The Advantage Advocates’ Value-Add

FaceBook PrimaryAs Studio readers may or may not know, I have a business providing research, writing, Web content development and consultation, Advantage Advocates. A few months ago, I made a push to increase the fan base for AA’s Facebook Fan Page with the promise that I would provide on that page more than just Studio posts to reward a potential fan for agreeing to sign up. I mean, why sign up to be a fan of the AA page, when you can simple subscribe straight to the Studio through RSS or on Facebook itself through the Networked Blogs application?

It has taken few months, but I am happy to report that I have indeed come up with a value-add for those interested in becoming a fan of AA’s Facebook Fan page. These days, Google Reader is my number-one source for cutting edge information across the law and technology spectrum. The majority of my blog posts sprout from the seeds I discover in Reader. The problem for me is that there is simply too much interesting stuff going on to write about it all in long post format.

I heavily share items I find in Reader on Twitter and Friendfeed and occasionally share on Social Median. You can subscribe directly to my Google Reader Shared Items and even connect with me in a mutual sharing arrangement within Reader. However, up to this point, I have been generating good content across multiple formats, with Friendfeed offering the most comprehensive collection of Studio-curated material.

Until now. It has taken me the better part of a Sunday to figure out how to get both Studio posts and Reader shares onto my Advantage Advocates page, but I believe I have done it! By becoming a fan of the Advantage Advocates page on Facebook, you can get both Studio posts and Google Reader shares in a single location. I have to tell you, there is some great stuff that I only share through Reader and don’t promote to full blog post status, so if you are a law and tech info junkie, the AA page will now offer a nice “one stop shopping” experience.

I would love to offer all this great content to you! Please stop by my page at http://facebook.com/advantageadvocates, check it out and “fan” if you would like to add this stream to your daily digest! And keep on the lookout for more “value-adds” on the page!

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The Advantage Advocates' Value-Add

FaceBook PrimaryAs Studio readers may or may not know, I have a business providing research, writing, Web content development and consultation, Advantage Advocates. A few months ago, I made a push to increase the fan base for AA’s Facebook Fan Page with the promise that I would provide on that page more than just Studio posts to reward a potential fan for agreeing to sign up. I mean, why sign up to be a fan of the AA page, when you can simple subscribe straight to the Studio through RSS or on Facebook itself through the Networked Blogs application?

It has taken few months, but I am happy to report that I have indeed come up with a value-add for those interested in becoming a fan of AA’s Facebook Fan page. These days, Google Reader is my number-one source for cutting edge information across the law and technology spectrum. The majority of my blog posts sprout from the seeds I discover in Reader. The problem for me is that there is simply too much interesting stuff going on to write about it all in long post format.

I heavily share items I find in Reader on Twitter and Friendfeed and occasionally share on Social Median. You can subscribe directly to my Google Reader Shared Items and even connect with me in a mutual sharing arrangement within Reader. However, up to this point, I have been generating good content across multiple formats, with Friendfeed offering the most comprehensive collection of Studio-curated material.

Until now. It has taken me the better part of a Sunday to figure out how to get both Studio posts and Reader shares onto my Advantage Advocates page, but I believe I have done it! By becoming a fan of the Advantage Advocates page on Facebook, you can get both Studio posts and Google Reader shares in a single location. I have to tell you, there is some great stuff that I only share through Reader and don’t promote to full blog post status, so if you are a law and tech info junkie, the AA page will now offer a nice “one stop shopping” experience.

I would love to offer all this great content to you! Please stop by my page at http://facebook.com/advantageadvocates, check it out and “fan” if you would like to add this stream to your daily digest! And keep on the lookout for more “value-adds” on the page!

How Social IS Your Government?

Have you ever wondered just how social and popular on-line your favorite government agency is? Check out this list from Government Computer News of the top ten agencies with the most Facebook fans. The White House is far and away the winner, which comes as no surprise. Number ten on the list is the Environmental Protection Agency. Hit the jump above, check out the list and add yourself to the throngs of adoring, screaming fans of the Library of Congress!

Or, if you are an agency looking to leverage the power of the Web to promote your cause, check out the new Facebook page launched by Facebook called, aptly enough “Facebook and Government“, with tips and inspiration for setting up agency pages. This page also offers a collection of links to existing government agency pages.

Hat tip to Resource Shelf.

The Law of Facebook

Facebook, Inc.
Image via Wikipedia

Or, more aptly titled, the Law ON Facebook. Sparked by a lively discussion on Twitter regarding Facebook fan pages for service providers like law firms generated by attorney / writter / blogger Nicole Black yesterday and fueled by stories in my RSS reader this morning, I thought I would share with you some of the breadth and depth of legal infiltration of this virtual cocktail party, ne college fraternity party, social site, as well as a few parting thoughts on the topic.

First, Bob Ambrogi at LawSites has compiled a list of State Bar Associations on Facebook here. Mr. Ambrogi is careful to qualify that the list includes State Bar Associations only, and does not reference either national or local associations, of which there certainly must be a few lurking. Hit the jump for his list of more than fifty such associations clamoring for friends and virtual fans.

Next, Aviva Cuyler at JD Scoop is compiling a list of lawyers and law firms on Facebook (as a follow-up to JD Scoop’s wildly popular Lawyers to Follow on Twitter list). I am very happy to report that Advantage Advocates is included, number ten on the quite-lengthy list. It is pretty impressive to see the range of practice and scope represented by this list, which most likely is not exhaustive (yet).

I am sensitive to the debate raised in the Twitter discussion, which addresses whether starting a business page and imploring your “friends” to become “fans” is overstepping the implied social mores of the FB platform. However, I fail to see a meaningful difference between promoting your work on FB and promoting your work on any other social network, even those targeted at professionals, or even promoting your work in the real world. Perhaps it comes down to how the individual views his or her personal and professional lives and how he or she approaches the various social sites. Promotion always runs the risk of offending someone. The recipient can always filter, block, engage, disengage, follow, unfollow, friend, unfriend or click any manner of button to tailor, limit or expand their engagement in response. I would imagine, though, that for every “friend” put off by a post from a law firm, there is another that might be interested in learning something new about the work of a friend, colleague or peer in another part of the country or even the world or willing to support the work of another. And it doesn’t hurt to remind our friends what we do professionally, in case the odd legal question should pop up in their lives.

And for us “older” folk, perhaps it comes down to squaring the established “in-real-life” definitions of the words “friends”, “fans” and “followers” with the unique meanings that these terms hold in our brave new on-line world. While it seems strange to be “friends” with someone you have never met, be a “fan” of a business as staid and stuffy as a law firm or to “follow” a taco truck in southern California, our new social hangouts have pushed the limits of the words to include such strange relationships.

Besides, I think it is really cool to have “fans.” I have my Sharpie handy in case anyone needs an autograph.

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