Welcome back. I got behind the proverbial eight-ball last week and was unable to finish this in a respectable time.Anyways we are back and ready to have a look at 'Aptitude'..The second half of the equation.

Like before, let s begin with a basic definition: According to Wikipedia: Aptitude is a component of a competency to do a certain kind of work at a certain level, which can also be considered "talent". Aptitudes may be physical or mental. Aptitude is not knowledge, understanding,…

Before we begin, I would like to thank all the readers who have followed me here over the last couple of years; and say that the best opinions are still to come. I am currently looking at a couple tools, when the analysis is complete; you will be the first to hear of it right in this very blog!

I would also like to thank Evan Carmicheal for the heads-up that I had been included in the October list “The Top 100 Social Media Leaders to Follow on Twitter”. I am humbled to be included again…

Tuesday after a long weekend, and I hope today, all is well. One of the more interesting things about long weekends (besides the copious amounts of food!) is that it allows most of us to hit the cosmic "reset" button and re-focus the way we approach work. Simply having a couple of extra days to mentally work through your problems, especially now that we are moving into the Christmas period, allows for a re-dedication of both mind and body to…

 Welcome Back! Nice to see that last week moved some of you Socialytes enough to give me another look. I plan on returning to 10 Key Customer Service Traits later (possibly starting next week); however today I thought a little discussion of how to start properly at the new gig might be in order. Lets think on this for a couple of minutes: You…

 One of the first things that you really should concern yourself with as a new employee is how you provide service to your client. I know this can be seen as a two-way street; as most of us spend numerous hours when we are not working, spending our hard-earned money as consumers. Don't let what you experience become the example of providing service. Set your own bar, and set…

Really, the last time I dropped by was March.....How is that possible? Well whatever the reason was, I'm sure it was a good one. The company underwent a transition from Radical Events to Social HR. And I grew from a lowly "Sourcers Apprentice" to a "Real Social One"We have picked up some really brave people to work alongside us; I keep my appointments, talk alot…

“I like to say that Twitter is like a bar, Facebook is your living room and LinkedIn is the local chamber of commerce.” - BSStoltz

As of this moment, these three in my mind make up “The Trinity of Social Media” and you should be engaged and engaging on all three in some fashion. Keep in mind, that there are various other websites and…

“You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (PR). You can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free.” –David Meerman Scott, Best-Selling Author & Speaker

Content is cool. What is even more cool than that, is content that doesn’t seem repetitious or dated. Staying current with trends in both worlds (Social Media and…

(please note that the lack of fan-fare is intentional…Copyright protection seems to be everything..Read on..Daniel)

Welcome all to another thought provoking session hoping to leave you, the reader, “Something To Think About…”®. Social Media (So-Med®) is the arena which many of us use to interact, to promote (sometimes shamelessly), to share new tips and information on the horizon of exciting stuff, AND what’s even more awesome than all of that: Spread the news of original or exciting…

Time to reach into that special bag possessed by The Sourcers’ Apprentice, and again, lets start the first chorus of a song I know (yes, I do) we’ll be revisiting again (and again…) until everyone is properly and completely in tune. If you fill in the blanks above, astute people will know that the topic of the week is part 1 dedicated to L*nked*n (oh, its just too much fun writing it this way). “I” see the topic as one of those covered by many “Experts” but followed by few, as everyone has…

Everyone wants to be part of Social Media. Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, Marketmesuite, Foursquare, Beknown, Branchout….etc,etc….there are many programs out there. It is fair however, to assume that even the information you place on these sources will be seen by persons other than those to which it was intended.

(please note that everything below this point->.<- is not intended to injure, insult, maim or otherwise impair someone's judgment of right or wrong in the world of…

Where to begin. I guess the best place would be free-basing my thoughts on the world as I see it, point out what seems to be right, comment on what I see wrong and accept that there is a certain amount of difference that I cannot change. People are people and bound to do the strangest things, sometimes at the cost of ridicule; but more times than not, by doing something phenomenal which had not been thought or attempted before.

I pride myself on my work ethic, starting at the age of…

New year, New articles to curate, New stories which just cause me to shake my head. One such story which has been making the rounds starts in (not-so) Merry England where “A human resources executive was forced from his job because his employer found his resume online and that he would consider career opportunities”. The site (Linked In)…

"When two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as he wants to be seen, and each man as he really is." Michael De Saintamo

How many of you have met a team-member which you knew deep down would not be good for the team? It happens, more times than we care to realize; and a lot of time we put it down to the “Hire-Power” or management. Did we give the new collaboration much of a chance, or did we…

Is there a way to keep motivated when the chips are down or you are going through a slump? Being that most of us are self-employed or sub-contracted (possibly even contracted…let’s cover all the bases!) Motivation becomes key to our daily lives and definitely to our production. Without the motivation or the will to carry on, the day becomes…

So you have a career in the field of your dreams, and you are making a fairly good living- the bills are covered, the social life is on fire, the family situation is just as you like it at this time (subject to change: like life!). AND….You look as though there is no end in sight for the success you feel you deserve, after all the long hours, the…

Interesting thing on the way to the Unconference! Besides the obvious problems with the highway going to Toronto, Ontario; and the fact that a one hour commute in this day is an average of 2 hours now, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect. I don’t work well with the unknown (yet my career would say otherwise) and I like to have some idea what I am to expect—> I…

The following is a note for all the Canucks feeling Election Fever. This was written in April, but it still seems somewhat relevant today. New post before the weekend, but enjoy this gem for now...thedanieljsmith....

Canada is about to have yet another election in October 2011, Many people have varying degrees of opinion over the value of an…