HR: Are You Web 2.0 or Web 2.Oh?inte

Thanks, Kris Dunn, for this article about the state of HR’s technological savvy. It’s dead on.

Last week at the HRMAC show in Chicago, I had no problem engaging people with talk of training and coaching… but as soon as I showed video, or mentioned Twitter, reactions became decidedly… interesting: blank stares, questions of incredulity, piqued curiosity…

Dare I tell them that I’ve already landed business from my blog? That Twitter has brought me a network of dozens of people around the globe? That my book has made its way from NYC to Portland to Bangladesh thanks to my Web 2.0 network?

HR: ten years ago, the internet exploded on the scene. Now, the technology has finally caught up, making delivery of its promise possible.

If you’re in HR and you’ve ever asked “How do I get a seat at the table?” or “How do I get to be taken seriously as a strategic partner?” then go do two things right now:

1. Read Dunn’s articles.
2. Go online and start exploring. Forget the books, the tutorials, the classes. Just go online, set up LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and maybe even one on Utterli, join HRMToday, and start experimenting.

No matter how many books you read, you’ll still be a noob when you first log on. Embrace your noobness and just do it already.

That’s what a strategic partner does. That’s what separates those “at the table” from “those in the hall:” the people at the table know when to stop reading, talking, and wondering, and when to get out there and just do it already.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.