Blawg In A Box

Update: Apparently there were some issues with MarsEdit, the blogging software I and many other Mac bloggers use to compose blog posts offline, and its compatibility with WordPress 2.5. According to this post at The Blog Herald, that’s been fixed. I can happily report I haven’t had any issues with WordPress and Mars Edit after the update of each — they seem to get along quite well.

I’ve been working with WordPress 2.5 for a few days now, and am ready to report back on what the new release is really like.

Dashboard Improvements

First, the dashboard. Don’t let the underplayed descriptions on the WordPress blog fool you. This is a greatly redesigned dashboard, both in look and function. And while it took some time to get used to it, I admit, it’s an improvement.

I also love the new feature that allows you to change your permalink without radically altering your normal architecture across the board.

Overall, it’s a much cleaner appearance, which makes it easier to compose, I think

Images

Working with images is greatly improved as well, although it requires some getting used to. Formerly, the upload box was on the same page as the post editor. Now, it’s a pop-up box that allows you to work with each file individually. There are many more options for working with your images, too — from changing the URL, adding a new size (medium) to the old options of thumbnail and full sized, to (best of all) automatic positioning. Check it out:

Posting

The post editor is pretty nifty. The same old code buttons (or, if you use the visual editor, the formatting buttons) are there, but there’s that “add media” function now, which makes adding podcast files or images a snap. Then on the right, the “Related” list shows the most commonly used tasks (managing comments, managing all posts, managing categories, etc.).

Below the post editor box, there are tools for working with tags, categories, and all the other tools you’re used to — except now they’re below the post, out of the way, leaving a more uncluttered working space.

Bottom Line: Thumbs UP

Way, way up. Kudos to the WordPress team for a wonderful release.

NB: Due to an incorrect timestamp, this post - which was supposed to run on Tuesday, as promised on Monday - wasn’t. My bad. Lesson learned: double check your timestamps before you post!

WordPress is pretty well-established as the number-one recommended blogging platform, and it’s the only platform the Blawg Coach will work with. WordPress has earned its reputation as the most versatile and beneficial platform for serious bloggers. And if you’re blogging for business — any business, but especially service providers such as lawyers — then you are by definition a serious blogger. (Or should be. But that’s probably another post entirely.)

But the setup of WordPress software is notoriously difficult for technically-challenged folks and beginners (which also describes many lawyers who want to blog). Fortunately, there’s an easy solution.

First, however, an explanation …

The Difference Between WordPress and WordPress(.com)

It might surprise you to learn that there are two different “flavors” of WordPress. There’s the WordPress I’m writing about — the open-source blogging platform application that you upload to a server and utilize to create a dynamic, versatile, easily customizable blog that’s hosted at a URL of your choice — and then there’s the other WordPress.

That other WordPress is WordPress.com, a freely available blog hosting solution for bloggers who want to get set up quick and easy.

Why Not WordPress.com?

Well, you might say, if WordPress.com is so quick and easy (not to mention free, hello!) why not use it?

The answer: Because, while it’s fine for many non-professional uses, it’s not that great for our (read: your) needs. You need grad-school level blogging, if you’re doing this for your law practice (and I assume that’s why you’re here).

Here’s why: WordPress.com gives you a URL that’s what we call a “second level” — in other words, http://myblog.wordpress.com, as opposed to http://www.myblog.com. This is bad for many reasons, but mainly it affects your search engine results, looks unprofessional, and means that you lack any rights over the server on which your blog is hosted.

WordPress.com also offers a limited number of themes. If you set up a WordPress.com blog, and eagerly start hunting for the option to change your theme to a new one you just found online, you’re going to be sorely disappointed — it’s not there. You have to get an independently hosted blog run on WordPress software to get the vast theme choice that attracts so many bloggers to the platform.

Please note: don’t be offended if you have a WordPress.com blog. I’m sure it’s a great blog. But you would be getting better results if you had a independently hosted blog on your own URL.

The Solution: One-Stop Hosting

So, what’s a poor lawyer to do, then? You’re convinced you need WordPress but you don’t have the time or, frankly, desire, to wade through these instructions (and believe me, I understand — the first time I waded through them, lo, these many moons ago, I felt the same way). You could hire me to do it for you. Or any of the countless freelancers who advertise all over the web.

Or you can go to one of the select hosting companies that already have WordPress installed for you. Here are a few — you can find others, I’m sure, with a simple web search:

• Blue Host
• AN Hosting
• HostICan
• DreamHost
• Host Gator

These hosting companies give you the option of signing up for hosting services and getting your WordPress blog without going through the complicated install directions. Just follow the host’s directions for activating the blog (usually with one click or so), and you’re set to install any theme you like and set up your blog with relative ease.

The Not So Easy Way

Of course, if you prefer a different hosting company, and you’re technically skilled enough to be comfortable with the Codex directions, then here’s a simplified rundown. Please note, though, you’ll want to take a look at the full instructions located here.

1. Acquire your URL, unless you’re going to do so as part of your host company services.
2. Get your hosting account set up. Write down your FTP information.
3. Set up a database on the server, and create a user for it with full admin privileges.
4. Download and unzip the latest and greatest WordPress version.
5. Change the file named “wp-config-sample.php” to “wp-config.php.” Edit the file in a text editor to include your MySQL user’s info (which you set up in step #3).
6. Upload via FTP to your server.
7. Follow these instructions for further setup.

   Finally, A Note

   If you’re wondering why I’m divulging this awesome tip and thus potentially driving clients away from Blawg In A Box, the answer’s simple: I believe so strongly in blogging’s place in marketing the solo and small law firm that I would rather give this information away and get a few more bloggers out there than keep it to myself. If this gets more lawyers blogging, this is a good thing, in my view.

   Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

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Note: This post was originally published at The Inspired Solo, and is reprinted here for your convenience.  It refers to a service and sidebar widget called BlogRush which I have elected not to install on Blawg In A Box, the better to gauge the results on TIS. To see the widget in action, visit TIS’s home page. 

It’s been 3 days since I implemented BlogRush in [the TIS] sidebar, and while some apparently aren’t pleased with the service’s performance on their blogs, I have to say I’m not one of those unhappy campers. I’ve noted a significant uptick in traffic of about 10% over the last three days, and the one major complaint I had about the widget - that the headlines were stale, and weren’t rotating quickly enough to generate interest - has been rectified by the company.

As this blogger points out, BlogRush is a traffic-generation tool - not a lead generating tool. What’s the difference? Traffic comes first. You convert traffic - readers, in other words - to leads by the strength of your content and the value you offer them once they get to your site. Tools like BlogRush help drive those folks to your website where you will (we hope) convert them to leads, and thence to clients. It’s a process - sometimes a long, arduous one - but it has to start with the traffic. And in a crowded blogosphere, you need any assistance you can get that will legitimately drive traffic to your site. If it’s traffic that will stick around a bit - in other words, if it’s traffic looking for what you have to offer - then you’re off to a good start. So, if you haven’t signed up yet, my advice is: sign up. Give it a try. Monitor the results on your own blog and see if works for you.

Read More…

Note: This post was originally published at The Inspired Solo, and is reprinted here for your convenience.

This is the third post in an ongoing series called “Blogging For Clients.” Previous posts can be found here (”Introduction to Blogging For Solo Lawyers”) and here (”Why Design Is the Least Of Your Problems”). Today’s post focuses on setting your blog up for maximum ROI (Return On Investment).

What Investment?

Just how much effort are we talking about for a new blog, anyway? Well, not to be too sarcastic about it, but it depends on what kind of post you want to create. Sure, anyone can jot down a few lines, slap a hyperlink in there somewhere, click “publish” and be done with it in under five minutes a day. But that’s not the kind of blogging we want. It’s certainly not the kind of blogging that’s going to net you clients, or create your aura of expertise.

To achieve the goals you’re after, you’re going to have to put a bit more original thought into each post - and, unfortunately, that means time and effort. I usually advise brand new bloggers to estimate half an hour, start to finish, for each post. That includes the following tasks:

• a minimal amount of research (mainly to clarify your point or pull a quote)
• create a rough draft
• polish it for style and grammar
• check the spelling and formatting (i.e., creating headings or subtitles, creating bulleted or numbered lists where appropriate, offsetting blockquotes, stressing certain text through italics or bold or even underlined formatting, the latter being less utilized these days)
• insert links (i.e., creating hyperlinks anchored to the text of your post that take the reader off your site to a reference page you’d like them to see)
• tweak the headline (for maximum emotional impact
• tag (using either plugins or Technorati code, to attach descriptive phrases and words to your post to enable blog searchers to find it during a search)
• post (i.e., publish your blog)
• And, finally, ping (that is, to let certain sites such as Pingoat, Ping-o-matic, and others know digitally that you’ve got a new post up).

And, of course, you’re going to have to do this every day (or at least sufficiently to create five to seven posts a week) for the first several weeks of the blog’s publication in order to build interest, establish that yours isn’t just another flash in the pan blog, and begin to draw repeat traffic. If you want to put a meatier “pillar” article in there (such as this series - pillar articles being more substantial and substantive posts containing unique and original content that’s highly on point and generally of greater length than the typical 100-300 word blog post), you can probably safely double that time estimate.

Read More…

Note: This post was originally published at The Inspired Solo. I’ve reprinted it here for your convenience.

Last post, we discussed the ins and outs of blog setup:

• Why blogs are so good for business
• The different platforms from which you can choose
• The difference between platform hosting and independent hosting
• Why WordPress is the “usual suspect” when it comes to setting up a professional blog

This week, we’re going to talk about design, and why it’s not nearly as important as you might think it is.

Read More…

Note: This post was originally posted at The Inspired Solo. It’s reprinted here for your convenience.

A new series from The Inspired Solo on starting, publishing, & publicizing a law-related blog, and using the blog as a marketing device for the solo law practice.

In this series (at least weekly, but hopefully twice a week if I can manage it), I’ll be writing about that most essential component in the Inspired Solo’s marketing arsenal: the blog.

I’m going to assume a reader with no familiarity with the blog as medium or as marketing - starting essentially from the ground up. If you’re familiar with blogs, or have been blogging for awhile, this might serve as a useful review for you, or you may prefer to scan this post and skip ahead.

What’s A Blog?

Short for “weblog,” the term blog has come to denote any website that contains content published on a regular, dated basis. Contrast this with a so-called static webpage, which may be updated as frequently as business needs dictate, but which typically does not contain sequentially dated entries with topics. Examples? What you’re reading right now, of course, is a blog. So is this. So is this. And this.

You can see that blogs contain a great capacity for unique customization and design aesthetic. But setting one up is much easier than you might think.

Read More…