Web Development Live

Minutes after attending a seminar titled “Use Social Networking to Your Professional Advantage,” I opened my e-mail and found two invitations to join LinkedIn.com networks.

One came from a person I’d had professional contact with previously. I clicked “accept” and went on to other things. I didn’t recognize the other name, so I closed the e-mail without response. And, thanks to Ellen Levy, I didn’t feel bad about the tacit rejection.

Levy, vice president of corporate development and strategy at LinkedIn.com, just presented an overview of Internet social networking sites at the Central Exchange’s annual Women’s Lyceum, an educational and networking event. Understanding that attendees came to the conference from many different backgrounds and levels of Web familiarity, Levy prefaced her user advice with a primer. First, she explained, there was Web 1.0 — the mostly one-directional flow of information over the Internet. Think of Web pages.

We’re now in the age of Web 2.0 — an era of two-way communication that in three years spawned a host of interactive social networking sites. A show of hands indicated that about half the people used LinkedIn, a professional networking Web site, to build business relationships.

Even if you’ve never been on a social networking site, you understand the concept: It’s a cyberspace handshake. It facilitates connections. It does what Rotary meetings, phone calls, cocktail parties and e-mail have done for years.

Let’s say Joe wants a job at Hallmark Cards. Joe doesn’t know anybody in the human resources department or target department where he wants to work. But he is good friends with Sally, who has a Hallmark Gold Crown store. Sally knows people in Hallmark’s retail division. One, Bill, is the main liaison with Joan in the human resources department. And Joan knows that Fred is exactly the right person for Joe to meet. Fred, meet Joe. Joe, here’s Fred, who has someone vouching for him.

I made up that scenario, but that’s the six-degrees-of-separation concept.

A professional networking Web site might help make the connections that have always been an essential ingredient in job hunting, business development and sales prospecting. (A user also can get a wealth of professional responses quickly when posting a question on the appropriate area of the site.)

Levy emphasized that Web-based networking sites are only as good as the veracity and relevance of the people using them.

A LinkedIn connection may not make sense if you accept an invitation to join one’s professional network if you don’t know the person or don’t have ties to one’s business skills or services. “It should be a tool to leverage relationships you already have,” Levy said.

And a good professional network site should never be confused with a social networking site such as Facebook. The purposes are completely different, she said.

A professional networking site can be a good way to put your business profile — basically your resume and the services you can offer — online, where they can be seen by millions of other site users. It can spread “the message of you” a lot further and faster than passing out business cards and shaking hands at meetings.

But as much as Levy championed the professional development possibilities of Web 2.0, she reminded attendees of something that most knew well: “Time is a scarce resource.” Use networking sites judiciously. Understand that others might not have the time you do to dig deep into the site. And, most of all, she said, don’t get sucked into making a contest out of how many “connections” you can list. It’s not a matter of quantity; it’s the quality that counts.

Boise attorneys and human resources officials are reviewing whether two city employees are violating city rules by working at private wastewater treatment facilities.Interim Public Works Director John Tenson said he’s asked to see if the moonlighting work performed by Bill Duncan and Chris Linder and their company, Operations Management Consulting Services, conflicts with their city jobs. The city allows employees to have second jobs so long as they don’t interfere with city work and employees inform their supervisors.Duncan and Linder meet job performance requirements managing the city’s two wastewater treatment facilities, and have disclosed the work of their company, Tenson said. Since 1999, the men also have operated the company that contracts for daily operations at smaller, independent treatment plants such as Boise’s Hidden Springs and the Avimor planned community in Ada County.In January, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter had his staff create a policy designed to block sewage from outside communities after Avimor’s developers said they intended to truck sewage to Boise’s treatment plants. Bieter has opposed the Avimor development, calling it “leapfrog development” and urban sprawl. The company owned by Duncan and Linder will operate and maintain Avimor’s treatment facility.Last month, Boise blogger Dave Frazier complained about the arrangement, and the Idaho Statesman has received messages about the moonlighting. The company’s Web site touts Duncan’s and Linder’s experience within the city. It also lists the city’s 2006 Peak Performance Platinum Award - recognition for superior operations at the West Boise Wastewater Treatment Plant.Tenson said questions about the company have cropped up from time to time. But until a Statesman inquiry, Tenson wasn’t aware his employees’ company worked on several projects with a local firm, Pharmer Engineering, that sometimes contracts with Boise. Tenson asked the city’s legal and human resources department to rule out any potential conflicts with that company, he said.”We take conflict of interest very seriously. We want to make sure every step of the way, you are doing it right,” Tenson said. “It’s awkward. From a management perspective, moonlighting causes any manager a concern. But you have to respect what they can do in their private life, too.”Duncan declined to comment, other than to say he was “not doing anything wrong or illegal. Everything is above-board.”Linder did not return a message left on his city telephone.Robert Pharmer, president of Pharmer Engineering, which designed both the Avimor and Hidden Springs facilities, said the companies work separately. “They do not oversee our projects at all, and they do not work on our projects,” Pharmer said. “There is no connection, business-wise, contractually or any other way.”City contracts are selected through the engineering division, and neither Linder nor Duncan oversee any contracts, Tenson said. “We plan (to have) a meeting later this week to make sure there is no conflict,” he said.Tenson also referenced a 2007 document from the city’s ethics commission, which said it was ethical for city employees to work for companies performing similar work as their city job, when paid by the hour and there is not a conflict of interest or violation of the fiduciary duties owed to the city.Bieter is comfortable with a previous review and has no problem with the men doing outside work, said his spokesman Adam Park. “This case has been looked at carefully, and it was determined there was no conflict of interest or violation of city policy,” Park said. “Once that determination has been made, they’re free to do what they want with their own time.”Kathleen Kreller: 377-6418

Boise attorneys and human resources officials are reviewing whether two city employees are violating city rules by working at private wastewater treatment facilities.Interim Public Works Director John Tenson said he抯 asked to see if the moonlighting work performed by Bill Duncan and Chris Linder and their company, Operations Management Consulting Services, conflicts with their city jobs. The city allows employees to have second jobs so long as they don抰 interfere with city work and employees inform their supervisors.Duncan and Linder meet job performance requirements managing the city抯 two wastewater treatment facilities, and have disclosed the work of their company, Tenson said. Since 1999, the men also have operated the company that contracts for daily operations at smaller, independent treatment plants such as Boise抯 Hidden Springs and the Avimor planned community in Ada County.In January, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter had his staff create a policy designed to block sewage from outside communities after Avimor抯 developers said they intended to truck sewage to Boise抯 treatment plants. Bieter has opposed the Avimor development, calling it 搇eapfrog development?and urban sprawl. The company owned by Duncan and Linder will operate and maintain Avimor抯 treatment facility.Last month, Boise blogger Dave Frazier complained about the arrangement, and the Idaho Statesman has received messages about the moonlighting. The company抯 Web site touts Duncan抯 and Linder抯 experience within the city. It also lists the city抯 2006 Peak Performance Platinum Award ?recognition for superior operations at the West Boise Wastewater Treatment Plant.Tenson said questions about the company have cropped up from time to time. But until a Statesman inquiry, Tenson wasn抰 aware his employees?company worked on several projects with a local firm, Pharmer Engineering, that sometimes contracts with Boise.
Tenson asked the city抯 legal and human resources department to rule out any potential conflicts with that company, he said.揥e take conflict of interest very seriously. We want to make sure every step of the way, you are doing it right,?Tenson said. 揑t抯 awkward. From a management perspective, moonlighting causes any manager a concern. But you have to respect what they can do in their private life, too.?p/>Duncan declined to comment, other than to say he was 搉ot doing anything wrong or illegal. Everything is above-board.?p/>Linder did not return a message left on his city telephone.Read more in Thursday’s Idaho Statesman.

Boise attorneys and human resources officials are reviewing whether two city employees are violating city rules by working at private wastewater treatment facilities.Interim Public Works Director John Tenson said he’s asked to see if the moonlighting work performed by Bill Duncan and Chris Linder and their company, Operations Management Consulting Services, conflicts with their city jobs. The city allows employees to have second jobs so long as they don’t interfere with city work and employees inform their supervisors.Duncan and Linder meet job performance requirements managing the city’s two wastewater treatment facilities, and have disclosed the work of their company, Tenson said. Since 1999, the men also have operated the company that contracts for daily operations at smaller, independent treatment plants such as Boise’s Hidden Springs and the Avimor planned community in Ada County.In January, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter had his staff create a policy designed to block sewage from outside communities after Avimor’s developers said they intended to truck sewage to Boise’s treatment plants. Bieter has opposed the Avimor development, calling it “leapfrog development” and urban sprawl. The company owned by Duncan and Linder will operate and maintain Avimor’s treatment facility.Last month, Boise blogger Dave Frazier complained about the arrangement, and the Idaho Statesman has received messages about the moonlighting. The company’s Web site touts Duncan’s and Linder’s experience within the city. It also lists the city’s 2006 Peak Performance Platinum Award - recognition for superior operations at the West Boise Wastewater Treatment Plant.Tenson said questions about the company have cropped up from time to time. But until a Statesman inquiry, Tenson wasn’t aware his employees’ company worked on several projects with a local firm, Pharmer Engineering, that sometimes contracts with Boise. Tenson asked the city’s legal and human resources department to rule out any potential conflicts with that company, he said.”We take conflict of interest very seriously. We want to make sure every step of the way, you are doing it right,” Tenson said. “It’s awkward. From a management perspective, moonlighting causes any manager a concern. But you have to respect what they can do in their private life, too.”Duncan declined to comment, other than to say he was “not doing anything wrong or illegal. Everything is above-board.”Linder did not return a message left on his city telephone.Robert Pharmer, president of Pharmer Engineering, which designed both the Avimor and Hidden Springs facilities, said the companies work separately. “They do not oversee our projects at all, and they do not work on our projects,” Pharmer said. “There is no connection, business-wise, contractually or any other way.”City contracts are selected through the engineering division, and neither Linder nor Duncan oversee any contracts, Tenson said. “We plan (to have) a meeting later this week to make sure there is no conflict,” he said.Tenson also referenced a 2007 document from the city’s ethics commission, which said it was ethical for city employees to work for companies performing similar work as their city job, when paid by the hour and there is not a conflict of interest or violation of the fiduciary duties owed to the city.Bieter is comfortable with a previous review and has no problem with the men doing outside work, said his spokesman Adam Park. “This case has been looked at carefully, and it was determined there was no conflict of interest or violation of city policy,” Park said. “Once that determination has been made, they’re free to do what they want with their own time.”Kathleen Kreller: 377-6418

Boise attorneys and human resources officials are reviewing whether two city employees are violating city rules by working at private wastewater treatment facilities.Interim Public Works Director John Tenson said he抯 asked to see if the moonlighting work performed by Bill Duncan and Chris Linder and their company, Operations Management Consulting Services, conflicts with their city jobs. The city allows employees to have second jobs so long as they don抰 interfere with city work and employees inform their supervisors.Duncan and Linder meet job performance requirements managing the city抯 two wastewater treatment facilities, and have disclosed the work of their company, Tenson said. Since 1999, the men also have operated the company that contracts for daily operations at smaller, independent treatment plants such as Boise抯 Hidden Springs and the Avimor planned community in Ada County.In January, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter had his staff create a policy designed to block sewage from outside communities after Avimor抯 developers said they intended to truck sewage to Boise抯 treatment plants. Bieter has opposed the Avimor development, calling it 搇eapfrog development?and urban sprawl. The company owned by Duncan and Linder will operate and maintain Avimor抯 treatment facility.Last month, Boise blogger Dave Frazier complained about the arrangement, and the Idaho Statesman has received messages about the moonlighting. The company抯 Web site touts Duncan抯 and Linder抯 experience within the city. It also lists the city抯 2006 Peak Performance Platinum Award ?recognition for superior operations at the West Boise Wastewater Treatment Plant.Tenson said questions about the company have cropped up from time to time. But until a Statesman inquiry, Tenson wasn抰 aware his employees?company worked on several projects with a local firm, Pharmer Engineering, that sometimes contracts with Boise.
Tenson asked the city抯 legal and human resources department to rule out any potential conflicts with that company, he said.揥e take conflict of interest very seriously. We want to make sure every step of the way, you are doing it right,?Tenson said. 揑t抯 awkward. From a management perspective, moonlighting causes any manager a concern. But you have to respect what they can do in their private life, too.?p/>Duncan declined to comment, other than to say he was 搉ot doing anything wrong or illegal. Everything is above-board.?p/>Linder did not return a message left on his city telephone.Read more in Thursday’s Idaho Statesman.