My dear friend LinkedIn has some competition coming its way–that’s right, Facebook is developing a new platform designed to let people use the social networking site at work.

The new Facebook–dubbed FB@Work (Zuckerberg couldn’t think of something more clever?)–will allow co-workers to chat, network with other professionals in their field, and work together on documents.

Many professionals already use Facebook at work, but now the company is actually testing the professional platform with companies, according to Reuters. FB@Work would be a completely separate site from the social networking site. Its main competitors include LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, Box, and Salesforce.com

Zuckerberg’s move to create a professional networking platform gives Facebook a new edge. The tech industry is in a high-speed capability race and this new platform gives Facebook a one-up.

FB@Work’s chat tool can compete with Salesforce.com’s Chatter, Google’s Gchat, and Microsoft’s Yammer. Networking with professionals on FB@Work compares to the entire platform of LinkedIn. Lastly, providing co-workers with a space to collaborate on documents challenges Google Docs, Box, and Dropbox.

All of these features will not only be more attractive for users, but also for advertisers. The Financial Times reports the professional website will provide users with accounts separate from the social Facebook, so marketers have more space to place ads. The separate accounts would function to keep certain information private from certain audiences.

Some features will look similar; the News Feed will still be a staple of the site. The terms of confidentiality are still in question.

With FB@Work, you may portray your Facebooking habits in a more positive light at work. However, the new platform is designed to foster a more-efficient Facebook that will overall increase productivity and connectivity in the workplace.

Would you use FB@Work? Personally, I wouldn’t want to have an additional distraction. Google and LinkedIn already provide all the services I need–chat, room to collaborate on documents, discussion boards, and networking space. Creating another account means worrying about another password to remember and another networking site to keep up with. Honestly, I think Facebook is just trying to remain relevant with this new platform.

In the past, Facebook has tried to compete with other sites and networking platforms. Do you remember the Beacon fiasco? Beacon was part of Facebook’s Ads platform, but users were infuriated when the truth about Beacon’s tracking mechanisms came out. Beacon tracked users’ online activity on third-party sites–even when they were logged out or opted not to broadcast their activity to their networks.

This controversy, which occurred in 2007, was not a lone incident in Facebook’s spotty history with privacy leaks. In 2011, a similar privacy breach occurred when three applications were reported to provide users’ personal information to third-party sites. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m hesitant to join the movement for FB@Work. Though the site is still in its development phase, I don’t trust that the social account and the professional account of Facebook will be kept completely separate nor will it be entirely secure. Until this site is fully developed and used by many early adopters, you can find me on LinkedIn.

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Facebook at Work: Facebook Creating LinkedIn Competitor appeared first on Law Street.

It’s no secret that I’m mildly obsessed with LinkedIn. Anyone who knows me even remotely will knows this. But much to my dismay, many of my colleagues and peers disregard this social network, disparaging it as the Facebook for old people and arguing that it serves no purpose, it’s lame, etc. I disagree.

LinkedIn has so many features that most people are unaware of that they are truly missing out. Are you in college? Grad school? Law or med school? Or maybe you just graduated and you’ve joined the rat race that we call job hunting. I won’t say LinkedIn can solve your problems just like that — by no means are you guaranteed a position by way of LinkedIn. But I bet if you use the site the way you should and get the most out of LinkedIn, you can highly increase your chances of landing a decent job or connecting with someone who could change your life.

Here’s a list of five useful LinkedIn features that fly under most users’ radars:

1. Update your professional gallery. LinkedIn is the ultimate e-portfolio. It’s like a resume without a one-page limit. You can digitally share all kinds of projects you’ve worked on — articles, designs, videos, pictures, etc. This is probably the best way to showcase the experience you’ve gained at each internship or job.
2. Join and participate in relevant groups and discussions. One of the best ways to get noticed on LinkedIn is to join groups and discussions that interest you. For example, if you are in the finance industry or seeking fluency in a language, they have groups for that! Once you join groups and discussions, you not only have access to loads of useful advice, but you are connected to people you may have never encountered before.
3. Share updates, including useful articles you’ve read or wrote yourself. Get out there. This is where people confuse Facebook and LinkedIn. Yes, you can share updates, but no one cares that you just brushed your teeth and walked your dog. Share a new piece you just finished or an interesting article you read. This will call attention to your profile and the more viewers, the better for you!
4. Utilize your alumni network. Newsflash, alumni love their alma maters. Their pride is often accompanied with a sense of nostalgia in the vein of, “I remember when I was your age, getting ready for life in the real world.” This is usually followed up with some type of advice and swapping of contact information. Take advantage of this opportunity to build your network! LinkedIn has a variety of features specially designed for alumni to connect with each other. Almost every college and university has an alumni network; if you’re connected instantly, why not reach out?
5. Request introductions to people of interest through your network. This is probably based on the Six Degrees of Separation theory. Basically, any person on this planet is only six introductions away from any other person. So, I’m only like six introductions away from Angelina Jolie. Sweet. You can use this tool to make connections with the judge at the court where you want to clerk or meet an partner at your dream firm.

Just like every other form of social networking, LinkedIn is constantly adding features to allow users to show their personalities by adding experience outside of work. Employers like well-rounded employees with varying interests. Some career influencers tell us to let our personalities shine through our brands, it’s the name of the game. LinkedIn now allows you to showcase your volunteer experience, certifications, even patents. So take the extra few minutes to surf the site that could change your professional career profoundly.

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Natasha Paulmeno (@natashapaulmeno) 

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Get the Most Out of LinkedIn With These 5 Useful Features appeared first on Law Street.

In recent years, social media has become intrinsically linked with daily life. From dining to retail to business to politics, almost every public figure or company uses some sort of social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Youtube, or one of the many other options, social media isn’t just for individuals anymore, it’s for businesses, too. It’s estimated that 73 percent of Americans who regularly use the internet are involved in social media and networking in some capacity.

Working in social media is actually a viable and legitimate job for many people right now. An AOL jobs post from January 2014 projects that this year a Social Media Strategist will make about $61,000, require a bachelor’s degree, and points out that “the more social media followers a company has, the more their products and services are recognized.”

So, how are law firms doing with this? Well, a firm called Good2bSocial tried to answer that question this winter. Good2bSocial is a consulting firm that helps other companies expand their social marketing, particularly in the legal field. They worked together with AboveTheLaw to attempt to figure out how exactly the legal industry, particularly leaders in the industry, are doing with social media. The results were that big law firms are doing a pretty miserable job with it.

A white paper called “The Social Law Firm” by Good2bSocial was released last December, and followup articles have been released since then. The white paper itself requires a (free) subscription to Good2bSocial’s site, but if you don’t feel like reading the entire thing, I’ve summed up some important points below.

The study essentially analyzed the social media practices of the Am Law 50. It was conducted through surveys and questionnaires and an analysis of existing social media sites for each of the firms.

The study pretty much finds that while many law firms use social media, and use it extensively, they don’t use it in the most efficient or creative ways. The use of social media is described as a “token effort,” because law firms create social media sites to say that they have them, and so that they’re searchable, but don’t take advantage of the potential that those sites offer. Good2bSocial points out that social media takes real strategy separate from basic marketing. While law firms are creating substantive and interesting content, they are not using social media to promote such content as much as they could be.

Law firms have gotten that social media is important, it just really seems like they haven’t begun to understand how it works. The report states that “firms continue to view social media as nothing more than a distribution channel for firm news and press releases. This alone explains why firms achieve such low levels of engagement.” Uploading a pdf link to twitter isn’t engaging, it isn’t going to foster discussion, and it isn’t going to attract more followers.

Another mistake made by law firms, according to this study, is that they don’t have platforms in place to allow for coordination and collaboration within the firm, or in-house blogs. All of these things are not only attractive concepts for clients or potential employees, but also are helpful and engaging for current employees. The study does predict that this will all change, but that change is slow going and many firms are just beginning to scratch the surface of their social media potential.

The study does note that smaller firms are doing a better job with social media, but overall the conclusion remains that the field of law in general is lacking in social media prowess.

This begs an important question, though. Should law firms even care about social media, especially big, established firms like the Am Law 50? Social media is so crucial for places like retail stores, restaurants, or other product-based businesses because these places can attract new customers through the web. Is the same true for big law firms? Will interesting social media make clients more likely to visit that firm?

Well to be honest, I don’t know. Part of me wants to say absolutely not, these law firms have their niches and their reputations on which to rely. Engaging social media probably won’t have as large of an effect on their track record, as say, a good track record. On the other hand, though, social media can’t hurt. It could attract employees who find the idea of a collaborative social media experience within in the firm interesting. And as the business world changes, clients shopping around for new law firms may be interesting in finding lawyers who are as technologically savvy as they are.

The fact that smaller law firms are doing better with social media is very interesting. It’s unsurprising, given that I would assume smaller firms are more likely to try to actively attract new business, and are more willing to experiment with different outreach techniques.

In conclusion, Good2bSocial’s rundown was very interesting, but I don’t think social media will end up meaning that much for the Am Law 50 that were analyzed. The different nature of consumers of law services rather than other products make social media less of a necessity and more of a bonus. That being said, there’s much more to be gained by instituting a robust social media strategy than to be lost, and really, big law firms should consider getting on the bandwagon.

[Good2bSocial]

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jason Howle via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law Firms Are Bad at Social Media, But Does it Matter? appeared first on Law Street.