An odd little thought I had while tweaking my Blogger template: The Web is great because it's sort of sucky. Browsers haven't materially changed much since 1996, web pages have gained more media and styling but they are still spaghetti code wrapped around a glorified electronic Dewey Decimal System, and the majority of the stuff posted online is only marginally more interesting than random ASCII code.
However, I can go on this vast, unregulated wasteland, and post a comment on how much it sucks, and still have the potential to reach millions of people and waste their time with my worthless analysis. Now that's real ultimate power!
For a great contrast, poke around the 'special features' in your TiVo menu some time. It takes about 40 seconds to become totally, utterly, slack-faced bored with the uber-mediated media snippets they push to that menu backwater. Add the TiVo interface, which is AWESOME for flipping through stored video files but completely innefective in creating an immersive, branded experience, and you've got exhibit A as to why the Web hasn't been discarded in favor of some modern Minitel, castrated by a product developer's idea of a clean, intuitive interface.
Then again, I bet I can find a thousand similar posts on why the Web will never superscede Usenet.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Are you experienced?
I've gotten some emails and phone calls fishing for information or opinion about today's NBC Universal/News Corp deal. While I don't specifically comment about my work on this blog, I would say that I'm bullish on our prospects. I've worked for both Fox and NBC, and they're both full of extremely smart, creative folks who know how to create an emotional connection with an audience.
The underlying subtext of much of the coverage seems to be that two 'old media' companies are going to have to learn to compete in a new space. That seems odd to me- both companies have been in the business of electronic distribution of content for some time now. I'd say this is a case of experienced vs. old- especially when it comes to the business of making money with video advertising, and other minor details like that.
The underlying subtext of much of the coverage seems to be that two 'old media' companies are going to have to learn to compete in a new space. That seems odd to me- both companies have been in the business of electronic distribution of content for some time now. I'd say this is a case of experienced vs. old- especially when it comes to the business of making money with video advertising, and other minor details like that.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
What's everyone running from?
While perusing the Web 2.0 Conference track, I noticed that a lot of the sponsor logos seem to be on the run...
I assume the running humanoids (and swimming cephalopod) are intended to represent that the companies in question are agile, responsive, and leading the pack- but clustered together, they leave me with the impression of an industry fleeing an unseen, Gojira style threat.
Well, whatever the reason, it beats a logo depicting a bunch of Playskool peg-people breaking and entering...
I assume the running humanoids (and swimming cephalopod) are intended to represent that the companies in question are agile, responsive, and leading the pack- but clustered together, they leave me with the impression of an industry fleeing an unseen, Gojira style threat.
Well, whatever the reason, it beats a logo depicting a bunch of Playskool peg-people breaking and entering...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Finding Gigs: A Helpful Guide for the Recently Jobless
While the job market is relatively hot lately, I've been running across more and more people who have recently left long-term positions at companies and are now looking for jobs for the first time in five or ten years. In speaking to these folks, it occurred to me that all sorts of new jobhunting and networking methods have evolved in the last couple of years that might be news to newly jobless workers.
As a person who has built two large teams in the last half dozen years, I found myself dispensing a lot of advice- and I finally decided to write it all down in one palce so I could just forward a link next time.
Note that the specific examples are written with a slant toward design professionals- but I suspect the techniques can be universally applied to any information worker who is web savvy.
---------------------
Here's some tips about quickly getting a lot of leads for gigs:
1) Set up Feeds for Craigslist
Sites like Monster.com have the sorts of jobs that HR departments put
up three weeks after a hiring manager asks them to. On the other
hand, Craigslist is often the place where people who have an
immediate need turn- mainly because it's so effective at turning up
dozens of resumes immediately.
Because of the number of applicants who typically reply to a
Craigslist job, the key to getting the gigs is to A) reply soon after
they are posted, and B) to reply in a manner that stands out from the
crowd.
A) Setting up a Feed from Craigslist
You can easily set up a feed of new jobs that appears in a feedreader
or in a feed module in a web page (such as My Yahoo or Google
Reader). First, go to your local Craigslist (in this case,
Washington, D.C.):
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/med/
From this page, search on the term you want to find- let's say 'Art
Director':
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/med?query=art%20director
When I did the search, it turned up 23 jobs, which is fine, but what
you want is to be able to monitor the new jobs without having to go
back to Craigslist every five minutes yourself. So- look in the lower
right hand corner of the page- you'll see a link marked 'RSS'. That
link leads to the following URL:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/med?query=art%20director&format=rss
You can follow that link, but you'll just see an RSS formatted XML
feed. What you really want is to plug that feed into an RSS reader,
either one that is a standalone application or a module on a portal
page you visit often (I have my feeds sent to Google Reader, which I
can place as a module on my Google Homepage). The feed will update
periodically and you can monitor new jobs as they come available.
B) Replying in a way that will get results
When I place a job on CL, I get a wide range of responses- everything
from a blank email with a resume attached, to a long, obviously
heavily scripted email with all sorts of long explanation and
hyperbole about being 'the perfect fit' for the job. Since there is
such a massive volume of replies, I typically gravitate toward those
who write a cover e-mail that indicates they've read my job
description, and gives a concise outline of why their experience is a
match and what their availability is. Those are the people I follow
up with- the ones who make it easy for me to evaluate and decide.
You'd be surprised at how few applicants write a concise yet
informative cover e-mail- I'd say about 10%. So although Craigslist
may flood a hiring manager with resumes, you can increase your odds
of a reply with some common sense in your email. Here's an example of
a type of email I react well to:
Hi,
This is in reply to your posted job for 'Design Director' on
Washington, D.C. Craigslist.
I'm an Art Director with 10 years of interactive experience. I've
designed both entertainment and finance websites, most recently with
America Online, where I was on the design staff for eight years. I
am a mid-level Flash designer (design mostly with light ActionScript)
and I'm extremely experienced with Photoshop and Illustrator. You can
view samples of my work at:
http://my.portfolio.com/
and my resume is viewable online at:
http://my.resume.com/
I'm available to work either remotely or on site starting Monday,
3/19. I am eventually looking for a full-time position but I'm
willing to freelance at first. References available on request.
Thanks,
My Name
myemail@domain.com
(917) 555-1212 mobile
(703) 555-1212 home
You'll notice that there's no text describing how thrilled you'd be
to work here, or how reliable and thoughtful you are, or how much
value you'll bring to the company- the text of the letter wasted no
words outside of the minimum necessary to inform me that you're
professional, courteous and qualified. A link to your online
portfolio and resume is a must, of course.
2) Watching the Feeds for companies getting funded
While you might not want to bet the farm on a startup, there's no
harm in getting a gig, especially from a startup that's flush with
recent investment capital. You can set up a feed from a news site
like PaidContent.org and receive daily notice of companies likely to
embark on hiring sprees, or needing to quickly spin up freelance
teams. Here's an RSS link to PaidContent:
http://feeds.paidcontent.org/pcorg
You can embed it straight in a feedreader from there. Right now,
there's a news story about TMZ.com opening a Washington office:
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-tmzcom-to-launch-dc-spinoff-called-tmzdc/
Sounds like a great opportunity to start making inquiries around
their local needs.
Obviously, once you find out a company is funded or expanded you
still have to get in touch with hiring managers, but you can often
find that information (and much more) on...
3) LinkedIn
Doing a search on LinkedIn for 'TMZ' turns up 9 people in my network
and 6 other people on LinkedIn. The last 3 people I interviewed at
NBC for a fairly high position (Product Marketing Manager) came to me
via connections or direct contacts through LinkedIn. Sure, anyone can
join LinkedIn, but the fact that I can easily peruse a person's
profile and see what they've been up to makes me more likely to
respond to appropriate people who contact me there.
Jobs are posted, but you can also just contact people at companies
you want to work at- the worst that can happen is they ignore you or
can't help you. I actually had someone contact me because they saw me
at an event sponsored by:
4) Meetup.com
Meetup has actually been really helpful in helping me increase my
personal profile- I joined two Meetups (a technology meetup and a
video meetup) and was asked to present my division's work at NBC at
one of them, which sparked a lot of followup contacts and networking.
You can find and join Meetups in a variety of places on
a variety of topics- here's one in the DC area that might work out
for a DC area designer:
Web Design & Combined Networking Group
http://webdesign.meetup.com/46/?gj=sj5
You might also see if there's one that focuses on the business or
technology side of things- at the monthly Tech meeting here in NYC
they are continually announcing needs to hire people at the Meetups.
Paradoxically, you'll probably find more opportunities at business
oriented meetups than design oriented meetups, since the biz folks
are the ones who need to hire the designers! In any case, it's a
great way to have an ear to the ground of what's going on in the
area, just like:
5) MediaBistro.com
http://mediabistro.com/
While less design oriented than Creative Hotlist, the people going to
this site are the project managers, producers, editors, etc. who work
on projects that need designers. They also host periodic networking
events- I think you just need to register and indicate an interest-
it's been a while since i signed up.
---------
These are the main venues I would look for gigs and contacts in- but every discipline has its own cluster of community sites and professional organizations, so the sites may vary for you. The biggest piece of advice I have is to get yourself out there and make it known you're looking for work. There's no shame in advertising your availability as long as you don't cross the line to spamming message boards and mailing lists. Good luck!
---------
Any updates, comments, quarrels, anecdotes, and further tips from jobhunters are welcome.
As a person who has built two large teams in the last half dozen years, I found myself dispensing a lot of advice- and I finally decided to write it all down in one palce so I could just forward a link next time.
Note that the specific examples are written with a slant toward design professionals- but I suspect the techniques can be universally applied to any information worker who is web savvy.
---------------------
Here's some tips about quickly getting a lot of leads for gigs:
1) Set up Feeds for Craigslist
Sites like Monster.com have the sorts of jobs that HR departments put
up three weeks after a hiring manager asks them to. On the other
hand, Craigslist is often the place where people who have an
immediate need turn- mainly because it's so effective at turning up
dozens of resumes immediately.
Because of the number of applicants who typically reply to a
Craigslist job, the key to getting the gigs is to A) reply soon after
they are posted, and B) to reply in a manner that stands out from the
crowd.
A) Setting up a Feed from Craigslist
You can easily set up a feed of new jobs that appears in a feedreader
or in a feed module in a web page (such as My Yahoo or Google
Reader). First, go to your local Craigslist (in this case,
Washington, D.C.):
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/med/
From this page, search on the term you want to find- let's say 'Art
Director':
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/med?query=art%20director
When I did the search, it turned up 23 jobs, which is fine, but what
you want is to be able to monitor the new jobs without having to go
back to Craigslist every five minutes yourself. So- look in the lower
right hand corner of the page- you'll see a link marked 'RSS'. That
link leads to the following URL:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/med?query=art%20director&format=rss
You can follow that link, but you'll just see an RSS formatted XML
feed. What you really want is to plug that feed into an RSS reader,
either one that is a standalone application or a module on a portal
page you visit often (I have my feeds sent to Google Reader, which I
can place as a module on my Google Homepage). The feed will update
periodically and you can monitor new jobs as they come available.
B) Replying in a way that will get results
When I place a job on CL, I get a wide range of responses- everything
from a blank email with a resume attached, to a long, obviously
heavily scripted email with all sorts of long explanation and
hyperbole about being 'the perfect fit' for the job. Since there is
such a massive volume of replies, I typically gravitate toward those
who write a cover e-mail that indicates they've read my job
description, and gives a concise outline of why their experience is a
match and what their availability is. Those are the people I follow
up with- the ones who make it easy for me to evaluate and decide.
You'd be surprised at how few applicants write a concise yet
informative cover e-mail- I'd say about 10%. So although Craigslist
may flood a hiring manager with resumes, you can increase your odds
of a reply with some common sense in your email. Here's an example of
a type of email I react well to:
Hi,
This is in reply to your posted job for 'Design Director' on
Washington, D.C. Craigslist.
I'm an Art Director with 10 years of interactive experience. I've
designed both entertainment and finance websites, most recently with
America Online, where I was on the design staff for eight years. I
am a mid-level Flash designer (design mostly with light ActionScript)
and I'm extremely experienced with Photoshop and Illustrator. You can
view samples of my work at:
http://my.portfolio.com/
and my resume is viewable online at:
http://my.resume.com/
I'm available to work either remotely or on site starting Monday,
3/19. I am eventually looking for a full-time position but I'm
willing to freelance at first. References available on request.
Thanks,
My Name
myemail@domain.com
(917) 555-1212 mobile
(703) 555-1212 home
You'll notice that there's no text describing how thrilled you'd be
to work here, or how reliable and thoughtful you are, or how much
value you'll bring to the company- the text of the letter wasted no
words outside of the minimum necessary to inform me that you're
professional, courteous and qualified. A link to your online
portfolio and resume is a must, of course.
2) Watching the Feeds for companies getting funded
While you might not want to bet the farm on a startup, there's no
harm in getting a gig, especially from a startup that's flush with
recent investment capital. You can set up a feed from a news site
like PaidContent.org and receive daily notice of companies likely to
embark on hiring sprees, or needing to quickly spin up freelance
teams. Here's an RSS link to PaidContent:
http://feeds.paidcontent.org/pcorg
You can embed it straight in a feedreader from there. Right now,
there's a news story about TMZ.com opening a Washington office:
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-tmzcom-to-launch-dc-spinoff-called-tmzdc/
Sounds like a great opportunity to start making inquiries around
their local needs.
Obviously, once you find out a company is funded or expanded you
still have to get in touch with hiring managers, but you can often
find that information (and much more) on...
3) LinkedIn
Doing a search on LinkedIn for 'TMZ' turns up 9 people in my network
and 6 other people on LinkedIn. The last 3 people I interviewed at
NBC for a fairly high position (Product Marketing Manager) came to me
via connections or direct contacts through LinkedIn. Sure, anyone can
join LinkedIn, but the fact that I can easily peruse a person's
profile and see what they've been up to makes me more likely to
respond to appropriate people who contact me there.
Jobs are posted, but you can also just contact people at companies
you want to work at- the worst that can happen is they ignore you or
can't help you. I actually had someone contact me because they saw me
at an event sponsored by:
4) Meetup.com
Meetup has actually been really helpful in helping me increase my
personal profile- I joined two Meetups (a technology meetup and a
video meetup) and was asked to present my division's work at NBC at
one of them, which sparked a lot of followup contacts and networking.
You can find and join Meetups in a variety of places on
a variety of topics- here's one in the DC area that might work out
for a DC area designer:
Web Design & Combined Networking Group
http://webdesign.meetup.com/46/?gj=sj5
You might also see if there's one that focuses on the business or
technology side of things- at the monthly Tech meeting here in NYC
they are continually announcing needs to hire people at the Meetups.
Paradoxically, you'll probably find more opportunities at business
oriented meetups than design oriented meetups, since the biz folks
are the ones who need to hire the designers! In any case, it's a
great way to have an ear to the ground of what's going on in the
area, just like:
5) MediaBistro.com
http://mediabistro.com/
While less design oriented than Creative Hotlist, the people going to
this site are the project managers, producers, editors, etc. who work
on projects that need designers. They also host periodic networking
events- I think you just need to register and indicate an interest-
it's been a while since i signed up.
---------
These are the main venues I would look for gigs and contacts in- but every discipline has its own cluster of community sites and professional organizations, so the sites may vary for you. The biggest piece of advice I have is to get yourself out there and make it known you're looking for work. There's no shame in advertising your availability as long as you don't cross the line to spamming message boards and mailing lists. Good luck!
---------
Any updates, comments, quarrels, anecdotes, and further tips from jobhunters are welcome.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
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