MySpace of the Unemployment World???

The Jobster media blitz continued this week, this time via an interview with Jason Goldberg on CNN Headline News. Go ahead watch it...

...Wow! Alright, is it Jobster that continues to put the MySpace reference out there, or is that something that the media has latched onto like a beartrap as a simple-minded way to describe something that they don't quite understand? Heck, most people in the HR/Recruiting community still don't quite get what Jobster is about, how can we expect the mainstream media to get it (i.e. Glenn Beck referring to Jobster as the "MySpace of the unemployment world". Yikes!).

I shake my head because I know better, but also because I continue to be concerned about the MySpace reference. Jobster is not a blog, it is not a place for people to share their exploits, their dark secrets and their personal lifestyle. From the job seeker perspective, it is a place to find jobs, get the 'inside scoop', share their 'work-related' experiences at current or past employers, and maybe get connected via their network (or connect others) to relevant job opportunities. From the employer perspective, it is a place to provide that 'inside scoop' and to reach out and connect with talent via your network or through other targeted strategies.

When I wrote for ERE earlier this summer about the need for the Jobsters of the world to reach out to job seekers to educate them about how these new tools can enhance their ability to connect with great opportunities, this is not what I had in mind. This is about social networking, but from a business perspective. This is not about MySpace and this is not about the unemployed. IMO, those references will not help attract top employers or top talent to take advantage of what these tools (Jobster in particular) have to offer.