Twitter. New feature: Vine. 6-second videos. Can also share on FB and blogs.
I'm guessing that line took you about six seconds to read, which is perfect because six seconds is all I had.
Mark down January 24, 2013 as the day our attention span shrank once again -- as if we hadn't already hit rock bottom.
On that day, Twitter unveiled its new micro-video tool called Vine that lets you capture and share looping, six-second videos. Vine is available now in the iTunes store, and you can see Vine examples here.
In the work world, the six-second rule just made our lives that much tougher. Now we have an even narrower window to catch someone's attention with a resume, email, blog post, article, etc..
With Vine in mind, here's the question we'll always need to ask:
What am I doing with the first six seconds?
To help us with that challenge, here are:
6 Ways to Make the Most of 6 Seconds
1. Use Vine to help you get hired
Even though it's incredibly brief, a 6-second clip is an opportunity to put your personality on video. Remember: the Web rewards creativity so your clip could feature talking, visuals or a quick mix of the two.
If you're looking for work, mention the personal Vine video in your Twitter bio and save the clip as a 'Favorite.' (tweet this)
2. A totally new way to live-tweet
Now you can go beyond tweets and photos as you tell people about an event. A 6-second video -- or series of videos -- can give the viewer a much richer experience. Vine lets you start and stop recording with a single button so you can create 'edited' compositions as you go.
Photos already travel well in social media; imagine the power of fresh video.
3. Make sure your emails get read
Let's say a guy opens his inbox in the morning and has 25 new emails. Which ones get read? Simple: the emails with the most engaging headlines.
Strong subject lines are brief and maybe even little mysterious ('tease' the reader).
For more on email subjects, read The Simple Trick to Make Sure All Your Emails Get Read.
4. The first line is everything
Does the opening line 'hook' the reader? Is it interesting, unpredictable and, like an email subject, a bit of a tease? The beginning of this blog post (hopefully) caught you off-guard. You probably didn't expect the first line to be an italicized string of random words. And if you're still with me way down here, then I did a good job with my first six seconds.
5. Who are you?
Yes, resumes still matter -- a lot. If you like to have a mission statement on your resume, then once again consider the first six seconds. Can you boil down your personal mantra/slogan to one line? It doesn't even need to be a complete sentence. For example:
Experienced Designer -- Skilled Manager -- Team Player
Need more evidence? Check out this article written by the CEO of TheLadders, a job site. The title: It Takes About 6 Seconds To Decide If The Person Behind A Resume Is A Fit.
6. Edit and then edit again
A quick experiment:
Everything we write can be chopped down in the editing process. The first time we put an idea on paper, we use too many words. There's always a shorter way to say what we mean so we need to go back, look it over, ask others for help and be really critical about the words we choose.
That same line after editing:
Until we edit, our work isn't finished. Look it over, be critical and ask others for help.
By my count, the edited sentence only took six seconds to read. Remember: less is more.
With Vine, Twitter has put everyone on the clock. Respect a person's time and attention, and it will pay off.
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