1. The Hot New Technology for Communication & Information Presented by Bonnie Shucha University of Wisconsin Law Library bjshucha@wisc.edu Association of Legal Administrators Annual Conference May 1, 2006

2. Difference Between Blogs & Web Sites A blog IS a Web site But 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

3. Difference 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

4. The 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 Weblog http://www.technorati.com/weblog/ 2006/02/81.html

5. Blog 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

6. Establishing 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

7. Establishing a Blogging Policy Examples:  Feedster’s Corporate Blogging Policy http://feedster.blogs.com/corporate/2005/03/corporate_blogg. html http://feedster.blogs.com/corporate/2005/03/corporate_blogg. html  Yahoo!’s Personal Blog Guidelines http://jeremy.zawodny.com/yahoo/yahoo-blog-guidelines.pdf http://jeremy.zawodny.com/yahoo/yahoo-blog-guidelines.pdf

8. Blogs for Legal Professionals Continuing Education Competitive Intelligence Monitor “Public Conversations” About Firm & Clients

9. “ W hen you’re listening to the Internet, the discussion is taking place in real time... W e 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

10. Finding Blogs Law Blogs (Blawgs)  Blawg: Law & Legal Related Weblogs - http://www.blawg.org/ http://www.blawg.org/  RSS News Feeds for Law, TVC Alert - http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/rss_law.html http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/rss_law.html

11. Finding Blogs Blog Search Engines  Google Blog Search http://blogsearch.google.com/ http://blogsearch.google.com/  Feedster http://feedfinder.feedster.com/ http://feedfinder.feedster.com/  Technorati http://www.technorati.com/ http://www.technorati.com/  Daypop http://www.daypop.com/ http://www.daypop.com/ Online Reputation Monitoring Beginners Guide from Marketing Pilgrim blog http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2006/03/online- reputation-monitoring-beginners.html http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2006/03/online- reputation-monitoring-beginners.html

12. Reading 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

13. RSS 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

14. RSS Readers Email message (information) Email application (reader) RSS feed (information) RSS Reader (reader)

15. RSS Readers RSS readers are also known as:  RSS aggregators  news readers  news aggregators

16. Bloglines Free Web-based RSS reader Use to read:  RSS feeds  Email Listservs! Subscribe at http://www.bloglines.com/ http://www.bloglines.com/ Tutorial movie (UC Berkeley Library): http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html Tutorial movie (UC Berkeley Library): http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/rss.html

17. RSS Feeds

18. Posts

19. RSS Feeds Other Than Blogs Newspapers Custom News Alerts Government Agencies Product Recalls

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

21. Creating A Blog Law Firm Blogs Can Be Used for:  External communication  Internal communication  Firm blog ≠ Legal professional’s personal blog

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

23. External Communication Disseminate information more quickly, widely, & less expensively than traditional communication methods Ensure accurate, timely information about firm is available

24. External Communication Connect with other legal professionals Foster a personal relationship clients, potential clients, media & public Readers choose preferred level of communication

25. Internal Communication Announcements for Staff Knowledge Management Project Management

26. Cost = 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?

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

28. Selecting Blog Authors Attorneys Administrators Librarians Marketing Staff?

29. “ 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

30. Engaging the Reader Be Personable Be Frank Be Useful Be Committed Don’t Sell Don’t Cover-up Mistakes

31. “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

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

33. Blog Software & Hosting Blogger http://www.blogger.com/ http://www.blogger.com/  Pros – Easy to get started, easy to use, software & hosting free  Cons – Domain not well respected, target of “splogs” (spam blogs), limited features, lack of customization Useful for practicing blog skills; OK for personal, informal blogs; may not be best for professional blog Useful for practicing blog skills; OK for personal, informal blogs; may not be best for professional blog

34. Blog Software & Hosting TypePad http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.typepad.com/  Pros – Easy to get started, easy to use, some advanced features  Cons – Some cost involved (starts at $4.95/month), customization can be difficult Good, easy to use solution for most blogs; good for people who don’t have their own server

35. Blog Software & Hosting WordPress http://wordpress.org/ http://wordpress.org/  Pros – Software free, easy to use, advanced features, powerful customization  Cons – No hosting (requires own server) Good, free, easy to use solution for most blogs, especially for people who already have their own server

36. Blog Software & Hosting http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/  Pros – Easy to use, advanced features, powerful customization, great support  Cons – Start-up costs higher (starts at $69), no hosting (requires own server) Good, easy to use solution for most blogs, especially for people who already have their own server

37. Blog Software & Hosting (Expression Engine) http://www.pmachine.com/ee/ http://www.pmachine.com/ee/  Pros – Advanced features, offers additional content management tools (mailing lists, images)  Cons – More difficult to use, start-up costs higher (starts at $149), no hosting (requires own server) Good for organizations with their own server that want to do more than just blogging

38. Promoting 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.”

39. Promoting 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

40. Promoting Your Blog  Use keywords in your post titles  Link to other blogs  Offer your own unique perspective  Encourage reader feedback

41. “ I t’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

42. For More Information See:  Law Practice September 2005 issue devoted to blogging. http://www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/home.shtml 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) https://findlawevents.webex.com/findlawevents  Corporate Weblogging Best Practices. Univ. of WI E-Business Consortium http://www.uwebc.org/opinionpapers/archives/docs/ CorporateBlogging.pdf http://www.uwebc.org/opinionpapers/archives/docs/ CorporateBlogging.pdf