I had to let this one out on Twitter this morning, so I might as well blog about it. Most of my day yesterday was spent crafting a new website - legalvoices.com - with the concept of creating a public view of those in the legal industry posting to twitter. I’ve been sitting on the legalvoices.com domain for a while now, so it was primed for an appropriate experiment!

I created legalvoices.com for a couple reasons. For the non-users out there, it gives a brief insight into how the service works - a preview. It also has a what’s hot in the legal industry feel to it. Could be a novelty, could be insightful… who knows? but definitely worth 5 hours of my time.

And for the Twitter converts, it offers a filtered view of the most current commentary from those of us with a legal slant. The other aspect I considered, is that almost no one creates a follow list dictated by industry vertical. So it’s likely a perspective most twitter users would seldom replicate.

Finally, a big warning that the site is in “pre-alpha”. :) It may take a couple browser refreshes to see the conversation stream change. Unfortunately, with new follower email notices flying out via twitter, there really wasn’t a way to create this under wraps. So heed the warning, or blame twitter. ;)

Enjoy!

Have you heard of Twitter yet? Perhaps not. And hopefully not, as this post is intended to explain one of the latest web-tools on our collective horizon.

What you should know is this: Politicians in the current US election are levering it, news outlets like CNN & Canada’s CBC are offering headlines that can be mixed into your reading stream, and companies like Southwest airlines are using it to interact with customers & take feedback.

It’s widely considered the fastest growing tool of web influence, and will at some point have a trickle down effect for the legal industry.

Giving you a finite definition of Twitter is tricky. It’s use varies greatly, and depends a lot on the individual user. Technically, Twitter is considered a micro-blogging tool. It’s just like regular blogging, but with one significant rule change. After logging in, you are faced with the question “What are you doing?”, and just like a blog you can share exactly what you’re doing, feeling, thinking, reading - but all in less than 140 characters of entry space.

In terms of the options available for legal web marketing, Twitter - or micro-blogging tools generally - is the shortest method of discourse we’ve seen to date. If e-books & web-distribution of publications are at the longer discourse level, and regular blogs are sitting somewhere in the middle, then Twitter obviously at the far end (short-end?) of our continuum.

So what can you do in such a short space? Actually, quite a bit. Think: chat & discussion, link exchanges, debate, endorsement, or public critique. It’s a big dinner table conversation with peers that you get to choose. The format is also mobile friendly, which in my view, has had a substantial impact on the site’s growth.

With Twitter, like most forms of web marketing, the value is found in the big picture & the cumulative effect of using it as but one piece of the web-lawyer’s marketing toolbox. The selling point I regularly harp on - exposing one’s practice & expertise online - continues to have a big part to play, even though I don’t see Twitter as a replacement for the personal blog. Rather, when used together, the personal blog & twitter become a very powerful tandem.

The other point to get is this: Micro-blogging is as much akin to the discussion at the bar after the conference, as it is to seeing the presentation earlier in the day. Blogging success is predicated on having a strong social network (and please, when you hear SN, don’t think Facebook - think relationships!), and in turn, Twitter drives both interest in the ideas you write about, and extends exposure with an after-post discussion.

Putting my web marketer’s hat on for a moment, the value can also be seen in those exchanges leading to further blog-to-blog discussions, ensuing links, and ultimately, better rankings in the search engines because of authentic exchanges, information seeking behaviour, and discussion.

If you’ve looked at Twitter and just don’t get it? You’re not alone. Looking at any one author’s contributions, it’s tough not to call it drivel. The turning point for many is to recognize Twitter for what it truly is - pure personal reaction. That reaction can run the gamut, from academic & insightful, to casual & silly, and at times drivel.

However, I don’t think I’m alone in seeing marketing value in this type of personal reaction. At the very least for understanding & gauging reaction, and at the most, partaking in the process. Reaction is one of the most human elements possible within the online experience. That it exists, and is being documented, continues to have a huge impact for all types of marketing. Twitter is simply the latest example.

Some Quick Tips for Testing Twitter:

• First thing to do after signing up is to build a follow list.
• Check out the follow lists of of others. Chances are they already have done the work for you.
• Click on the follow button next to their profile picture, or at the top of their profile page.
• Can’t think of anyone? Feel free to follow me. I’m happy to reciprocate.
• Other legal-types on the twitter (b)leading edge: Kevin O’Keefe, David Lat, Carolyn Elefant, Dennis Kennedy, Brett Trout, Tom Mighell, Rick Klau, Connie Crosby, Simon Fodden, Denise Howell, Matt Homann, Rob Robinson, Grant Griffiths, Rob Hyndman, Doug Cornelius, Susan Cartier Liebel, and Rush Nigut, to name only a few.
• Use the @ symbol followed by the user name (as in @stevematthews) to respond to individual messages, or tweets.
• Smile and act like you’re having fun.

Where do I find the time? A common question for many lawyers… for just about ever subject, actually. Not billable? Sorry, no time.

Keeping perspective on personal productivity is an important issue. True, but what about down time? While the typical lawyer has less ’social surplus’ (see video below) than the average person out there, most still have *some* time dictated by personal choice. If you’re not working, doing a family activity, sport, club/assoc. meeting, grocery shopping or laundry - what are you doing then? where do you escape?

Clay Shirky’s video from the Web 2.0 Expo (below) is thought provoking. Every hour can’t be accounted for under the category of “work productivity”. There’s a lot more optional time than any of us believe.

So for every law blogger, twitter user (yup that’s me), or social network participant out there who has to answer: ‘where do you find the time?’ … Tell them you’re being very productive, with your social surplus. And that many parts of the social web are both productive for business, and enjoyable.

Do lawyers watch TV? I suspect a few do.

[hat tip: Connie Crosby]

A quick note to mention our client JD Supra was featured in the New York Times this past Sunday.

The article, titled Lawyers Open Their File Cabinets for a Web Resource, also included a number of individuals from site’s growing community including Mitchell Matorin, Marc Stern, and Elena Garella. Keeping contributors front-and-centre has been a big part of the JD Supra approach, and often reflected by posts in the JD Scoop blog. … I was really happy to see that tone get carried forward in the story.

On a related note, I posted some thoughts yesterday on the benefits of work product sharing for legal consumers. Specifically, I cited:

• The ability to read these documents & become better informed;
• Increased reliability of documents where Lawyers take public ownership of them;
• Researching legal issues within a collection of vetted documents;
• Ability to identify a lawyer with rare experience (& not worth the lawyer’s effort to market);
• Ability to identify expertise by geographic region or practice area;

For the consumer, exposure to work product is valuable because it helps in making better decisions. It also offers a more complete digital picture of the lawyer in question. But the interesting part, and this is consistent with most forms of web marketing, is that this influence & judgement process takes place in the absence of the lawyer, and prior to the initial contact.

Think about this. Unlike giving a presentation, or a word-of-mouth referral, a significant portion of the sales process is taking place before the potential client engages - or even contacts - the lawyer. This is one of the fundamental differences in the way the web works. Great personalities don’t count unless the prospect picks up the phone or writes an email. And even the best web metrics software cannot tell you exactly how much consideration your services received.

The job of the legal web marketer is to see the many facets of this digital picture. To select pieces of the puzzle, evaluate the fit for the lawyer or firm, and then to frame-up an incredibly positive pre-contact image. Our job is also to increase exposure, but without a good accurate picture - we’re done.

My take: Sharing work product can be a big part of describing the multi-dimensional nature of legal practice. With other web offerings doing nothing more than commoditizing legal services ($139 incorporations?), sites like JD Supra should be embraced. Without a wide selection of digital tools to demonstrate the value of legal work… it’s a slippery slope, and a long way down. But that’s just my take. :)

Here are some of the latest Canadian law blog additions to Lawblogs.ca:

• ICBC law blog (MacIsaac & Company)
• The Ethical Lawyer (Franco Tarulli)
• The Insurance Lawyer (Franco Tarulli)
• Solo in Ontario: Criminal Practice (Bo Arfai)
• MRB Insurance Law Blog (MacMillan Rooke Boeckle)

Congrats to all on your recent launches!

Michelle Golden has a great post up on the process of gathering client testimonials. Process being the key word.

Reminds me that Stem Legal could use another round of testimonials. Now that we’re off the launch pad, the time has come to let some of our clients speak to our services. Note to self… :)

First up, the post title is just for fun. Read on, and I’ll try to explain.

Kevin O’Keefe’s got a post up about one of my favourite topics, the social side of blogging; which arose out of my 2nd Lexblog Q&A session (#1 was on SEO) published this past Friday. This time, the topic was Lawblogs.ca and the state of the Canadian legal blogosphere.

Now, I’m not sure I made the claim that Canadian legal bloggers were better at the social side of blogging, but I did state that it was something “we do well”. And mostly, I believe that to be true.

If you read through Kevin’s post, and follow-ups via Dan Hull and Scott Greenfield, you’ll see similarities. Lots of linking going on, and not much reciprocating discussion. I say discussion, and not reciprocal links, because you can’t fake this stuff. While links can be encouraged (some suggestions to follow), being authentic is equally important. It counts with readers, other bloggers, and especially perspective clients. And besides, as many experienced bloggers will tell you, it’s almost impossible to have a good blog-versation without linking!

My advice for creating a strong law blog presence has always been to mix authenticity with the social side (see my ‘you gotta say thanks post‘ for more thoughts). What do I mean by the social side? Mostly it’s about identifying your blog’s subject sphere(s) and regional position, and then creating tactics to connect with the appropriate communities - links, blog comments, trackbacks, blogrolls, private email, etc.

Going further, I decided to jot down a few thoughts, below, on what I think are important elements in becoming a good social blogger. Are they Canadian-esque? Sure. Why not?… :)

8 Tips on How to Blog Like a Hockey Loving Northerner:

1. Read & Track Your Peers - Get an RSS Reader, and create a reading list. You’ll never know the true power of blogging if you treat it like a firm newsletter. The more bloggers you read, the more comfortable you’ll be knowing, commenting, linking, and eventually emailing your peers. I recommend following blogs both within your region, and with common subject interests. And never limit your reading by geography. I’m proud to have as many blogging peers in the UK as I do in Canada and US markets. Within my first year of blogging, I had contacts on every continent around the world. Having a global network is always a worthy investment for the future!
2. Make A Blogging Buddy - Seriously, let’s call this ‘Step One’ in how to blog socially: Make a friend, and have their back. Track them closely, and whenever they post something notable, be sure to link them up! This only works if the other person gets it and reciprocates, but really, it’s just savvy blogging. Let me give you an example from my own experience - my blogging friendship with Connie Crosby. Connie knows if she’s got a post that needs extended play, all she needs to do is drop me a link via email. We don’t have a written pact, and we’ve never discussed this. Call it digital good will… or the golden rule with a blogger’s spin. :)
3. Cover Prior Blog Discussion Before Adding Your Commentary - This is just a good habit to get into. Run your blog topic through Google Blog Search or Technorati before adding your own take. Be sure to quote relevant portions of the available commentary, and always link to (cite) the other bloggers involved.
4. Welcome the New Guy! - It used to be… when someone new started blogging in your niche or region, and you’d write a ‘welcome to blogosphere’ post to help get them started. Simple acknowledgement. Perhaps the legal blogosphere is too big to do this now? That’s fine. But what about continuing this tradition on an intra-subject basis? or smaller regions? If the Canadian legal blogosphere is worth admiring, then perhaps each US State could adopt a similar approach?
5. Cite your Post’s Inspiration -or- Tip Your Hat Please! - How do I say this politely? [in Canadian? ;) ] If another person’s blog post inspires you to write, EVEN if you don’t quote them or mention them, it’s good blogging etiquette to type the words [hat tip] or [source], and link back to their post as acknowledgement. Why do it? Well, it’s nice; but it’s also evident to other blog readers/writers what you’ve done. People who read blogs often follow 30-50 other blogs on the exact same subject. … Honestly, It stands out like a sore thumb. Just don’t do it.
6. Link to Your Friends Business Homepage - While it’s great to link to your peer’s ideas, if you’re serious about building your personal network, nothing grabs attention like a link to their livelihood. Links are votes online, and helping a peer’s company rise up in the search results is a good will builder. (Are you sensing a ‘pay it forward’ theme yet?) And before I get comments about linking to one’s competitors… Yes, I believe it’s ok to do so, and yes, I believe the search engines reward it, if it supports the site’s subject relevancy. Still worried? Find your blogging friends out of state. :)
7. Personal Profile Linkage - Adding a link to someone’s personal profile webpage is a wonderful gesture because it helps them rank for their name in Google. Do you know how many Steve Matthews there are out there? Economics Prof, Former Pro Football player… it’s rough I tell you! rough!
8. Build, Build, Build that Network! - See tip number 2 (above). Close friends are key. And true, one blogging buddy isn’t going to cut it; but 500 facebook friends may not make an impact either. Online professional networks, in my opinion, are built around having a core group of strong close contacts. Identify your core group, and then seek strategies that a) get you closer, and b) expand the number trusted peers. Build it around subject expertise, or regional experience, but build it!

Long time legal management blogger Rees Morrison announced yesterday that he has left Hidebrandt to start his own independent practice as a legal department consultant.  His company will focus on working with in-house corporate counsel, advising on internal management issues, strategy and outside counsel relationships.

Contact information for Rees & his new company are located at ReesMorrison.com (new website is in the works…)

Congratulations Rees, and here’s to a prosperous new future!

A quick plug for the upcoming April 21st edition of Leg@al IT, Canada’s Premier Legal Technology Conference. For the second year running, Dominic Jaar has put together a stunning lineup of speakers for this event.

Unfortunately, I can’t be in attendance this year; but I have promised Dominic to fly out & join the fun for Leg@l IT 2009! I’m including some background info, below, taken from the site’s About page:

“Leg@l.IT, in collaboration with the Young Bar Association of Montreal (”YBAM”), the Canadian Bar Association and the Montreal Bar, is proud to present Leg@l.IT 2008, a conference on information technologies (”IT”) and law. This year, Leg@l.IT will take place on April 21st at the Mount Royal Centre in Montreal.

Every day, businesses, enterprises, people but also lawyers work with their computer, Internet, scanners, PDAs, etc. However, most lawyers are not aware of the impacts of IT on their work and on their professional obligations. Furthermore, they often do not realise how IT can help or harm them in their practice.

Last year, more than 130 people attended Leg@l.IT2007 and we expect this number to increase to over 200 in 2008 with the addition of partners and advertisers such as the Canadian Bar Association and the Montreal Bar! More sessions (3 tracks), world-class speakers, interesting and varied topics, etc.: a clear receipt for success!

The panellists and speakers are judges from different Courts, university teachers, lawyers, and IT specialists from Canada, the United States and Europe. The conference will attract members of the canadian, Quebec and Montreal bars, government employees, CIO, CLO, CTO, CEO, teachers, law and computer science students and teachers, computer technicians, records managers, etc. In other words, you should be there!”

Visit the online registration page for more information!

There have been a couple of recent additions to the Florida Lawyers Blog Watch, the blog commentary tracking site I’ve been working on with Stem client and Florida criminal attorney Ron Chapman. These two bring the total to 38:

• DIY Divorce in Florida
• Palm Beach County Family Law Blog

Also note worthy, I can see from the statistics that the RSS Feed for this site is being re-published by a number of law firms inside the firewall. Very smart… allowing lawyers in-house to scan the ongoing stream of blog posts without leaving the firm Intranet. That’s fantastic & creative usage from my perspective. What RSS can and should be used for! Well done.

Whether your firm is just getting into blogging, or you simply like to monitor these things, you’ll want to check out Lexblog’s latest report on the biggest US law firms with a blogging presence.

Since August 2007, the total number of blogs has moved from 74 to 110. As my JD Supra poster boy Doug Cornelius points out, “that’s great growth“.

Hopefully the fine folks at Lexblog can produce this report a little more often. Quarterly perhaps? If only for the highlight of newly released AmLaw 200 law blogs, I know I would give it a read.

I exchanged emails with Jordan Furlong a couple weeks back on how we might improve the Scoop section of JD Supra. Nothing huge, just kicking around how we might help reporters decipher from source documents to the underlying story.

If you already read Jordan’s blog - law21.ca - you know he’s got lots of great ideas. So as Adrian just noted over on JD Scoop, we were very thankful when Jordan made an unexpected & very generous offer - to create this new guideline: JD Tips: Writing for The Scoop. To show people how to make those headlines & descriptions pop in front of a reporter’s eyes!

I highly recommend you link over and read the piece in its entirety. Here are section headings to get you started…

1. Think like a reporter.
2. Mainstream or legal media?
3. Identify your objective.
4. Get your client onboard.
5. Choose a great title.
6. Write a great lead.
7. Don’t write like a lawyer.
8. Include contact information.

Sounds a bit like writing a press release, right? It is. For me, Jordan’s article illustrates a fundamental point about marketing online content: the old adage of ‘If you build it, they will come‘ doesn’t work. Never has. Even the best content requires exposure, an intended audience, a grabbing headline, and a simplified description. And exactly like a press release: Always presume your offering will be scanned, and never read.

Many thanks to Jordan for this wonderful contribution!

Did you know I load this blog with filler? Either did I. But obviously Gerry Blackwell (no link, he doesn’t have anything online to link to) thinks so. Take a look at the snippet he wrote while including this blog in his top-10 list of law blogs in the current issue of Canadian Lawyer:

LAW FIRM WEB STRATEGY

The blog site of Stem Legal, Steve Matthews’ firm. Most of the time, it covers exactly what its name suggests: law firm marketing using the internet. Matthews blogs about once a week. When he sticks to the knitting, he provides lively reading and interesting discussion points - as with posts on guerilla marketing for law firms, use of RSS feeds, and sponsoring web sites. But he also sometimes posts filler, such as the egregious ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ parody, which he didn’t even write himself. Gong!

Wow, that’s just so nice! So let me get this straight, in order to write a blog of value, every single post must be self-scribed? And one should never relay material of value to one’s audience? And you can never go off-topic to add a personal touch, right? Wrong. More than wrong - absolute hogwash!

As I’ve said many times the social side of blogging is where the value is. Blogs aren’t magazine articles, and they’re not a simple diary - blogs are personal commentary with social networking baked in. Tell me what you think, and tell how you feel about it. And whenever possible, link out to other bloggers and exchange ideas. Every successful blog does this. No exceptions.

The post of mine that Mr. Blackwell questions was written 4 days before Christmas. In my world, that’s a lighter time of the year. The content of the post was a creative parody, which I thought was a great example of having fun with your clients during the holiday season. It was also written by one of my clients (whom I emphatically reserve the right to promote. It’s my business.). The original was buried in a firm newsletter, and I relayed it to my audience to share its fun nature, marketing creativity, and humour.

Filler? No way. Gong you! Mr. Blackwell.

I’m also frustrated at the cheap shot he took at Stan Rule. Stan is a long time blogger who consistently delivers well written & thoughtful commentary. Blackwell’s take? “The writing is a little too earnest and workmanlike to draw a huge readership -comments are sparse- ….“.

Again, he just doesn’t get it. The goal with lawyer blogs isn’t to acquire the biggest audience; and comments are a bad measure of value. Mr. Rule is writing to a niche audience, and his cumulative body of work drives people from all over central BC to read his thoughts on wills, probate & estate planning. I’m sure Mr. Rule also blogs to support his own professional development & personal enjoyment. Most bloggers get something positive back from the experience.

And what is this thing about comments? Comments are a terrible measure of blog readership or value. Go take a look at my Vancouver Law Librarian Blog - comments are sparse there too. Especially for a blog with 500+ daily RSS subscribers!

And finally, since it’s so easy to take cheap shots in a national publication, let’s be brutally honest about the source. Mr. Blackwell is a long time tech writer, for what? 20 years? probably more. But really, where’s the credibility for him to even put a list like this together? Has he coded a website? Does he even have a blog? Sorry. Nada. … What’s that? He has a linkedin account with 1 connection? Bingo! Guru status now in effect. ;)

Let’s get serious here. Yes, you can go off topic. Yes, you can relay the thoughts of others. And yes, you can address your topic with as many related tangents as it takes to explore your area of interest. Keeping your focus is important, but so is solidifying connections with long time subscribers. Adding a personal touch will not kill your blog.

Sorry, but if you want to ‘gong’ my blog, then start blogging yourself. Then we can have a real conversation.

My latest article on lawyer branding & search-based reputation management is now online in this month’s CBA National magazine!

The article, titled Who do you think you are?, focuses mainly on the issues surrounding individual lawyer brands and how the evolve. The other topic I tried to address was how lawyers can be proactive with their web reputation; and how an enhanced profile can not only dominate in a search for your name, but also insulate against negative profile events.

And while we’re on that subject, let me explain that last idea a bit further.

Search engines (read Google) will only list a maximum of two pages for any one website on the first page of results. That means, even if you’ve published hundreds of articles on your law firm website, only the best two (in google’s eyes, not yours) can be listed on the first page of search results. Those other eight spots are still up for grabs!

When a lawyer (or any individual, for that matter) has a strong web profile, there are a lot more positive items in play - more pages written about, or referencing - that individual. So much so, that the first page of search results will become protected against casual negative references. Direct attacks? that’s another story… But a casual mention in a newspaper, blog post, or online document, will probably never get close to page-one.

I wouldn’t describe online reputation management as a high-priority topic for most lawyers, but do think the day is coming. It’s important.

Readers may also be interested in my thought leadership article over at Slaw. It formed some of the basis for the National article.

Many thanks to Jordan Furlong for the opportunity, and also his guidance in the article’s construction. It was a lot of fun (more?) to banter the subject prior to doing the actual writing! :)

I want to take the opportunity today to note some of the great work going on with Stem clients. And since this is official blog for the company, I feel completely justified in providing a little link support and highlighting some of those efforts. :)

• First up, BC Legislation service Quickscribe is two weeks post launch on their new BC Legislation Portal. A great new website that provides daily updates to the laws of British Columbia. The comments & reception this site has received have all been very positive. We’re hoping more BC lawyers sign up for Quickscribe’s online product. It really is a fantastic service!
• Checking in with Canadian law firm Clark Wilson LLP, I’m noting that Public Private Partnerships Co-Chair Brock Johnston is quoted in the latest edition of Lexpert magazine. The firm is also once again sponsoring the BCTIA IMPACT speakers series. And finally, it was good to see my friend insurance lawyer Neo Tuytel get quoted in Canadian Underwriter magazine. As usual, lots going on at CW!
• Stem client West Palm Beach Criminal Lawyer Ron Chapman has launched a number of new service pages related to his work as a federal crimes lawyer based in Florida. Specifically, those first pages included the federal crimes of: conspiracy, counterfeiting, making a false statement to a federal agency, making a false statement in a bank record, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and smuggling merchandise into the US.
• Last but not least, many of you will know I blogged the recent launch of JD Supra, but have you had a look at the new blog JD Scoop? JD Supra founder Aviva Cuyler has certainly taken to blogging, I’d say. In one of her latest posts she’s playing investigative reporter tracking down an untold story of pro bono work done by law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. The fact that she did this sleuthing with her own product certainly bodes very well for the future. Go Aviva!!

This is something that I should do more often. The clients of Stem Legal have some great projects going on, and it really is a pleasure to relay the news!