One of the first resources we created when starting Rabbit in early 2010 was a list of 20 free social media evaluation tools.   Not measurement, evaluation.  Tools that will give you some form of meaningful data that you can use in reports.  And ones that don’t cost anything.

Fast forward almost two years and a lot of that list is out of date, with many of the originals no longer being around or having ‘upgraded’ to full paid for services.  As a result, it’s time for a refresh.

This is by no means an extensive list, there are other tools around in addition to these, but even a few of them together will provide you with meaningful intelligence.   The 20 are as follows:

1 – Alexa.com
Gives you stats on websites, including global rank, country rank, number of sites linking in, and good basic audience data including demographics.

2 – Amplicate
Like a lot of services, Amplicate operates a fremium model.   A quick search, which will give you a ‘hate’ vs ‘love’ snapshot for a brand is free.   Pay $19 and you get a year’s worth of data.   And for $199 you can download various industry reports.

Amplicate also has a blog with various useful bits of information (for example, ...

Recognize This! –Everyone is responsible for creating the culture you want to work in every day.

Who is responsible for people and culture in your organization? Is that considered the purview of HR? Or is it more correctly viewed as the responsibility of all people managers?

Ron Ashkenas tells the story of Harris Corporation, which has figured this out as it evolves HR to help all managers  take accountability for their colleagues and the overall culture of the organization:

“So HR’s evolution … does not just concern changing HR. It’s also about helping managers take more accountability for people and culture, and eventually blurring the rigid distinction between ‘HR’ and ‘management.’ In fact one of the key contributors to success at Harris was much greater rotation of people between HR and the line organizations. This has created an environment where there is less ‘HR-talk’ since managers and HR people have common perspectives and language.”

This blurring of lines is critical not only for everyone taking responsibility for creating the culture they live and work in every day, but also for taking advantage of the unique talents and influences each person brings. Bill ...

In his book, Your Brain at Work, author David Rock gave organizational leaders an essential model for understanding human dynamics at work.

Forget the “toolkit.”  This model is the foundation that holds everything affecting performance in place. Managers, leaders and co-workers entering the brave new world of business in the 21^st century who ignore this knowledge face a serious uphill climb.

We can’t really blame organizational leaders for misunderstanding human dynamics. The modern organization and the rest of the Western World  has been chugging along since the First Industrial Revolution shaped by the thinking of French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes.  

In 1641 Descartes wrote his famous essay Meditations which declared that the brain and the mind existed in two separate spheres –  one material and the other ethereal.  His belief that the physical brain was purely a mechanical instrument has since shaped the dominant world view of how humans function.

In his early research, Freud attempted to offer a vision that the brain could change in response to a person’s experience. The Viennese scientific community roundly rejected his notion.  Flash ...

A little while back, Monster took a look at the top lies candidates tell recruiters, warning employers of common tactics used by job seekers to embellish their resumes.

With the hiring market showing signs of life and the war for talent heating up, it was time to turn the tables for an honest look at the top lies recruiters tell candidates.  Obviously, these statements are often true and crucially important when communicating with candidates.  Most recruiters are honest and upfront with job seekers. Largely caring and committed, recruiters really care about every candidate.

The bad news is that many of the most common put offs, while usually well-intentioned and largely innocuous, are as integrated with the recruiting process as applicant tracking systems.

The good news?  Avoiding these “worst practices” instantly translates into observing best practices, an improved candidate experience and an easy win for your employment brand.

5 Biggest Job Search Lies Recruiters Tell Candidates

1. When a recruiter says:  “I’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities.”

It might really mean: “Your resume will sit in our database untouched until you apply for something ...

Welcome to our Who’s Who list of companies who specialize in Social HR technology.

The list below has been collected from a couple of online sources as well as from our own research. The companies are listed in alphabetical order, but sortable by product solution. If you feel a company has been listed incorrectly or if you are a representative of the company and wish to modify your information, please contact us.

Solution categories:

• Employee Engagement – Employee surveys, opinions
• e-Learning – Learning management, talent development
• HCM Solution – Human capital management system that offers an overall solution
• People Management – Workforce analytics, case management, succession planning
• Recruitment – Acquiring talent, candidate search, applicant tracking
• Total Rewards – Reward & recognition, performance management, benefits
• Talent Management – Staffing solutions