David's Journal on Tap

I have been blogging for just over 12 months now. I created and still contribute regularly on the Oracle Recruitment Blog. Many (ok most of) the blog entries I have created over that time have been about either Oracle, Recruitment or Web 2.0/Social Networking Tools.

I was looking over the list of some of my blog entries over that time and it was good to reflect on my thoughts during that period and see some of the articles I have written. I have decided to write a Top 5 List of my Favorite Blog Entires that I have written from the Oracle Recruitment Blog.  In no particular order:

1) Five Trends We May See in Recruitment – I like this blog entry as I do feel the role of a Recruiter is changing, it is no longer just about sending resumes, or it shouldn’t be anyway)

2) Motivation From Seth Godin and David Carman – I like this blog entry because we truly are responsible for our own actions, in a downturn it can be easy to blame “the market” but ultimately what we do with ourselves is up to us.

3) Recruitment is Becoming an Increasingly Transparent Business – It is great that candidates and companies are much more savvy when it comes to Recruitment Practices – the more transparent any business is the better.

4) The Changing Workplace: No Longer Just the Office you Work In – Hasn’t the working world changed. Business and work relationships are global and virtual, without the technology we use today this was not as possible 20-30 years ago.

5) Recruitment Should About Quality not Just Quantity – Our work should always be about adding value, not just going through the motions.

6) (A Bonus Favorite – I Couldn’t Help it) Perspective Needed When Using the Title “Web 2.0 Expert” – The term Web 2.0 gets thrown around far too much these days, I feel the term has become oversaturated.

I look forward to writing more blog entries and continuing to share my thoughts, ideas and comments with you. If there is anything you would like to see or have a question about please feel free to email me at david.talamelli@oracle.com

Last night I was one of the presenters on a panel at the monthly meeting for the Australian Computer Society. The topic that was discussed was “Social Networking in a Business Context”.

Thanks to the ACS for organising and running the presentation. Individual thanks to Yasas Abeywickrama, Ksenija Catic and Jeanette Wirt from the ACS for their help and also to my co-presenters Charlynn Miller and Corry Brouwer.

It was an interesting night and I feel we only really scratched the surface of Social Networking and its use. It is such a broad term and the way that an individual or organisation uses Social Networking can vary greatly depending on what you are looking to achieve.

It can be difficult to keep pace in the Social Networking space with the speed of which the technology is changing. There are so many different tools and applications to use and they are constantly being superceded by new tools or apps. I would suggest to use the 3-4 tools that best suit your purposes other wise social networking can consume too much of your time trying to manage multiple accounts and networks.

On the drive home, I was thinking that it will be interesting to see what the current state of Social Networking develops into in 2,5,10 years. Will we continue to use the tools that we use today? Will we still use them in the same context?

Generation Y certainly embraces the technology and tools, however if we think of the next generation that enters the workforce after this – is it fair to assume they will be even more technically savvy or adept in this space?

What do you think will become of social Networking and sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Ning, Plaxo, etc….., how will we use these sites to interact, what will happen in 2,5,10 years??

Apologies for not posting over the past few weeks I think I have been suffering a case of writer’s block recently. I have drifted through many ideas but have not been able to get them from pen to paper.

One of the things that has been in the back of my head for a little while is the increasing use of the word “Expert”. To me being an expert in something is not only knowing your topic inside and out and living and breathing it, but also being closer to being more of an innovator than a follower.

With the increased use of Web 2.0 Technologies and Social Networking Tools, I am finding new “Web 2.0 Experts” coming up from the wood-works every day. Web 2.0 Technologies has certainly been one of the buzz words of 2008/2009. In fact just the other day the term Web 2.0 became the millionth english word. I see many people who call themselves Web 2.0 experts and think what is it exactly that quantifies them to be “Web 2.0 experts”. To some people it just means having a LinkedIn or Twitter Account or being able to do a Boolean Search while to others the term expert means much more.

Web 2.0 Technologies are a part of business these days just like the phone or email (for however much longer email will live in its current format, that though is a whole new blog entry) which are normal tools of trade.

I think the title “Web 2.0 Expert” is more self promotion than anything else. If you are using this technology as part of your normal working day then I am not sure this would classify you as an “expert”, it is synonomous with being a phone expert or an email expert (I do not see many people promoting themselves as phone/email experts).

If you created Twitter, Facebook, etc [insert Technology or Social Networking App here], did something new and innovative or were instrumental in seeing something come to fruition that I would think is closer to being a “Web 2.0 Expert”.

Web 2.0 Technology and the use of it is very exciting and it is easy to get caught up in it, however before calling yourself an expert think of where on the spectrum you fit, how close to being an innovator are you? I was speaking to one of my colleagues today and I think she stated very nicely – “I am not a Web 2.0 Expert I am a Web 2.0 Enthusiast”, which is think sums up what many of us are.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Send in or email your comments to david.talamelli@oracle.com – What do you think a “Web 2.0 Expert” is?

It has been such a busy year with the arrival of Joshua in January, we have not had much time away to just get the chance to relax and take things easy for a few days. Last weekend we took the chance to go down to Wilson’s Promontory and have a bit of a look around. In our life before kids Melinda and I use to regularly go camping down along Great Ocean Road. We never had been to Wilsons Prom before and we are glad we took the chance to have a look around.

The kids are just a bit too young to be spending the night in a tent just yet so we had to rent a house for a few nights. We also spent the weekend with friends and their kids.  Marissa and Grace enjoyed the weekend and I think the favorite part was the fact there was a bunk bed in their room. Besides that they also enjoyed seeing the kangaroos, emus, and wombat but not so much the rosella that stole their biscuit.

There are plenty of hiking trails at Wilsons Prom ranging from short walks to overnight hikes which is suited for all types of people. On Saturday we walked down to Squeaky Beach which was a 5 km hike round trip. Getting there was no problem at all, but the hike back proved difficult for Marissa and Grace especially after they both ended up wet after playing at the beach. It was good to get out and stretch the legs a bit and everyone slept well that night.

I am hoping by next summer we can start using the tent again as by then the kids should be a bit older, but until then we are hoping to get out a bit more often and get some more hikes in over winter.