VOTE NOW - a public wiki for search strings and ideas?

In my experience speaking with recruiters there seems to be a wide range of competency when it comes to writing search strings, where to search, etc. It also looks as though the knowledge base around these ideas is controlled by few and consumed by the recruiting masses, often times in the form of paid training classes, webinars, and workshops at shows like ERE, Sourcecon, and others. I was thinking the other day that this situation feels like the perfect application for a public wiki - a site where people can share and categorize search strings and ideas in general on where to go and how to best use it. Is anyone aware of something that exists like this already? If so please share. If not, you can also VOTE HERE and let everyone know what you think of the idea.

This is not to say that I plan to create it but just wanted to get a sense of what others think of the idea. Maybe we're all too competitive to share our secret sauce?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on October 27, 2008 at 2:25pm

Michael,

"It also looks as though the knowledge base around these ideas is controlled by few and consumed by the recruiting masses."

You're kidding, aren't you? Over the years, so many of who "control" things have freely offered search strings, creative ideas, etc. for the public to consume that it has allowed over the past year new "experts" to offer the very same things as their own.

"Maybe we're all too competitive to share our secret sauce?" The best always share...

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Permalink Reply by Michael Johnson on October 28, 2008 at 12:52pm

Thanks for the reply Steve. I wasn't suggesting that no one shares their knowledge. I've benefited from free information over the years and have provided some myself. What I was curious about was whether or not there is a central place for people to share and consume information specifically on the subject of search strings. I know some of it is out there on various posts, forums, blogs, etc. on RB, ERE, etc. but I haven't found a directory or wiki or something that makes it easy to find. Would there be value in something like that? Again, I speak with a lot of recruiters every day and am finding that the range of proficiency is wide with far more people on the end of low proficiency than high. There will always be a place for the devoted experts who continually push the edge with new ideas and sources an present them in workshops at tradeshows. But the edge doesn't remain the edge for long and the information becomes a commodity as it spreads. So why not look at an industry database - free - that people can use in the same way someone uses wikipedia for example, to get information on search strings, sources, etc. Wouldn't that limit the plageristic so called "experts" that offer the very same thing as their own that you refer to. If the information is readily available and easy to access, for free, than I would think that challenges the experts to stay ahead of the curve - a good thing for everyone - and elevates the overall baseline knowledge of the community.

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Permalink Reply by Irina Shamaeva on October 29, 2008 at 8:35pm

Michael,

Good idea!
I have a couple URLs that can be used for this type of space, www.booleanstrings.com
or www.booleansearcher.com
What format/software would you use for the sharing site?

-Irina

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Permalink Reply by Alex on October 29, 2008 at 8:58pm

sounds like a great idea ! One stop shop for searches

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Permalink Reply by Alaina Rivas on October 29, 2008 at 9:00pm

Great idea.. If someone is aware of a site set up with this type of info (one stop shop) -please share.

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Permalink Reply by Julia Tverskaya on October 30, 2008 at 11:48am

Michael,

Good idea and much needed!
I also have some URLs that can be used for such place: www.resumesearchstrings.com, www.resumesearchscripts.com, www.recruitingautomation.com

Julia

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on October 30, 2008 at 12:57pm

Irina & Julia-

Would the two of you be willing to donate the URLs to the cause versus charging for use of Brain Gain Recruiting's "property"?

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Permalink Reply by Irina Shamaeva on October 30, 2008 at 1:03pm

Steve,

Yes, we can donate one URL. What would be the technology to build the site?

-Irina

Steve Levy said:

Irina & Julia-

Would the two of you be willing to donate the URLs to the cause versus charging for use of Brain Gain Recruiting's "property"?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on October 30, 2008 at 1:17pm

You'd have to ask Michael - he's the one who opened the thread. Why should the technology platform have anything to do whether you donate to the cause or not?

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Permalink Reply by NYhdhntr on October 30, 2008 at 1:37pm

I think it's a great idea as well. Keep me updated

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Permalink Reply by Michael Johnson on October 30, 2008 at 5:59pm

thanks everyone for your comments. i have wiki software already that i could use. i can also host it on our servers - for free of course. i'll start thinking deeper about the idea and keep you posted. if anyone else has specific ideas they'd like to share, please do.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on October 30, 2008 at 6:20pm

As long as I can remember, I've tracked the performance of my search strings. If you really want to do this, ask people to send in the search strings used for a particular job title, job group, whatever, specifying the search engine used in the search as well as a short description of "sourcing project."

The last thing I would want would be for this opportunity for "experts" to shill their fee for services upon offering their string to the cause. As noted, those of us who initially delved deeply into the search engines and their capabilities freely gave away our knowledge. This should not be a direct platform for selling search tools or consulting services; if someone wants to contact an "expert" offline, that would be reasonable...