Boulder - Paradise or Not Discussion

I would like to point you to the discussions going on in other, extremely well written, blogs. The discussion started with Megan Soto of LaunchSquad stating in her blog, Boulder, I’m Lookin’ And I’m Likin’,

What is it about the Boulder scene that makes me yearn so to be a part of it? My curiosity-turned-fascination-turned-safe-distance (I swear)-obsession was probably fueled by the fact that I can’t be part of it. My location prevents it and they just don’t seem interested in pursuing me as a remote member of their clan, though, granted, no overt outreach was established from my end.

Her fascination with Boulder is understandable. I am not however fully convinced about the startup scene, especially given the tough economy.

In response to Megan, Boulder Blogger Brian says, Boulder is Nice, but No Paradise:

Rather, my point is to try and paint a more realistic picture of the city. Because frankly, while Boulder is nice, it’s no paradise.

There are dirty people here. There are too many bikes, and they run too many stop signs. There are mountain lions, and they eat humans. There are college students, and they don’t act like humans. There are 12,00 foot peaks, but they’re far away. And fuck, there’s not much water here. Or nice trees.

What do you think?

Join the Boulder Net LinkedIn Group!

Growing Faster Than Most Colorado LinkedIn Groups

Boulder Net is growing faster than the top five Colorado networking groups. Will you join us?

Join the Boulder Net LinkedIn Group!

How do handle requests from LinkedIn members with 0 connections?

I see a new class of LinkedIn members who send requests to join the Boulder Net group. Their profile say, their location is Greater Denver area. Most time their profile is empty but other times has few parts filled out. One thing that stand out however is their number of connections. It is 0.
I wonder if some create a different profile with different location.

In any case I do not see a fit for those in the group. I think I have been meticulous in looking at new member requests but if you see any 0 connection members let me know.

High Unemployment Rate Among Boulder LinkedIn Members

I recently posted the complete results and preliminary analysis of the poll results. One data that stood out is the 25% of the people reporting as unemployed. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers are far below this for Boulder MCA, a about 4.6%. So why one in four in LinkedIn reported unemployed?

There are two possible reasons

1. People more actively use LinkedIn when they are searching for jobs, especially in between jobs.
2. Since respondents self selected the poll is over represented by unemployed

So we cannot say that LinkedIn members who work and live and Boulder area have a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the population.

Networking Before The Hard Times Hit

As the official unemployment rate hitting a sixteen year high of 7.2% there is concern in the minds of everyone, even those who have a relatively secure job. The Government numbers on job less count are an understatement of the real unemployment count which the Barrons editorial this week says is around 750,000 as opposed to 560,000.  Many businesses have announced layoffs but have not carried them out yet, as the layoffs roll in, typically the week before or after Super Bowl, the numbers will increase.

Naturally  people are joining networking sites and groups at a higher rate. But joining these sites and having 300+ connections is not an assured way to get jobs in a short period. Networking should be more about establishing a genuine conversation with the peers in your professional circle or in your locale. You may have to invest more in your network, tending it, helping others before you can make a withdrawal. That means the time to network is not when the layoff rumors float in your office corridors but long time before that. Building your network cannot be done in an on-demand basis but rather as a continuous process.

The members of Boulder Net LinkedIn group are connected by the locale. The group brings together diverse professionals. If you have not considered connecting with people in Boulder Net group for a professional conversation it is time now.

60% growth in the last 1 month

What a difference one month makes!
The Boulder Net Linked In Group  took six months to reach a milestone of 100 members.
But in the month of July it grew 60%, adding 60 members in 30 days.

What changed?  LinkedIn  finally added search functionality to the Groups. So when you search for Boulder, the Boulder Net shows up in the first page.

The other is the viral effect that is proportional to the number of members. As their LinkedIn status updates show that they joined the group, more people in their network see it and click on the group to join.

It will be interesting to see if this growth is just the initial bump or a sustainable one.