This morning, not unlike most these days, I sadly read through all the lists of companies who have laid off employees. But these reports don’t always make the news because the numbers are small or the company may not be well-known enough for reporting but TechCrunch has started a layoff tracker to help everyone, well, keep track.

The start-up industry is especially vulnerable to economic pressures. VC firms are cautioning start-ups to tighten burn and get ready for the recession. Here is the famous “presentation of doom” recently delivered to a large group of start-up CEOs (Sequioa Capital named it “the presentation of doom” but others are fondly referring to it as the “chicken-little presentation”).

When I think about all the wonderful skill sets that are being laid off related to social media, I am aware how much these layoffs will accelerate the age of conversation. Yes- accelerate – make go faster. These start-up skilled people need to work somewhere – and where better then within Enterprise. Smart big companies should run towards these people as they offer skills that are much needed in big business.

Corporations typically fit into two categories – The Haves and The Have Nots. The Haves have successfully integrated social media into their Marketing and Customer Care strategy but often struggle to find the resources to execute on their plans. The Have Nots often want or need to integrate social media into their plans, but don’t know where to begin. “We’d love to have a blog but there is no one to do it”; “We should put those training materials online, but our PR firm can’t do it.” Excuse time is over. There are now hundreds, nay thousands, of highly skills new media workers available who know how to execute.

Now is the time to put those plans into action. Look for people who have worked in innovating companies – those that have pioneered in their industry, those that have been lead by strong CEOs so they are accustomed to structure and planning. Seek new in-demand technology skills and a deep awareness of new tools and processes. Discover talent that has been given responsibility beyond their age or background and have succeeded. Use LinkedIn and other networks to validate their recommendations and to find personal connections to them in order to ensure they will be a good fit for your organization.Thank you for reading Building Online Communities for Business by Leader Networks. We are a research and strategy consulting company that helps organizations succeed in social business and B2B online community building.

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