Once again, the state of Oregon proves it’s more than willing to ride the wave of new technology.  Now, people looking for work in the state of Oregon can sign up with Worksource Oregon to get new job openings via Twitter.

I’ve been using Twitter to find new clients, network with potential customers and seek open positions myself for some time.  The avenues that help to do this continue to grow and that’s very exciting.  This month, I heard that the unemployment rate in Oregon went from a nail-biting 12% down to 9%.  Sounds good, right?  Well, it’s not necessarily chocolate and roses.  The reason it went down was not the result of an influx of new jobs (in fact, we lost another 200+ jobs), but the fact that unemployed men and women are giving up.  They’re not filing job claims, so the numbers have reflected that.  I would like to think that they are looking at other opportunities and avenues online.  I know how profitable that is.  I do not want to think they are losing heart…that would be very sad, but I understand.

With all that said, I’m here to say, “do not give up!”  The Twitter resource of Worksource Oregon is an example that all is not lost.  There is hope.

If you do not have a Twitter account, this is as good a reason as any to get started with a brand new Twitter account.  Then, surf over to the Worksource Oregon web site and follow some of the Twitter feeds, which will get any new job openings posted to your Twitter account.

You can also find additional job search resources over at my Uniquely Portland Oregon Portland Oregon Jobs section.

Hang in there.  Don’t despair.  It’s all going to work out.

(Prineville) – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski announced today that Facebook, the world’s leading social networking service with more than 350 million users, will locate a multi-million dollar data center in Prineville. The facility, which will help store and route information posted by users, is expected to create more than 200 jobs during its 12-month construction phase. When finished, the data center will employ at least 35 full-time workers and dozens more part-time and contract employees. Additional construction phases may be possible in the future, depending on business needs.

“This is great news for Prineville and really the entire state. I am pleased to welcome this leading Internet technology company to Oregon,” said Governor Kulongoski. “The stable, family-wage jobs and economic stimulus they will provide to this area during construction are a bright spot as this nation and this state climb out of this recession.”

Governor Kulongoski said the state has been working with Facebook’s representatives for a number of months to help bring together the land, utilities and incentives to make the project a success.

“After a rigorous review process of sites across the West Coast, Facebook concluded that Prineville offered the best package of resources – including a suitable climate for environmental cooling, renewable power resources, available land, talented regional workforce and supportive business environment,” said Tom Furlong, Director of Site Operations for Facebook. “The City of Prineville, Crook County and the State of Oregon have all been tremendously persuasive in helping us make this decision. We look forward to joining the community and working with them to provide faster, more reliable and more robust service to people around the world who rely on Facebook to connect and share.”

In keeping with Oregon’s reputation for environmental leadership, the building will be designed to LEED gold standards. Most importantly, it will employ innovative cooling and power management technologies that will make it one of the most energy efficient data centers in the United States served by Pacific Power’s impressive and growing portfolio of renewable energy resources.

“I thank Facebook for choosing Oregon and am hopeful this decision will act as a big “open for business sign” for other companies in this quickly growing field,” said Kulongoski. “This is a great example of how the public and private sector work together to create economic opportunity for Oregon communities.”

More information about the project as well as ongoing updates will be available at Facebook.com/prinevilledatacenter

With my 2nd Portland Tweet Up coming up on November 10th (all the info is at http://www.pdxtweetup.com), it’s going to be an awesome night to get together and network with other Portland Tweeters.

IMO, one of the best and simplest ways to build and promote your brand is to get your name out on all the groovy swag you can….things that people use every single day: pens, mugs, calendars, magnets, etc, etc. Purchase bulk amounts and sell them or, the best way, hand them out. It will be a sure fire way to put your company in front of as many eyes as possible.

One of the premiere online companies that can help you produce promotional products is Amsterdam. Promotional printing and dozens of other swag products is their specialty and, if you can, get some stuff made up with the intent of handing it out at the Portland Tweet Up.

You really can’t have enough of this type of stuff!

See you next Tuesday.

~~ Tony