Comments on: How to improve your Avvo rating http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/ Law practice and management site for attorneys who start out straight from law school Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:00:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dan http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-4603 Dan Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:34:56 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-4603 Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I have been trying to get my score up and it was a mystery as to what works and what doesn't work. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I have been trying to get my score up and it was a mystery as to what works and what doesn’t work.

]]> By: George Najjar http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-3845 George Najjar Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:42:37 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-3845 Thank you for standing up to the “Avvo scam” like this. I never signed up for Avvo, but a firm I was ‘of counsel” with for a short period of time did. This firm paid Avvo, and Avvo assigned me a 10 rating. The firm stopped paying Avvo, and my rating dropped to 7.5 over night. Avvo, of course, said coincidence. (I have a perfect record, am a judge pro tem, am admitted to numerous courts in the country, and have been practicing for almost 20 years.) The only way I can raise my rating is get other attorneys to sign up for Avvo. Talk about a marketing scam! CONSUMERS BEWARE, IN MY OPINION AND BASED UPON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AVVO IS PURELY A MARKETING SCAM. When David Boies and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are assigned ratings below 7 (since removed), we have to come to the opinion that “Avvo is a scam.” Thank you for standing up to the “Avvo scam” like this. I never signed up for Avvo, but a firm I was ‘of counsel” with for a short period of time did. This firm paid Avvo, and Avvo assigned me a 10 rating. The firm stopped paying Avvo, and my rating dropped to 7.5 over night. Avvo, of course, said coincidence. (I have a perfect record, am a judge pro tem, am admitted to numerous courts in the country, and have been practicing for almost 20 years.) The only way I can raise my rating is get other attorneys to sign up for Avvo. Talk about a marketing scam! CONSUMERS BEWARE, IN MY OPINION AND BASED UPON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AVVO IS PURELY A MARKETING SCAM. When David Boies and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are assigned ratings below 7 (since removed), we have to come to the opinion that “Avvo is a scam.”

]]> By: Chris http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-2528 Chris Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:54:02 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-2528 Any site that lets you rig the game by emailing your friends to increase your rating is bunk, in my opinion. Look at people who have a higher rating than lawyers you know are better than them. Chances are, they have some endorsement from an attorney in another state, likely their law school buddy. Go to that person's site, you will see they reciprocated. In my opinion, this is not to the public benefit at all. Any site that lets you rig the game by emailing your friends to increase your rating is bunk, in my opinion. Look at people who have a higher rating than lawyers you know are better than them. Chances are, they have some endorsement from an attorney in another state, likely their law school buddy. Go to that person’s site, you will see they reciprocated. In my opinion, this is not to the public benefit at all.

]]> By: Melody Kramer http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-240 Melody Kramer Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:30:12 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-240 How naive. A company unilaterally creates a lawyer marketing website, unilaterally publishes information about you as a lawyer that is disseminated to the public (information that has been verifiably wrong on many occasions), unilaterally sets up the rules of play to make you look good to the public (based upon your "contribution" to the site, i.e. driving traffic to the site), and your response is "just join them?" By the way, once you have "claimed your profile" you are irrevocably stuck with it on the site even if you later change your mind. What is wrong with a company just saying "look, attorneys, we have this great site we would like to launch, here are its features, would you like to join us?" No, they just take as many attorneys' information as possible, post it for their profit, then say "you can't beat us, join us." It boggles the mind that so many people have been complaining about the health care bill and its mandate for everyone to buy insurance ("you can't make us buy something" is the cry), but its perfectly fine for a marketing company to mandate your participation against your will? Shocking. How naive. A company unilaterally creates a lawyer marketing website, unilaterally publishes information about you as a lawyer that is disseminated to the public (information that has been verifiably wrong on many occasions), unilaterally sets up the rules of play to make you look good to the public (based upon your “contribution” to the site, i.e. driving traffic to the site), and your response is “just join them?” By the way, once you have “claimed your profile” you are irrevocably stuck with it on the site even if you later change your mind.

What is wrong with a company just saying “look, attorneys, we have this great site we would like to launch, here are its features, would you like to join us?” No, they just take as many attorneys’ information as possible, post it for their profit, then say “you can’t beat us, join us.”

It boggles the mind that so many people have been complaining about the health care bill and its mandate for everyone to buy insurance (“you can’t make us buy something” is the cry), but its perfectly fine for a marketing company to mandate your participation against your will? Shocking.

]]> By: Kara Smith http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-168 Kara Smith Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:55:28 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-168 Hi Gabriel -- I spent a considerable amount of time watching the conversation about Avvo on SOLOSEZ on Sunday, March 21st, and appreciate this post all the more. Avvo is fast growing in popularity, is a strong outreach tool for attorneys to use in order to build their brand and their business. Avvo's not breaking any copyright or intellectual property rules and has the litigation record to show they've already been put through the "legal ringer" and come out shinning. I can't help wondering if it's time for lawyers to stop trying to fight the new tools and recommit themselves to mastering them and getting on with business. I referenced your post on the Karasma Media Legal Marketing blog and look forward to staying in touch! Legal Marketing Pros – Avvo’s Growing Fast and Listening http://is.gd/aSQ1t Kara I've re Hi Gabriel –
I spent a considerable amount of time watching the conversation about Avvo on SOLOSEZ on Sunday, March 21st, and appreciate this post all the more. Avvo is fast growing in popularity, is a strong outreach tool for attorneys to use in order to build their brand and their business.

Avvo’s not breaking any copyright or intellectual property rules and has the litigation record to show they’ve already been put through the “legal
ringer” and come out shinning. I can’t help wondering if it’s time for lawyers to stop trying to fight the new tools and recommit themselves to mastering them and getting on with business.

I referenced your post on the Karasma Media Legal Marketing blog and look forward to staying in touch!

Legal Marketing Pros – Avvo’s Growing Fast and Listening
http://is.gd/aSQ1t

Kara
I’ve re

]]> By: Theodore W. Robinson http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-132 Theodore W. Robinson Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:01:56 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-132 I liked your post. It was informative and verified what I learned about it directly from some of Avvo's representatives. However, I noticed that although I was the President of two different Bar Associations, it didn't seem to make much difference to them at Avvo for some strange reason. I also noticed that some other lawyers who weren't Presidents and didn't have nearly 1/3 of the time being a lawyer as I did, ranked higher than I did for no apparent reason. That's the kind of thing that makes me wonder about Avvo's ability to really evlauate anyone accurately. I even noted that the former Surrogate of Nassau County had almost no rating with Avvo when he was one of the most well considered attorneys and judges in our county. While I understand that Avvo can't tell a lot about someone when they don't claim their identity, it just gives some idea of how inconsistent such ratings can be. Nonetheless, I like Avvo since it gives me great exposure, however, while I've been a major contributor for six months, I've only had one case come to me through Avvo so far. We'll see what happens in the future. I liked your post. It was informative and verified what I learned about it directly from some of Avvo’s representatives. However, I noticed that although I was the President of two different Bar Associations, it didn’t seem to make much difference to them at Avvo for some strange reason.

I also noticed that some other lawyers who weren’t Presidents and didn’t have nearly 1/3 of the time being a lawyer as I did, ranked higher than I did for no apparent reason. That’s the kind of thing that makes me wonder about Avvo’s ability to really evlauate anyone accurately. I even noted that the former Surrogate of Nassau County had almost no rating with Avvo when he was one of the most well considered attorneys and judges in our county. While I understand that Avvo can’t tell a lot about someone when they don’t claim their identity, it just gives some idea of how inconsistent such ratings can be.

Nonetheless, I like Avvo since it gives me great exposure, however, while I’ve been a major contributor for six months, I’ve only had one case come to me through Avvo so far. We’ll see what happens in the future.

]]> By: Karen http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-126 Karen Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:51:48 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-126 Good post. I find Avvo a powerful marketing tool for my immigration practice. It generates about 50 leads/month with virtually no cost. I have noticed a direct correlation between my engagement level (i.e. answering questions or writing legal guides) and opportunities. I have even established some collaborative relationships with other attorneys who specialize in areas that I do not and vice-versa. While client endorsements do not help your score, they do establish a lot of credibility with potential clients. One comment regarding the publications and speaking engagements. Avvo does not credit "publications" on your blog. They must be articles published by a verifiable third party. Also, both must be industry specific (legal) or they will not help your score. For example, I spoke on a well known sports radio show regarding a Major League Baseball Immigration Scam. While the topic is relevant (and I received some good PR), the medium was not. Had I spoken about the same subject at a Bar event, it would have improved my score. Good post. I find Avvo a powerful marketing tool for my immigration practice. It generates about 50 leads/month with virtually no cost. I have noticed a direct correlation between my engagement level (i.e. answering questions or writing legal guides) and opportunities. I have even established some collaborative relationships with other attorneys who specialize in areas that I do not and vice-versa.

While client endorsements do not help your score, they do establish a lot of credibility with potential clients.

One comment regarding the publications and speaking engagements. Avvo does not credit “publications” on your blog. They must be articles published by a verifiable third party. Also, both must be industry specific (legal) or they will not help your score. For example, I spoke on a well known sports radio show regarding a Major League Baseball Immigration Scam. While the topic is relevant (and I received some good PR), the medium was not. Had I spoken about the same subject at a Bar event, it would have improved my score.

]]> By: Avvo Love Fest - Avvo Blog http://www.startingoutsolo.com/marketing/how-to-improve-your-avvo-rating/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Avvo Love Fest - Avvo Blog Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:00:02 +0000 http://www.startingoutsolo.com/?p=228#comment-125 [...] How to Improve your Avvo Rating - by Gabriel Cheong, a widely read Massachusetts based blogger. Gabe give a very practical (and accurate) accounting of how to optimize your Avvo Rating, covering things that do (and do not) impact it. [...] [...] How to Improve your Avvo Rating – by Gabriel Cheong, a widely read Massachusetts based blogger. Gabe give a very practical (and accurate) accounting of how to optimize your Avvo Rating, covering things that do (and do not) impact it. [...]

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