News
Law Office Management
May 2, 2008
7 Tips for Successful Blogging
1. THINK GLOBALLY
In blogging, even though it feels like you're sharing your thoughts with an intimate circle of friends, remember that millions of Internet users around the world will be able to read-and react to-what you've written. "People do need to bear in mind that they are using a medium that is globally accessible," says Newport Beach attorney and blogger Denise M. Howell.
2. MANAGE YOUR READING REQUIREMENTS
Everyone already has too much to read, and the popularity of blogs is an added burden. But to be a well-regarded blogger, you really need to keep up with what fellow bloggers are saying. You can use the tools at hand to shorten your Internet reading list: Enter topics that interest you in a Web-based news reader, such as Google Reader or Bloglines (both are free). The service will routinely check your favorite blogs (and other websites, if you like) to let you know when new content appears online. "Blogs act as funnels," says Kevin O'Keefe, president of Seattle consulting firm LexBlog. "It's like you have an intelligence agent that puts things in perspective for you."
3. KEEP IT CIVIL
If you wind up in a heated online spat but aren't familiar with the tone and behavior expected in the blogosphere, resist the urge to respond immediately. First, get the advice of someone who is blog-savvy. "Understand what the environment is like," counsels O'Keefe.
4. JOIN THE CONVERSATION (BUT IGNORE THE TROLLS)
When someone blogs misinformation about you, your firm, or an issue you are involved in, you should go ahead and set the record straight online. "The remedy for false speech is more speech," says JoAnne Speers, executive director and ethics program director of the Institute for Local Government in Sacramento. "Get in there and provide what [you] believe is the real situation." However, if you encounter a rabid, screaming, and pertinacious blogger-often referred to as a troll-you might want to hang back. In such circumstances, Speers says, it's best to ignore the troll, just as you would a schoolyard bully.
5. FOLLOW OFFLINE RULES ONLINE
For the most part, you can avoid getting in hot water while blogging. "Use the same standard of ethics and decorum that applies to any medium," including a person-to-person conversation, Speers advises. Or, as Howell puts it, "Don't check your common sense at the door. You wouldn't do it in a letter. You wouldn't do it on the phone. So don't do it on a blog."
6. ABANDON ANONYMITY
Although it may be tempting to launch an anonymous blog in which you can speak freely, keep in mind that anonymous bloggers rarely stay anonymous. "Eventually, you are going to
get found out," says Kristie D. Prinz, founder of the California Biotech Law Blog. Howell agrees. "It's not that difficult to figure out who someone is," she says. Just ask Rick Frenkel, a lawyer at Cisco Systems. Shortly after his anonymous blog-Patent Troll Tracker-was outed this year, two Texas patent attorneys sued Frenkel and Cisco for defamation. Cisco has since revised its blog policy.
7. SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
A blog is not the place for corporate blather or marketing blasts-it's a place of personality. Keep that in mind as you write, suggests J. Craig Williams, a Newport Beachbased litigator. "Blogging by committee is bland and dry," he says. "What makes blogging successful is voice. The most important thing is to be yourself."
In blogging, even though it feels like you're sharing your thoughts with an intimate circle of friends, remember that millions of Internet users around the world will be able to read-and react to-what you've written. "People do need to bear in mind that they are using a medium that is globally accessible," says Newport Beach attorney and blogger Denise M. Howell.
2. MANAGE YOUR READING REQUIREMENTS
Everyone already has too much to read, and the popularity of blogs is an added burden. But to be a well-regarded blogger, you really need to keep up with what fellow bloggers are saying. You can use the tools at hand to shorten your Internet reading list: Enter topics that interest you in a Web-based news reader, such as Google Reader or Bloglines (both are free). The service will routinely check your favorite blogs (and other websites, if you like) to let you know when new content appears online. "Blogs act as funnels," says Kevin O'Keefe, president of Seattle consulting firm LexBlog. "It's like you have an intelligence agent that puts things in perspective for you."
3. KEEP IT CIVIL
If you wind up in a heated online spat but aren't familiar with the tone and behavior expected in the blogosphere, resist the urge to respond immediately. First, get the advice of someone who is blog-savvy. "Understand what the environment is like," counsels O'Keefe.
4. JOIN THE CONVERSATION (BUT IGNORE THE TROLLS)
When someone blogs misinformation about you, your firm, or an issue you are involved in, you should go ahead and set the record straight online. "The remedy for false speech is more speech," says JoAnne Speers, executive director and ethics program director of the Institute for Local Government in Sacramento. "Get in there and provide what [you] believe is the real situation." However, if you encounter a rabid, screaming, and pertinacious blogger-often referred to as a troll-you might want to hang back. In such circumstances, Speers says, it's best to ignore the troll, just as you would a schoolyard bully.
5. FOLLOW OFFLINE RULES ONLINE
For the most part, you can avoid getting in hot water while blogging. "Use the same standard of ethics and decorum that applies to any medium," including a person-to-person conversation, Speers advises. Or, as Howell puts it, "Don't check your common sense at the door. You wouldn't do it in a letter. You wouldn't do it on the phone. So don't do it on a blog."
6. ABANDON ANONYMITY
Although it may be tempting to launch an anonymous blog in which you can speak freely, keep in mind that anonymous bloggers rarely stay anonymous. "Eventually, you are going to
get found out," says Kristie D. Prinz, founder of the California Biotech Law Blog. Howell agrees. "It's not that difficult to figure out who someone is," she says. Just ask Rick Frenkel, a lawyer at Cisco Systems. Shortly after his anonymous blog-Patent Troll Tracker-was outed this year, two Texas patent attorneys sued Frenkel and Cisco for defamation. Cisco has since revised its blog policy.
7. SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
A blog is not the place for corporate blather or marketing blasts-it's a place of personality. Keep that in mind as you write, suggests J. Craig Williams, a Newport Beachbased litigator. "Blogging by committee is bland and dry," he says. "What makes blogging successful is voice. The most important thing is to be yourself."
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Alexandra Brown
Daily Journal Staff Writer
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