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.

Last week was fun, as we celebrated the increasingly-ubiquitous Macintosh computer and OS during Macs Practice Law Week. Here are the highlights from The Inspired Solo and around the blawgosphere:

The Inspired Solo: Macs Practice Law Week Highlights

• “What It’s Like to Switch. Really.”
• “Luigi Benetton Sings the Praises of … Who?!?!”
• “Web Resources for Mac Lawyers and Those Who Want to Be”

Other Blawgs

• the [non]billable hour - how recent research on the psychology behind “the devil you know” might impact the reluctance to give up the billable hour model
• Avvo Blog - Lawyers in the News - are you one?
• Bankruptcy Law Network - Wendell Sherk, one of the fine group bloggers at BLN, busts Countrywide’s chops for its role in the ongoing foreclosure crisis
• Chuck Newton - writes about The No Asshole Rule and what it has to say about declining civility in the legal profession. (Y’know, before this week’s DSS hearing, I would have said “what declining civility?” … ah, youth.)
• Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips - a roundup of PowerPoint resources for those who like that sort of thing
• Robert Ambrogi’s Law Sites - “Low-cost” websites from legal printer and office suppliers Blumberg Excelsior. OK, halt the presses for a sec - editorial rant ahead: $75 a month is NOT in any universe a low-cost solution for hosting. Hosting should cost no more than $10 a month (and that only for month-by-month payment options). I just signed up with well-reviewed Lunarpages Hosting and paid only $6.95 a month for a 2-year contract. THAT’S a low-cost site. I really get irked at this growing tendency to rip off lawyers. What’s the deal? Is it because lawyers are supposed to be wealthy and have more disposable income? Or is it because lawyers are perceived as being techno-impaired and will pay any amount just to not have to deal with those issues? I realize there’s more to this package from BP than simply obscenely priced hosting, and I’ll write more on this later.
• Thoughtful Legal Management - David Bilinsky writes about a new phishing scam using a law firm as bait.

It might seem a bit strange to be reviewing an ebook about blawgs that was published several months ago at this late date, but there are a couple of reasons for this. First, I wanted to give the rest of the blawgosphere a chance to weigh in on the content, structure, and layout. Secondly, I wanted to wait for this blog to get its “web legs,” before diving in to this sticky subject.

Why is BlawgWorld Such a Sticky Subject?

Let’s first start with a bit of history. This is the third edition of the ebook, and it’s about 50% bigger than the 2006 issue, says Technolawyer, which publishes the freebie every year. And every year, it seems, we see/hear criticism of the issue that mainly falls into one of two categories: (1) you can’t boil down a blog to one post, and so any publication invoking the “most influential” blogs on the basis of a single post is faulty from the start; and (2) the content itself is questionable in some way.

I don’t think anyone will claim that any one of the posts included in the ‘07 issue is bad, or poorly written, or that a single blogger published in the issue is insignificant or not worthy of note in some way. (At least, I hope not. Surely we’re nicer than that, as a profession.) Among the published: Jim Calloway, Ben Stevens, Dennis Kennedy, Evan Schaeffer and more - 73 more, to be precise.

But if we’re really looking to add something of value to the blog directory world, then we need to be looking for superior postings, as opposed to simply the best known bloggers. So, some of the criticism deserves a second look.

Self-Selected Blog Posts and the Dining Experience

You might be able to tell that a restaurant is superb with one meal, but you really can’t say the same of a blog and one post. With a restaurant, you’re getting a direct experience - you are in the restaurant, served by and interacting with its staff, and surrounded by its “environment.” You’re also likely getting more than one dish - not only your entree, but salads, appetizers, drinks, and more. And you also witness at least second-hand the reactions of other diners at the same time.

That’s a very different experience than the sampling of a single post which was self-selected by a blogger who was (undoubtedly thrilled to have been) asked to participate in BlawgWorld 2007. The real comparison would be more like sampling a single dish blindfolded at some “Taste of the Town” contest. All you can really say is that this particular blog post - or dish - is __________ (fill in the blank with your conclusions).

In my book, to call a blog, or blawg, “most influential” or “best of” whatever subgroup we’re talking about (be it blawgs, subject matter law blogs, marketing blogs or policy blogs or just law-related blogs in general), you really need to focus on the blog, not the blogger, and not a single post. Not to put too fine a point on it, but as my Hemingway-esque father used to say, “Even a stopped clock’s right twice a day.”

The Structure of BlawgWorld

If BlawgWorld’s stated goal is to introduce lawyers to new blogs in a more efficient way, I have to say I’m not convinced it’s a success. But if the goal was to produce an amazing ebook - well, here, TechnoLawyer succeeded wildly. This is one of the most attractive, most efficiently-laid-out ebooks I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen too many to count as I continue working feverishly on my upcoming publication on blogging’s “Best Practices for Lawyers.”

It begins with a master list of the blawgs contained (by blog name, not blogger, except when the blogger’s name is included in the title of course). Navigation is easy through a simple tabbed and arrow-driven structure at the top of the page. If I have any complaint, it would be to make the master list clickable to the blog itself on the web; that shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish. But this falls in line with my main complaint about the publication itself - that, in order to introduce lawyers to blogs, you need to focus their attention on, and take them to, the blog itself.

There’s an additional index feature by way of a master topic list, which breaks down the blog posts by topic. Very handy! All in all, a very attractive and well-structured book, with great presentation.

The Product Pitches

Here’s something else that (I think) is new from last year: over 200 pages of product shilling by various companies and consultants. These pages are relegated to the back 40, so to speak, and are denoted by a blue heading as opposed to the green heading on blog post pages. So, they’re easily avoidable if this sort of thing offends you.

Frankly, I’m not sure where I stand on this. Given that the issue itself obviously took some time to compile, and is absolutely free (no registration required), I’m not sure a little product pitching to (perhaps) recoup the costs wasn’t entirely out of line. But as a lawyer, I have to say I put very little stock in technology articles written by the PR department of the company producing the technology. I’d rather read unbiased member reviews, such as those that appear in the TechnoLawyer postings that are sent via email newsletter to subscribers. But since reading them is entirely optional, it feels strange to get too crabby about this subject.

Bottom Line: Interesting, But …

Here’s my bottom line on BlawgWorld 2007: it’s interesting, but adds little of value that can’t be replicated by visiting the blogroll of just about any random sampling of blawgs. As an introduction to blogs, it may well serve a purpose for techno-phobes and true blog novices - those who wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for blogs - but since that’s an ever-decreasing segment of the lawyer population, I’m not sure what the real value is.

I’d rather see an unbiased panel selected from a cross-section of the legal blogging community with concrete criteria picking a real “best of the web” that comes, not from the bloggers themselves, but from the blawgosphere as a whole - and not just the same names that keep popping up every year (regardless of whether they’ve truly contributed “best of the web”-worthy posts).

Technorati Tags:
blawg directories, blawgworld 2007

If you’re sitting there thinking “What the heck is NaBloPoMo? Sounds like a dread disease . . . ” let me assure you first that you’re in no danger of needing a trip to the E.R. NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Posting Month, and it’s an interesting way to harness the power of peer pressure to light a fire under your blogging.

NaBloPoMo was inspired by a much more intimidating group project (well, more intimidating to me, at any rate) - NaNoWriMo. Can you guess what that stands for, now that I’ve deciphered NaBloPoMo? It’s National Novel Writing Month, and it always happens in November, as does NaBloPoMo. (OK, this is getting old, really quickly.)

The idea basically is to sign up for the project (or not - you don’t have to publicly declare your intention to play along at home or the office), and then to start a blog and post daily. Every single day, for an entire month. (Of course, you should be doing that anyway, if you’re just starting off - so they say. You’ll note I don’t follow that advice consistently myself. Erp.)

Unlike NaNoWriMo, the proof that you’ve complied with NaBloPoMo is in the blog - folks can tell right away if you’ve done as you said you would. We’re not as likely to be able to see that you finished your novel, right? But whether you sign up for public admiration (or flogging, as the case may be) or not, you can still use the impetus provided by the project to stoke your own motivation.

And remember why daily (or at the very least frequent) posting is important: each post is another drop of Google juice for your blog. Also: the more frequently you update your blog (with substantive posts, mind you - not 30 days of two-line “quotes and links” to other blogs or even worse yet, apologies for not having more to say), the greater your standing in the blog-world grows. Blog readers reward consistent and prolific bloggers.

BloPo away!

Technorati Tags:
NaBloPoMo, Writing prompts

Bill Gratsch, the blogger behind Blawg’s Blog, wrote an article about the current “State of Legal Blogs: A Report From the Frontlines” for Findlaw recently. The article provides an interesting snapshot of the legal blog world. Some interesting takes:

• Over 2000 Legal Blogs And Counting: By piecing together the offerings from various legal blog directories, Gratsch concluded there are over 2,100 legal blogs in existence. That number grows every day, of course, making good directories essential.
• Lawyers Aren’t The Only Ones Blogging About the Law: We’re not alone! Librarians, legal media, consultants, business coaches, professors, paralegals, and virtual assistants have joined our ranks as blawggers.
• Growth in News-Oriented Legal Blogs: There’s been a surge in legal news-oriented weblogs in recent years. Couple that with the fact that many other types of blogs (including subject-matter specific blogs) also feature news from time to time, and clearly we’re still a news-addicted profession. The immediacy of blogging both supports and detracts from fulfilling that need: we can get news out more quickly, but will it be accurate?
• Academia Has Embraced the Blog … Sort Of:Stories like this one about professors being looked down-upon in the job and tenure processes haven’t entirely gone away, but law school profs have embraced the blogosphere. As Gratsch points out, a professorial post can often find its way into mainstream media accounts (case law, too? Yep, case law too!…)

Gratsch left off what I feel is the most impressive blawg-directory effort: the “3L Epiphany” Taxonomy created by Ian Best. It was an academic exercise for Best, who created the taxonomy for an independent study project in law school, but it was quickly embraced by many as a terrific addition to the blawgosphere. I don’t know if it’s still being maintained or whether it’s just a static page now but regardless, it’s the product of a terrific piece of analytical and categorical thinking.

Technorati Tags:
blawg directories, legal blog statistics

Kevin O’Keefe at Real Lawyers Have Blogs hosts a terrific Blawg Review this week, and it’s all about blogs for lawyers. . . .  go read the blawg review.