This is Just to Say

Happy one-year anniversary. That's right: RNN is officially at the stage where first-time parents realize that kids are a lot easier to manage when they're relying on others for locomotion.

In other words: we have our legs. And, maybe we're about to climb a few open drawers, and get our hands in the cookie jar. (Or, in this editor's case, wander behind the garage and find a - mostly - empty gasoline can and try to drink it). Freedom.

How it Started | How it's Going

RNN was born out of an idea. That the recruiting industry needed a dedicated voice. One that was global in both perspective as well as ambitions. That reflected the work the industry does - and how that work is, ultimately, about people. We had a desire to bring forward leaders who you might not be aware of. Incredible people doing hands-on work, in the trenches, with actionable advice to share. To build something we'd been looking for for years. One spot to find breaking news, analysis, advice. A resource-hub to share events, interesting readings, and the stories of people making changes in their careers.

These things matter, and we couldn't find them in one spot. So we decided to build it. As we do.

It was an interesting year to launch a news-focused site. From the sites go-live a year ago today, to "we're all going to have to hide in our houses for the foreseeable future" a week later. Shifts in hiring patterns. Layoffs, and hiring surges. "Essential workers" becoming lingua franca. Murder hornets (not technically hiring-related, but still... wow). Brexit stumbling along like a drunk in a glass-walled maze. The US elections. Oh, the US elections. Wow. The rise of conspiracy theories as normal language, and someone wearing a Viking horns took the US capital. Racial justice needs finally seeming to become front-and-center. We lost John Lewis. And so, so many more.

A year that broke our hearts.

If anyone saw this coming, they were likely locked up in a psych ward and heavily medicated.

This is the year that saw pool workers become critical, and finding people to drive toilet paper from you warehouses to stores mattered. Where remote hiring tools, from video to assessment tech, collaboration and learning, surged to the forefront of out technology needs

We carry forward. It's a funny thing, for a news site: bad news is still news. We've seen our site traffic grow month-after-month, our subscriber list grows daily. In an era of information-overload, we think that's a sign that we're provided something needed to our community. That we're moving forward on our mission.

The Team That Lifts the Barn Wall

We are freakishly fortunate to have this team. This rag-tag, low-ego, band of geniuses. From our Publisher, the visionary Neil Costa (who simply loves what RNN is doing, contributes, pushes, pulls, and always supports). Our design team. This site, if I'm bragging, looks amazing - and it's not bragging really, because it's all on them: Steve Rouse (lynch-pin, technologist, master of UI), Veronica Funk (illustrator, designer - she is V-Funk, and she rocks), Kyle Johnston (effects, video, and the AV person you need). Jamie Verga, our "person-with-all-the hats" (analyst, content, support, Events wrangler, People-on-the-Move manager - basically, every great team needs a Jamie). Laney Rauseo and Rachael Cecilio (social media and newsletters, marketing, our get-the-words-out team - great content in a vacuum doesn't travel far, it needs marketers). Our biz-dev team of Kevin Wizst and Doug Kerken (if you're looking for a way to connect with potential customers, this is the way find our media kit here).

Whew. Wow. We grew a bit in 2020.

Where it's Going

We have... plans, for Year Two. Continued coverage, to be sure. An expanded focus on the TA tech we use, and an easy way to find them all in one spot - a truly searchable database of global tech options: much needed. Local-based coverage around the globe. A webinar library that's not RNN-exclusive webinars - we aim to give you a spot to find the best webinars, podcasts, and content from all of the content-geniuses in our industry

As practitioners, and constant knowledge-junkies, we've been looking for resources like those, in one spot. So we're making it. As we do.

Just to wrap this up: thank you. If you've been with us from the start, that's amazing. If you just found us: we aim to keep you engaged with great content. This is RNN. We'll be with you along the way.

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