Social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and iTunes might be fun places to visit. But a Central Alberta web communications consultant thinks they could also be a source of workers.

Dean Owen recently launched albertaJOBcast, a business that turns employer profiles and job postings into audio and video podcasts — or jobcasts. It also helps clients get their jobcasts onto suitable sites.

Owen thinks this approach is a better way to reach young people, who may not read newspaper ads or visit corporate job sites on a regular basis but do frequent social networking sites.

“These young people, aged 18 to 30, are the iPod generation, with such things as blogs, YouTube videos and podcasts their preferred method of information gathering.”

Owen said albertaJOBcast will help a client create audio and video material.

“The audio is an interview with the employer,” he said, explaining that information about the business and jobs is obtained and then added to related video images.

Once the jobcast has been converted into movie format, it can be placed on sites like Facebook or YouTube.

“That’s where a lot of the heavy lifting is done,” said Owen, referring to the challenge of finding a site where the target audience will see it.

“The big thing with social networking is determining what’s hot and what’s not — and it shifts a lot.”

Owen, who lives in Penhold, started a related business called BRASSmedia last June. BRASSmedia helps businesses and other organizations create and distribute online communications like podcasts and blogs.

“One of the challenges that I was faced with with BRASSmedia, and I came to albertaJOBcast as a result, is that a lot of folks couldn’t quite see — or maybe I didn’t explain it properly — the value of podcasts to a business.”

Most employers quickly recognize the value of jobcasts, because they see the potential benefits to their business.

“It makes more sense to people to use another alternative recruiting method to attract talent.”

Although relatively new to Alberta, jobcasts are being used worldwide. Businesses in the United Kingdom and the eastern United States have been particularly quick to adopt this approach, said Owen.

Additional information can be found at www.albertajobcast.com.

Contact Harley Richards at hrichards@reddeeradvocate.com