Best of the week

Happy Friday, everyone. Here are the articles and resources I found most interesting this week.

1) "When First Impressions Flop: The Power of Getting a Second Chance." Jerker Denrell, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Standford Graduate School of Business, talks about first and second impressions and the importance for organizations of providing ways to get a second impression to employees who wouldn't normally interact. That will help companies promote diversity and equal opportunity, says the release.

2) "Everything I Know About Community I Learnt Tending Bar." Blogger and Microsoft employee Jeff Sandquist offers a unique perspective on building online communities. Jeff is one of the guys working on Microsoft's Channel 9, a portal that brings Microsoft developers together with users through a variety of social software tools. (I wrote about Channel 9 earlier this month.)

2.5) If you can stand to read long stretches of mostly unformatted text, you might find the award jury statement from Ars Electronica's new Digital Community award enlightening. You'll find out what online communities are doing ground-breaking work and maybe get some tips for building or maintaining your own.

3) Hidden Tech. The Future of Work Weblog pointed me to this organization that provides resources for virtual company owners. (No, the owners aren't virtual; the companies are! :) ) Even though the Website says the member companies are based in Massachusetts, anyone can join online. The organization offers news, reports, events, discussions, and more.