Ever wondered what the Blog-o-sphere looks like?
It looks like THIS:
The dark edges show the reciprocal links (where A has cited B and B has cited A), the lighter edges indicate a-reciprocal links. The larger, denser area of the graph is that part of the blogosphere generally characterised by socio-political discussion (the periphery contains some topical groupings). Above and to the left is that area of the blogosphere concerned with technical discussion and gadgetry. (Nielsen BuzzMetrics)
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The House on January 30 released its fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill to fund federal government operations for the remainder of the fiscal year through September 30, 2007. The bill would fund workforce programs including the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Unemployment Insurance (UI), Employment Services (ES), One-Stop/Labor Market Information (LMI) and Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS).
Most programs under the bill including WIA and ES would be funded at their fiscal year 2006 levels, a victory for the workforce system considering bills approved by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees during the 109th Congress had proposed significant reductions, including a $325 million rescission to WIA programs. It appears the most significant reduction included in the bill is to the One-Stop/LMI program, which would receive approximately $64 million under the bill, or about $18 million less than was appropriated in fiscal year 2006. The $64 million amount is the level approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee last Congress; the House Appropriations Committee had proposed a $42 million cut.
In addition to establishing funding levels for the remainder of fiscal year 2007, the appropriations bill includes language (page 56) that would “restrict any funding under the bill be available to finalize or implement any proposed regulation under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, or the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 until such time as legislation reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 is enacted.” This language appears to be a direct rebuke of the effort undertaken by the U.S. Department of Labor to effect workforce system policy through the regulatory process begun on December 20, 2006 via the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Many Senators have expressed concern with the USDOL effort to alter policy in advance of the approval of authorizing legislation – Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Murray (D-WA) sent a recent letter to Senate Appropriators requesting language restricting future USDOL regulatory effort in the spending bill. This letter is available on the Workforce ATM.
Also included in the spending bill is language that appears to ease the transfer of federal equity in state employment security real property to the states. According to the provision (page 60), “the portion of any real property that is attributable to the Federal equity transferred under this section shall be used to carry out activities authorized under this Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, or title III of the Social Security Act.”
The House is expected to approve this legislation before the end of the week and the Senate is scheduled to begin consideration of the bill next week.
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John Sumser is grumpy…undoubtedly needing to learn how to smile again. Maybe a night out with a fast woman with big dreams who likes large bearded men, pudding and Eons.com. would do the trick.
Smile John. It’s ok. It’s a painful thing realizing that the “New Guard” is taking over.
We know that you were one of the first “Bloggers” in the recruit-o-sphere. We know that you have remained true to yourself. You and I have never never met…longtime listener, first-time-caller…but somewhere deep in my soul I know you have a powerful lust for whiskey, Gold Bond Powder and Saltines. But, all is not forsaken. I love you unconditionally.
After reading Jason Davis’ recent post, coming off the cusp of the UnConference. I realized something. You just might be kinda missing the boat on this one. While choosing something like selling cookies over a poker tournament may have more of that warm and fuzzy feel to it, it also comes with an element of some creepy white van rolling through my neighborhood with a sign reading “free candy” on the side…
I saw a great t-shirt the other day. It read, “I HAVE ALZHEIMER’S…but at least I don’t have Alzheimer’s”.
I understand that you are FOR the advancement of the Recruiting industry…especially the “image” of recruiters and the recruiting industry…to rise above IRS agents, Attorneys, info-mercial hosts and used car salespeople in the rankings of bottom-feeders. For this I applaud you.
However I think you might not have realized where you were last week. You were in the midst of a group of people who are trying desperately to ADVANCE the industry…to prompt the “Shot in the arm” that it has needed for quite some time. These are the “friendly”, John…they are on your side. Sure they may cuss and drink and play poker. BUT after all is said and done, they will prevail. It’s better to ride the crest of the momentum that they have created in the recruit-o-community.
Now I should also mention, I do not play cards. I do not gamble. I don’t watch those poker shows on TV. But that just may be the whole point…poker is the new “televised bowling”. Indeed, the times they are a changing. Further, to our point on the IMAGE of the recruiter…please know that barring breaking any state laws, the end certainly justified the means on this one…a ton of cash for Cancer research (something very dear to my heart). Oh and one more thing…the “general public” as you wrote in your response to Jason Davis on Recruiting.com knoew nothing about the UnConference…shit, neither did 98% of the recruiting/HR community. Proving once again, that we all, and some more than others, are legends in our own minds…and all sport a little Alzheimer’s as “personality garnish”.
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So the rumor mill is churning…
True. No one knows exactly what Jobster is up to, and since they only have 7 people who work there it would be hard to find a truly reliable source.
However, this does not stop the madness…no no.
Somewhere out there, there are people who are speculating that Jobster and Facebook are gonna hop into the proverbial sack with one another for a nice long dirty romp that will undoubtadly lead to awkward silences and messy hang-ups the morning after.
we will see what happens…but this can’t be pretty either way.
No matter, Goldberg is mum for now…
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My long-time friend and colleauge Chad “The CHAD” Sowash contiributes to my already seething sentiment of the Second Life phenomenon… I have more to come on this…and John Sumser…and the Un-Conference… and Joel Cheesman’s recent video… but in the meantime, Chad offers up the following FARCE on SL:
SL is everywhere, are you kidding me.. CNN has a vitual hard-on for them and now BBC is launching a kids version? The next thing you know we’ll be putting our offspring into “Matrix-like” pods and hooking them in.. All we need now is a company to create IV fed Krispy Kreme and gummy bears and we can live in our Second Life while our First one withers and dies at our damned feet.. Hey Dad look I ran a 10 flat in the 100 meter with my Wii, can you get me another donut?
http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/01/23/bbc-to-launch-second-life-for-kids/
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/22/magazines/fortune/secondlife_recruit.fortune/?postversion=2007012309
http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/blogtalk/wpn-58-20070123TechLeadersSeeSecondLifeGoldMine.html
AMEN CHAD!
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If you’re a Facebook member, a career as a government spook is only a click away.
Since December 2006, the Central Intelligence Agency has been using Facebook.com, the popular social networking site, to recruit potential employees into its National Clandestine Service. It marks the first time the CIA has ventured into social networking to hire new personnel.
The CIA’s Facebook page (login required) provides an overview of what the NCS is looking for in a recruit, along with a 30-second promotional YouTube video aimed at potential college-aged applicants. U.S. citizens with a GPA above 3.0 can apply.
“It’s an invaluable tool when it comes to peer-to-peer marketing,” says Michele Neff, a CIA spokeswoman.
The NCS, one of the four directorates of the CIA, was established following 9/11 to gather intelligence from sources both domestic and abroad. In 2004, President Bush directed the CIA to increase the “human intelligence capabilities” of the agency and hire more officers that can “blend more easily in foreign cities.”
The search for better spies led the NCS to set up shop on Facebook, which is used primarily by college students. Every Facebook user has her or his own page, and users can choose to join Facebook “groups,” which can be created by individuals or sponsored by companies as paid promotions. The NCS-sponsored Facebook group was launched on Dec. 19, 2006 and will stay active for two months. The group currently has over 2,100 members, up from around 200 one week after its debut.
Scores of companies and organizations have set up shop on Facebook, using the site’s interactive tools like chat, video and personal messaging to establish relationships with potential hires. However, compared to most recruitment pages, the CIA’s page is remarkably light on interactive content.
For example, Ernst & Young’s Facebook group (login required) offers resume advice, interaction with current employees and videos of actual interns. But like the CIA group, the accounting agency’s page operates mostly as a gateway to its corporate careers website.
Like many corporations or nonprofit organizations, the CIA has long turned to colleges with diverse and intelligent student bodies when hiring. But its foray into social networks is a new strategy not yet adopted by other agencies.
There are strict federal regulations that guide recruitment and hiring, which are tightly controlled by the Office of Personnel Management. The bureau audits the recruitment practices of five to six government agencies a year on a rotating basis, according to Kevin Mahoney, OPM’s associate director for human capital leadership.
Yet the CIA is an “exempted agency,” meaning it has its own hiring authority and isn’t audited by OPM. As a result, the CIA is less encumbered by bureaucratic recruitment procedures. Basically, it runs its own show.
“We don’t have to obtain permissions on any of the venues we have scheduled for print or web,” says the CIA’s Neff.
According to Robert Danbeck, associate director for OPM’s human resources products and services division, there is talk about using social networks to let people know about other government jobs. However, most of the focus remains on the one-stop government job site USAJOBS.gov, which currently has around 220,000 job vacancies.
“Right now, we really don’t know about (social networking). We haven’t gotten our arms around it yet,” Danbeck says.
Government agencies may be forced to turn to social networks and other web-based means for recruitment in the future. Hundreds of thousands of government workers are set to retire in the coming years, and new talent can increasingly be found on websites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn….
He also adds…”we’ll be watching…regardless…”
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The well-coifed smarty-pants, Albert Einstein, aptly described insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
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It has been known that Jason Goldberg LOVES prada. In past months, he has lamented publicly, on his blog, that while on a boating excursion, he lost his belongings…ESPECIALLY his prada shoes.
Well, now, Jason,…close your eyes… imagine a world where PRADA goes beyond fashion..not just shoes and belts and your favorite handbags…where technology becomes euro-sex…where the union of fashion, fun, functionality and fantasy can meld together into one super-cool device…only the coolest lips can touch.
NOW, Jason…OPEN YOUR EYES and FEAST your eyes on LG’s new PRADA PHONE…you know you want it.
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