Last week, I visited Google LA Office with a friend.  We went there to pick up his Google Glass.  Supposedly, I should talk about my experience with the Glass, right?  But in fact, I would rather share with you my reflections on the tour.

I arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule, but two Google associates had been waiting for me and my friend in front of the office.  They told me they were in the Google Glass Team.  In the LA office, there are about 20 members in the team.  Each team member is also part of the 3000+ “explorers” selected by Google to test the prototype.  For now, the Glass is only available (and tested) in the U.S. market.  Google seeks feedback from the explorers for product improvement.  Google also analyzes what people talk about the product on the internet.  During our visit, the associates spent two hours showing us step-by-step how to operate the Glass.  We were encouraged to spend as much time as we wanted until we felt comfortable with the Glass.

If you really want to hear my true opinions about the Glass, I must admit that I am not very excited about the current prototype.  It needs more improvement before it can become the next big thing.  I, however, was impressed with this innovative idea and Google’s effort on the product.  

Based on visits to Google (I also toured the Google Campus in Mountain View two years ago), it is not difficult for me to figure out why this company is doing so well in the market.  Today, almost 80% of smartphones being shipped in the global market operate on the Android platform.  As of August 17, 2013 (Saturday), Google’s stock is selling at $856.25 a share; Apple and Microsoft are selling for $503.10 and $31.80 a share respectively.  

What makes a company successful?  Besides other contributing factors, it appears to me that a company’s success must root in its ability to provide useful solutions for human beings.  Microsoft was very successful when it introduced Windows, allowing people to “communicate with” computers using the easy-to-understand “human languages.”  Apple became the most admired company when it introduced iPhone and iPad.  Today, both companies are still doing very well, but investors are showing concerns of their future.  At a point when a company is no longer able to provide innovative approaches to solve real-life problems, the halo around the company fades.  I am glad to see Google is very serious about the Glass and is actively seeking feedback from customers.  Because of that, I am expecting to see big improvement of the Glass soon.   

In the end, I would like share with you a 60 Minutes Interview by CBS.  It features Bill Gates on how he views technology and innovation.  I hope more companies and institutions will focus on research that helps people solve real-life problems.  Regardless how “small” a problem may look like, an innovative solution may have big impact to people’s lives.

Do you believe innovation is the key for success in business?  If so, where do innovative ideas come from?   

Relevant discussion:

Great Entrepreneurship Ideas Must Root in Useful Service 

Creating an Organizational Cultural that Nurtures Freedom of Thinking 

To check out more pictures about my tours of Google, please visit:
Facebook Album - Tour of Google LA Office

Facebook Album - Tour of Google Campus in Mountain View

The Basic of Digital Etiquette

If you are reading my blog now, you are probably also very active on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites.  Over the years, has anyone made you wonder if s/he needs training on digital etiquette?

It happened that Today’s Show also discussed this topic earlier. Let’s see if it is well-said. Here are some highlights:  

• “Unplug” completely during vacation.
• Do not over posting “food porn” unless the food is really special or in a special occasion. Also, do it when it does not bother others in the restaurant and the servers.
• Limit the number of hashtags --- there is not a set limit. Personally, I think it is good to have up to three hashtags for every post. Too many hashtags equal to no hashtag for me. For that being said, it is a idea to create a hashtag for a special event like a wedding for tracking.
• A written thank you note is always better than a thank you message on e-mail. 
• Just like daily conversations, too many update about a person’s political views, personal opinions, and his/her life might annoy other people.

I believe the basic of digital etiquette is simple --- be thoughtful to others. In this case, we need to keep in mind “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me? Me = the audience). Sharing updates on social media is certainly important, but engaging with the audience is the key to develop a meaningful relationship.  

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

  

Relevant discussions: 

Etiquette for the New Age 

Social Media Etiquette for Business 

Dinner Etiquette 

New Dining Etiquette by Zagat 

Smart Phone Etiquette 

Mobile Etiquette on Vacation 

Mobile Etiquette 

Wedding Etiquette in the Age of Social Media 

Wedding Etiquette 

International Etiquette 

  

References:

The picture was downloaded from NBCNews.com

Smartphones: An Effective Means for Employee Recruitment

SoLoMo – Social, Local, and Mobile – is not a trend; it is happening right now on this moment. If a company does not have a clear SoLoMo strategy or a mobile-optimized website by now, the company has fallen behind in competition.

I am an optimistic person and thus believe many companies have already taken SoLoMo seriously. Otherwise, they have probably been defeated by their competitors who embrace SoLoMo. My real concern is that not every company has an integrated SoLoMo strategy. Often, companies pay close attention to SoLoMo’s effect on sales and marketing. A true integrated strategy, however, must include every facet of business operations into considerations.

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported a story that highlighted the SoLoMo’s impact on employee recruitment. According to this report, mobile devices will outpass desktops/laptops and become Americans’ preferred method for accessing the internet by 2015. Among the Fortune 500 companies, 167 (33%) have already had career portals that are optimized to fit in a smartphone screen. A year ago, only 65 companies did so.

McDonald’s and Macy’s are the two examples cited in the report. McDonald’s launched its mobile career site back in 2008.  At that time, three million people visited the mobile site and 24,000 actually submitted an application on the mobile site. By 2012, McDonald’s received two million applications, with a record of 30 million visits of its mobile career site. Today, McDonald’s mobile career site brings over 10% of applications to the company.

Macy’s tested its mobile-optimized career page in 2011 with selected positions like software developers and marketers before the company rolled out a mobile page for hourly employees in 2012. Today, Macy’s receive 20-25% of applications from its mobile career page.

Recently, Convenience Store Decisions and Humetrics conducted a national human resource (HR) survey with nearly 100 convenience store chains, representing 12,000 stores in the U.S. The results also support SoLoMo’s impact on HR operations, including:

• The two most effective recruiting tools for hourly employees are in-store ads or outdoor signage and employee referral program. For salaried positions, internet job boards and company websites become the two most effective methods.
• Social media are being used in recruitment by 28% of respondents, significantly higher than what was reported in 2012 (2%).
• The usage of CraigsList for recruiting hourly employees increased from 21% in 2011 to 25% in 2012 (Craigslist also has a mobile app).
• Only 5% stores are using social media sites for screening now, but another 5% plan to add checking social media sites as a screening method in 2013.
• About 22% suggested they will adopt new training technologies, such as e-Learning, Webinars, learning management systems, smartphones, iPad, PC, among many others.

Another market-research report by Nielsen found that 63% of Americans use mobile devices to access social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn (Weber, 2013). Mobile devices indeed provide a great means for companies to reach potential candidates. To embrace SoLoMo, some employers also use QR codes and text-messaging in mobile recruiting.

One challenge of doing mobile recruiting, however, is that mobile-optimized career sites might not be as easy to navigate as the sites on laptops/desktops (Weber, 2013). Regardless, SoLoMo in HR is happening now.

Do you think SoLoMo will play an even more important role in HR? How about its impact on other areas of business operations? How can businesses respond to the SoLoMo movement? Referring to your personal experience, for what purposes do you use mobile devices? Do you believe your smartphone can help you find a job in the future? Why or why not?

Relevant Discussion: 
SoLoMo for Social Media Strategists

HR Challenges Created by Social Media 

Hiring Created Minds as the Chief Innovative Officer  

References:

Kleiman, Mel. (April, 2013). The 2013 convenience store human resources study. Convenience Store Decisions, 24(4), p. 26-30.

Weber, Lauren. (April 24, 2013). How your smartphone could get you a job: McDonald’s, Macy’s customize their career sites, but most companies aren’t moving fast enough. The Wall Street Journal, retrieve online on April 24, 2013 via http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323551004578441130657837720.html

The picture was downloaded from teczealots.com