In a world where most things are Tweeted, Facebooked, YouTubed, blogged or otherwise, it is important companies keep up with the game in terms of how they reach their audiences.

Whether it be reaching potential clients, or potential employees, the principles are the same.

Below are some interesting reads on just how social media is affecting HR practices and how HR can drive this change and make the chance of success even greater for companies diving into the social pool.

38 questions to assess your company’s cultural readiness for social media

By Jay Baer and Amber Naslund for Smartblog on Workforce

Is your company ready to jump online and get social?

First, you need to establish the culture within your business, including staff attitudes.

Jay and Amber discuss what business culture consists of and explain how, through modern technology, more windows than ever exist into your company’s culture.

A trusting, open-minded culture is one of the key factors in successfully embracing social media.

Recruiters rethink online playbook

By Joe Light, for The Wall Street Journal

With the economy and job market tightening throughout the past couple of years, many recruiters have found themselves trawling through hundreds of applications for minimal jobs – and it is clear quantity does not equal quality.

Joe Light talks about how to avoid becoming bogged down with applications that aren’t relevant to job listings and the new trends that are emerging for recruiting that are harnessing the power of social media.

Find out how to get smarter about recruiting and how to use existing technology to help.

Social Media and HR

By Gautam Ghosh for People Matters

Companies and their employees need to embrace open and transparent communication if social media is to be a successful business tool and Gautam believes HR is uniquely placed to implement and drive this change.

He believes HR has the skills to make changes less painful and with a higher rate of success and shares ways in which HR can “get social” and methods for encouraging employee communication.

Going social with benefits conversations – A Q&A with Jennifer Benz

By Mary Ellen Slayter for Smartblog on Workforce

Many companies look at what social media can help them with in terms of communicating externally, but what about the potential for internal communication?

There are many success stories out there of companies implementing internal communication systems and the benefit on ROI as well as employee satisfaction.

This Q&A blog post addresses some common questions and issues companies have about internal social media, such as management worrying about not liking what is posted, or comments affecting morale. Jennifer says it is important to realise that such conversations are already going on and by having them in a public space, it is more likely they will be addressed and solved rather than buried under the carpet.

How to be a great storyteller and win over any audience

By Steve Tobak for The Corner Office

This blog post may seem a little off the social media topic, but it relates to it through social media’s very essence – how to tell a story, build a brand (you) and promote yourself. At the end of the day, that is what social media is all about, providing a platform to tell your story.

Steve talks about how, in the media and communication-saturated world we live in, it is crucial for people to know how to win over their audience and stand out from the crowd.

He explains a four-part system to help you capture your audience, starting at the setup, moving through to the story, the delivery and finally the close. Although aimed at live speakers, Steve’s tips have some great relevance for capturing your audience online and helping build your business’ profile.