General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm Division
Solo
Spring 2003 vol. 9 Number 3
"Blog"-It's Not Just a Four-letter Word
By Carolyn Elefant
Say hello to the "blog"-the hottest new tool on the Internet.
"Blog" (an abbreviation of "Web log") is a different kind of Web
site that offers special benefits to solos and small firm
practitioners.
Blogs (called "blawgs" when they're law-related) are unique in
three ways:
o Although blogs look like a regular Web site, they are easier to
update, which ensures that the content is more timely.
o Most blog software supports "RSS Feed," a nifty tool that
enables users to read headlines of newly posted articles.
(Headlines from more that 50 blawgs are available at the
user-friendly Daily Whirl at www.dailywhirl.com.) This means
subscribers don't need to visit 50 sites repeatedly to keep
current.
o Many blogs allow users to instantaneously post comments to the
site, offering the element of interactivity.
The blog is not a listserv, which transmits information directly
to a subscriber's e-mail box. Listserv users, particularly those
on high-volume or multiple listservs, need to vigorously manage
their e-mail to keep from being overwhelmed with new messages,
and develop a system for saving and storing messages. Blogs, by
contrast, have built-in archives that can be searched (at the
very least by date) so users can always find an important
posting.
Already, there are many blawgs on topics ranging from federal
appellate case law to ERISA
(www.benefitscounsel.com/benefitsblog/) to Texas family law
(www.texfamlawblawg. com/).
Visit www.blawg.org to find a topical listing of law-related
blogs.
It can be even more useful to create your own blog, where you can
show off your expertise and gain a national reputation. The
drawback is that it requires a lot of time to update the site and
include value-added analysis. No time? You can set up a "bare
bones" blog with just a firm name and contact information,
posting items of interest weekly or monthly-an online client
newsletter without the circulation costs.
The cost of a blog is minimal. The easiest and cheapest way to
experiment with your own site is through Blogger (www.
blogspot.com), a hosting service that makes starting a blog as
easy as ordering a book online. It's not for professionals, but
once you master it you can move on to more sophisticated
software.
Carolyn Elefant has an energy regulatory and litigation
practice in Washington D.C. She is also the creator of
www.myshingle.com, a blog for solos and small firm
lawyers.
