The Beginning Of The End Of The Legal Award / Directory Business? “Facebook patents method to determine a lawyer’s expertise”

The first story in our big changes of 2015 series!  We’d suggest that this doesn’t look like much at the moment. BUT… if their patented methodology  works  we believe it spells the end of legal directories  and then all the various attached workshops, conferences and awards shindigs that go with it

 

http://lexblog.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=02b3dd0d1fc05ff63228fb697&id=b86f471ea5&e=f90fd87299

Facebook patents method to determine a lawyer’s expertise

By Kevin O’Keefe on February 17, 2015 in Facebook

Facebook lawyer rating
Though not directed specifically at lawyers, Facebook has been granted a patent which identifies experts and their degree of influence.

Rather than a directory of lawyers and other professionals rated by numbers or personal andectotes, Facebook will deliver something more valuable to both experts and the consumers of professional services.

Here’s a diagram that charts the patent shared by David Cohen, the editor at AllFacebook.

Facebook determines level of influence

Sounds a little crazy, but this process makes all the sense in the world.

With all the information available to us and, in many cases, being shoved down our throats, how do we receive and digest the most valuable information? Valuable to us personally or valuable to us professionally.

Trying to keep up with the best and most relevant information on our own is a foolhardy proposition. Heck, I use a news aggregator organizing feeds by source and subject and group the feeds into folders. It’s not enough.

A constant and never ending surfacing of the most valuable information for me from those with the most expertise and influence – as determined by my interests, my Facebook Friends and social networking – could be pretty slick.
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As lawyers share their insight and comentary on Facebook those determined to have the most expertise and influence will see their insight displayed in the Facebook News Feeds of others. Those who are not seen as experts will have a hard time getting what they share and say seen.

Want your blog posts seen by others when you share the posts on Facebook? Better be viewed as an expert with influence.

Networking and engagement through online commentary and sharing is becoming increasingly more important for lawyers looking to build word of mouth and relationships for business development.

Information about you and your background on websites and directories, though helpful, is becoming less important in the minds of legal consumers. Such info is virtually meaningless to social networks such as Facebook.

That’s why social networks such as Facebook determing degrees of expertise and influence could become very important for lawyers. Either you have it or you don’t. And if you don’t, your networking prowess to build relationships and word of mouth will be greatly curtailed.

Facebook is often dismissed by lawyers as a place for personal and professional networking. Big mistake. Facebook is by far the largest social network, especially in the age groups hiring lawyers, and is by far the most active social network.

I am not saying to leave other social networks such as LinkedIn, but it’ll prove worth your while to build a network of  “Facebook Friends” and to use Facebook reguarly to establish your expertise and influence. The more your Facebook posts get liked, shared (this takes time), and commented upon the more your influence grows.

I know this all sounds a little crazy, but not that long ago so did the concept of Google being important for lawyers.