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While doing research for my article discussing Web logs,
"Of Blogs, Bloggers and Blawgs," I decided to
get some perspective from some actual bloggers. I picked
two bloggers who are at the forefront of this (and other)
legal technology trend. But I also picked them because
I knew them personally. I originally intended to ask them
a few questions and get a few quotes for my article. However,
when I received their answers to my questions, I realized
that their comments should be passed along to a greater
extent than I anticipated.
I should note that they were not aware of each other's
answers nor had they read my article when they submitted
their answers. I would also note that my article was
mostly completed when I received their responses. Some
of our observations obviously overlap.
Dennis Kennedy is a well-known St. Louis technology
lawyer. He has written and spoken extensively on many
aspects of legal technology and the law of technology.
He and I teamed up at ABA TECHSHOW® 2002 for a presentation
entitled "Hook 'em, Land 'em. Keep 'em: Practical
Marketing Tips." He also spoke at ABA
TECHSHOW® 2003. His Web site, with an incredible
array of both law office technology information and
technology law information, is www.denniskennedy.com
and his blog is www.denniskennedy.com/blog.
Tom Mighell is a shareholder with the Dallas law firm
of Cowles & Thompson. He publishes the Web log Inter
Alia, online at www.inter-alia.net.
He also produces the Internet Legal Research Weekly,
an e-mail newsletter. He spoke at ABA
TECHSHOW® 2003 as well.
Q. Why did you become a blogger?
Dennis Kennedy It's a great new medium for short,
to-the-point, articles with links. Blogs are tailor-made
for writers, but the real attraction is something known
as RSS feeds, which allow you to have an instant audience
for your work. Other than that, someone pointed out
to me that I had first written about blogs nearly two
years ago and wondered why I didn't have one.
Tom Mighell I had wanted to start a legal research
Web site for some time, but had neither the time nor
the technical expertise necessary to design a website
from the ground up. Most Web logging software is pretty
user-friendly, allowing you to become a blogger with
a minimum of knowledge about the technology. Of course,
that's not always a good thing.
Another reason why I started a Web log is that as a
blogger you have the opportunity to instantly become
part of a larger online community. When you start a
Web site you're pretty much on your own as far as publicizing
the site, or finding ways to drive traffic to you. With
a Web log, you have a ready-made group of fellow bloggers
who are just dying to tell other people about your site.
The more bloggers who link to your site, the more popular
you become, which in turn drives more people to your
Web log.
Q. What do you see in the future of blogs, or blawgs?
Dennis Kennedy For certain lawyers, they can
become a new and valuable channel for communication
to clients and potential clients and they can quickly
help a lawyer establish credibility and expertise in
a niche area. Blogs are Internet resource tailored to
writers and people who like headlines and short coverage
of breaking events and developments. They will not replace
browsers or the web, but they will capture and be important
for certain segments of people, much like instant messaging,
chat or newsgroups each have audience segments. The
good news is that the likely audience for blogs is an
educated, tech-savvy audience who is interested in the
written word — a good audience for lawyers.
Tom Mighell That's a two-parter. As for Web
logs in general, I see a big push towards mobile blogging,
or "moblogging." As technology improves and
people can automatically update their Web logs with
a web-enabled PDA, you'll see Web loggers become more
like journalists, with the ability to instantly publish
news on the Internet (add a camera to that PDA and you'll
be able to tell the full story!)
For law-related Web logs, or "blawgs," I
am really a fan of single-issue blawgs. Sites like the
Trademark Blawg and How Appealing take a specific area
of law and provide something of specific value to their
readers. A Web log on a specific area of practice provides
a lawyer with something they are not likely to find
anywhere else for free: daily news and case law updates
on their particular area of interest.
I also think blawgs can serve a great purpose within
large and medium-sized law firms. Here's how it could
work; a lawyer in the commercial litigation section
of a largish-firm has an interest in Web logs - a Web
log could be created on the firm's intranet, allowing
that lawyer to post frequent updates on issues of interest
to other commercial litigators in the firm. Lawyers
could receive daily updates on new commercial lit opinions,
evidentiary issues coming up at trial, news about a
particular case, or just about anything that might be
important to their practice. Some Web logs like these
have cropped up here and there, but we're still a long
way from them becoming common in law firms.
Q. What are some of your favorite blogs besides
your own?
Dennis Kennedy The original blog that I found
and followed is the blog of Dave Winer, a blogging pioneer,
which is called Scripting
News and is definitely worth a look to give you
an idea of what a blog is.
There's been an explosion (well, a couple every day,
it seems like) of new law-related blogs, sometimes called
"blawgs." Ernie
the Attorney is the definitive example of a lawyer
blog. It's excellent and, if you want to look at a blog
to get a feel for what they are about for lawyers, this
is the place I would start. One thing I like about blogs
is that they give me a good way to keep up with what
some of my friends are thinking and doing. For that
reason, I like Sabrina Pacifici's BeSpacific
blog and Jerry Lawson's Net.Law.Blog
- lots of great stuff in both blogs. There are some
subject matter blogs that are great - Marty Schwimmer's
The
Trademark Blog is a great example of this type of
blog. For solos and small firms, there's the excellent
My
Shingle site, although some purists may quibble
whether it technically is a blog - the key thing is
that it has an RSS feed.
Tom Mighell I currently read 131 Web logs each
day - whew! I have a lot of favorites, but some worth
mentioning are Ernie the Attorney, Bag and Baggage,
LawMeme, and beSpacific. I can't forget Dave Barry -
he has a Web log now. He posts every day, and he's hilarious!
Q. Do you have any tips for the blogger wannabe?
Dennis Kennedy
1. It's like 1995 and web pages - if you launch a law
blog now, you'll always be considered one of the pioneers.
2. The key to understanding the utility, promise and
excitement of blogs is understanding the value of RSS
feeds, sometimes referred to as news feeds or channels.
Before you think about launching a blog, download a
news aggregator, such as Amphetadesk. Amphetadesk is
free and simple. Install it and start subscribing to
a bunch of channels that interest you and get a feel
for how the feeds work. If you see the value, you will
get the bug to do your own blog.
3. I would suggest thinking about narrowly defined
subject areas, but I suspect that you still have a shot
at becoming the first or a premier Oklahoma law blog.
4. Watch to see what is happening out there. Ernie
the Attorney keeps a list of law-related blogs and there
are other lists as well.
5. I just read Biz Stone's book on blogging called
"Blogging - Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content"
and would definitely recommend it as a good intro and
practical primer.
Tom Mighell
1. Become familiar with the medium. Explore different
types of Web logs and see which ones appeal to you.
Ernie the Attorney has a terrific list of legal Web
logs.
2. Pick the right software. There are a lot of blogging
software utilities, and they are designed for every
level of technological sophistication. Don't choose
a blogging tool that you don't know how to use - you'll
get frustrated and your readers will not be amused.
3. Pay your dues. There are over 500,000 Web logs on
the Internet, and they have all been doing it longer
than you. Learn how to earn the respect of those who
came before you, and your success will come in the form
of increased traffic to your site.
4. Have fun! One thing you'll notice about Web loggers
is that they all have a passion for their subject, whether
it's employment law, music, politics, religion, or technology.
A Web log gives you a chance to find your voice on a
particular issue; if you're not having fun, maybe Web
logging is not your thing.
Top
Jim Calloway is an attorney
from Oklahoma. He serves as the Director of the Oklahoma
Bar Association Management Assistance Program. He received
his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma,
where he was named to the Oklahoma Law Review.
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