Sites for the unemployed ...

Ok, so you're unemployed and it's an easy time to get negative and to stay at home on the couch watching lousy day time TV.

There are not a lot of jobs out there especially if you are in the US and even here in Sydney, hundreds of people are applying for the same jobs I am so I am only hearing back from one or two.

I apply for at least 6-8 jobs a day, sent my resume to as many agencies as I can and all my friends know I am unemployed. I have written blog posts about it, found support from friends and family and am sharing my umeployment on Twitter.

I feel that if I can be positive and open about the fact that I am looking for work is much better than sitting at home being depressed. I am looking for options and part time/ contract work as well.

Some people in the US are taking it even further , Beverly Shepard is offering someone money who can find her a full time job.

Other people have posted video resumes on You Tube, have set up marketing and email campaigns and have contacted hundreds of people. Some people have been incredibly inventive with video marketing and a range of other incentives to get work.

I think do what you feel comfortable with. If you want to make a video profile of yourself and your resume, go ahead. Print flyers, make an email campaign, contact people who are your friends and let them know.

For some, this may be the worst of times. For every low, there will be a high.

Tools and Guides

Need some social marketing tools and some step by step guides to social marketing focusing on the health factor?

This link puts together blogs, templates guides and all kinds of other social marketing resources which will help with health, the environment and social development.

I love the National Social Marketing Centre based in London. They show case studies each month and look at how health professionals find ways to promote change and promote aspects of health. The whole point is to promote change, social change and they work with the Department of Health.

Look at one of the sites that caused changed with teen's eating habits. Food Dudes is a funky social site for teens to promote eating fruit and veggies. It works.

You don't have to be in the health sector to use these guides, templates and sites. It just shows how far social marketing is coming.

Love Marketing?

Why?

For me it's creative, innovative (and other ive words)

I love finding out information, researching what is happening in the world of books, networking, Sydney and coming up with ideas.

I love meeting people who have started their own business, seen a gap in the market, come up with something extremely innovative and are doing a job that they love so much ... they can't call it work.

There is a lot of work involved with marketing, with selling a product/an idea/ an object/ ... but there are so many ways of talking about it. Holding events or launches, placing an ad (an unusual ad somewhere) talking it up at events, meeting other thinkers and entrepreneurs.

Marketing is being involved, finding knowledge and being innovative. It's a dream life especially when you find something you love, believe in and want to work with.

Why do you love marketing?

Online ...changes everything

There is nothing you cannot do online (and yes even form relationships with others, here's a link to the guy who petitioned to marry an anime character, because he wanted to inhabit a two dimensional world.

Online, you can:

* Shop for groceries.
* Choose and buy clothes
* Buy tickets for anything, practically anywhere
* Receive discounts for just about anything or shop round for the cheapest furniture, books, clothes, food, equipment, flats, houses, cars and holiday destinations.
* Make friends with anyone, anywhere.
* Cyber date
* Play online games where you can actually chat to characters, and hang out with them from the comfort of your living room
* Bet money (and lose A LOT of money on poker, backgammon, you name it)
* Skype and talk to friends, partners, grandchildren for free anywhere in the world
* Listen to music
* Watch DVDs, episodes of TV programmes
* Join fan pages
* Write emails
* Start a blog
* Host an event
* Join a Meet Up group
* Pay bills
* Do all your banking
* Get advice from other moms, bodybuilders, book readers, business owners ...
* Take Quizzes
* Read magazines or books
* Visit museums and take virtual tours
* Sell your house, furniture, car
* Buy and sell pets
* Research information on anything, movies, arts, news, finance, start ups, dresses ... on any search site
* Find a friend - old school friends, contacts, business people to network with
* Find something to do if you're staying in a strange city ... just Google the city
* Book a hotel room or change to a different hotel room
* If you're in a new city find someone to have coffee with with sites like Twitter
* Buy gifts for anyone, hampers for your boss, baby gifts for you cousins overseas, a gift for yourself.
* Track news and events, find people and events that you like
* Dissect a virtual frog
* Find a clean toilet in Tokyo
* Find the nearest hospital, lunch venue, church, doctor, back packer bar.
* Look for jobs
* Learn how to fix something, or clean a stain or mend something in the house
* Replace a product
* Burst bubbles
* Do a course
* Get a wake up call or a reminder
* Remember birthdays

With so much to do on the Internet and with access to anything ... we are all moving so quickly and we expect immediacy.

Does this mean you feel more or less connected to others? Do you prefer doing everything online?

Thank you

Thank you.

Much appreciated.

You're welcome.

Thank you for your time.

It was a pleasure meeting with you this morning.

Compliment slips attached with items you are posting, a thank you email or card after a business meeting, a much appreciated email when someone has posted you something or shared information with you.

This is not old fashioned, this is a great business tool.

A simple, polite thank you via email or a compliments slip with products or a thank you card after a meeting ... go a long, long way. (Books are my ultimate thank you - but seriously)

It just seems that everything is too immediate and faced paced. We share so many emails, comments, messages and everything is so rushed. I love it when I get a surprise thank you and I don't mind if it is not hand written ... a simple email will do.

As long it is simple and sincere.

You Communicate Passionately

You speak from the heart. You can't separate your feelings from what you're saying, even in a professional context. You tend to speak dramatically, with lots of passion and emotion. It's easy for you to get swept up in what you're saying. You like to connect with people early on so that you can personalize what you are saying to them. When you converse, you try to find common ground and harmony. Even if you disagree with someone, you try to emphasize where you agree.

What Kind of Communicator Are You?

Twitter updates ...

which changed the world.

Have a look.

Twitter has become recognised as a breaking new source and helps raise money for charity via a variety of sources.

Babies Tweet their kicks and people get offered jobs.

There are even marriage proposals.

So if we're looking at an effective tool for a business, if your business supports a charity and wants to raise funds or host a tea ... use Twitter, invite locals to participate. If you have a launch, or want to meet some locals for an after work chat ... this is the tool for you.

The most effective way to build your brand on Twitter and to get a following is by participating. By updating relevant information, by answering questions and by responding to each other. If you really have a great brand or event or charity or something you wish to share find and follow locals who have things in common with you.

It's not the only marketing tool that is available to use for business. If you have a business page on Facebook, a blog, a website, a tool for people to send you messages ... you're doing what seems to be the most important thing in business today communicating authentically.

As you can see there have been some unique moments on Twitter.

All you do have to remember though is that it is public and open to anyone who wants to view a subject matter. Anything you say in 140 characters is open to thousands of people ... everywhere.

Use all the free social networking and marketing tools and sites wisely.