What is Qwiki?

Qwiki is a new start-up that was first featured at TechCrunch back on September 27th, 2010. According to Qwiki, they seek to “forever improve the way people experience information”. So, what exactly does that mean to us?

Well, before we answer that question, do you remember the 2002 science fiction film “The Time Machine“?  Hint: click to expand image below.

In the movie, Guy Pearce (scientist and inventor) interacts with a futuristic holographic computer called Vox, portrayed by Orlando Jones.  In the movie, Vox is the evolved state of computing intelligence – a reference source of all human knowledge. When asked a question, Vox would collect the data and present back the most relevant details to the user (Guy Pearce). This is essentially the goal at Qwiki – “to advance information technology to the point it acts human”.

Qwiki is changing the paradigm for search. The cool thing about Qwiki is that it does more than simply deliver your standard formatted text or image search results. It delivers the content in a multimedia format, including visuals and audio narratives. These “narratives” or storyboards, are referred to as Qwikis (quick wikis).

How exactly does Qwiki work?  Here’s a brief overview:

1. The Qwiki user is prompted to enter a keyword or topic in the search bar of their site.
2. Qwiki then runs a search and quickly aggregates the results.
3. The search results are then delivered to the user in a visual format, including a presentation.
4. The presentations are narrative-style slideshows which are generated on the fly.

What’s the Verdict on Qwiki?

I believe it’s too early to say. However, regardless of what search engine you favor, I believe Qwiki is destined to have a major impact by helping to redefine the way search results are delivered. Imagine a day (not long from now) when we can run a voice-activated search and find exactly what we are seeking. Google popularized the idea of voice-activated search via it’s mobile app but the technology is still in its infancy. While Qwiki does not have a voice-activated search feature, it is moving us one step closer to “The Time Machine’s” fictionalized Vox. I think it’s safe to say that combining a visual, audio, and narrative formatted search result is no easy task. Qwiki has done an amazing job of bringing this technology to life. I see big things happening for this company and can’t wait to see what they do next.

At the moment, Qwiki is still in Alpha but they do allow new users to sign-up for future accounts. If this type of technology interests you, make sure to follow them on Twitter @Qwiki. However, before you leave, watch Qwiki’s demo video or click below and tell me what you think.

Is Qwiki the future of search consumption?

Check out the #qwiki buzz on Twitter!

According to a survey on The Future of the Internet III by Pew Research, the following were predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020:

- The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020.


- The transparency of people and organizations will increase, but that will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance, or forgiveness.


- Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the internet will be more prevalent and accepted by 2020.


- Those working to enforce intellectual property law and copyright protection will remain in a continuing arms race, with the crackers who will find ways to copy and share content without payment.


- The divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will be further erased for everyone who is connected, and the results will be mixed in their impact on basic social relations.


- Next-generation engineering of the network to improve the current internet architecture is more likely than an effort to rebuild the architecture from scratch.

Today, we see a lot discussion around topics such as mobile marketing, mobile advertising, mobile search, SMS services, barcode technology, mobile video, augmented reality, touch screen technology, location based services (LBS), and the list goes on. However, I believe we are still only scratching the surface of what mobile has to offer. Who knows what the next 10+ years of mobile innovation will bring us. I am not sure about you but I’m certainly excited.

Isn’t it time to rethink our perspective on mobile? What do you think?

In case you missed the event, I co-presented on the topic of mobile recruiting with friend and fellow mobile enthusiast Chris Hoyt (AKA – RecruiterGuy). Oh, and while you are visiting his site, you might want to take a moment to read his most recent post, “What I learned (and taught) at Camp…”. Great stuff as usual. Finally, if you don’t already, I would highly encourage following Chris on Twitter. He’s definitely worth the follow…

Check out the Mobile Recruiting slideshow below…

Enjoy!

Now let’s take a look at the future. Your resume is not about where you’ve worked, but rather what you’ve produced. So, for example, your Twitter tweets, blog comments, forum discussions, YouTube videos, Flickr images, Facebook status updates, LinkedIn recommendations, Amazon book reviews, and any other content you choose are all aggregated. But here’s the key: This brave new resume, the cloud resume, doesn’t include everything you generate, just the specific granular items you choose to be included. Each time you leave a digital impression you decide whether or not you want to tag it for inclusion in your cloud resume.

Of course, challenges exist with this concept. Two come immediately to mind. First off, even if the aggregation website assigns a unique identification tag to each user, how will this be implemented on individual, non-affiliated sites? Obviously you can’t just put some visible code at the end of each thing you want included. If you did, anyone could use your code and threaten the integrity of your cloud resume. Though still in its relative infancy, the answer probably lies in an implementation of a technology called OAuth. At the risk of oversimplifying, OAuth allows an aggregation site to access some, but not necessarily all, of a person’s online data.

Second, how can you package this sort of cloud resume for distribution and subsequent storage in applicant tracking systems? Let’s face it, while some might claim that social media is fast supplanting the resume as the primary currency of the employment trade, that’s just not true. So, do you just send the standard biographical data with the links? Do you convert to PDF? Neither of these options is a very satisfying solution. Our systems will need to evolve.

Challenges aside, the cloud resume solves a number of difficulties with presenting oneself in a Web 2.0 world. Imagine never having to actually sit down and ‘write’ a resume again. We’re already documenting the sort of information that goes into a resume when we create each social networking profile. More important, we’re demonstrating our career knowledge each time we generate work-related content for the web. What we need is a site that can aggregate only the content we want, as we create it. While standard work and educational history can be included if desired, the cloud resume is certainly a more holistic and dynamic way to represent ourselves.

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Guest post submitted by Scott Hajer.

Scott Hajer, lives in Chicago and is a Senior Recruiting Professional formerly employed by Aquent IT Solutions. He is the Chicago Coordinator for Rope with Hope, a site dedicated to “assisting job seekers in finding meaningful work…” Scott is exploring new career opportunities in the Chicago area. Click the following link to view Scott’s Linkedin profile.

Questions on the post? Please contact Scott.

As we enter into 2009, I reflect back on 2008 and am extremely thankful for my family and friends who have supported me through both the good and bad times.  My good fortune in 2008 would not have come as easily had I not received on-going guidance from a very good friend, as well as the outward support of many others.  With this in mind, I believe it’s important to give back.  So, as we look forward, it’s worth the effort to take time and consider a New Year’s Resolution that can really improve our lives.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Resolve to build your personal brand. Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do. A strong personal brand can help raise your microcelebrity status, ultimately differentiating you from the crowd. In today’s uncertain economy, being viewed as subject matter expert within your industry can make all the difference between securing or not securing that next great opportunity.  Unsure about how to build your personal brand?  Click here for 10 Tips to keep you from getting the pink slip.

2. Exercise your mind. We all know it’s easier to fall back on old habits and to continue doing things the old way. However, this is the surest way to quickly become obsolete. Learn something new. Start by identifying your passion and think about what really gets you excited. Seek out blogs, news feeds, relevant sites that appeal to you then subscribe either through RSS or an email subscription. You might even consider joining online groups offered through popular social networks such as Linkedin. You can often find discussions groups focused within your area of expertise or interest. Regardless of what you decide, just take action and it will surely benefit you in the long run.

3. Spend a little more time with the people who matter most. Let’s face it, we each have our own personal addictions. It’s easy to get completely consumed in what we do at work, on the web, and pulled away from the things that often matter most. Take time, get off the “grid” and focus a little more energy on the things that bring joy to your life. Stop and remember why you started working so hard and take a moment to thank those who have helped you along the way.

Wishing each of you a prosperous and Happy New Year!

Our social interactions, virtual connections, and values are changing faster than most of us can comprehend. In a digital society, where information over-load is common and online relationships are more easily made, branding oneself seems to be more important than ever.

Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.

Tom Peters, Fast Company

Stated simply, we each have a personal brand.  It’s developed by being authentic and by allowing others to see who we really are. With all the technology and “how to” information available on the web, developing a personal brand is easier than ever. Whether we start an online profile, post a status update, or upload an image on Flickr, we are making a statement with each broadcast to the world. If leveraged properly, a personal brand can lead to internet fame and even parlayed into commercial success. A brief visit to Twitterholic or Twittown, and it’s easy to see examples of why some are being referred to as microcelebrities.  According to Clive Thompson from Wired Magazine, “microcelebrities are individuals who are extremely well known not to millions but to a small group.”  This definition suggests that anyone with a blog, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, or a similar online presence can achieve “micro” celebrity status.

Whether it’s fame, fortune, or simply peace of mind that we seek, it is important to recognize that a personal brand plays a critical role in our digital lives. It allows us to differentiate our skills, elevate our visibility, marketability, and ultimately attracts more interesting opportunities.

Interested in building a personal brand?  Click here for 10 tips on how to get started.

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, are seeing huge boosts in traffic thanks to mobile phones, with average users checking their profiles more than eight times a day, says new research.

Mobile phone network Orange said 640,000 of its customers are accessing social networking sites through their mobile phones, accounting for 166m page impressions every month.

Individual users will check or update social networking sites a total of 260 times per month, an average of eight times per day.

Social networking site addiction drives mobile internet access – Digital News – Brand Republic.