Social Networking is Booming among Boomers

Worried that your social networking initiative won't resonate with the company's mature workforce? Afraid the over-55 set won't dig video chat? Well stop fretting. According to a study by Forrester Research, on-the-job use of social networking tools is growing among workers between the ages of 29 to 49 while interest is waning among Gen-Y'ers aged 15 to 28. And don't look now, but baby boomers over the age of 55 are most likely to use social tools in the workplace.


The study is good news for IT professionals, charged with finding economical ways to boost communication and productivity across the enterprise. The data suggests that experienced employees won't hinder the adoption of collaborative or social tools; in fact they may lead the way. Here's a summary of the key information as reported by Computerworld.

"The report, which was based on an international online survey of 797 information workers last month, showed that 40 percent of Gen Y workers who use social media for business do so daily. That's compared to 50 percent of workers who are 55 and older. And those 55-and-over boomers have increased their business use of social media by 79 percent in the past year.


The study also noted that the use of collaborative tools is on the rise. The use of video chat is up 56 percent from last year, while the use of team document-sharing sites is up 55 percent and webconferencing is up 52 percent.



-- Leslie Stevens-Huffman

Post originale: http://career-resources.dice.com:80/articles/content/entry/social_networking_is_booming_among

Emerging Economies Among The Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

Some of the world's fastest-growing economies - including India and Bangladesh - are also the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to a new report. The nations at the most extreme risk are those already dealing with high poverty levels, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events, and a reliance on flood- or drought-prone agricultural lands, according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index compiled by Maplecroft, a UK-based consulting group.

The report says 16 nations are at "extreme risk," with Bangladesh topping the list because of significant poverty levels, its dependence on agriculture, and the government's lack of capacity to adapt to climate change. While India is already one the world's largest economies, its vulnerability to climate-related events could scare off foreign investment in the coming decades, the report says. Among the 25 nations characterized as most at risk, 12 are located in Africa. Among the nations considered "low risk" are Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360

Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/10/emerging-economies-among-most-vulnerable.cfm

New York Jumps to Fifth Among All States in Tech Savvy Survey

New York State leapt to fifth place among all 50 states in The 2010 Digital States Survey. The Survey, conducted biannually is in its 11th year of a comprehensive study that examines best practices, policies and progress made by state governments in their use of digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations.


Two years ago the state was muddled in the pack at number 18, but has since added services such as:

OneNetNYS, which provides faster, more secure and robust connectivity to state data center resources and other state agency applications.

511NY delivers automated traffic and travel feeds via e-alerts and social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. The information is real time, available in one location and provides volumes of information to the public.

New York's Straight Talk From the Taxpayer is an interactive website where citizens can submit, vote and comment on ideas for state spending. The site has more than 4,000 users, who have submitted 1,100 ideas and 3,700 comments.

Empire 2.0, a New York state government social media networking initiative designed to promote government participation, increase collaboration and expand the state¿s ability to share information with social media users. 

Anecdotally, we can report that in recent months, New York has welcomed Yahoo as a partner in Western New York, provided seed money to clean up an historic General Electric building for advanced Nano technology research, and is emerging as a home for start-ups.



The states survey is conducted approximately April - June (2010, 2012, etc.). The awards are presented during the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) annual conference each September.

--Dino Londis 

Post originale: http://career-resources.dice.com:80/articles/content/entry/new_york_jumps_to_fifth