The New York Times’ John Biggs has poseed an important question…

How much is a Tweet worth and how much does a Twtitter follower cost?

Noah Kravitz, a writer, worked for PhoneDog, a cell phone marketing company.  While there, he wrote for the company’s blog and acquired more than 17,000 Twitter followers. He left his job after 4-years and was intially told that he could keep his Twitter account and was requested to “tweet on their behalf from time to time and I said sure, as we were parting on good terms.”

twitter.com/phonedog_noah and the site Noah's last post directs you to have been "disconnected" for now...

I am among a fast growing number of marketing professionals who are building our reputations as online journalists via their blog and social media platforms.  In doing so, we are building our influence among our audience, and any employer interested in doing so for their company, will bring on professionals who are demonstrating their skills.

The “proof’s in the pudding” so to speak, and transparent actions speak much louder than words.  So, of course any savvy hiring manager will want to be on the lookout for the skill-set.

This being said, John’s statement below truly hit home…

… in a world where social media’s influence can mean the difference between a lucrative sale and another fruitless cold call, social media accounts at companies have taken on added significance.

The outcome of this case is going to set a precidence. Particularly, because more and more marketing and sales professionals are being hired because of their savvyness using Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, and the number of followers they have acquired.

As employers, you’ll want to stay concious of what you’re paying your employees to do.  After all, if they’re being paid to sit in a seat and make calls, then their interactions on social media (and the followers they generate) — are personal.  They are not connected to the business you pay them to perform.

Transparency in business practices has never been more important.  So, specicifity in job descriptions and fair compensation from the outset will alleviate a multitude of problems later — not to mention the negative public relations impact a lawsuit against an ex-employee in good standing has on your company.

Similarly, if you are an employee of a firm and requested to blog and use social media as an addendum to the duties you were originally signed on to do, make sure the stipulations for doing so are in writing!! Expressing your professional opinion, ie: publicising your expertise on the company’s behalf, your writing skill, and the audience you attain, and the time it takes to create are all valuable skills that you should be compensated for.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketing and Small Business on Facebook

Social Media and MeetUps Keep Legal Marketers Connected

FourSquare – A Fun and Innovative Tool For Legal Marketers

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

For all you social media enthusiasts in the legal marketing world, Twitter has made some exciting changes…

Twitter is revamping the service with personal Twitter profile pages, a new timeline that includes rich media and other related information embedded into tweets, and easier search for information based on @ symbols (usernames) and hash tags.

The highlighted changes:

• Personal profile pages.

• New home timeline.
  

• #Discover.

• @ names are now the shortcut to people.

Other articles you may be interested in:

The Virtual Law office Debate on Twitter

Foursquare: A Fun and Informative Tool for Legal Marketers

My Typical Morning Routine – Using Social Media Tools For New Business

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

If you’re an attorney struggling to build your practice, then you probably believe that the best way to use your time is by practicing law. The reality is, you are not in the business of practicing law. Your business is building relationships (also known as marketing) so that you can practice law.

This is the link to a powerful E-book written by Rainmaker Institute CEO, Stephen Fairley entitled, Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Attorneys Make & How to Avoid Them.

In this book you will learn specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too. The one thing you will NOT find within its pages is an ‘easy button’. Unfortunately, in the world of legal marketing there’s  simply no such thing! I can certainly attest to how much hard work, effort and money it takes to build a successful business and it will not happen overnight.

The great thing is, if you are willing to work we can help you make it happen!

As an advisor at The Rainmaker Institute, I work with solo and small firm legal practitioners to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy. In partnership with my clients, I support them to develop a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and empower them to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

Stephen Fairley, has helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice.

Echoing Stephen’s invitation, I invite you to download and print this e-book and read it with a pen and highlighter in hand. The specific strategies you’ll find within its pages, once applied, can make the kind of dramatic difference in your practice that lasts a lifetime.

If you are serious about implementing support services specifically designed for solo and small firm attorneys, please feel free to give me a call at 888-588-5891 Ext. 402 or send me an email at kara@therainmakerinstitute.com.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Kara Smith of Karasma Media Joins the Rainmaker Institute as a Rainmaker Advisor

Legal Marketers and Mid-Size Businesses – Let Your Commitments Do the Talking

The Amsterdam News Covers AALBC.com and Karasma Media Media Marketing Workshops

You may already realize that I relocated from New York City to Phoenix, Arizona and I am very proud to announce my new position as a Rainmaker Advisor with a remarkable legal marketing company, Stephen Fairley’s Rainmaker Institute.

Over the last 3 years, I’ve talked with literally hundreds of solo practitioners and partners in small law firms who were faced with the need to manage their firms as successful business enterprise.  Unfortunately, my do-it-yourself seminars were not products in high demand from lawyers who already worked 60-80 hour work-weeks.

One, cold Saturday evening in mid-January, after returning from an annual visit with my mother in Arizona, I was writing a press release in my apartment office. That was the moment I decided it was time for a dramatic change in my life.

So, I bought myself and my cat a plane ticket, started taking pictures of my belongings for Craig’s List and posted an announcement of my impending departure.

Shortly after I published my relocation announcement, I received this Direct Message from Stephen Fairley on Twitter.

In April of 2009, I wrote this article for Stephen’s magazine, The Rainmaker Advisor, “7 Essential Tools You Need to Manage Your Law Firm’s Online Reputation & Position Yourself as an Expert”, so I was acutely aware of The Rainmaker Institute’s dedication to excellence and integrity.

I am excited to say that going forward, all of the legal marketing business I conduct will be through The Rainmaker Institute in my position as a Rainmaker Advisor.

For the last 12 years, the programs Stephen developed have helped more than 7,000 attorneys create successful and sustainable law practices, with over 22 of the largest state and local bar associations having sponsored his live law firm marketing seminars & Rainmaker Retreats to their members.

This white paper on How to Market Your Articles is specifically for lawyers. It is a sample of the exemplary free information we make available on a regular basis, so be sure to connect!

Keep me posted on your accomplishments and let me know if I can help.

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had some fascinating conversations with J.R. Hunn and have grown very fond of him, which is why you’re hearing about him now…

We’re talking a great deal about finance, our fast shifting world economic status and managing debt.  No doubt you know that these conversations can be overwhelming for many of us to comprehend, let alone actually work with effectively on a personal level.

J.R. has the uncanny ability to give fresh perspective to all of these concepts and situations and provide solutions that are exceedingly easy to comprehend.

More importantly, he shares his knowledge empathetically and has a great sense of humor, which just makes life in general more manageable, and a heck of a lot more fun for those around him.

Growth & decay are constantly happening.  Expansion / Contraction — change is always happening. Some people benefit more than others from any given change.  Learning to benefit from change makes a difference.

The distinction is the magnitude of the changes that are happening now,  The growth is going to be bigger than the rise of the U.S. or Soviet Union.  Collapse is going to be bigger — A really big magnitude shift.

The economic distinction is the size of the shift.   Commitment to benefit from changes is one possible commitment.  Commitment to growth is another.

J.R. Hunn

We shot a very funny video together on the historical impact of oil and the strength of political systems.  Off-camera, this was my first time playing full out with J.R. and we had a ball!

It’s a marathon of jokes, and I literally fell off my chair from laughing so hard.  We’ll be fine tuning as we create more, so stay tuned.

A Brief History of Oil

J.R. consults people on creating financial shelters and prudently manages the assets within the shelters and settles & negotiates debt and prefers to work with people who shelter their finances before they settle their debts.

For some background on the term The DominOil Effect, see J.R’s 2004 article, “…The REAL US Deficit: Oil,” For his more recent research and analysis, see his blog, http://jrfibonacci.wordpress.com/.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I’ve attended several networking events since moving to Phoenix at the end of January.  Recently, I connected to the meet-up group Java & Justice
through my membership with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

Alex & Gaxiola, Serious Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys based in Phoenix, have a terrific marketing & internet services manager, Rhonda Robbins , who I’ve become great friends with.  Rhonda is an SEO queen, and is also creating some stimulating, “out-in-the-world events for her firm.

In speaking with Rhonda, she said that one of Andrew Alex’ primary concerns is his client’s quality of life.  He is also strongly committed to educating them in a way that that will protect them if or when the time comes.

The video linked below to the firm’s YouTube Channel is a terrific example of how an accident with a truck can change your entire life…

One of the primary business growth challenges for a accident attorneys is that their clients don’t need their services until something catastrophic happens.  Since chasing ambulances is unscrupulous at best, having relationships with potential clients, long before they require services is all the more important..

They’re doing a MeetUp Series called JAVA & JUSTICE.

These semi-weekly gatherings allow the firm’s attorneys to interact with their community hands on, providing them with a venue designed for face-to-face communication.

Do connect to  Alex & Gaxiola on Facebook and Twitter …

If you’re in the Phoenix Arizona area, stop by a MeetUp.  Either way, I encourage you to connect with the group so you can stay in the loop!

Join the Java & Justice Meet-Up in Phoenix

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

After 22 wonderful years in New York City, Kara Smith, the principal and founder of Karasma Media is relocating to Phoenix, Arizona.   As of Sunday, January 30th,  I will be operating out of Phoenix and support New York clients and travel to NY City and other locations from there.

In addition to operating Karasma Media, I’m actively searching for a position as a marketing/communications/social media manager and adjunct college teacher and will be getting my certification to tutor elementary & secondary English once I arrive in Arizona.

My mother is 82-years old and very active and I want to enjoy this very special time of our lives together.   We’d been talking about my moving there fore several years, and during my last Christmas visit, I saw that now was the time to migrate West…   I also met a very special man whose family is close to ours, so this move is the beginning of new adventures for me on multiple levels!

If you have friends & colleagues in the area who may be able to assist in my “life-recreation, please do to connect us!

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I am excited and enthusiastic about a conversation happening among barristers practicing international law.

European Parliment; Strasbourg, France

On the Martindale-Hubbell Connected German Law Group Blog, a London based journalist who specializes on the European legal market commented,

“There is no privilege for in-house lawyers in Europe.   As it stands now, any lawyer who wants to benefit from legal privilege has to be completely independent of the client they are taking instructions from…

Attorneys need to… re-focus their efforts on trying to persuade their local bar associations to allow them to join their organizations on equal term with private practice lawyers. Only once a significant minority of European countries treat in-house lawyers as just as “independent” as their private practice colleagues is the ECJ ever likely to change its opinion on corporate counsel privilege.

A scenaro which makes this situation worse, is often in-house counsel based in the United States is granted privilege by a European judge due to their US origin, in accordance with the standard practice here.

See the Poll on Martindale Hubbell Connected’s German Law Group Forum asking:
Should (German) in-house lawyers be allowed to be members of their bar?

It occurred to me that this situation is exemplary of the kinds of imbalances within the international legal community that attorneys using social media platforms designed specifically for them, will have the ability to bring to light and alleviate.  Martindale Hubbell Connected’s closed community on  is ideal for this, due to the scrutiny, reputation, and expertise of the firm; while other newer platforms may not be as oriented in the needs the international legal service provider.

Many law firms and individual practitioners alike work to resolve their areas of concern and skepticism about social media, from a strictly theoretical perspective.   However, those who are actively embracing the nuances online social media interaction are going to be far out in front in there ROI as a result of using it masterfully over time.  Legal organizations working globally are going to more subject to this than any other practitioners.

Log -in here to read and contribute to this discussion on Martindale Hubbell Connected
Joining Martindale Hubbell Connected is free of charge, the only requirement is that you are a legal professional.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Generate an International Legal Marketing Conversation Using Social Media

How to Use Twitter To Build Your International Conversation

Small and Medium-sized Firms Can Generate Business From Blogging

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Alain L. Locke Elementary School P.S. 208 Celebrates World Dance

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Once again, @Lisa Solomon has proven herself to be an invaluable information resource…

This afternoon she sent out an note regarding Lance Goddard of 22Tweets moderation of a Twitter debate hosted by ABA Journal about virtual law offices.

It was featuring VLO (Virtual Law Office) expert Stephanie Kimbro and Legal Rebel Richard Granat (in favor) and outspoken Florida Lawyer Brian Tannebaum in opposition; with of course a litany of comments provided by all those tuning in.

You can see and add to the Tweetstream here:

In the event you’re not on Twitter, and you should be… You can view the debate at http://tinyurl.com/2csdtm6. (The Tweets are in reverse chronological order, keep clicking “older” to get to the beginning.)

Other articles you may be interested in:

A Very Simple Twitter Formula for Generating Legal Marketing Business

In Fortune 500 Companies Twitter Moves Ahead of Blogs – Are you Tweeting Legal?

In Social Media for the Legal Marketing Industry – Digital Branding Creates Clients

3 Reasons For Legal Marketers to Start Thinking Like Journalists

Legal Marketing Ethics in a Web 3.0 World

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

The use of real tweets helps “chunk” the piece both visually and logically; we think it makes it easier to read.

There are some folk who felt that a pasted-in image of a tweet was a bit “tacky”.  Personally, I never really minded it, since it illustrated a point.  Either way, there’s now an easy to use alternative!

With just a small bit of code you can generate simple, selectable flat-HTML tweets like the one I used here.

You’ll need to capture a Tweet’s URL and paste it in,  so you may want to take a look at Ben Sparks’ directions on how to do so first.

Here’s the link!  Blackbird Pie

Other articles you may be interested in:

A Great Legal Marketing Firm Tool to Optimize Twitter

A Very Simple Twitter Formula for Generating Legal Marketing Business

A Real-Time Social Web Clock Watcher for Curious Legal Marketers

Legal Marketers: Responding to social media inquiries is more important than you think

3 Reasons For Legal Marketers to Start Thinking Like Journalists

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410