Reputation management – Begins @ Home

This article points out the increasing importance for attorneys to be proactive in managing their online reputation.   Its recommendations are to set up Google Alerts for themselves and also monitor Twitter as well.

That’s not enough

The best way to manage your online reputation is to have a dynamic website and social networking presence – blog and connection to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like.  A constant stream of fresh and positive content will help sink any negative comments to the bottom of search results.

Socialize Your Website with WordPress

In the Facebook rather than Stalinist sense.  Increasingly websites need to be built like airports to accomodate the ever present “change” that is the web.

Social networking coming to websites everywhere

For example, increasingly people are creating websites as interactive tools to exchange ideas with clients, prospects and the like.  You may want a forum on your site so that visitors can exchange ideas and even chat.  Perhaps you even have a Wiki section of your website where you allow visitors to create resources for you because they are so motivated by your ideas that they decide to build on them.

WordPress to the rescue

If you sign up for a website using a platform that is difficult to extend or modify without development cost, then this future is barred to you unless to plunk down some serious cash.  However, if you are on a WordPress platform, there are plenty of plug-ins that can make this future possible for your website.  Here are some examples.

Don’t Waste that Web page!

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing has a great piece of advice – transform your “thank you” page into something that furthers your relationship with your client or prospect.

• Encourage them to add your company email address to their contacts – helps avoid getting blacklisted, builds the relationship
• Give them a free tip relevant to why they came to your page – if downloaded your SEO newsletter, give them a quick SEO tip.
• Provide links to white papers, helpful articles and other links.

Build that relationship!

This is the perfect location for providing clients and prospects goodies as they already taken a step to engage with you so immediately give them a reason to like you even more.

Friday Freebie – Stereoize audio files!

“Musereo Mono to Stereo Converter is a simple, easy-to-use software that converts multiple mono mp3/wma/wav files to stereo in just a few clicks, helping you to breathe new life into your audio files mono and dull.”

Link

MoFo iPhone app – strategically flawed

Here is an article praising the launch of MoFo’s iphone application “MoFo2Go.”  It argues that the app is successful because there have been 1,500 downloads, client praise and positive press.  The article then goes on to pose six questions a law firm should answer before moving forward with their own ap.

How many MoFo employees are there?

My guess is that 1,500 downloads constitutes less than all the employees of Morrison and Foerster.  And remember this is a free ap and with its reference for looking up for MoFo lawyers, this would be particularly handy for MoFo employees.  However, I’m not convinced that clients are eagerly downloading MoFo2Go.

Wrong Question

The second question posed by the article is, “What types of features can you offer app users?” I think this is the wrong question.  The right question is, “what pre-existing MoFo electronic content would most benefit MoFos’ clients and prospects?” MoFo2Go is focused on MoFo NOT on what the clients and prospects need.

For Example…

MoFo publishes lots of client alerts and rather than focuses on “People” and a game,  focus the app just around the client alerts and re-purposes the PDF content to make it easy for clients and prospect to scan this rich and valuable resource.  Is it fun?  No but that’s not what people look for from their law firm.

Facebook and more Facebook

Several breaking stories involving Facebook and privacy:

• Proposed German law would prevent employers from reviewing job applicant’s Facebook profiles – but not LinkedIn.
• Facebook Places – a treasure trove of litigator goodies?  child custody case  example: track Mom’s KFC outings.
• High School teacher terminated for unloading about kids, parents and community on Facebook – thought post was only going to her friends but nooooo.

Blogging Litigation – Don’t be scared

The media is picking up on a new trend involving litigation involving blogging.  Note the deceptive headline for this Wall Street Journal Law Blog post, “Blogging a Hotbed of litigation.”

Hotbed – Really?

The article points out a few lawsuits involving comments, websites and bloggers.   The article cites no example of an identifiable blogger who wrote an opinion about an issue or person in a responsible way (no name-calling, curse words, or threatening or harassing language) that has been sued.  Instead they are focused on the extremes – anonymous commenters, threatening or derogatory language and the like.

There are millions of bloggers posting millions of posts a day and these few examples constitute a hotbed?

Takeaway

If you are blogging professionally as a lawyer use the same level of common sense and restraint that you would use for all business communications.   Remember, not only will this help you avoid lawsuits but it also makes your blogging more credible and trustworthy and that is the most important thing.

Goodbye Judge Judy, Hello Judge Twitter!

Judges embracing Twitter to issue succinct 140 character rulings!   Okay its a joke but I’m waiting for someone to link this article for real. And does it really seem impossible to believe given the use of Twitter by police departments to publicize mug shots and the like?

Friday Freebies – Blu Ray Ripper!

“Aiseesoft Blu Ray Ripper is really an all-in-one Blu Ray Ripper to rip Blu ray Discs/m2ts video and common DVD discs to any other video/audio formats. This Blu Ray Disc Ripper can convert Blu Ray DVD and m2ts files to HD video including HD AVI, HD XviD/DivX, HD MP4, MOV, HD WMV files and all the common video formats MP4, AVI, WMV, MKV, FLV, SWF at a tremendous speed. This Blu Ray Ripper can also extract audio from DVD disc and convert it into MP3, AAC, M4A, etc.”

Link:

One Size Social Media Policy Won’t Work

According to this article, a recent survey of U.S. workers found that 57% were using social networking for work purposes at least once a week.

Can’t Just Shut Down the Internet

Employers risk losing business, clients, customers, prospective customers if they prohibit their workers from utilizing social networking for business.  A better approach would be to survey your employees to determine who needs access to social networking and who doesn’t and develop a permissions-based social networking policy that allows for customized access based on workers’ functions.