Observed

In order to relate better to the marketplace, a law firm Web site ought to do more than brag about the lawyers' credentials. So, instead of looking like a long resume, more and more new or re-written law firm sites now more accurately reflect the reason most people visit them in the first place. In short, they strive to be more relevant.

Law firms have always known that their Web sites were there to provide a sense of assurance to others.  The question has been, What’s the best way to do this?

Until recently, lawyers typically weren’t in the habit of asking clients or prospects what they think or want.  So, the default for content has been what worked for lawyers themselves.  Since they tend to be competitive and impressed with credentials, their sites – especially their bio pages – looked like scorecards.

People come to law firm Web sites for three reasons when they’re looking to hire a lawyer.  This list is based on growing evidence that pinpoints how firms and their lawyers can best instill a sense of confidence in others.

Visitors to law firm Web sites are asking themselves: (more…)

Finding a needle in one of Monet's summer haystacks illustrates Cognitive Impenetrability. That's the struggle we have when our brains are asked to filter out the clutter of the ordinary in search of the extraordinary. Such as being able to create a good sentence in the midst of a relentless torrent of psychic, creative noise.

First, take a look at Writing Tip #4.

OK, now consider this one, where I wrote about how something might become harder to do the harder I try.  It introduces the theory of Cognitive Impenetrability.

That’s a way to describe how hard it is to find something when what we’re are looking for is rare.  For some reason, as radiologists and the TSA know, our ability to see it decreases.  Or, as Harvard prof Jeremy Wolfe says, “…if you don’t find it often, you often don’t find it.”

Same with writing a good sentence, especially when it’s the first thing on a blank page.  It’s like finding a lucid needle in the crowded and chaotic haystack of our brains.

The radiologist is trained to pause — one more time — before reporting that an x-ray is negative for cancer.  They effectively take a break.

That’s what I recommend writers do, too.

Sooner or later, we all dig a hole for ourselves. What to do? First, stop digging. Next, if there's bad news to deliver, deliver it yourself.

When you’ve dug yourself a public relations hole, the first thing to do is PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL.

Kentucky’s governor, Steve Beshear, recently demonstrated the wisdom of this maxim.

The hole first got dug last May, when President Obama made a last-minute visit to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to visit troops.  The story immediately got away from the governor when he told the press that he  couldn’t re-arrange his schedule to welcome the president.

Recently discovered facts, however, lead to an entirely different truth.  Thanks to enterprise reporting by the Associated Press, we’ve learned about some e-mails that prove that the governor was never invited to Fort Campbell in the first place.

Instead of delivering that news himself three months ago, Governor Beshear is now back-pedaling in the naive hope that the media and his political opponents will turn loose of this juicy bone.

So, two lessons:  First, when there’s some bad or embarrassing news, it’s wise to put that news out there first yourself.  And, second, when you find yourself in a hole you’ve dug, best put down the shovel that got you there. (more…)

The French seem to know that there's often more to something than meets the eye. When considering why empires go to war, for example, they might suggest cherchez la femme...or, look for the woman.

It’s important for me to remember that things are not always as they seem.  That it might be healthy to give people (including clients and prospects) the benefit of the doubt.  And that, in some cases, better management — not just better writing — might be an option.

Example:  I had a small cow the other day.  I went off after reading a story in my hometown paper, the once-mighty, Pulitzer Prize-winning Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky.

I don’t need to go into the details.  Trust me.  It was really bad.  Over the 24 hours or so since it first ran, the editors have cleaned it up a lot.  Here’s the on-line version, for what it’s worth. (more…)

I have no idea how these go with Spam. Don't eat meat. Or, whatever might be in Spam.

Are you over it?  Despite what I’ve heard from Matt Mullenweg, I decided that the minuses (e.g., discouraging legitimate comments) outweigh the pluses (e.g., improving rankings) of laissez-faire spam on my WordPress site.

So, if you’re looking for a great spam filter, check out TanTanNoodles.  Developed by Joe Tan.  Easy to install, donation requested, sweet Captcha feature and more.

It works.  Since I added it to my blog about a month ago, TanTanNoodles has blocked and rejected 4592 spam comments.

Seth suggests asking yourself this before hitting Send: Am I "taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email--free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?"

Of Seth’s 36 Questions To Ask Before You Send An E-mail, my favorite was Number 32:

If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email–free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?

Of course, this applies to IMs, Twitter and other digital platforms, yes?

Not that this would have done Anthony Weiner much good.  After all, making a stupid choice doesn’t make him stupid, does it?

Yet, too many of us (me included) would be smart to slow down, read the rest of Seth’s list and consider the following in addition:

1. How important is this relationship?
2. What does this client prefer?
3. How much is it worth to stand out?
4. Is it really either/or?
5. Is anybody there?

If you write for a living (or think you might want to try), do yourself a favor.  Watch this movie:

What the 50 screenwriters in Tales from the Script (2009) tell me is important for any writer, especially one with a client.  However you define that.

Here are four of the many lessons they offer:

1. Get used to chaos. No matter how sincere the time line and approval commitments, life has a way of showing up.  Things slide,  and before you know it, you’re part of a train wreck.
2. Develop a thick skin. There’s never any way to predict how your work will be received.  Clients are human, and it’s impossible to know who might have a bad day or when.  Plus, people can disagree.  Your take on something might not be their take on something.  Even if it’s personal, don’t take it personally.
3. Great writing alone isn’t good enough. Writing for hire is a team sport.  If you’re not good with people, find something else to do.
4. Don’t quit. It can be discouraging to go through draft after draft after draft…even when you’re getting paid to do it.  Nothing ever gets created, however, without the risk of failure.  Be brave.

The sooner you accept the legitimacy of these things, the happier and more serene your writing life will seem.

When I build a bio page for an attorney, I remind them that getting picked is an emotional process, at least in part. That’s why it’s important to let visitors to your page know they’re dealing with someone who’s more than a list of impeccable credentials.

Carl Aveni, a litigator based in Columbus, Ohio, agrees. Take a look at this recent clip:

Making your bio like a personal story will also make it more readable and set you apart.

PS:  Thanks to Larry Bodine for sharing this clip with me.  Plus, there’s a related post at http://doug-stern.com/blog/2010/11/19/people-buy-from-people/.

"O envy! envy! thou gnawing worm of virtue, and spring of infinite mischiefs! there is no other vice, my Sancho, but pleads some pleasure in its excuse; but envy is always attended by disgust, rancour, and distracting rage." -- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Part II, Chapter 8.

In the last couple of days, both Seth and The New York Times have taken a look at the connection between on-line technology and envy.  It’s not clear who coined it, but the Times uses an acronym to describe the way Facebook, Twitter and the like have tormented those of us stalking a better offer — FOMO…or, Fear of Missing Out.

Of course, there’s nothing new under the sun.  It’s been ages since Envy was added to the Seven Deadly Sins list.  The ancient Greeks invented Zelos (god of envy and the root for the word zeal), and Cervantes wrote Don Quixote around the end of the 16th Century.

So, I’m reluctant to further demonize our gadgets and apps and how they abet our addiction to connectivity and the inevitable quest for something other than what we have.  Technology is, after all, partly a solution in search of a problem.

In a way, we set ourselves up.  When we open a Twitter account or create a Facebook page, aren’t we giving some part of ourselves permission to act on whatever innate urge might reside in us to compare our lives to the lives of others…and, perhaps, to despair?

A buddy of mine said it really well when he called out Facebook years ago.  He called it invited voyeurism.

So, really.  Who are we kidding?

Does anyone care to speculate why phone sex is (was?) popular? Is there something *special* about aural (ahem) stimulation? Something for which humans are hard-wired?

All hat and no horse.  That pretty much describes the feature piece in today’s New York Times about the demise of the phone conversation.

Yeah, I know that phone time is trending downward and that texting is trending up.  But the author’s anecdotal musings do little to advance insights into why, who and the like.

I don’t know about you, but I still spend a LOT of time on the phone, including time with clients, vendors and other colleagues.  Mostly, it’s for the sake of efficiency.  It’s also because there aren’t many better ways (other than face-to-face) to create a sense of personal connection and I-care-about-you trust.

Judging from the frequency and number of clients who want to talk with me on the phone, I’m not alone. (more…)