Constant Content : Legal Ghostwriting & Content : Janet Raasch : Copy for Lawyers & Attorneys, Law Firm Business Development

Thanks to the Internet, the line between print, radio and television news has become increasingly blurred.

Print publications host audio and video on their Web sites -- some of it generated by professionals and some of it by "citizen journalists."  Radio and television station Web sites include not only audio and video podcasts, but also text and photographs.

All of these sites host blogs by their reporters, which can include links to audio and video.  All of them offer versions for mobile devices.  All of them offer subscriptions via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, RSS, email or text message.  All of them accept user contributions.

Any lawyer, law firm or professional service provider can get into the broadcast game, publishing original audio and video content on their own Web sittes or on a wide variety of user-populated "content" sites like YouTube.  To see the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast journalism in the Internet age

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Over the years, I have ghostwritten more than 15 comprehensive books on a wide range of legal and business subjects.  I recently persuaded a new client to go the ebook (rather than hard copy) route.  She liked the idea -- and now I must "walk the talk" by familiarizing myself with the process, including ebook compiler software.  Based on preliminary research, it looks like folks write in Word, transfer to PDF and then upload to a compiler.  Is this correct?  Any recommendations on process as well as ebook compiler software would be welcome.  Is there any software that lets you compose and publish in the same package?

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As a rule, I try to keep my blog professional and my posts tightly focused on the subjects of content writing, lawyer and law-firm marketing, and the marketing uses of social media.  This post falls under the "proud parent" exception to the rule!

My daughter, Caitlin Raasch O'Connor, is a Licensed Naturpathic Doctor and a Certified Professional Midwife.  She graduated from Bastyr University, a five-year accredited program that included a two-year internship treating patients in the school's Seattle clinic, and recently completed an additional family practice residency at National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Last month, after six years of school and residency, Dr. Caitlin O'Connor returned to her home base of Denver.  She opened her own practice in the Highlands neighborhood and her own blog at All Families Natural Health.  She focuses on women's, children's and general health.  For more information about Dr. Caitlin O'Connor and/or naturopathic medicine, please visit All Families Natural Health.

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Any time I talk to a lawyer who questions the value (or the propriety) of social media marketing, I bring up the story of Tom Goldstein -- who went from solo to head of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump using social media like his SCOTUS Blog and SCOTUS Wiki to make a name for himself in this very exclusive area of the law.  He has also made a number of non-self-important videos that he has posted on YouTube.

In today's Wall Street Journal Law blog, Ashby Jones reports on a Variety story  that NBC is developing a TV show based on Goldstein's remarkable success story.  The working title is Tommy Supreme -- "depicting a likeable guy in an unlikeable profession."

Now I have even more ammunition to use when attempting to persuade  lawyers and law firms who think that social media are too undignified for the law or their particular practice!  What is more dignified than a Supreme Court practice?

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Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog posts that social media are being used by nearly all Inc. 500 companies. 

If you're a law firm not using social media,  how are you to engage and network with corporations who are effectively  using blogs, Twitter, Facebook and the like to build relationships?  Aren't you going to be viewed as an outsider looking in?  To leaders of America's fastest-growing companies, isn't your law firm going to look behind the times?

Amen, Kevin.

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The recent economic crisis has had a significant impact on everyone -- including most law firms.  The following article summarizes a presentation made Nov. 10 by Kristin Stark of Hildebrandt International to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.  In this presentation, Stark presents and interprets  third-quarter 2009 Hildebrant Peer Monitor index results.  She also specifically addresses the impact that the economy has had on the marketing function at most law firms.

Hildebrandt interprets impact of economic crisis on legal industry (download)

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Martindale-Hubbell recently launched a social network that includes both public and private groups for marketing professionals.  This week, I am guest-hosting forum conversations on this site on the subject of the use of persuasive content marketing to position lawyers and law firms as experts on the Internet.  So far, I've started threads on ghostblogging and attorney biographies/profiles.  For those of you who are already members of MH Connected, check it out and join the conversation.  If you have not yet joined, give it a try.  You might have to wait a day or two to be approved.

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Although the number of lawyers on LinkedIn is steadily increasing, very few of them are taking full advantage of the site's potential as an inexpensive thought-leadership and business development tool.  This article is a synopsis of a presentation on LinkedIn and other social networks made by John Reed of Jaffe Associates and Laura Hazen of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pasco.

LinkedIn:  Lawyers and law firms can use social networks to develop new business

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Reporters, editors and publishers from the mainstream media now rely on social media to learn about breaking news -- and to locate resources for the stories they write and publish.  In this Sept. 24 Webinar, Kevin O'Keefe of Lexblog discusses how lawyers and law firms can use social media to create and nurture relationships with mainstream media. 

In this Webinar, O'Keefe discusses how to use social media to listen -- to clients, prospective clients, referral sources and influencers (reporters, bloggers, associations and publishers).

Once you have listened carefully and know what interests these parties, you can use social media to create a relationship and give reporters, editors and publishers the information they need to know in order to do their jobs.  If you've done your homework, they will appreciate your input.

In addition, O'Keefe discusses the correct way to cite and build upon the work of others in your own blog and in social networks -- and let them know how your efforts have increased their circulation.  He also discusses the role played by Twitter in "getting out the news" about your practice or firm.

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