What’s the buzz, tell me what’s happening, what’s the buzz, tell me what’s happening…

Just in case you’re not a theatre nerd, those are lyrics from Jesus Christ Superstar. And yes, I was a lady-apostle in a live performance of JCSS, and no, it was not back in highschool… It was just last year!

So I’m basically a rockstar, which is awesome, just don’t ever call an employee that. According to Forbes, the term “Rockstar employee” is one of the most annoying bits of office place jargon to come out of 2012.

Although I’m of the opinion that all jargon is terribly annoying, I find I still use it  in my blog posts or “Articles”. Mostly because it’s recognizable. Using terms like “personal branding”, though rather silly, is still more succinct than explaining the idea it represents over and over again. It’s also great for SEO, and I’d be a very naughty blogger if I neglected SEO!

Forbes is running a poll to determine the most annoying corporate buzzwords of 2013. It’s pretty hilarious, and I highly recommend you give it a look-see! Try not to snort coffee out of your nose and all over your tablet (not that that happened to me or anything).

So, in honor of Jargon Madness 2013, here’s some buzzword-related links to inform your vote:

Buzzword numba one : Engagement!

It used to mean when two humans decide to make their relationship legally binding. Now it means, well, about a hundred million different things depending on context, who you ask, and whether you ask on Facebook or Twitter. On this blog though, context is everything, so we’re going with engagement as it relates to HR, here’s 5 tips for engaging employees.

Next up : Pivot!

Number two is the best kind of buzzword, and one I had never ever heard before. Except maybe whilst watching golf with my dad. It basically means to switch directions and it is being applied a lot to strategy. It is kind of a positive spin on flip-flop, but less hilarious sounding. This article from Inc. explains how to plan for a successful pivot, and let’s face it, sometimes you’ve just got to switch up your strategy to stay on top.

Content Marketing is number three.

I think it is the least sexy (remember when that was a buzzword?!) of the buzzwords on our list, but perhaps the most useful to those of us involved with social media. Copyblogger explains that content marketing is basically “sales-minded storytelling” and gives us the lowdown on how to use it effectively. Now that’s money!

And as an added bonus, this article about the valuable content market strategies of George Carlin and Sheldon Cooper is a must read!

Topicjacking!

Related to content marketing is “topicjacking”. This one wins hands-down as the most hilarious buzzword. This short little article explains what topicjacking is and how to do it. Warning : topicjacking is a little bit evil!

Now, how could we talk buzzwords without including the king buzzword : Big Data? Very easily. Moving on.

.. to a topic that’s not actually about any particular buzzword at all. It’s about the job titles created by employers and recruiters to make jobs seem more awesome than they actually are. Same concept. This article gives some solid advice on how to choose a job title that actually fits the position you are hiring for. It also wins this week’s award for silliest blog image.

Okay, okay… you’re right, we do have to include Big Data (at very least to justify using that image of Data playing the violin!) Here’s a fantastic article explaining how HR and Big Data are a natural fit!

That’s all for links.

In other news, I have finally chosen my Ultimate Fighting nickname: BIG DATA.

Fear me.