Over the past few months I’ve noticed that when I post a link to a blog post to Facebook, I tend to get a number of comments. Often, these comments turn into full-fledged conversations among 2, 3 or more of my Facebook friends – many of whom have never met one another. I usually sit back and watch these discussions unfold without getting in the way, enthralled with the back-and-forth going on in front of me.
In the process I often learn a few things. Maybe a nuance in the law I didn’t previously see, but more often it’s a concern that someone has about bankruptcy or consumer protection laws. Seeing the issues through the eyes of my audience in real-time is invaluable, as it enables me to continue the process of education and, from time to time, hone the way I provide information so it’s more valuable to the world.
In a recent post, John Battelle (On Facebook, Comments, and Implications) noticed the same phenomenon. Like me, John posts to his blog and has that link sent automatically to Twitter. Facebook, in turn, picks up the Twitter status update.
John claims that Facebook is the defacto leader in distribution of attention, and likens it to Google in 2004-06. And though I’m a huge Twitter supporter, I’m inclined to agree for a few reasons:
With Twitter you’ve got 140 characters. That’s enough for a retweet, but not much commentary. In order to add anything to the conversation you’ve got to create your own blog post in response (or a video, or podcast) and send THAT out there as well. Takes too long, not practical. The back-and-forth of 140 characters is liberating in some ways, constraining in others.
On Facebook, interaction is made simple using the “Comment” feature. Click a button, put down your thoughts, and you’re done. It’s the simplicity of content creation that makes it so compelling.
When commenting on a blog, you’re able to hide behind relative anonymity. On Facebook, you get to show yourself for your friends to see. In doing so, you can strut your stuff and show that you are interested and have something to say.
On Facebook, your comments are shown to your friends as well as to the friends of the original poster of information – not the whole world. There’s relative safety there, not having to worry so much about millions of strangers reading every word you utter.
Why is this important to you, the lawyer? Because it’s giving you a window into your audience – the human being who either now does, or may in the future, need your help solving a problem.
When you’re on Facebook you get to put your ideas out there and see what resonates. More to the point, you’re able to get gut reactions from people. And when that happens, you can more easily hone your marketing messages for maximum effect.
I tend to think of Facebook as a backyard barbeque and Twitter as a quick conversation at a coffee machine. While the latter is good for maintaining relationships, sharing opinions, and meeting new people, it doesn't allow for really talking to anyone or deepening the relationships you have. You're more likely to meet new people through Twitter than Facebook, though, so both sites have their uses.
I tend to think of Facebook as a backyard barbeque and Twitter as a quick conversation at a coffee machine. While the latter is good for maintaining relationships, sharing opinions, and meeting new people, it doesn't allow for really talking to anyone or deepening the relationships you have. You're more likely to meet new people through Twitter than Facebook, though, so both sites have their uses.
Sure thing facebook can be pretty useful online marketing tool, but an individual must be aware of the things they are posting on these sites
I agree! Facebook and twitter is a helpful way to hone legal marketing. We at Legal Vanity appreciate this post