Help Wanted: Search Specialist
As we increasingly move to an Internet-centric society, we’re seeing all kinds of new and interesting careers spring up. Soon, we’ll see some interesting career opportunities for smart, adaptable workers.
A few years ago, we saw the rise of professional bloggers and search engine marketing specialists. Right now, we’re seeing professionals developing mobile applications and social media widgets.
In 2009, we’ll see the evolution of the Search Specialist. Now, these people are already out there in niche jobs (and they’ll probably be able to find this blog posting). But coming soon, we’ll probably see headhunters and HR departments looking for knowledge workers who can quickly and effectively mine the Net for super-specific information.
It would be natural to expect this to go to someone with a library sciences degree, but I think Search Specialists will evolve from people who work within specific industries.
I’ll give you an example. I worked as an editor at a small e-marketing agency specializing in pharmaceutical communications directed at healthcare professionals. On my team, I had an editor who was a wizard at uncovering information on the web.
Sure, she was good at Google, but that’s a given. She also knew how to dig deeper and get information in other search engines, like Yahoo, Ask, and MSN (all of which give different results). She also knew how to search blogs, message boards, and news articles to dig up more information.
This is going back a few years before the big YouTube and Twitter explosion. But a Search Specialist will be the kind of person who can quickly and effectively dig up, organize, and present highly focused data sources.
In our case, this editor could dig up information, sort the gems from the junk, and generate an informed position on just about any topic you can imagine. Going forward, and it’s going to be important to access all kinds of information on the public Net, even the stuff that isn’t well tagged and indexed by Google.
Blogs, videos, Flash interfaces, games, e-books, Twitters posts, social networks (including Facebook & MySpace), manuals, databases, closed communities, news archives, software, all contain valuable information. Some of this information is indexed, but most of it is not.
Several industries already leverage search specialists, including patent and other legal businesses. In the future, other industries will seek people out who can mine and measure information from Net sources.
Search Specialists will be needle-in-a-haystack researchers who defy traditional job roles. Some of them will be research specialists or editors or scientists or journalists or work from home entrepreneurs.
In the beginning, they will be underpaid and under appreciated. But one day they will be valued and coveted knowledge workers who can extract stubborn data from nearly any source. In the right organization, they will be highly paid and highly promotable, especially as they research corporate strategies.
If you like to search, discover, and organize, it’s probably a good time to start positioning yourself as a Search Specialist in your current career. Eventually, as the career landscape shifts, you’ll be prepared for a new career as a Search Specialist.
Flickr & Picasa Your New Photos
I’ve been posting more pictures these days to photo sharing sites. My two current favorites are Flickr and Picasa.
Picasa (owned by Google) offers some nice sharing features, including the ability to embed your photos inside your blog. It makes it easy to share a gallery…except on WordPress. (Unless I pay for a WordPress upgrade.)
At least I can embed a preview image that links to the Picasa gallery:
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| Random Photos by Buddy Scalera |
Flickr (owned by Yahoo) is also a cool service, but it only allows you to insert a link to your gallery. That’s sort of old school, considering all of the cool things you can do with widgets and code.
Flickr has a really vibrant and engaging social network, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. I can join groups where I can share my photos and I can track photographers I like. By comparison, Picasa’s social community is a little weak.
On the other hand, Picasa offers many cool features, including the ability to upload video and embed slideshows. For the same features, Flickr requires you to pay $24.95 to get the premium features, which include basics like the ability create multiple galleries.
If one of these sites offered the right package, I’d certainly be willing to pay. Of course, I want to pay according to my needs. So, I’d pay $12 a year for upgraded consumer services on Flickr. And if I wanted pro-level services, I’d be willing to pony up $24.95. With only two choices (free or $24.95), I’m sticking with free.
On the Picasa side, I’d like to see Google do a better job of integrating their other services. I already use many Google services, so I’d pay extra to have them synchronized. Again, give me some pricing thresholds, and I’ll choose the one that makes the most sense.
Flickr & Picasa Your New Photos
I’ve been posting more pictures these days to photo sharing sites. My two current favorites are Flickr and Picasa.
Picasa (owned by Google) offers some nice sharing features, including the ability to embed your photos inside your blog. It makes it easy to share a gallery…except on WordPress. (Unless I pay for a WordPress upgrade.)
At least I can embed a preview image that links to the Picasa gallery:
|
| Random Photos by Buddy Scalera |
Flickr (owned by Yahoo) is also a cool service, but it only allows you to insert a link to your gallery. That’s sort of old school, considering all of the cool things you can do with widgets and code.
Flickr has a really vibrant and engaging social network, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. I can join groups where I can share my photos and I can track photographers I like. By comparison, Picasa’s social community is a little weak.
On the other hand, Picasa offers many cool features, including the ability to upload video and embed slideshows. For the same features, Flickr requires you to pay $24.95 to get the premium features, which include basics like the ability create multiple galleries.
If one of these sites offered the right package, I’d certainly be willing to pay. Of course, I want to pay according to my needs. So, I’d pay $12 a year for upgraded consumer services on Flickr. And if I wanted pro-level services, I’d be willing to pony up $24.95. With only two choices (free or $24.95), I’m sticking with free.
On the Picasa side, I’d like to see Google do a better job of integrating their other services. I already use many Google services, so I’d pay extra to have them synchronized. Again, give me some pricing thresholds, and I’ll choose the one that makes the most sense.
CNET Says “Dek, Dek, Dek”
Got an email alert this morning from Cnet.com, as I do most mornings. Highlights, interesting tech tidbits, and other stuff I sip with my coffee.
Today, Cnet announced the Year in Review. Cool. Except…the headline was “SKELETON.” Hmm. Intriguing. Skeletons in the closet? Is Skeleton some new software? Skeleton trend?
Inside the email, SKELETON revealed to be “DEK DEK DEK DEK.” Huh. Cryptic. Some sort of insider tech talk? A Cnet digital chant?
On the website, things got even weirder…the DEK DEK DEK began to mix with the HED HED HED. Ah, got it. In 2008 DEK DEK DEK always gives you DEK DEK DEK.
If none of this makes sense, well, that’s because you haven’t look at the screenshots below.
Hey, if I don’t see you, have a very HED HED HED day. And don’t step in any DEK DEK DEK.
CNet Email - Dek Dek Dek
CNET - HED HED HED
Oh yeah, and be sure to check out “Tissot Thinks I’m a Dummy” too.
CNET Says "Dek, Dek, Dek"
Got an email alert this morning from Cnet.com, as I do most mornings. Highlights, interesting tech tidbits, and other stuff I sip with my coffee.
Today, Cnet announced the Year in Review. Cool. Except…the headline was “SKELETON.” Hmm. Intriguing. Skeletons in the closet? Is Skeleton some new software? Skeleton trend?
Inside the email, SKELETON revealed to be “DEK DEK DEK DEK.” Huh. Cryptic. Some sort of insider tech talk? A Cnet digital chant?
On the website, things got even weirder…the DEK DEK DEK began to mix with the HED HED HED. Ah, got it. In 2008 DEK DEK DEK always gives you DEK DEK DEK.
If none of this makes sense, well, that’s because you haven’t look at the screenshots below.
Hey, if I don’t see you, have a very HED HED HED day. And don’t step in any DEK DEK DEK.
CNet Email - Dek Dek Dek
CNET - HED HED HED
Oh yeah, and be sure to check out “Tissot Thinks I’m a Dummy” too.
I’m a Mac…he’s a Bill
You know, it’s not really fair. Those “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads are great and all…but so few people take the time to talk about those ads with Jerry and Bill.
Remember those ads? No? Hmm. Maybe it’s because they were good…they just failed to sell us on why we should buy Microsoft.
I mean, with the “Im a…” ads, you could see that they are definitely trying to get you to buy a Mac. And, quite frankly, the ads are very effective.
At one time, Mac had about 3% of the total market share in desktop computers. By some estimates, that’s up to about 21%. Of course, much of that has been attributed to a halo effect around the iPod, but maybe some of it has to do with those ads.
Anyway, not to belabor the point, but the Microsoft ads dont really “sell” Microsoft, and maybe they dont have to. You get a few minutes in the adventures of Jerry and Bill. And tonight, that’s good enough for me.
Men & Boys Book Promotion
Just did an interview with the Pulse to promote my new book Comic Artist’s Photo Reference: Men & Boys. This is my third pose file book for comic book artists, illustrators, animators, and everyone else who wants to improve their artistic craft.
Hope you like the article: The Boys of Scalera’s Comic Artist’s Photo Ref
Comic Artist's Photo Reference: Men & Boys
Men & Boys Book Promotion
Just did an interview with the Pulse to promote my new book Comic Artist’s Photo Reference: Men & Boys. This is my third pose file book for comic book artists, illustrators, animators, and everyone else who wants to improve their artistic craft.
Hope you like the article: The Boys of Scalera’s Comic Artist’s Photo Ref
Comic Artist's Photo Reference: Men & Boys
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