Professional Social Networking: 101

"It's who you know, not what you know..."

Seems to be the mantra for proponents of social networking these days. I wouldn't go that far just yet, although this is quickly seeming to become apparent reality compared to using only your experience and/or education to land a new gig, as professional social networking has long been relevant with job-seekers due to the advent of LinkedIn and even stretching to use both Facebook and Twitter as networking tools within the workplace. Not sure how well the latter two have worked out in that category, however. One can only imagine the "over-the-weekend" pictures posted on a coworker's page or how many (Facebook) fans your organization's third-party custodial staff suddenly has.

Network expert/blogger Dave Taylor has posted a great list regarding etiquette for both LinkedIn and professional social networking here.

And for those concerned about potential identity theft, NetworkWorld lists a nice slideshow for safe social networking.

Some of you might choose to take the tried and true self-help book method to find a job or a guide on gaining entry into the downtown social club; there are pages and pages of books on Amazon.com for you to peruse.

Kobe Bryant's Ankle Insurance

Let Kobe Bryant sell you some Ankle Insurance; which seems to be a worthy investment, if you can afford it...

Random Top 7

On Friday's I'll post a random Top 7. A grab bag of topics that had been on my mind over the past week or so relating to pretty much anything. I know today's Monday so only once you'll have to deal with it this time.

Random Top 7
7. Welcome back, Wayne Rooney
6. Roanoke (Va.) Railhouse Brewery's Track 1 brew
5. The Kid returns to Seattle. Time to wipe the dust off the '91 Upper Deck rookie card...
4. Hope you find yourself in the break, Andy Irons, and come back stronger than ever in 2010
3. Farewell, Conan O'Brien, I enjoyed it. Keep your word and stay the same in Los Angeles.
2. Springsteen and two nights of Phish set the stage for Bonnaroo 2009
1. My brother's in Las Vegas for the weekend, and will be on an airplane, both for the first time. To have seen the look on his face for both...

Speaking of Vegas, lay your money down on a copy of The Killers' newest album, Day & Age, and hit the open road. Or just the Casino War table at O'Shea's.

We Want the Dunk, Not the Funk

Nowadays, the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest has became the serious girlfriend you've been living with for four or five years yet still haven't popped the question. You love her dearly, you remember the first time (you saw her...hey now, enough of that), but every anniversary you expect less, she gets a little more full of herself, and if one of you doesn't spice things up soon, things are only going to get worse.

After watching the whole "Superman-Kryptonate" backstory unfold this year with Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks in the finals (and Dwight Howard is my favorite NBA'er), I changed the channel to make sure I was still watching the NBA and not the WWE, expecting The Godfather to run out from the crowd or a Ric Flair "Wooooo!" after every dunk.

A few off-the-wall suggestions...

1. Hold the event every two or four seasons. More time for players to prepare for better, more innovative and original dunks. This, or allow a "One or You're Done" rule; only one dunk to get it right.
2. If Nate Robinson should jump over anyone else down the road, have him clear Frederic Weis, a la Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics.
3. Enlist Craig Sager, should TBS/TNT be covering the game (heck, he should be brought on regardless of the network) to interview everyone, just for reactions of the suit he's wearing.
4. Beg, kick and plea to the league for more starpower. If you're worried about insurance risk, go see Lloyd's of London. Whether giving home-court advantage to the winning player's conference or giving the player a worthwhile contract incentive, simply put, I'd rather see Lebron James sporting a Cavaliers jersey leaping from the free-throw line than on the sideline leaping up in street clothes for Jamarrio Moon. And that's nothing against Moon. Although King James has announced he might have a change of heart come next year.
5. Allow a winning fan to be part of the act, if even dunking on a lowered goal is necessary. Could you imagine the look on Shaq's face seeing a 5'8" hotel clerk windmilling on an eight-foot goal?

Catching Up, Intro

Good Morning:

I've started The Rhetorical Cubicle as both a small step aside from the toil of corporate four-walldom and a touch and go on what surrounds people everyday. The nouns and verbs of our daily life. The people, places and things and what we see and do. Not a rant or rave, yet another avenue to stroll down with open eyes, open ears and a sense of direction.

Before the Cubicle, I worked in sports and business operations, as well as marketing and contracting, in both Virginia and Chicago (10 years) for such companies as Orvis, Crate & Barrel, Medco, regional publishing companies, and a sports management firm. Soon after, I established my own athlete representation agency for professional football and basketball players, both within the United States and internationally.

I was born in Virginia and attended Roanoke College for my bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. I received my master's in Business Administration from Averett University. That's where I began to compile my two main interests into one field of entry. Unfortunately, not one advisor or professor knew about entering the athlete management industry so I began opening doors until I was afforded an opportunity to enter the business upon graduation.

As a one-man show, I enjoyed the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows pushed me to work even harder. They are the most extreme when you roll solo. Either recruiting a prospective client or promoting a veteran free agent to a professional team, there was a separate but equal rush to everything. Each new day was a learning experience and the thrill of success was spontaneous. However, there is so much more time spent behind the scenes than the small amount of actual glory/Jerry Maguire stigma and large profit margin many people from outside the industry associate most agents enjoy in abundance. In 2008 I closed my agency and began pursuing a more direct interest in writing (which stemmed from a life-long hobby), focusing on other entrepreneurial ventures, and frankly, I just became burned out.

I'm not sure where these new paths will go; as with life in general, if preparation and perseverance hold true, the work will pay off. Reading and travel has changed my outlook exponentially. When I walked away, I knew that I wanted to do more with my knowledge and point-of-view, discussing and learning about a wide range of subject matter on an open, educated forum. Moving forward to not to be an agent anymore but rather an explorer. I'd like to think it's of things that might fall through the cracks.

I'll begin the relevant posts later today and will invite several trusted friends with other industry experience to join me on this blog in the very near future with their insight.

Thanks for your time,
Matt