I would have disclosed though that Avvo is a client of Davis Wright and the firm represented Avvo in the successful defense of the class action attempting to shut down Avvo. Suspect a fair amount of money passed hands for those fees - though I am sure Davis Wright would not be listed in Avvo if the firm did not believe it worthwhile and Avvo to be credible directory. Blogs done well are more transparent communication than PR.

As way of disclosure, Davis Wright is a LexBlog client with multiple clients. Avvo, though only a mile away, is not a LexBlog client and dodges the discussion when asked why not.

In this day and age, many people I know maintain 3-5 web “presences”. Linkedin/Facebook/blog/flickr, etc. This takes a lot of time. Something that would greatly increase traction here is a guarantee from the site that the transaction costs in signing up will be slim to none. That means two things primarily. No marketing or “connect” emails (unless requested), along with an assurance that the person’s email will not end up on a list. The second thing is that it must be easy to just terminate the profile/relationship. I’m not commenting one way or the other on Avvo’s practices and perceptions of Avvo, but these are the questions I ask myself when deciding to sign up.