Recently, the trend of creating UGC platforms - http://www.ning.com/ and http://www.drupal.org/ for example - are becoming more and more popular. This is taking social media and networking to another level.
It's not just one-upping blogging , but even group moderating, as social media geeks are now directing instead of just acting. Meaning, if you were so inclined to create, moderate, and manage a LinkedIn group, you can now take it up a notch and manage an entire social network.
I feel this brings up the evolving question of quality content, as noted here: http://is.gd/4rYL. With this deluge of information, even in the nichiest of niche areas, is there such a thing as too much? I myself have subscribed to a number of networking sites, a combination of social and professional, and while there are maybe a dozen or so, I can only actively maintain a few. I - like you should be doing as you market yourself in this frontier - offer my opinions and share links, resources, thoughts, and the like - as much as I can. When I'm unable to be active in these communities, I worry that I'm spreading myself too thin.
I also worry that with so many sites the overall quality of information will suffer. The aforementioned UGC sites will undoubtedly multiply the number of web sites exponentially. I hope content doesn't suffer exponentially as well.
Please bear this in mind as you post, tweet, and register out there in 2.0Land.
10.21.2008
10.15.2008
Who Owns Your Network
The Quick History
I read a post from an employee of a mid-size company claiming that she was asked to join an online network, make connections via the discussion groups, and then hand the contacts she had made over to the company's sales staff. She was outraged, and refused to do so.
I then raised the topic of "who owns a network" in a public forum. The bulk of the responses suggested that its a moot point, that a laundry list of contacts is public knowledge, and that no one can actually "own" a network because there is nothing to actually own.
It's Who You Know
Oddly enough, a few days later I found out that a friend of mine was being sued for allegedly violating a non-compete: he had contacted someone he had met via an online network after he had left his former employer. The "relationship" was made while he was working for his former employer.
Prior to this contact, he had only added this person to an online address book (with hundreds of others). The former employer apparently feels that the contact list is theirs. My friend, obviously, feels differently.
Note to Self
While there may or may not be any validity to the ownership claim, it's something to keep in mind as you - and I - delve into the world of social media. Make sure your clients' CNC's don't have any EGA's: Electronic Gray Areas.
I read a post from an employee of a mid-size company claiming that she was asked to join an online network, make connections via the discussion groups, and then hand the contacts she had made over to the company's sales staff. She was outraged, and refused to do so.
I then raised the topic of "who owns a network" in a public forum. The bulk of the responses suggested that its a moot point, that a laundry list of contacts is public knowledge, and that no one can actually "own" a network because there is nothing to actually own.
It's Who You Know
Oddly enough, a few days later I found out that a friend of mine was being sued for allegedly violating a non-compete: he had contacted someone he had met via an online network after he had left his former employer. The "relationship" was made while he was working for his former employer.
Prior to this contact, he had only added this person to an online address book (with hundreds of others). The former employer apparently feels that the contact list is theirs. My friend, obviously, feels differently.
Note to Self
While there may or may not be any validity to the ownership claim, it's something to keep in mind as you - and I - delve into the world of social media. Make sure your clients' CNC's don't have any EGA's: Electronic Gray Areas.
10.13.2008
LexBlog: Makin' It Easy
Attorney and Social Media connoisseur Kevin O'Keefe has created a simple and extraordinarily practical solution for setting up your legal blog.
His site LexBlog.com offers turnkey solutions for legal professionals. If "time" was your excuse for not marketing yourself, LexBlog just eliminated it.
The site is chockful of resources, as are Kevin's own blog and Twitter updates. He also runs the LinkedIn group Legal Blogging with 1,236 members and counting. He's an Internet force to be reckoned with...watch him and learn!
His site LexBlog.com offers turnkey solutions for legal professionals. If "time" was your excuse for not marketing yourself, LexBlog just eliminated it.
The site is chockful of resources, as are Kevin's own blog and Twitter updates. He also runs the LinkedIn group Legal Blogging with 1,236 members and counting. He's an Internet force to be reckoned with...watch him and learn!
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