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DVRs are a dreaded technology for TV advertisers. After all, they’re designed to allow viewers to skip commercials, and presumably the messages and products they sell are not reaching those who record their favorite programs on a DVR. However, a recent study conducted by Innerscope Research (and paid for by NBC) suggests that some TV spots are memorable to DVR owners, even in fast forward. The study may lead some advertisers to create ads with familiar characters and longer-than-average cuts to keep their products in the spotlight while ads are being skipped.

The study was conducted last August, and 24 different ads were tested. Those which were most memorable to DVR viewers included a trailer for the The Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon and a cough medicine ad for Mucinex featuring their popular (and repulsive, in my view) character Mr. Mucus. As the Wall Street Journal wryly asks, “What do Matt Damon and an animated piece of phlegm have in common? Viewers seem to remember them especially well…”. Innerscope uses biometric signals to determine the memorability of ads, including eye movements, perspiration, and heart rate. They found that ads with familiar characters, large brand logos, and fewer scene changes (with action concentrated in the middle of the screen) were the most likely to be remembered during fast forward.

The Wall Street Journal speculates that perhaps the reason for the absorption is due to the need for fast forwarders to actually look at the screen during commercial breaks: “viewers speeding through ads are often paying more attention to the screen than live TV viewers, who listen for clues to turn back to the TV program.” For this reason, advertisers who want to reach DVR viewers are attempting to make ads that rely not on clever audio or flashy scene cuts, but on center-screen action and logo visibility.

Visa has reportedly created an ad specifically meant to reach DVR fast forwarders. They concentrated on the tagline, “Life Takes Visa,” displaying it for a few seconds longer than usual so it could still be read and absorbed in fast forward. This doesn’t mean that all advertisers are buying Innerscope’s results, however. Ad firms pay for how many viewers see the spots, and they do not count DVR viewers among their audiences. As Jason Maltby, president and co-executive director for national broadcast at MindShare told the New York Times, “Would we pay when they’re fast-forwarding? No.”

While Innerscope’s “neuromarketing” research is fascinating, it doesn’t suggest by any means that ads are still a slam dunk for DVR viewers. While 69% of real-time viewers remembered commercials the following day, only 25% of fast forwarders could say the same. Still, it’s a surprisingly high number, and advertisers may begin to incorporate some DRV viewers into their marketing efforts. One can only that doesn’t mean more stomach-turning characters like the memorable Mr. Mucus.

Imagine the following scenario: you’re browsing a new website such as RedEnvelope.com looking for new gift ideas. After browsing through their selection, you decide that you don’t like anything you see, and you leave the website without buying anything. Over the next month, you notice that you keep seeing ads for this site, each time with an increasingly better offer, discount, or featured item.

A coincidence, perhaps? Not likely. This is the new marketing strategy being offered by Fetchback, the new Phoenix-based marketing firm that caters specifically to web advertisements. Business 2.0 Magazine recently published an article about Fetchback which equated the company’s tactics with that of cyberstalking. The process involves repeatedly generating ads on your favorite websites in hopes that you’ll return and buy something from one of their clients. Is this company really getting away with a new form of cyberstalking?

Not exactly. According to Chad Little, CEO of Fetchback, this form of re-targeted advertising enables companies “to reconnect with a lost customer. You’re much more likely to convert customers if you’re consistently in front of them.” He goes on to say that the first 30 days after the initial “browsing” are crucial to customer retention, because during this time, the idea is the freshest in the customer’s mind. Therefore, a company’s best chance at gaining a new client is during this time frame. At the same time, however, he realizes that there is the possibility for overkill. After all, if you see the same ad ten times per day, you’re more likely to be annoyed with whatever is being marketed to you, and will be less likely to want to buy it. As the article goes on to say, that is exactly why the potential customer will only be exposed to a max of five ads during that 30-day period. However, each ad may offer an increasingly better deal or special to entice the customer to reconsider.

Fetchback’s website also features a short video demonstrating how the process works. Always up for an adventure, I decided to test the validity of this process. I went to the website in the video (the aforementioned RedEnvelope.com) and browsed through their selections. Having spent a few minutes looking through the available merchandise, I left the website without making a purchase. I waited a few minutes, and then navigated to the MySpace home page (just as the girl in the video did). I logged into my account, and…nothing. No ads from that particular website popped up. Over the next half hour, I navigated to a bunch of different websites listed by Fetchback, but still no ads popped up. Does this mean the ads will never show up? Probably not, as it could simply be that the process takes longer than half an hour. I will most likely see one in the next few days. But the fact that I was not bombarded with ads leads me to believe that this process is most likely a valid means of web marketing and not simply a new form of cyberstalking.

While it may be unconventional, Fetchback’s approach to marketing to the online community has proven very successful, both to the company itself and to their clients. Despite the controversy surrounding this strategy, it is easy to understand why this process would have success with truly interested buyers.

Online social networking and blogging sites seem to be the latest incarnation of “word of mouth” advertising. And, not surprisingly, this type of marketing strategy seems to be working well for some small businesses. Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article about Etsy.com, an internet marketplace that caters to buyers and sellers of handmade goods. The site provides for a lot of user interaction through profiles, blogs, and forums, as well as rating-and-feedback system. The site boasts nearly 800,000 registered users, many of whom are artists seeking to sell their goods to others. For a minimal fee (20 cents for up to four photos of your product, and 3.5% commission on all products you sell), an average of 15,000 daily transactions take place, which has generated millions of dollars in profit for the site.

And to what does founder Rob Kalin attribute his success? Because the site has embraced so many social networking features, Etsy.com has not had to worry about marketing costs. It is all done by satisfied users online. This ranges from everything from user-generated YouTube videos to additional websites created by Etsy.com fans. One of the most noteworthy of these sites is We Love Etsy, created by Lis Kidder, a glass-jewelry designer and an Etsy.com fan. The site, which has nearly 2,800 members, allows subscribers to interact and trade tips in different ways than is possible on the official site. According to Kalin, all of this buzz being generated online about his site means “we don’t have to spend anywhere as much on marketing because there are all of these avenues for people to spread the word and talk about what we do.” From a strictly business standpoint, being able to generate this magnitude of free publicity is certainly a lucrative prospect for the website.

There is certainly a lot of activity the site’s forum pages. Users discuss everything from current hot items to shipping liabilities to other user profiles. One thread was even dedicated to the negative aspects of blogs (though this did not stop some users from posting links to their Etsy-related blogs!). It is also possible to navigate to some of the other user-generated sites (such as the aforementioned “We Love Etsy”). This extremely active web community has helped Etsy grow and improve the site.

Of course, Etsy.com is not the only website to use this kind of marketing tactic. Ebay.com, for example, has been using this kind of forum and feedback system for a while. Though they may now advertise in more traditional venues (television commercials, etc.), they were once completely reliant on the same viral marketing strategy that Etsy.com currently utilizes. Another good example of this is Facebook.com. This online community already has a very well established pool of registered users, and the site has recently begun supporting forums for the purposes of selling goods, advertising rooms for rent, etc. In addition to this, the site is now open to any and all users (whereas before it was strictly a community for college students). In both of these cases, like Etsy.com, this type of marketing plan was successful.

The marketing plan for Etsy.com basically relies on the fact that if a company can bring a group of people together who all share a common interest and give them sufficient means to communicate and interact with one another, then the results will be mutually beneficial. It certainly has proven true in several cases, and other web businesses are now scrambling to use social networking as a marketing opportunity.

Customization is king in the web world, and traditional consumer product companies have struggled to compete in a world where user-generated content is the rage. The auto industry, in particular, has lagged behind in creating a culture of individualism, and owners with a creative streak would visit specialized shops for the paint jobs, exhaust systems, and audio systems they wanted in their cars. Toyota is reaching out to these users, specifically devoted Scion drivers, who want to add an element of creativity to their cars.

Scion is a line of vehicles under Toyota’s umbrella aimed specifically at young, hip drivers. Their website is full of street racing imagery and slang, and even features music videos of upcoming artists and short documentaries by street artists. The branding is unique, strong, and varied, but it appeals to a very specific customer base, one that values creativity over conformity. For this reason, Scion has reached out to marketing firm StrawberryFrog, which has worked with clients such as Old Navy and Morgan Stanley, as well as SmartCar, another compact car brand under Mercedes.

StrawberryFrog has created a campaign known as Scion Speak, which allows users to create customized “coat of arms” online through an interactive website. They hired graffiti artist Tristan Eaton to design the graphics for the site. Eaton met with Scion owners to get an idea of what they have in common and how to reach them through art. His conclusion was that Scion owners form their own unique culture, and they have a deep desire to customize and set themselves apart. Many of them have tricked out their cars with added features and special paint jobs, which shows not only their tendency to be creative, but their willingness to spend money on cars.

Eaton’s designs are edgy, interesting, and modern. They include everything from mythical creatures (Phoenix, Dirty Rat, Hackoon, etc.) to tiny icons of spray paint bottles, cameras, crayons, sports equipment, tanks, and even a stethoscope, meant to represent the user’s interests, jobs, and skills. While the site allows you to create your own coat of arms for free, they have to go elsewhere to have their symbols made into window decals or custom paint jobs, which could cost thousands of dollars. You can also browse other user’s designs to get ideas for your own. Here’s the crest I created:

Toyota has taken a key step towards organic growth with Web 2.0 skills. While many companies have tried to create web-based buzz around a product or brand, Toyota is harnessing the buzz that is already surrounding the Scion brand. This type of interest and customer investment in a product is something that cannot be created with a marketing campaign or social networking site. StrawberryFrog’s campaign is aimed at current users, not future customers, and that is why is has the potential to succeed and generate real excitement for a brand. As a representative told the New York Times, Scion Speak aims “to reduce Scion’s investment on conquering new customers and increasing the passion for the brand among its core fan base.” While it seems counter-productive, the customers who will be thrilled with this campaign are going to be attracted to Scion’s brand for life. Sometimes the best customers are the most loyal ones, and Toyota has converted their loyalty into a Web 2.0 art gallery that will appeal to others like them.

Online video continues to rise in popularity, and advertisers are still scratching their heads about how to make money from the YouTube phenomenon. According to a recent press release from Comscore, “More than three-quarters of the total U.S. Internet audience (75.7 percent) viewed online video [in January].” And that’s only U.S. internet users. Despite this growing trend, online advertising giant Google has yet to make money on web video ventures, despite owning the largest and most popular site, YouTube.

One reason advertisers haven’t jumped at the online video market may be the nature of user-generated content. They’re afraid their message might be associated with unflattering videos. As a recent article in the Globe and Mail explains, “Many advertisers, for now, are staying away for fear their ads could inadvertently appear with clips that have nudity, foul language or perhaps criticism of their brand.” After spending $1.76 billion dollars to acquire YouTube, though, Google is determined to soothe these fears.

One new strategy is to place advertising in the form of banners or clickable text within a larger video. This will allows advertisers to partner with appropriate videos for their products. For example, a banner for iTunes might be placed on a video for the latest band to hit it big in the viral world. The service also allows advertisers to target ads based on a number of criteria. Their ads can be direct by demographic factors like age, gender, geographic location, or even time of day, eliminating the risk of placement solely based on content.

The other strategy which Google is pushing is for clickable video ads to appear on sites that are a part of their content network and as a sideline on Google search pages. The ads will play with a click, not automatically upon navigating to a page. A good example of this can be seen with this Adobe ad featured on AppleInsider. This also allows clear, directed targeting to eliminate some of the guess work in online video advertising. For example, a Google user who searches for “flower arranging” might be greeted not only with websites on the topic, but also with a 1-800-FLOWERS video about their latest promotion.

In addition to the promise of targeted ads, Google is trying to lure advertisers with the promise of measuring user interest, something which traditional advertising venues cannot provide. As their AdWords page on clickable video ads explains, “We’ll report a clickthrough whenever a user clicks the display URL and visits the advertiser’s site, rather than when a user clicks the play button or image.” This is a more accurate count of interest in a product, as it can measure how many users take action, not just how many users view the video. The pricing for AdWords video is also prorated based on clicks, making it more accessible to companies of all sizes.

While these new services do not guarantee that online videos will start making money for Google, they do pose a significant threat to television and print advertising. It is much cheaper to advertise online than on a television broadcast, and the ROI of any given campaign can be measured immediately and accurately. These benefits could lure companies away from traditional advertising venues to take advantage of the popularity, low cost, and targeted nature of online video. If Google’s plans are successful, we’ll be seeing a marriage between sponsored and user-generated content on our favorite web video sites.

The technology world is full of bright ideas, promising startups, and spectacular disappointments. You never know which brand new company is going to break through to the mainstream, and which is going to fade into obscurity. BookLamp.org is aiming to be one of those great ideas that becomes a mainstay in the lives of internet users the world over. The self-described “Pandora.com for books” is a new beta project which attempts to match readers with books that will appeal to their personality, style, and preferences.

The brand new site uses a graphing system to determine key points, which they call “bookmarks,” about any given work. After scanning a book, their proprietary software determines the pacing, density, action, description, and dialogue levels of the title. Users can rate the books they enjoy and receive recommendations for other works that closely match the bookmarks of their favorite reads. Pandora.com uses a similar approach to recommend music that users will like, though they employed human musical analysts to discover the details within a song that make it appeal to any given person.

BookLamp.org features an informative video about their process and goals in scanning and analyzing books. While they acknowledge that readers reviews can help determine if a book would appeal to each individual, they argue that reviews can only consider the characters and storyline as appealing, not the overall writing style of the author. BookLamp’s system can analyzes books based on the parts of speech used, tracking the language of each scene. This gives their reviews a consistency across styles and authors that the average human reviewer cannot achieve (i.e. you might like books about seafaring, but you might despise Melville’s writing style).

The site is in early beta at the moment (even the FAQ section is not complete), so it’s difficult to give the idea an informed thumbs up or down. I did register and check out the graphs for the two books in their system that I’d read (they’ve analyzed just 179 books at present, most of which are science fiction). They hope to work with publishers and significantly expand the database to appeal to a wider audience. The idea itself is quite innovative, and if they get the interface right and grow their catalogue, I can easily see this idea taking off, particularly if they reach out to social networking users. A Facebook app which allows you to search, review, and recommend books to friends based on BookLamp data could be tremendously successful.

Some might say that a software analysis is not a very good way to interact with literature, and on a wider level, I would tend to agree. After all, your reaction to any given book might be very different depending on your mood or your circumstances when you read it. For example, you might like to read Alexander McCall-Smith during a quiet afternoon at the beach, but you prefer Dan Brown’s novels during air travel to pass the time. These two author’s work have very little in common in terms of action, dialogue, and themes, but it’s certainly possible to enjoy them both. As BookLamp’s database and services expand, users will want a way to search by genre and theme so their recommendations are not only accurate, but also varied.

BookLamp is likely to get plenty of attention from avid readers and techies alike. Here’s hoping they can break through the initial hype and build a lasting success in the online world.

Food companies have long suffered from public backlash regarding their marketing efforts. They have been continually (and rightfully) criticized for the way sugary snack and fast foods are marketed to children and adults alike. It seems, however, with our national discussion about health and wellness heating up, that food marketers are listening and responding to complaints. More and more companies have reformulated and repackaged familiar products to make them healthy, and the strategy seems to be paying off.

Health claims made on food labels must be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. This is a consequence of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which was aimed at stopping food marketers from making unfounded claims about the benefits of certain foods. Any marketing material or label that makes health claims must now be validated by scientific evidence from a federal scientific body (i.e. CDC, USDA, etc.). For example, a company claiming that their yogurt can help build stronger bones must cite legitimate scientific evidence connecting calcium and bone strength.

In spite of strict regulations, food companies have responded to the consumer’s interest in healthy foods. A recent Wall Street Journal article profiles the reformulation and marketing efforts of General Mills. Beginning in 2004, the company set a goal to have 20% of sales come from healthy product lines. After succeeding beyond expectations, General Mills added another 20% to the goal, and many of their top executives receive incentives based on how well they meet health and wellness objectives. Their strategy was to reformulate products to match up with consumer’s expectations of healthy foods. “A product could meet the new health standard in a number of ways: a 10% reduction in fat, sugar, or sodium content; a 10% increase in healthful ingredients, including vitamins and fiber; or by meeting FDA guidelines that allow a product to carry labels such as ‘reduced sodium’ or ‘low fat’.”

It seems clear that these measures are not only helping average consumers make informed food choices, but also paying off for the companies which have marketed to the growing group of health-conscious shoppers. General Mills brought in an impressive $12.4 billion in fiscal year 2006, and they recent upped their profit forecast for this year, giving their healthy product lines the credit for increasing sales.

They aren’t the only food company attempting to cash in on this trend, however. Kellogg and Kraft have recently stopped using trans fats in their products, and Campbell Soup sold off Godiva Chocolates to focus on healthier fare. Heinz is another big winner in this marketing strategy, growing sales by 9 percent last year. They give the credit to their division called Pure Food Company. A representative from Heinz says, “From organic Classico pasta sauces to our expanding range of reduced calorie meals, soups, and desserts under the Weight Watchers from Heinz and Weight Watchers Smart Ones brands, we provide consumers with multiple options to suit their lifestyles.”

And more shoppers are indeed choosing a healthy lifestyle. Organic foods supermarkets are expanding, and U.S. consumers are embracing healthy food products as never before. Are these food companies truly providing a healthier product, or is it all just a marketing ploy? Certainly FDA regulations have helped to curb the “spin” and ensure that companies can back up their claims, but consumers need to be aware that the label “healthy” is always on a continuum. A Progresso soup which General Mills has labeled “50% less sodium” means only that it has less sodium than their original soup, not that it is necessarily a low-sodium food by FDA standards.

While the efforts of these food companies are a step in the right direction, it is still important for informed shoppers to look past the marketing to the real nutritional content of the foods they buy. As health and wellness move into the world of big business, it’s up to buyers to hold companies like General Mills and Heinz to their claims.

Branding is a common practice for businesses who want to put the right foot forward for their customers. Many companies make the effort to create attractive logos, craft marketing messages, and reach out to users by appealing to their cultural and aesthetic values. A great example of branding can be found in Dunkin’ Donuts popular commercials. This spot perfectly reflects the communities and attitudes of Dunkin’ Donuts’ stronghold in the Northeast. The actors are diverse, showing yuppies and blue collar workers alike, and it exemplifies the core of Dunkin’s customers.

But what about branding for potential employees? It’s rare to see a commercial or advertisement focusing on what it’s like to work for a company, though it could be the key to recruiting employees that would best fit in with the specific mission and values of a business. Branding for employment can not only help with recruiting efforts, but can also help current employees reflect your image when dealing with vendors, customers, and interviewees.

First, it’s important to have an accurate idea of the company’s goals, values, and mission in order to create an effective brand. What does your organization want to accomplish? What kinds of people do you currently employ? What are your goals for future hires? Examine company documentation for answers to some of these questions, and create an outline of your corporate culture. This does not need to be a fixed framework, and it should be able to adapt to changes within your business. By assessing current values and goals, you can establish future branding for your potential employees.

Aside from just looking at existing documentation, an accurate employment brand should include input from a wide variety of your current workforce. One simple way to gather feedback and determine the reality of your values is to survey employees from various business units, levels, and backgrounds. Many businesses conduct bi-annual surveys of employee satisfaction, and many even survey job candidates and hold exit interviews for those moving on to other opportunities. The feedback you gather could be surprising, and it will definitely help you get an accurate idea of how your company is perceived by those who know it best.

Once you have determined your stated values and the current perception of your brand by employees, it’s time to bridge the gap between the two. Determine how your actual brand is different from your desired brand, and take the steps necessary to match them up. For example, if a survey of your workers reveals that they see the chain of command is disorganized, make efforts to clear up the hierarchy and retrain management in communication techniques. Job hunters will pick up on internal problems from interacting with interviewers, and it may cost your business the best hire for the position. Listen to the suggestions of current employees, and you will be able to present the best impression to interviewees.

Walmart is a good example of a company which has struggled with employment branding. Though this commercial tries to show a festive, positive work environment, the public perception of working for the retail giant is better aligned with this satirical commentary. By listening and responding to the needs of current employees, businesses can avoid the Walmart curse of terrible employment branding. Remember, job candidates are not just interviewing to show you their skills, they’re also there to see if your work environment appeals to them. Careful branding, backed up by the willingness and ability to make changes, can help any business attract the talent they need to succeed.

For those of you who remember being awestruck while watching the classic children’s movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, get ready for this: lickable wallpaper has entered into the modern marketplace! Earlier this month, Welch’s took out a full-page print ad in People magazine to promote their brand of grape juice. But there was a new twist: the ads provided lickable samples, using technology developed by a company called First Flavor. The ad was met with mixed reactions, most of which pertaining to what this Wall Street Journal article has dubbed “The Ick Factor.” The internet buzz generated by this new concept suggests that some may have been turned off to the product based on their initial interpretation of having to actually lick a magazine (and who knows where it has been?). However, the truth is that these lickable ads use the same technology as the dissolvable breath freshening strips that have been on the market for a while now. Even still, there are those who are not entirely convinced that this will be a sanitary form of marketing. After all, what’s to stop someone from tampering with a pile of magazines?

While this is not the first instance of this type of advertisement being used (The Wall Street Journal sites a similar ad campaign being used by CBS to promote one of its sitcoms), the Welch’s ad has received a lot of attention. Radio host Shari Elliker and her crew at WBAL AM 1090 even did a test run of the ad for a segment on her morning show. This attention has lead some ad experts to believe that such multi-sensory advertisements will draw a new pool of customers and strengthen the connection with existing ones. All publicity is good publicity, right? However, these experts also warn that there may be no middle ground with this type of advertising. Lickable ads will either be massively popular or a complete flop based on the response to their flavor.

Still, there are many consumers who can’t get past the perceived “ick factor,” and there are many more who believe that even if they could, there are too many opportunities for tampering and endangering public health. One blogger reviewing the Welch’s grape juice ad wonders if this whole concept is “a lawsuit waiting to happen.” Additional feedback indicates that some consumers feel the big bucks the company is spending on these ads (which, in fact, costs hundreds of thousands more than a normal print ad) would be better spent on other marketing ideas (i.e. - free samples of actual grape juice, discount coupons, etc.). And while there were a few blog reviews that were positively endorsing this ad, the overwhelming majority of them listed reason after reason for why this was such a bad idea.

Behind us are the days of the simple scratch-and-sniff ad, but whether or not this new marketing scheme will be effective has yet to be seen. There certainly seem to be many concerns in the consumer pool that will need to be addressed. One thing’s for sure: this ad got people taking about Welch’s, so it’s clear that their marketing team must be doing something right!

Finding a job is all about connections. It’s about networking with former colleagues, clients, vendors, classmates, and friends. However, with the increasingly important role of technology in the job hunting process, how do employers and job hunters find or develop those connections? Just as friendship has gone the way of Web 2.0, with sites like Facebook and MySpace becoming the norm for socializing, so have corporate recruiters embraced online networking as a means of establishing professional relationships with potential employees.

One way in which recruiters are reaching out to job hunters is through targeted ads, groups, and messages on social networking sites. For example, Victoria’s Secret hosts a Facebook group which directs members to internship opportunities with the clothing and lingerie retail giant. Southwest Airlines has a similar group, offering not only internships but also job openings targeting college students studying in technology programs. The post specifically invites software engineers from six Texas/Oklahoma schools to apply, since Southwest is based in Dallas.

The idea is that by reaching out to current students and recent graduates, recruiters will be able to speak directly to potential entry-level employees. Also, as Southwest’s efforts demonstrate, those who spend time on Facebook and other social networking sites are more likely to be tech savvy, hence the job postings for their technology group. Employers have had great success with these targeted messages. According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon Communications also used sponsored posts and groups on Facebook, which resulted in over one million clicks on their career site.

Recruiters and job hunters alike are also using video sharing sites to promote themselves and connect face-to-face with each other. A good example of this is the proliferation of recruitment videos up on YouTube and other video sharing sites. For example, this spot from Cisco highlights the diverse workforce, the fluidity of roles within the organization, and the personal interests of their employees. The actors (or real employees?), none of whomlook older than 35, are shown not just at work, but also at the beach surfing, at sporting events, in volunteer roles, and traveling around the world. The message is strong, the video is high-quality, and the market they want to reach is active on YouTube.

Job hunters are turning the tables on recruiters by using YouTube for self-promotion videos. This clever spot follows a graphic designer as she hands out resumes around town. The videographer asks her potential interview questions which highlight her passion for her field. Another great idea? Model Tomiko Foster created a video of the best shots of her portfolio, giving potential clients not only a look at her past work, but also an idea of her presence in front of the camera. The video also features a plug for her agency, Ford Models, and invites interested parties to visit their website.

Recruiters and potential employers are also utilizing video technology to set up interviews and meetings without the commitment of flying candidates across the country and picking up a large expense tabs. Employers can virtually meet with job candidates, and executives in offices around the country could potentially participate or observe the interview. Industry experts predict that more and more computers will feature video conferencing technology to allow the average job seeker access to employers all over the world.

Perhaps one of the first web tools to be utilized by recruiters and employers was the search engine. Most hiring managers spend a few minutes “Googling” job candidates before calling them for an interview, and if they find something unsavory or unattractive, the job hunter may not make it to the interview stage. If a potential candidate is featured in drunken photos on MySpace or wrote an inflammatory blog post about a past employer, recruiters are going to think twice about hiring him or her. It may be judgmental, but it’s the nature of business. Recruiters want to meet with people who conduct themselves professionally, and a racy Facebook profile could work against a job hunter.

Those candidates who are tech savvy are creating websites and profiles on business networking sites like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is essentially Facebook for business. Job hunters and employers alike create professional profiles which showcase their experience, opportunities, and best qualities. One can connect with former coworkers and find job opportunities through the online network. Once you establish a connection with a professional contact or colleague, you have access to all of their connections, etc. The site is fast becoming a new frontier for turning personal and business contacts into job leads and professional opportunities.

While a personal connection is always a sure way to find job leads, Web 2.0 technologies are helping to bridge the gap between technology and face-to-face contact. Through video conferencing, social/enterprise networking, and personal promotion, recruiters and job hunters are making it easier to get to know each other on the internet.