The Hot New The Hot New Technology for Technology for Communication & Communication & InformationInformation

Presented by Bonnie ShuchaUniversity of Wisconsin Law Librarybjshucha@wisc.edu

Association of Legal AdministratorsAnnual Conference

May 1, 2006

Difference Between Blogs & Web SitesDifference Between Blogs & Web Sites

A blog IS a Web siteBut the structure is slightly different than

a traditional website

All convertibles are cars, but not all cars are convertibles

All blogs are Web sites, but not all Web sites are blogs

Difference Between Blogs & Web SitesDifference Between Blogs & Web Sites

As with any Web site. . .

There are some really great blogs

There are some really rotten ones

And there are a lot of them in between

The BlogosphereThe Blogosphere

There are 27.2 Million blogs Blogosphere doubles every 5½ months On average, a new blog is created every second “Splogs” (machine generated spam blogs) account

for 9% of all new blogs created

As of February 2006 from: Technorati’s Webloghttp://www.technorati.com/weblog/2006/02/81.html

Blog FeaturesBlog Features

Brief informational posts in reverse

chronological order

Archives of previously posted content; Subscription options (appear below)

Comment feature offers interactivity

Blawg=Law-related blog

Establishing a Blogging PolicyEstablishing a Blogging Policy

Cover all company blogs, as well as employees who blog outside of work

Policy language should be simple, clear Balance protection from liability with freedom to

be honest, frank

Every business should have one –

even if you don’t have a blog

Establishing a Blogging PolicyEstablishing a Blogging Policy

Examples: Feedster’s Corporate Blogging Policy

http://feedster.blogs.com/corporate/2005/03/corporate_blogg. html

Yahoo!’s Personal Blog Guidelines http://jeremy.zawodny.com/yahoo/yahoo-blog-guidelines.pdf

Blogs for Legal ProfessionalsBlogs for Legal Professionals

Continuing Education

Competitive Intelligence

Monitor “Public Conversations” About Firm & Clients

“When you’re listening to the

Internet, the discussion is

taking place in real time. . .

We can alert a company or a

brand [to criticism] so they can be on their guard and be ready to react. . .”

- Sue MacDonald, spokeswoman, Intelliseek

from “Why Companies Monitor Blogs,” CNet, 1/3/2006

Finding BlogsFinding Blogs

Law Blogs (Blawgs) Blawg: Law & Legal Related Weblogs -

http://www.blawg.org/ RSS News Feeds for Law, TVC Alert -

http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/rss_law.html

Finding BlogsFinding Blogs

Blog Search Engines Google Blog Search http://blogsearch.google.com/

Feedster http://feedfinder.feedster.com/ Technorati http://www.technorati.com/ Daypop http://www.daypop.com/

Online Reputation Monitoring Beginners Guide from Marketing Pilgrim blog http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2006/03/online-reputation-monitoring-beginners.html

Reading BlogsReading Blogs

Good - As a Web page Stay current but requires reader to

visit multiple sites daily to check for updates

Better - With a RSS Reader All updates delivered to one

location Read multiple blogs with one

application

RSSRSS

What Is RSS ? Rich Site Summary OR

Really Simple Syndication

See LawLibTech (Cindy Chick) RSS Tutorial: What Is RSS, http://www.lawlibtech.com/archives/000098.html

RSS Makes the Internet Subscribe-able

RSS ReadersRSS Readers

Email message(information)

Email application(reader)

RSS feed(information)

RSS Reader(reader)

RSS ReadersRSS Readers

RSS readers are also known as: RSS aggregators news readers news aggregators

BloglinesBloglines

Free Web-based RSS reader Use to read:

RSS feeds Email Listservs!

Subscribe at http://www.bloglines.com/

Tutorial movie (UC Berkeley Library): http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html

Tutorial movie (UC Berkeley Library): http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html

RSS Feeds

Posts

RSS Feeds Other Than BlogsRSS Feeds Other Than Blogs

Newspapers Custom News Alerts Government Agencies Product Recalls

Source: LawLibTech RSS Tutorial: What Is RSS, http://www.lawlibtech.com/archives/000098.html

“Anyone who needs to monitor current news on a regular basis will need to understand and use RSS in some form going forward.”

Creating A BlogCreating A Blog

Law Firm Blogs Can Be Used for: External communication Internal communication

Firm blog ≠ Legal professional’s personal blog

External CommunicationExternal Communication

Easy – no HTML knowledge required Technology inexpensive Enhance visibility of firm & attorneys Establish expertise in area(s) of law Improve search engine rankings

External CommunicationExternal Communication

Disseminate information more quickly, widely, & less expensively than traditional communication methods

Ensure accurate, timely information about firm is available

External CommunicationExternal Communication

Connect with other legal professionals Foster a personal relationship clients,

potential clients, media & public Readers choose preferred level of

communication

Internal CommunicationInternal Communication

Announcements for Staff Knowledge Management Project Management

Cost = TimeCost = Time

Weigh the cost of billable time Assess skills & training time needed Consider other time-consuming projects Consider the competition

Is Blogging Worth Your Time?Is Blogging Worth Your Time?

“A poorly maintained blog will have the opposite effect of a well-written, frequently

updated blog. The blogger will lose credibility with her or his audience.

In other words, don’t just have a blog so you can say you have a blog.”

Tom Mighell , “Between Lawyers Roundtable: The Future of Legal Blogging” Law Practice, Sept. 2005

Selecting Blog AuthorsSelecting Blog Authors

Attorneys Administrators Librarians Marketing Staff?

“A blog cannot possibly fit into the marketing plan of a firm because the firm will not maintain it. Blogs must be maintained by passionate (and driven) individuals.”

Burkey Belser in “Market Your Law Firm,” LawFirmBlogging.com, 12/16/2005

Engaging the ReaderEngaging the Reader

Be Personable Be Frank Be Useful Be Committed

Don’t Sell Don’t Cover-up Mistakes

“Good blogs also have an editorial point of view that tells the reader something about the blogger’s personality.

There’s a certain style typical of strong blogs—crisp and pithy, with plenty of relevant hyperlinks.”

David W. Opderbeck, “How to Start Your Own Weblog And Make the Most of It ” Law Practice, Sept. 2005

Blog Software ComparisonBlog Software Comparison

Time to check: Are you using the right blogging tool? http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050714gardner/

Promoting Your BlogPromoting Your Blog

- Daniel Harmon, The Lawyer's PC (22 Law. PC 1)

“[A] blog. . . can be a waste of your brilliant ideas and information unless you can attract readers.”

“[A] blog. . . can be a waste of your brilliant ideas and information unless you can attract readers.”

Promoting Your BlogPromoting Your Blog

Make blog's name descriptive of its content Link from firm’s Web site & include on all

firm communications Drop your blog's name constantly Register with search engines & directories

Promoting Your BlogPromoting Your Blog

Use keywords in your post titles Link to other blogs Offer your own unique perspective Encourage reader feedback

“It’s a great time to start a law-oriented blog. There’s a considerable frame of reference for what people are already doing, yet enormous room for innovation and perhaps an infinite number of interesting niches to fill.”

Denise Howell , “Between Lawyers Roundtable: The Future of Legal Blogging” Law Practice, Sept. 2005

For More InformationFor More Information See:

Law Practice September 2005 issue devoted to blogging. http://www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/home.shtml

Blogs for Lawyers: Building an Audience to Build Your Practice, free, one-hour event presented by Findlaw. https://findlawevents.webex.com/findlawevents (See “View all recorded events” at top right)

Corporate Weblogging Best Practices. Univ. of WI E-Business Consortium http://www.uwebc.org/opinionpapers/archives/docs/ CorporateBlogging.pdf