Kate and I were recently interviewed by Lisa Kennelly, Editorial Manager at LexBlog. We shared the story behind Technola, how it has evolved, and our thoughts on technology, blogging and the public interest legal community. -M
PSLawNet, an online resource for public interest law job-seekers, recently launched a new blog covering public interest news and the job market for public interest lawyers and law students. If you’re interested in keeping track of new legal aid and public interest law blogs be sure to check out our blogroll page, which we update regularly. If you don’t see your blog there, and think it should be, shoot us an email at technolablog at gmail.com. – M
A team of experts from the Proskauer Rose LLP's Not-For-Profit/Exempt Organization Practice has started to blog about nonprofit law at Not-For-Profit/Exempt Organizations Blog. In addition to helping legal aid administrators with issues at their own programs, this blog can be passed on to directors at partner programs as a resource to help them with their questions. - K
Online, I spend time listening, attempting to separate signal from noise.
This started when I was in high school. Occasionally, I would egosurf, or search for my name on the Web. After college, when I began to use a feed reader, my listening became more routine. I could search and quickly add that search to my reader. Then, I could be lazy and forgetful--available stories were brought to me on demand. I didn't have to remember to go and find them.
Slowly, I broadened the topics that I listened for, amazed that I could track what's important and not become overwhelmed. Hitting "Mark All As Read" in a reader is much, much easier than declaring e-mail bankruptcy.
Currently, I listen for information about several specific areas: me, Technola, Pro Bono Net, document assembly, and access to justice (legal aid, pro bono legal services, Legal Services Corporation, and so on). Over time, I've changed these areas, refined the key words and phrases that I listen for, and pulled in new sources as they've surfaced, like Twitter and LexMonitor.
Listening helps me to stay informed. I often "hear" things that I wouldn't otherwise. Listening also gives me the opportunity to observe and participate in conversations that don't, and won't, happen in my offline life. Laura Quinn, Michelle Murrain, and Holly Ross are not going to show up at my house and talk nptech. But they do talk online, and I can meet up with them there. Listening helps me figure out where those good conversations are happening.
Do you listen online? If not, I challenge you to start listening today. Just follow these steps:
Ta Da! You are listening.
If you are listening already, I encourage you to step it up: refine your key words, add a new source, or move your e-mail alerts to a feed reader.
To learn more about listening, check out these resources:
So now it's your turn. Did you take my challenge? Either way I'd love to hear about what you are listening for, what tools you are using for listening, and any lessons that you've learned so far. If you aren't listening, tell me why not.
Come on. Speak up! I'm listening. - K
The Hatcher Group just released a new report on how nonprofits are using new media for social change, which is based on a survey of 30 nonprofits working on state-level advocacy issues. It provides an overview, metrics and strategic insight into several tools, including blogs, Twitter, Facebook and social news sites. The free report is available here (PDF). -M
For its annual list, the ABA Journal is looking for the best 100 law blogs and is asking you to suggest your favorites. Want to see who's made the list previously or to look for some new reading material? Check out last year's top 100 or the ABA Journal Blawg Directory. - K
I've looked and listened for people who love document assembly and who are talking about it online, but I haven't been very successful. Either I'm searching the wrong terms or they aren't talking about it. So while I've learned a lot about the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, I haven't turned up many conversations about LexisNexis' HotDocs software.
Today, however, I was thrilled when I found a post from The Exari Blog that pointed me to Five Document Assembly Blogs/Legal Technology Blogs to Follow. I've added these blogs and the Exari Blog to my news reader and hope to see some good conversations. - K
Hopefully every lawyer knows about Rule 6.1 from the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. You know, the one that starts
Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono publico legal services per year.
Lawyers have a lot of activities that they can choose to fill their 50 hours: direct representation, teaching legal classes, writing brochures or web site content for a legal aid organization, and so on.
However, while listening to Twitter, I came across Adrianos Facchetti, an attorney, who "Love[d] the idea that law blog fulfills pro bono requirement." An intriguing, yet slightly unsettling, idea.
Mr. Facchetti got several responses:
But Mr. Facchetti isn't the only person suggesting that blogging might fulfill this responsibility. Enrico Schaefer, an attorney from Michigan, wrote "Does Blogging Help Fulfill Your Pro Bono Obligation?", where he concludes that "blogging is perhaps the easiest and most effective way to reach the most people, providing information and assistance" and that "it performs an invaluable service to the scores of the people who simply need real information about a legal issue they are facing."
So I definitely agree that it's a good thing that attorneys blog about legal issues and provide legal information to clients and potential clients. But is it pro bono service? Is Kelly Phillps Erb doing pro bono work when she blogs about taxes? What about Bob Ambrogi and Carolyn Elefant when they post at Legal Blog Watch? What if an attorney did a guest post at Making Justice Real, Maryland Legal Aid Newsroom, or TRLA Press Center? I'm not sure. What do you think? - K
Taxgirl AKA Kelly Phillips Erb is seeking guest bloggers for the taxgirl blog. The week of August 30, she'll feature posts from readers talking about what they would like to see changed with respect to taxes. Every post that follows the rules will get posted. And she hints that some high profile politicians may be watching to see what her readers think.
Wouldn't it be great to have some posts about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics, Innocent Spouse Relief, or other tax issues that affect legal aid client communities? Posts must be submitted by August 26. - K
With thousands of law blogs, trying to find and read the best of the best posts on a regular basis can be daunting. But every week, the hosts of the Blawg Review, a blog carnival, do just that. They read, examine, and extract the week's best and then put them together in one post, usually with a theme. For example, this week Scott Greenfield of Simple Justice hosted the Blawg Review: #223 - Sphincter Rules. (Due to unusual circumstances, he wasn't exactly prepared or happy about being volunteered.)
To follow the Blawg Review, you can subscribe with a news reader, follow blawgreview on Twitter, sign up to have it e-mailed to you, or check back at Blawg Review each Monday. You can also help the hosts out and submit a post that you'd like to see included in the Blawg Review.
Not interested in law, but want to know where to find blog carnivals on other topics? Check out Blog Carnival, where you'll find carnivals that cover everything from taxes to math teachers to cats. - K
My second session, Your Blog Is Great, Get People to Know About It, covered enough information to fill an entire track. Since I can't explain the topic well in a short post, I've found good articles that cover the two main points: search engine optimization and social media and network sites.
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media and Network Sites
A few resources to try to cover the large amounts of content covered in the this session. Definitely topics that need more attention in the future. - K
My first BlogHer breakout session, Owning Your Expertise, was an interactive session that fell a little short because of the large number of people that attended. However, I did take away a few key bits.
So what does this mean for legal aid/pro bono blogs? Public interest lawyers are smart, well-spoken people. You are experts in many diverse legal issues: divorces, parenting plans, debt collection, public benefits, health care, and so on. The media covers these topics daily. Why shouldn't they be using public interest advocates as their experts? The media gets good information, and your organization gets some publicity and attracts new donors, volunteers, and clients. - K
Sitting in a hotel ballroom with 1,400 people, most of them amazing women who either blog or want to blog? Attending a conference with sponsors who have brought awesome swag and cater to attendees because they make household financial decisions? Yes, well, welcome to BlogHer 2009. Find me and introduce yourself!
If not, well, I expect to be posting updates on Technola and on Twitter through the day and part of tomorrow. You can also follow the gigantic stream of tweets from the conference by searching Twitter. - K
The American Immigration Law Foundation's Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has just launched a new blog called Immigration Impact. According to the IPC, "Immigration Impact was developed to help reshape the immigration debate in a way that will bring us closer to comprehensive immigration reform. The blog will provide thoughtful and rapid-response commentaries and insights on the latest news and events so that you can be up-to-date with what's going on with the immigration debate." -M
Foster Pepper, a Pacific Northwest law firm that has a history of serving Native American and Alaskan people, recently launched their first blog, Native American Legal Update. - K
Last week, it's likely that you overlooked two interesting conversations that happened on the Internet. They weren't publicized and they were pretty spontaneous, but both point to the potential value of blogging for our community.
The good news: because these conversations are online and asynchronous, you haven't missed them. You can still react and share your thoughts. - K
On October 13, 2008, I attended BlogHer DC: The Reach Out Tour. During that day, I tried my hand at live blogging and live tweeting (i.e. blogging and tweeting while the event happens). It was an interesting experience, and to help those who are considering live blogging or tweeting other events, I thought that I would share a few thoughts.
Live Blogging
Beth Kanter wrote that "live blogging takes a certain chutzpah and fearlessness." She's right. When you are live blogging, you can't stop to be concerned about every detail of grammar and spelling. Your typing and thoughts won't be perfect, but you've just got to get over it. You can always go back and clean your post up after the session. And for me, it's much easier to clean up a rough post than write a post from scratch. When I wait, there's a good chance I'll never write up the post.
I was a little worried that live blogging would be a distraction or that I'd miss parts of the presentation; however, instead of being distracted, I had to pay attention, synthesize the information, and explain it immediately. I was forced to stay engaged, which I hope will mean that I remember the key points better. And if I don't, I have better than normal notes that I can review. (I really wish that I would have taken up live blogging during college! )
Live Tweeting
Live tweeting is much easier than live blogging. It's a lot like taking notes, except that you are sharing them with other people. People can respond and ask you questions, whether they are at the conference or not. For people who are at the conference, this can be an amazing tool. Panelists are able to gauge the audience's interest level as well as take questions, and audience members can have their own backchannel conversations about the topic. (Beth Kanter and Jeremiah Owyang both have posts on how a backchannel can change a session.) Live tweeting is also a great way to include people who aren't at the conference. They are able to eavesdrop on the session and get answers to their questions. Participation and ideas aren't just limited to the select people who were chosen or could afford to attend in person.
I had a good experience live blogging and tweeting at BlogHer. It made me really wish that the legal aid and pro bono communities would integrate these communication streams into their conferences. The first step? Make Internet access available in the conference rooms. - K
I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who joined us (and thousands of others) in our day-long discussion of poverty for Blog Action Day, and to urge you to take a moment to meditate on some of the responses posted by stellar advocates in the legal aid community who have taken seriously the idea that technology has the power to transform the lives of our clients, whether by providing staff with the tools that they need to be effective advocates or developing and implementing innovative technology to increase access to justice.
The responses that we received were inspiring: Claudia Johnson reminds us that "[p]overty can happen to anyone for any reason, sometimes by willful or accidental random acts," and urges us to "find solutions that lift all of us based on love and wisdom" and "use every tool at our disposal to banish it." Molly French shares her experience living for a week on a food stamp budget and wonders what it would be like if she had no one to fall back on during hard times to help her through. Tony White challenges us to keep things real and challenge ourselves on a daily basis, to think globally and act from our hearts. And Madhu Lakshmanan provides eloquent insight based on her experience growing up in poverty in India, and challenges us to "step out of that numerical aggregated cocoon and talk to real people and their problems." Finally, Liz Keith shares the story of the story of the Grameen Bank, a microcredit program that started in Bangladesh in 1970s, as an example of a simple, grass-roots innovation that overturned conventional wisdom.
A couple of other reflections on poverty from the perspective of legal aid and public interest advocates include an insightful post on the Shriver Center's Blog, Step Forward, by the Center's president, John Bouman. Another excellent post was written by Robin Wheeler on her SC Access to Justice Blog. I hope that, in addition to reading the responses on Technola, you'll also take some time to read these contributions to the dialog. While poverty can't be eradicated in a day, the fact that so many took a few minutes to read, write and reflect on poverty is a real accomplishment, and yet another step towards understanding the dynamics of poverty and potential solutions to this complex challenge. - M
Today is Blog Action Day, and Technola is one of over 9,000 12,800 blogs taking part in a global conversation about poverty. We want to hear what folks in our community have to say! Share your ideas, reflections, stories and favorite quotes on poverty in the comments below to take part in this critical discussion. - M & K
Charlene Prince Birkeland of Yahoo spoke during lunch at BlogHer. She mentioned some great tips for increasing your blog's traffic, which I've summarized here.
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Your readers are going to find your blog in a lot of ways - search engines, social media, statistics reports, and so on. You need to actively make certain that readers are engaged, and not turned off, by your site. You can do this in several ways.
While each of these areas can take a lot of thought, planning, and time, you can make the process as simple as you want to or have time for. And don't obsess. Search engine optimization isn't the end goal. It's just one way to make your goal happen. - K
Today, I'm at the BlogHer DC conference. After a bit of technical trouble, I'm online and will be attempting some live blogging later this afternoon, but if you just want to keep an eye on the real-time highlights, keep an eye on me at Twitter. - K
The authors of The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell, have recently launched a companion blog and wiki that are well worth checking out if you're interested in learning how to better utilize technology to support collaboration as a lawyer or legal advocate. I happen to own the book, but I would recommend that you check out the blog and the wiki before you run out and buy it, as many of the tools covered in the book are also featured there. -M
While Law Professor Blogs professes to be "a network of web logs ("blogs") designed from the ground-up to assist law professors in their scholarship and teaching," I've found them to be a great source of legal information for advocates of all stripes. Here are a few blogs in the network that may be of interest to legal aid and public interest advocates:
For the full list, visit lawprofessorblogs.com. -M
Creating a quality website with little or no knowledge of HTML or other programming languages is no longer the challenge that it once was. With the evolution of blogging platforms, wikis and other web-based content management systems, you can now build a web presence for your organization or projects with little more than some extra time on your hands. Here are a few free hosted solutions that will put you on your way to a website without having to write a lick of code:
Also be sure to check out the recent webinar by LSNTAP and Pro Bono Net on building program websites. In addition to great suggestions on finding the right platform and host, it provides helpful tips and resources on layout, design and incorporating multimedia. Also, for those states using the LawHelp template, ask your Circuit Rider about program sites, which are free to legal aid and public interest organizations. -M
Technology has a lot in common with law. Both are complex fields that use a lot of jargon. Fortunately, CommonCraft, a husband and wife business in Seattle, is working to make technology more accessible to the masses. They create Paperworks videos -- think whiteboard crossed with paper dolls -- to explain current popular technologies in plain English. Their videos cover a range of topics, including social media, podcasting, blogs, wikis, zombies, and RSS. Now if we could just get them to start creating segments on evictions, name changes, and orders of protection. -K
Last night, I was pointing out some background reading on legal self-help issues and trends to a new community member and discovered that the Self-Help Law ExPress blog is back from its hiatus. New posts can be expected in about two weeks. For those not familiar with the Shelp blog, it is a great resource for all things pro se. - K
The ABA Journal has a directory of law-related blogs, the Blawg Directory. Hang out there long enough, and you can find blogs dedicated to everything from consumer law to legal theory to trusts and estates. But until today, they didn't have a pro bono category, which was added when we submitted Technola. However, we feel a little bit lonely, and the list still doesn't have a poverty law or legal aid category. Matthew and I know that you are out there. So if you're a legal aid blogger, submit your blog and get listed. Let people know that you have something to say. - K
The Shriver Center launched a new blog called Step Forward today. It features developments in poverty law and highlights from their various advocacy efforts. Posts are written by Shriver Center staff. - M
Do you have a legal blog? Thinking of creating a blog? LexBlog is holding a free webinar on Thursday, May 29, 2008 about blogging for the legal community: Introduction Professional Law Blogs: What Works and What Doesn't. If you are already blogging and want to connect with other legal bloggers, use LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals. A Legal Bloggers group has been created. You can join here. - K
Now that TIG is over, I've moved on to the other items on my to do list.
The first two don't need much explaination, but I suspect that number three may. No, I am not considering becoming an arsonist. Feedburner is actually a tool for bloggers. It lets us more easily track how many people are subscribed to our feeds and, for commercial ventures, more efficiently profit from content. While Matthew and I aren't looking to profit from our content, we do like to know what people are interested in. So now Technola has the burn.
If you are already subscribed to our feed, you don't have to do anything. You could subscribe to our new feed. It is a little bit prettier and fancier than are old feed. You can quickly e-mail an article to another person or save it to del.icio.us. But you don't have to.
If you haven't subscribed, you now have two options. You can either subscribe to our feed or sign up to get an e-mail when we post new content. If you are interested, see the links on the right-hand side. - K
One of the best free resources available to nonprofit technologists is idealware, a site that provides informative reviews and comparisons of nonprofit software. Articles that may be of interest to folks in the legal aid community include:
If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe to their monthly newsletter and check out their blog. - M
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