Reading and Learning about Blogging and Podcasting - "Naked Conversations" - Part III
At page 43 of the book Naked Conversations, the authors use a classic quote from a great blogger who describes it as follows: "Blogging is word of mouth on steroids".
A well-known legal blogger, Lawrence Lessig, also comes highly recommended in the book. T
he authors point out (at page 87) that they were a bit surprised by the number of lawyers collaborating on blogs, as they perceive the profession as being the most competitive. They illustrated the point by taking the readers to three seeming competitors in the area of patent law.
Attorneys Stephen M. Nipper, Douglas Sorocco and J. Matthew Buchanan are all patent lawyers with an interest in blogging. Each of them started blogs within three weeks of each other and then discovered each other through the blogosphere. In a short time, they found themselves to be trusted colleagues, exchanging email, talking on the phone and they even started collaborative forms of writing by using software that allows groups to collaborate by editing each other's words on an Internet site. The result of working together produced the creation known as Rethink(ip), a collaborative blog addressing how lawyers and clients should work together on IP issues.
The blogosphere is something that needs to be transparent, open and honest. The authors point out (at page 94) that consultants/lawyers need to get over an inclination to hold their cards close to their chests. They point out that if you are afraid to share ideas, you shouldn't blog.
The authors also point to a classic quote from Walt Disney when someone asked him if he wasn't worried about telling so many people about his ideas. In response, Disney said, "Those were last years ideas".
A classic question that arises when considering the whole concept of blogging is whether or not blogging is in fact marketing? In essence, the authors answer this question by saying that if blogging is your only marketing element, then you are entirely missing the boat. Blogging needs to be part of a marketing plan and not a sole entity. The advantage to blogging is that (page 94-95) blogs help organizations get closer to customers and customers closer to brands. Blogs are a powerful tool that few can afford to ignore. According to the authors, the bottom line is if your target audience wants a blog, you had better blog.
Finally, if you are ready to start to blog, then the authors (at page 172) suggest that you read a bunch of blogs. An easy starting point is to use the blog category in Goggle as a key word search engine. Based on our experience, the keyword searches are all that you need to be able to properly start a searching process.
Best of luck, Suzana and Ian! --------
