  This is one of their slides outlining the early findings of the research:

 

I think the suggestion is right, and this has two important consequences:

1. We, all of us, need to understand how to maximise our own influence, in both the web and physical worlds.
2. We as HR (and certainly leadership development) practitioners need to understand how we can help people increase their influence.

 

So yes, I am pleased when I receive another update suggesting I am an influencer – eg this one from HRexaminer placing me 9th in their list of online talent management influencers (though down from the #1 spot last year).

 

(And it’s interesting to see HRexaminer speeding up the production of their lists – now coming out monthly: “that’s the pace of change in social media”.)

 

But I’m also pleased to see these lists because they are also emphasising that social influence is becoming increasingly important compared to the traditional kind.  I think this is an important shift and so it’s important that we acknowledge it.

So I’m also hoping that I will be included in this year’s list of influencers from Human Resources magazine (UK) too – and yes, please do vote for me if you get a chance (ie if you’re a reader of the magazine)!

 

Of course getting on the final list will be nice on a personal level but in addition, as the sole representative of the social media using / social influencer community on the shortlist of HR thinkers, your vote will be not just for me, but the importance of social influencing as well – and let’s hope we see plenty more bloggers, tweeters and unconference-rs on the short- and final lists next year.

 

Also see:

• The new social influencers
• More on social influencers – online mavens and connectors
• More about Influence (at HRExaminer)

 

Technorati Tags: HR,talent management,social,media,influencer,influential,blog

 

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