Observed

Sportswriter Greg Bishop put on a clinic for bloggers in this morning's New York Times. Of course, it didn't hurt that UofL won. Go, Cards!

There are 357 really good words in this morning’s New York Times. They’re in a story about a college basketball game that happened yesterday in Portland, Ore., between the men’s teams from New Mexico and Louisville.

Here’s what I like about Greg Bishop’s report:

1. Brevity. If I believe what Jakob Nielsen and others say about our on-line attention span, Bishop made the first 120 words really matter.  They get the reader through the essential facts — who, what, where, when and why.
2. Engaging. In addition to the basics, Bishop gives us a splash of color…just to be engaging.
3. Well-structured. Bishop gets us in, creates a sense what it might have been like to be at the game, and then he gets us out.  Gracefully.

Think about that last word.  We make fun of TV and radio “sportscasters” and their tortured, clumsy, florid language manglings.  They’ve given a bad name, I’m sad to say, to the legacy of writers such as Red Barber, Damon Runyon, Grantland Rice and Ernest Hemingway.

Notice how Bishop captured the drama of a senior’s desire to get back in the game despite his injury, finishing his collegiate career, while “Louisville instead moved on.”

Or, how Bishop passed along the feeling when the Cardinals center “…took a pass and slammed home a dunk [which took the wind out of New Mexico's sails and] …effectively ended the Lobos’ season.”

I’m sure Bishop could have given us thousands of words about the game yesterday.  Thousands of good words.  But, he didn’t need them.

Technorati has a pretty good idea why we blog. Since 2002, the blog search engine has been tracking millions of blogs and social media worldwide.

I plan to have a big birthday May 12th.  (As a public service, here’s my Amazon Wish List.)  So, I identify with the blogging impulse identified by Kevin O’Keefe in his Why bother with a law blog? post yesterday.

For an answer, Kevin turned to Bill Gates (son of a prominent lawyer) and others.  He heard that at least some of us blog in order to leave a legacy.  In other words, it’s recognition that life is short and the written word is long.

No doubt.  A sense of mortality explains a lot of the choices we’ve been making every day for centuries…from child rearing to cave paintings and a lot in between.

If, however, you care to really know why people blog, ask Technorati.  It’s the preeminent blog search engine, tracking and analyzing blogs since its launch in 2002.  In 2008, it claimed to be following 112 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media worldwide.

Technorati’s go-to State of the Blogosphere reports that expressing a personal passion (such as a hobby) ranks high in explaining the urge to blog. So does seeking a connection with others — particularly if others are like-minded.  Conversely, making money is toward the bottom of the list.

On the other hand, a lot of us apparently blog to advance careers or to gain professional recognition.

So, Kevin’s right.  Leaving a legacy is part of the answer.  Maybe a big reason why we blog.

My sense, however, is that we all blog for different reasons.  Or, different shades of one or two big, virtually universal reasons.

Because after all, we never get any better than human.  Whether we blog or not.

Law firm blogs are like gardens. When Boston established its Public Gardens in 1837, everyone knew that the grass, flowers and trees wouldn't take care of themselves. So, too, with law firm blogs...which, with a little of the right attention, will help build awareness for your brand and further your reputation as a thought leader.

Blogs are becoming more and more common with law firms of all sizes and types.  While launching a blog is relatively easy enough, what then???

Here are my Top 5 Law Firm, Sustainable Blogging Do’s and Don’ts:

1. Leverage. Not enough ideas for posts? Remember: Once is not enough.  Turn that client memo into an article. And then turn that article into a speech and a blog post…or, posts.  Three (or more) on a match is OK. (more…)