This post will be in the nature of "piling on," usually
an indefensible tactic but, dear reader, as I hope you will
agree in this case, justified as an exercise
in overcoming what is for many practicing lawyers a nearly
insurmountable allergic reaction to the notion that a personal
or firm blog could benefit their practice. My aim? To
invite, and then to welcome, more legal commentators to the
blogosphere. After all, blogs live or die by the acuity
of their analysis, the felicity of their writing, and the
focus of their viewpoint. To all the practicing lawyers
in the audience: Which of those capabilities do
you lack?
Let us call the roll of members of the MSM ("mainstream
media") who are now staunchly converted to this apostasy. I
hope you recognize a few of the names.
The Wall Street Journal: “The
blog as business tool has arrived.” (March
1, 2005)
The Financial Times: From
a story published
today about Jonathan Schwarz, president of Sun Microsystems,
and why he has a blog:
“Any CEO who says a blog would take too much time is deluding himself because the number one imperative of any senior executive is communication. How much of our time will you spend on analysis? A very small amount. Decision-making is difficult but it tends not to be time-consuming.”
And just what audience does he think he’s reaching? Actually,
he knows:
“I am much more interested in quality
than quantity. When I go to a Wall Street analysts’ event
and ask, ‘Which of you reads my blog?’ half the room raises
its hand."
Fortune: In December 2004
they offiically declared the blog the technology story of
the year, and in a January story, "Why There’s No Escaping the Blog," they
not-so-subtly underlined the core fundamental reality that
blogs must speak in a genuine, unfiltered, sincere voice:
“If you fudge or lie on a blog, you are biting the karmic weenie,” says Steve Hayden, vice chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather, which creates blogs for clients. “The negative reaction will be so great that, whatever your intention was, it will be overwhelmed and crushed like a bug. You’re fighting with very powerful forces because it’s real people’s opinions.”
Or, as Mazda learned when it launched a "cloaked" blog allegedly
by a Gen. Y hipster to promote the Mazda 3, which was exposed
as a fraud after all of 72 hours, trying to game the blogosphere doesn’t
work; it was a "learning
experience," according
to a Mazda flack.
Business Week: This week’s
cover
story, "Blogs Will Change Your Business," starts with
this simple piece of advice: "Catch up…or
catch you later."
- "How big
are blogs? Try Johannes Gutenberg out for size." - They provide a
primer about blogging for the corporate types (including
the meaning of "dooced," which is not nearly as salacious
as it sounds). - A profile of
a business that has jumped into blogging
whole-hog (or perhaps we should say "whole-cow," since
they sell yogurt—which you would think is far less
reliant on critical analysis and commentary than, say,
the law). - "Six
Tips for Corporate Bloggers" says "you can’t afford
to miss this wave," and tip #6 is the scary, but ever-so-true,
"be transparent."
Still not convinced? Pretty sure none of the AmLaw
100 are toying with what still sounds to you like Kryptonite? Guess
again: At least one AmLaw 50 firm has written an extensive
article,
"Blogging for Law Firms: Not Why, But When and
How." If that doesn’t convince you, welcome to
the 19th Century.
