ERE – I did get the invite, Lou Adler has ‘relaunched’ his Ning network as well(!). As Jason states, building the platform is the easy bit, making the network sing is the real skill which I am yet to perfect with my own network (corporate recruiters in the UK). Is Ning great technology? It’s pretty good as long as you don’t change it too much otherwise they break it often with their updates so beware.

Both RBC & ERE’s community will prosper, but RBC has a gifted maniac entrepreneur at the wheel. It will be hard for anyone with a wider focus to keep up!

I enjoy ERE’s content quite a lot but I love the “grassroots” vibe of RBC and the member support. I think the two can peacefully coexist but would be willing to pay to watch a Davis-Manaster Jello fight.

With respect to RecruitingBlogs.com, you are right Joel, it’s not for sale and I have gotten no offers for it.

There are many recruiting Ning groups now and in fact I am the one who suggested that Fordyce start one when I was working with David and he liked the idea so it is not exactly the way you put it. Again, starting a Ning group is easy, making it work is a little different and if ERE wants to have a functioning Ning network for the fordyce letter, I am sure they can do it.

I consider Dave Manaster to be a friend. Sometimes, I guess for both of us things get a little strained given the fact that we each run something some people may consider to be competing. Sometimes people write about it and comment about it and sometimes that stuff is not easy to stomach. Dave and I talk every day and it was Dave who suggested that Jamaica may be a good place to send the winner of the video contest I am running. Thanks Dave. http://tinyurl.com/5rw4bj. I really do believe that Dave wants to see RecruitingBlogs.com succeed and ERE has helped me as well.

I will say that this year I am going to do what needs to be done in order to build RecruitingBlogs.com and take it to the next level – David will do the same.

Better make that a large popcorn Joel.

There may very well come a time when we hit the bell to start the first round.

If you want to write a post about the rotting of Recruiting.com I have a few choice comments to make about the joke that has become the site. I was happy to see a timely link to a BBQ recipe before the 4th of July but I will save that rant for another day.

I do not think the technology is as important as David does. Surely I agree Ning has built something very cool (I use it for Minnesota Recruiters) but with any site the key is content. Ning is littered with sites that have not taken off because the starters of the group are not able to build a community, add content, and find a reason to bring people back.

I think that is why RecruitingBlogs.com has attracted many users, myself included. I asked Jason if I could start a LinkedIn group and he said sure, run with it. That is how the site has grown. Rather than all things run through Jason he trusts the community to go in directions. He welcomes the involvement of others.

Hurry up with a Recruting.com post, I promise you I will be more controversial.

Surely there is enough room for the two sites to exist.

As a long time lurker/reader of ERE and as a frequent contributor of content on RecruitingBlogs.com I enjoy and value both sites.

I am a Co-Founder of Minnesota Recruiters, the third recruiter related group in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The three groups actually promote each others events. We have crossover members. Two groups are free and one has paid membership. We are working together on a fantastic event of national speakers.

If we can do that here surely RecruitingBlogs.com and ERE can share the Internet.

P.

We’ve been running a social network for recruiters on ERE.net for over three years. When we built our homegrown system, the technology landscape was very different then it is today.

The simple truth today is that Ning has created what is the best, most flexible social network platform in existence right now. I know, because the ERE team has been kicking the tires on a lot of others.

Working with Ning is not a reaction to the undeniable success of RBC – it’s a move driven by technology, much like our move from our homegrown content management system to one based on Wordpress a few weeks ago.