Scribd is the document sharing platform that allows users to broadcast and share their documents on the internet. If you’re a regular reader, you’ve seen it on this blog before. If not, see the sample below. Scribd has been aptly described as a “YouTube for documents.” The concept is simple: upload your Word files or PDF documents to Scribd. Scribd converts them into a readable player and gives you the html code. You, and more importantly your readers, can embed the content anywhere. Below are seven reasons why Scribd is awesome, in no particular order.

1. Branding. Since Scribd displays the article exactly as you have it in Word (or pdf), you can customize the look and feel of the article for your readers. It looks better than static text on a web page. And when other readers share the article, the branding never changes. So be sure to tattoo your logo on your articles!

2. Shareability. Scribd makes your articles more “shareable.” When was the last time you cut and pasted an entire article on your website? Probably never. We’ve always shared links, for sure, but what happens when we want the full article to show up on our site? With sites like YouTube and Flickr, they provide platforms that make it easy for us to embed content on our own blogs on our own terms. Scribd allows readers to easily embed articles on their blogs, post articles on facebook, and email articles to whoever. The easier you make it for your readers to share content, the faster your content will spread. Guaranteed. The most dangerous viruses are the ones that spread the fastest.

Today, it’s important for content creators (YOU) to think “distributed,” like Google.  It makes no sense to hoard premium articles on your personal sites. When you syndicate your stuff on sites like YouTube, Scribd, Viddler, DocStoc, etc, you’re injecting your content with steroids, empowering your readers with the ability to embed the content on their blogs, on their own terms.  With your meatier articles, brand it, syndicate it and fan the flame.

3. Google juice. My greatest fear before using Scribd was whether I would lose some google juice. If I write an article full of good content and links, I want it indexed by Google so I get the search traffic. Since the article is technically hosted at Scribd and not on my website, I was worried that Google would not attribute the content to my site. Google juice is important, especially for my law practice. When you search MLM attorney, I want you to find me and my articles. With Scribd, the article is still indexed on your site, which is pretty thoughtful on their part.

4. Links. How many links are pointing to your website? The answer is a very important factor for google. Scribd offers another platform that enables you to build a profile and link back to your site. It’s just one more digital asset that increases your brand value.

5. Search. Since you can tag your articles with certain key terms, the articles get found on google. Also, people go on Scribd.com all the time to search for content. If someone searches for “network marketing and amway,” they’ll find one one of my articles. Scribd is a great place to go looking for ebooks. When I wrote “Legitimate MLMs or Pyramid Scheme,” it was made “public” a few days before I publicly announced it. When I officially announced it, I had over 100 reads over the weekend, all from people searching on Scribd.com.

6. Portability. Readers can easily take the article with them by downloading it as a pdf. And with a pdf, the reader can easily print the article and read it in the exact same format as the writer intended, no changes. The same cannot be said for static text on a website. The reader will not copy and paste the entire article, will not post it on facebook, and will not be able to save it and print it..

7. Ease of use. Scribd is very intuitive.  If you make an edit to a document and want the changes reflected on your Scribd doc, you simply upload the revised version. The changes automatically appear wherever you have the doc embedded.  Piece of cake.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m a fan. I’m not a paid fan, just a fan that likes the service and appreciates that I can now create content that lives beyond my websites.

Legitimate MLM or Pyramid Scheme: How can you tell?

After having read about Gary Vaynerchuck’s exploits in some recent books, I had to check out his site, www.garyvaynerchuk.com. He’s a wine aficionado that leverages social media tools to the hilt to maximize his personal brand. He’s got his personal video blog and the now famous tv.winelibrary.com site where he’s created a platform for wine lovers to connect. He is way ahead of the curve and anyone looking to build a personal brand should take notes! His enthusiasm is contagious.

Great vid from the marketing guru, Seth Godin, about surviving and thriving in the down economy. Well worth your attention.

In this funny article featured on the Lawyerist blog, the author offers a few simple suggestions to keep lawyers in touch with reality.

Authenticity matters now more than ever. “Keep it real” is no longer a slogan among friends, they’re words to live by. People are no longer impressed by a facade of power. Instead, they’re craving for leaders to speak in authentic voices. I’m reminded of Jeff Jarvis’s rant about his terrible experience with Dell (Dell Hell). Jarvis is an industry leader in journalism and recently released his new book, What Would Google Do? In his rant against Dell, he dropped an f-bomb. Would a national media company print such material. Definitely not…But those same media companies are now going out of business because they’re unable to find an audience that identifies with them. You can no longer speak in a universally accepted language. Dare to market on the edge. I’m not suggesting you be vulgar, but I am suggesting that you stop talking “like a lawyer.”

In the pre-internet age, television was best suited to reach a large audience. Marketers had an idea of where people would be sitting (in front of the tube) and could guess at the programs their target audience was watching. It was/is a very impersonal, top-down exchange of information.

Now the rules have changed…dramatically! Instead of creating ads that are acceptable by everyone and offensive to no one, companies leverage powerful tools to reach specific audiences. Instead of marketing to everyone, smart companies like Activision are zeroing their focus on people that talk, spread the message, and do the marketing for them. Introduce the message and let the consumers bounce it around.

The below video is a brilliant example! It’s had over 1.3 million views in less than a week. If I were a Guitar Hero fan, I’d be sharing this with my teenage buddies. The ad is inappropriate for mainstream, but it’s just right for Activision (and cheap). If GH is cool enough for Heidi Klum to play in her underwear, it’s pretty cool, period! And if you find the video offensive, don’t worry, they’re not talking to you.