Inside the Internet

Splunk is the magic word.

Behind the words you read on this screen, there is a hidden universe of machinery that must work in perfect and constant unison. These machines generate staggering quantities of unstructured data that must be counted, logged and categorized in order to manage the content that you see. Splunk is a company bringing simplicity to this chaos and is making businesses, such as Macy’s and Verizon, work better, smoother, and faster. According to Mark P. Mills, CEO of Digital Power Group, “machine data about the Internet is growing at a faster rate than even the explosive growth of information on the Internet,” making data analytics the hottest degree to have. Read more to find out why Mills believes companies like Splunk will eventually lead the revival of our floundering job market.

Intuition or Information?

Marketers are overwhelmed with statistics about the needs and trends of their consumers and now, thanks to social media, they can also see the direct interaction between their brand and their customers. These hard facts should make business decisions and branding initiatives easier, right? Not according to Christa Carone, Chief Marketing Officer of Xerox. Carone is challenged with a major repositioning effort hoping to change the stakeholder and public perception of Xerox as a company. Due to information overload, Carone’s felt the true message was being smothered, and that the essence of their brand wasn’t something to be measured. Read more to see why Carone followed what her gut told her, opposed to what the research did.

Branching out to other networks.

LinkedIn may have some serious competition to undertake if it wants to maintain its title as the top professional networking site. BranchOut, a platform where members can search companies and find among their Facebook network who works there, recently reported receiving $25 million in new funding and a staggering growth spurt of 2 million new members a week. Read more to find out how this two-year old company is helping recruiters find more relevant candidates quicker and easier –and how BranchOut may give LinkedIn a run for its money.

New perspectives on traditional ideas

Join small, think big.

In the past, joining a “start-up” company seemed to be a risky career choice with a miniscule paycheck. However, those connotations of smaller shops have been replaced with compelling offers that include a culture of entrepreneurialism, flexibility and great work life balance. Recently, well-established global brands have recognized these attractive selling points, and are partnering with smaller agencies to help them deliver on their promises faster – and more creatively. Click here to read about some of the top agencies that are offering great talent the chance to be part of an exciting dynamic company with the culture and transparency of a smaller firm.

Building computational thinkers.

“Computing for Poets” is a class offered at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts where the only prerequisite is a “love of the written (and digital) word.” Here, students learn the basics of Python, a language used in the software industry. They then use those computing concepts to analyze large bodies of literature. This is just one of the many classes that takes the basic principles of computing and applies it to areas outside of computer science. Read more to find out why many college professors are urging their students, of all majors, to incorporate coding into their curriculum.

Real people, real connections.

LinkedIn is known for being the top social media platform for professional networking, but Hearst Magazine saw it as a cache of potential models. Their thrice-yearly issue of Marie Claire@Work, which is aimed at connecting with the average working woman, is featuring real women from the Marie Claire Career Network on LinkedIn in their advertisements. Read on to find out how companies like Buick, White House Black Market, and Mustela are using their LinkedIn networks to cast real people to represent their brands.