Artificial Intelligence is anything but artificial…

It’s here!  Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a popular theme in the past year and given its capabilities, I think we can expect this innovative tool to go from an introduction to a growth stage quickly!

What is AI and why is it such a hot topic now? 

AI is, to put it simply, having a machine do any intelligent function that we as humans would do.  It is based on the accumulation of massive amounts of data that exactly and accurately describe the tasks so that a machine can emulate it.

The interest in this area has been around since the 1950s with the degree of interest vacillating over time.  However today, with the strength of computers and the ability to readily create software has refueled research in AI within the technology arena.

What are some examples of AI?

Probably one of the most public forms of AI today is self-driving cars.  Using technology to distinguish the environment, cars are now driving without human intervention.  Another example is robotic care for seniors to address a potential shortage of health care providers given the expected demand society will face with aging baby boomers needing support all at the same time.  Finally, chatbots, which are machines that can have a conversation with a person, are being developed to expand their current limited capabilities.

https://pngtree.com/freepng/play-on-the-computer-operator_443032.html

What does all this mean?

While these types of advancements are all very exciting, there are also some concerns that these processes could have such a dramatic effect on humanity as we know it leading to high unemployment.  However, there are also some very pragmatic uses that we can consider which might increase our comfort level.

For example, AI can be used as part of a hiring process in combination with people’s social media profiles to learn more about their candidates ranging from their interests to their communication style to cultural fit.  A better fit benefits both the applicant and the company.

Similarly, customer service becomes more customized when software combines with social media profiles to address any concerns.  Building a personalized relationship can be a great retention strategy.   While we may use AI to personalize responses, there will still need to be human partnering in the background as is currently done with social media to temper the responses.

The transparency of information sharing will likely create privacy concerns, especially if people are not clear as to how their personal information is being, or will be, used.  That will need to be addressed and shared so that the public will feel their data is being safeguarded.

https://pixabay.com/en/hand-robot-human-machine-forward-1571842/

I think that the forward thinking of AI will bring a different way of getting work done and require a new set of skills.  Perhaps we should start thinking sooner than later about how we will get acclimatized.   What do you think?

Learn more about AI and other areas it’s being used at https://bit.ly/2Hm7Zmr

Find out why I think it’s important and how to get ready at https://bit.ly/2H9Vk8d

 

References:

Ay Tek, C. (2017).   Why machine learning is a game-changer for social media managers.  Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/digital/ciler-ay-tek-smart-moderation-guest-post-machine-learning/

Knight, W. (2017).  The future of artificial intelligence in social media.  Retrieved from https://www.business2community.com/social-media/future-artificial-intelligence-social-media-01859991

Krauth, O. (2017).  Report: 71% of consumers fear AI will infringe on their privacy.  Retrieved from https://www.techrepublic.com/article/report-71-of-consumers-fear-ai-will-infringe-on-their-privacy/

Leek, J. (2017).  What is artificial intelligence? A three part definition.  Retrieved from https://simplystatistics.org/2017/01/19/what-is-artificial-intelligence/

Matthews, A. (2018).  The growing potential of artificial intelligence to transform social media marketing.  Retrieved from https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/15090/the-growing-potential-of-artificial-intelligence-to-transform-social-media-marketing

Novet, J. (2017).  Everyone keeps talking about A.I. – Here’s what it really is and why it’s so hot now.  Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/17/what-is-artificial-intelligence.html

Rayej, S. (2014).  How do self-driving cars work? Retrieved from http://robohub.org/how-do-self-driving-cars-work/

Thibodeaux, W. (2017). This artificial intelligence can predict how you’ll behave at work based on social media.  Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/this-artificial-intelligence-can-use-social-media-to-tell-hiring-managers-about-your-personality.html

Trynacity, K. (2015).  Close enough to care: replacing human caregivers with robots in homecare.  Retrieved from https://viurrspace.ca/handle/10170/825

 

 

 

Pass the social media, please!

While social media is a more informal means to communicate, we should remember that this does not mean that etiquette has gone out the window.

What is etiquette?

Taken from the French work “estique”, or “to stick”, etiquette has been defined as a set of behaviours that have been accepted as part of society.  It speaks to how one acts in a particular situation.

This photo from the Facebook community “Etiquette and Manners are still in Style” is rather formal, but I thought they summed up etiquette quite nicely: https://bit.ly/2H3Rvz9

How do I know which ones apply to me?

There are lots of articles and websites that have written about this topic; here are some common themes I found that you may find helpful:

• Watch your tone and attitude: Be positive and avoid bragging. You’ll be viewed as professional if you are polite, considerate and respectful.
• Be careful not to overshare information. Respect other people’s boundaries and keep confidential messages private by using another medium like email or by phone for those instances.  Since messages tend to stay on social media, we want to make sure what is being shared is appropriate for a public forum.
• Respecting others’ privacy is a must! Make sure to get people’s permission to tag or post things about them so their comfort level is not threatened.  We need to think about what their reaction may be and they will appreciate the chance to have the option to decide what they want shared.
• Etiquette between social media networks vary, so familiarize yourself with the one you are going to use.
• Spelling and grammar checks are great tools to rely on so do your write up in Word (or other word processing software) to catch any mistakes. I do!!

We may also want to remember that there can be a fine line between someone’s personal and business persona and that in either case, good manners will always count.  I think etiquette expert Margaret Page had the right idea when she posted this on her Twitter account: https://bit.ly/2GrRDvh

Is there anything else that you feel strongly about?

References:

Bickerstaff Glover, R. (2018).  Definition of etiquette.  Retrieved from https://www.thespruce.com/definition-of-etiquette-1216651

Bonney, G. (n.d.).  Modern Etiquette: Social Media Do’s & Don’ts.  Retrieved from http://www.designsponge.com/2013/02/modern-etiquette-social-media-dos-donts.html

Ramsey, L. (2017). Top 12 rules of social media etiquette.  Retrieved from https://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/socialmediaetiquette.htm

Steinberg, S. (2017).  Social Media Etiquette: What’s safe to share on social networks?  Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-steinberg/social-media-etiquette-wh_b_14500916.html

A Video “Clip”

A Video “Clip”

The use of video in social media has become quite commonplace.  I have used it for learning how to get things done from fixing my wiper blades to finding a crochet stitch for a baby blanket!  Other times, I use it to catch up on television shows or TED talks depending on my mood!!

At work, I have been trying to encourage people who have a smartphone to capture short video clips from their colleagues (with their permission of course) to tell us why they like working with us.  Great idea, huh?  I didn’t dream this up all by myself!  Whole Foods was a presenter at a recruiting conference I attended and that’s exactly what they do!  “Brilliant” I thought, very practical.  The examples they shared had me wanting to learn more about Whole Foods as a company.

Why Use Videos?

Created by Yanalya – Freepik.com

Videos are terrific for telling stories.  They’re great for sharing information and they help connect the viewer to the brand doing the promoting.  Ask me what else I recall from the presenter’s speech at the conference and you will probably hear me go “Ummmm…”.  But about the videos they showed?  Well, in addition to using a smartphone to shoot it, I can also tell you that it doesn’t have to be production perfect and it should be around 30 seconds.  That keeps people’s attention while we get our point across.

Another area I hope we’ll be able to use videos for soon is to create video job postings.  We are hoping it will encourage people to consider our company when they are making their decisions as to where to apply for a job.  Rather than reading an ad, videos help to make things real by bringing things to life and adding a human face to the position.

Combined, I feel this will let people hear first hand what it’s like to work with us, confirm the  role for them and build trust towards our brand.

Platforms

What I love about the thought of using video is that it can as a teaser for whatever we have coming up.  For an example of what I mean, look at this recent tweet for the Star Wars movie at #HanSolo https://bit.ly/2G3CuMm.  Granted it’s from last February, but you get the gist!  Once the job posting is up, we can promote our it on our Facebook just like they did: https://bit.ly/2G7phSR.

I think videos in social media are here to stay, especially as we become more reliant on technology.  What do you think?  Have you had any experiences you’d like to share?

Created by Blossomstar – Freepik.com

References:

Mason, S (2017).  The importance of using video content on social media. Retrieved from https://www.multiview.com/resources/blog/importance-using-video-content-social-media/

Haines, N. (2017). Which social media platforms should you post your videos on? Retrieved from https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/which-social-media-post-your-videos

 

A Muse Bouche – Gaile’s Tales

I have worked in the field of Human Resources for almost 25 years now.  When I first got into my career, we hand-wrote small memos on 3-ply carbons – one for the memo recipient, one for anyone else who needed to be kept informed, and one for the file.  Thermal paper fax machines were just coming in and cell phones looked like bricks.  Our recruiting strategies relied on job ads in the local newspapers, attending job fairs at community colleges and universities to collect resumes, hosting open houses for people to see our offices, and on-site interviews.

As time went on, one of the biggest changes we have felt at our company is how Recruiting gets their work done, thanks to social media.  For years, we struggled to understand the different applications and how to use them.  We were being asked to explain to our colleagues how we knew we were being successful, and whether we were making wise choices on our spending.  For years, we struggled with trying to keep up while doing our day jobs, and then about 2 years ago, it clicked!  While at a Social Recruiting Summit, we found out there are people out there who live and breathe social media!!  We are now getting ready to find our own Social Media Specialist.

What is a Social Media Specialist??

Because of their deep insights into all the social media applications, a Social Media Specialist can have a huge impact for a company because they understand the important role social media plays in today’s environment.  Since they’ll be working at our company, they will be committed to our social media efforts.  What that means to us is that we will finally have someone who is up-to-date with all the social media innovations that are going on and they’ll be able to generate relevant content and campaigns.  With their analytics expertise, we’ll get direction on what we’re doing well and where we can be doing better.

What’s next

I’ve started to put together, what I think is, a pretty detailed agenda for some interested candidates once they’ve made it past the preliminary interview.  I don’t know if I am more excited or nervous that I’ll forget something!  Sometimes we just have to take a risk to get the reward!!

If anyone has any thoughts about what to include or how to proceed, I’d love to hear from you!

Here is a link for Social Recruiting Summit I mentioned in case you’re curious to see what that was all about:  https://www.facebook.com/events/965319860231052/

Our tweet for the position can be found here: https://twitter.com/SykesTalent/status/963050090884730880

References: 

https://www.thebalance.com/what-a-social-media-specialist-can-do-for-your-company-2315324

https://www.thebalance.com/what-to-expect-in-your-social-media-manager-career-2315328

https://www.adlib-recruitment.co.uk/blog/life-as-a-social-media-specialist/