Project: Social

Start with an idea, tweet it out, build on a reply, mix in two HR pros with a mission and a little magic and what do you get? Project: Social.

Spearheaders Victorio Milian and Ben Eubanks see Project: Social as way to develop HR pro understanding of social media and to bridge the digital divide within the HR profession.

It's a wonderful project.

And I'm in.

Sort of like an HR-version of Match.com, Ben and Victorio paired up volunteer mentors and mentees of similiar skills, abilities, interests and needs.

My partner in crime is William (Bill) Gould. Bill is a Human Resources leader in the health care industry with 11 years of HR leadership experience who blogs at HRSoot.  At first glance, we are a pretty good match as Minnesota based (you betcha) human resource leaders in health care.

As I spoke to Bill for the first time, I realized there is more. We were both cave dwellers.

Until my leap into social media, I too was living my professional life in a cave. As Bill so perfectly wrote in his newest post #ProjectSocial - Why Should I be Social Now?, "I had been avoiding the HR network largely because there are many things about our profession (and yes, some good people in our profession) that drive me crazy – I elected to go the course alone (e.g., I have never been to a HR conference)."

I tend to want to retreat to the cave but the pull of connection won't . . .let. . . me. . . stay. . . there too long.

I've felt the tug and pull of posting or not, quality over quantity, and even the horror of deleting my blog. I've been everywhere along the social media spectrum from dreaming in 140 character soundbites on one end to social media nips and tucks at the other. 

After 4 years (or is it 5?) of social media use  - I know things. 

I want to share.

I want to learn.

And I want to bridge. I want to bridge the social media gap between what HR pros read, what they question and what they do. I want to bridge the gap between #trenchHR and #strategicHR.

I want to take another giant leap away from the cave and make a difference and Project: Social is one way that I can do this. So, join us on our adventures as we define our deliverables and, because accountability is king, set milestones and time frames.  

Interested in being a Project: Social mentor or a mentee? Check out this Project: Social link to find out how.