Take two minutes of your Friday to watch the video embedded below, (Email and RSS subscribers please click through), titled 'Outside the Box', by director Joe Pelling.
Outside the Box from Sherbet on Vimeo.
Classic.
Hysterical.
Familiar?
And hopefully a good reminder to any of us, (me too), who might occasionally take ourselves too seriously.
That's all I've got for the week.
Have a great Weekend all!
Have you heard about the latest trend in cosmetic surgery?
Of course you have, you are on top of things, you even know that this past weekend the mighty South Carolina Gamecocks football team defeated arch-rival Clemson for the 4th consecutive year, (sorry, I just had to slip in a sports reference).
Back to cosmetic surgery. With the growing accessibility and importance of video communication - Skype, Google Hangouts, Video Interviewing, FaceTime, etc., a new genre of surgery has emerged - the so-called 'FaceTime Facelift'. 
The idea behind this clever marketing stunt by a couple of enterprising cosmetic surgeons - that increased use of video technologies will drive a subset of users to seek, ahem, enhancements, in their appearance and some kind of improvement in their confidence when using these new technologies.
Sounds crazy, right?
But the 'FaceTime Facelift', despite how ludicrous it sounds, does reveal an underlying truth - video technology for essential communication, collaboration, and simply 'getting things done' continues to emerge as one of the most dominant technology trends of the last few years. And this trend is bigger than Skyping your Aunt Betty for her birthday, it continues to drive important changes and present opportunities inside of organizations as well.
That is why your friends at Fistful of Talent, in collaboration with the folks at Blue Jeans Network, have decided to focus on video and it's role in driving results inside the organization for the latest installment of the FOT Webcast titled "Video Killed the Radio Star: How Collaboration Tools and the BYOD Movement Are Reshaping the Way HR & Recruiting Pros Get S#*T Done”, to be presented this Thursday, November 29th at 1:00PM ET.
Here are all the deets:
Join FOT for our November webinar (sponsored by the fine folks at Blue Jeans Network), “Video Killed the Radio Star: How Collaboration Tools and the BYOD Movement Are Reshaping the Way HR & Recruiting Pros Get S#*T Done”, on Thursday, November 29th at 1:00PM ET, and we’ll hit you with the following:
1. A detailed dive into why video collaboration is quickly killing the use of traditional audio conferencing tools and the positive impact the shift is having in modern day organizations.
2. Five ways you can leverage video collaboration tools in your organization today. FOT is determined to make you a believer, so we’re offering up five scenarios in which video collaboration would be the most effective route to execute challenges in your daily role and ultimately drive business results.
3. A comprehensive roadmap for driving user adoption of video collaboration across your organization. You’ve got the goods now it’s time to put them to use. FOT will break down the three barriers to user adoption and offer up a resistance free roadmap to implementing video collaboration across any business.
4. A universal script guaranteed to eliminate pregnant pauses, crickets and speaking out of turn.
5. BYOD and the Mobile Era - the final definition. We’ll bring in Jeremy Malandar from Blue Jeans Network to define BYOD and the Mobile Era, and break down why they are leading drivers in the shift to video collaboration.
Bonus: We’ll wrap this webinar by stocking your toolbox full of free, cheap and accessible video tools and hardware to help you get started with video collaboration in your organization today.
Toss your outdated audio conferencing equipment like a pair of acid wash jeans and start collaborating like it’s 2012 – register now for “Video Killed the Radio Star”.
This webinar comes FOT guarantee – 60% of the time, it works every time.
Register today!
There is no doubt we love, love, love the 'Social Media Revolution' series of videos created by Erik Qualman.
If you have been to any kind of conference, event, presentation, webinar, etc. that had even the remotest tie-back to social media, social networking, or mobile technology in the last 5 years or so, then you have definitely sat through 4 minutes of increasingly incredible social media statistics fly in and out of the frame, while tapping your toes to the pulsating soundtrack courtesy of Fatboy Slim's 'Right Here, Right Now.'
Well the latest version, titled 'Social Media Revolution 4' was released a couple of weeks ago, (embedded below, email and RSS subscribers will have to click through to get your Slim on), and in keeping with the structure, format, and presentation of the first three videos in the series, this latest installment presents numerous facts and statistics about the state and growth of social media and networking.
Take a look below and then come back to read my sincere request of you about this video in 2013.
Great stuff, right?
Facebook is really big. Lots of folks sign up for LinkedIn every day. People like to read online product reviews and check out recommendations about restaurants from strangers on the internet. Fatboy Slim (sort of) holds up in late 2012.
So here is my request for 2013 - don't include this video in any presentation you may give, webcast you present, or informal talk you might have with your colleagues. If you find yourself in attendance at an event/presentation, and the speaker cracks out this little beauty in an attempt to convince the audience by virtue of the statistics and volume of our pal Slim that 'social media is a really big deal' then you need to walk out and send a strongly worded letter, (that will teach them), to the event organizers that you expect better from speakers in 2013.
We just can't keep trotting this one out, and we can't keep trying to 'impress' people with it either.
We can't, trust me on this. Someone's head will explode at SHRM13 and with all those HR people in the room the workmen's comp discussions will be epic. Actually, that might be kind of fun.
There is nothing wrong or bad about this video, (or the ones that came before it in the series), but we have, all of us, heard and seen it all before.
Especially the 'Right Here, Right Now' bit, which by the way was released back in 1999.
I think the song is about the Y2K bug.
I am not really a gamer, but even I took notice of the trailers and TV spots for the latest release in the popular Assassin's Creed video game series. Titled simply 'Assassin's Creed III', the basic premise has the game's hero/protagonist 'Connor' operating and fighting in the Revolutionary War-era American Colonies, with the fictional Assassin's Creed characters and plotlines interwoven with real historical figures from that era like Benjamin Franklin, Sam Adams, and George Washington.
So a couple of weeks ago I picked up the game for my son who proceeded to enthusiastically dive in to the story, and by extension, into the Assassin's Creed view of the Colonial world and some of the most famous people and heroes of that age. Then, in what can either be described as trusting and empowering parenting, or simply 'bad' parenting, I sort of tuned out while he spent some time over several days playing the game, and navigating through the stylized and idealized versions of Colonial Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
When I asked him about the game, and specifically how did he like interacting with the historical characters like Franklin and Washington, the conversation went something like this:
Me: How was it playing the game and mixing it up with famous people from American History?
P: They were all cool, with one exception.
Me: Who was that?
P: Paul Revere.
Me: What was bad about Paul Revere?
P: Paul Revere is terrible. He kept yelling at me to get back on my horse. When we had to fight the Redcoats he was worthless, all he did was wave his arms around and ride in a circle. He almost got me killed about five times.
I have to admit it cracked me up, the idea of American Icon and legend Paul Revere reduced to a flailing, ineffective liability out in the field when naturally we think of him as a heroic and legendary figure. After I stopped laughing I did attempt to stick up for Revere and remind P of his place as a true patriot and essential player in our nation's formation. I didn't really think that Assassin's Creed would be an accurate and historically correct take on American History, (nor should it be), but I also did not want to see P walk away with a really incorrect impression of Revere.
Thinking about the conversation further, I could not help but wonder if Assassin's Creed story is one we should take caution from, as we continue to think about and introduce gaming elements and game mechanics to more parts of work, education, and life in general.
In Assassin's Creed, any potential relevant learning and understanding of historical events and figures is only an afterthought to the game itself - its purpose is to entertain and engage the player to accomplish the various missions, none of which are 'Understand the historical significance of Paul Revere'.
I totally get that - running around Boston, scaling walls, dispatching spies and Redcoats with a well-placed musket shot is tremendous fun - thinking about how onerous taxes levied on colonial merchants and how that led to protest and rebellion is kind of boring - particularly to an 12 year old.
But that is exactly the reason why I think we have to be really careful making everything into some kind of game - it can get really easy to make the game itself so compelling and interesting that we forget why we are even playing in the first place. And it can get even easier to see 'success' as winning the game, with the true goals or purpose - completing some real work or learning something important, becoming only ancillary benefits.
And I checked - Paul Revere is terrible, (at least at Assassin's Creed).
The fine, fine people over at Fistful of Talent are back with the next installment in the popular webinar series that we like to jokingly refer to over at Fistful HQ in Cheyenne as the FOT Webinar!
Here are the details you need to know:
Title: Before the Rose Ceremony: How to Become an Employer of Choice Through Your Interview Process
Date and Time: Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 1:00PM ET
How to register? - Easy, just click here
Price: Free! (now that's a deal)
Need more convincing before you commit exactly $0 and 1 hour of your time to your pals at Fistful?
Ok, here goes:
Ever wonder why some of those women on The Bachelor don’t smash a window on their way out the door when they get voted off? Let’s explore that in recruiting terms.
Join Fistful of Talent for our October webinar, (sponsored by the good folks at HireVue) – “Before the Rose Ceremony: How to Become an Employer of Choice Through Your Interview Process”, where we’ll explore the following and compare it to the meat show on the Bachelor/Bachelorette:
What pre-interview, pre-phone screen features subconsciously tell a candidate that you’re different from your competitors and help you plant the initial “why you want to work here” seed.
The 3 things that need to be present in your initial outreach to a candidate to prevent their BS meter from exploding (aka momentum killers).
The 5 Key Features of the live interview process at your company that sell your culture as a Great Place to Work – regardless if you hire the candidate or not.
FOT’s Top 7 Interview Questions for uncovering great info and selling the candidate on your company as an employer of choice – they won’t even realize you’re doing it (and you’ll get great info as a result).
SEND IN YOUR LESS ATTRACTIVE FRIENDS TO GIVE APPROVAL! (That’s FOT in this case.) We’ll end with a simple audit process that you can use to determine if your interview process is contributing as much as it should toward your company being viewed as a destination of choice for candidates.
Join FOT for “You Rejected Me But I Still Love You” and install a couple of the interview process features we discuss, and candidates will start to view you less as the Motel 6 and more like the Ritz.
So that's the pitch - what do you think, do I get a rose at the end of the ceremony, or am I riding back to the bachelor house in the limo of shame?
All kidding aside, the FOT Webinars are the best in the industry for a reason - they mix actionable information, smart people, and just the right mix of fun and entertainment that make your investment, (remember it's FREE), pay off.
And as a bonus, we get to make fun of Sackett on the backchannel!
So one last time here is the 411:
Here are the details you need to know:
Title: Before the Rose Ceremony: How to Become an Employer of Choice Through Your Interview Process
Date and Time: Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 1:00PM ET
How to register? - Easy, just click here
Steve