I hate that I haven’t been updating recently, but I’ve been working on a new aspect of this site.  I’ve wanted to publish an ebook for quite some time now and I’ve finally done something about it.

About two weeks ago I started laying out the ebook.  I realized that I’d done quite a few articles about using Twitter and the best and most effective ways to engage your customers or fans using the service and decided to bring it all together and expand quite a bit on the content.

I’ve started writing the book, tenetively and creatively “Business Guide to Using Twitter.”  I hope to do better with the name before I publish.  I’ve written about half of the Twitter guide now, but I want to finalize the layout before giving out an outline.

In the next two weeks, I’ll publish a detailed outline of the book and a final release date.  Please use this newsletter signup link to be notified as soon as the book is available.  I promise not to spam you.  The plan is to finish the by the end of October.  Of course, the book’s free and will be released under my Un-Copyright.  Please see here for details of my Un-Copyright.

Please forward this along to anyone that might be interested in the book.

A few weeks back The Wall Street Journal released their policy statement and guidelines for employees using social media.  For a few weeks before that, I had been working on the ideas for this post and the publication of the WSJ guidelines has prompted me to hit the publish button.

As expected, there are plenty of ‘experts’ weighing in on the document.  One of my favorite sites, Mashable.com, published an article that took the WSJ to task for making the policy too restrictive and asking “how can social media harm us and what we can do to prevent it?”  Totally off base here, with all due respect.  Stan Schroeder, the author of the post, takes issue with a few main sections of the policy.

• “Let our coverage speak for itself, and don’t detail how an article was reported, written or edited.
• Don’t discuss articles that haven’t been published, meetings you’ve attended or plan to attend with staff or sources, or interviews that you’ve conducted.

The first part is simply respect for your co-workers and serves to present a ‘united front’ against reader feedback.  Not that you have to agree with everything your co-workers print, but you don’t want to find yourself being cited as a critic of your fellow WSJ employees.  Second, as a traditional news organization, the WSJ places a value on breaking stories.  We could argue about the validity of this concern, but it is what it is and the second bullet point addresses that.  Some of the other complaints were with a section that suggested not friending or following potential sources.  Again, this is simply journalistic ethics.  You need to protect your sources, both from poaching by other journalists and from exposure.  To ding the WSJ for these decisions is to miss the basics of journalistic ethics and privacy.

Though I disagree with a few points in the WSJ document, I have to give them kudos for codifying a policy.  My company, LexisNexis, does not have a global social media policy.  Some of our individual business units do, but there’s no LexisNexis or ReedElseiver policy for those without a unit level policy.  Mashable has another good article on this subject, “Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?“  In a word, YES!!

Businesses need to get with the program on this one.  Specifically, they need to realize that people use social media and in most cases, they show their employer by default.  Facebook, for example, allows me to connect with other LN employees while LinkedIn allows me to solicit recommendations, connect with other employees, and comment on other LN employees.  At least the WSJ has a policy in place.

There are benefits to both employers and employees.  First, having a codified policy allows employers to sanction any employee that violates their policies.  Without a policy, it will be challenging for a company to sanction or terminate an employee for a perceived violation.  Let us not forget the cases of Heather B. Anderson or Jessica Cutler.

In addition to the benefits to employers, having a social media policy in place provides piece of mind and guidance to employees.  Without a written policy, employees are on their own to determine what is acceptable and what isn’t.  While a little common sense is great and should provide sufficient guidance, people make bad decisions and a written policy removes the ambiguity from the situation.

Bottom Line:  If your company does not have a policy, you’re behind the times.  It is essential that every company or nonprofit organization provide employees with social media guidance and direction.

I just found this article at Search Engine Land by Eric Ward about a potential “Twitter Reputation Algorithm” and how it should work.

The article is very interesting on a number of levels.  First, Twitter’s real potential is as a real time search engine.  When Gmail crashes, I check Twitter to see if it’s just my account or if it’s a global issue.  When the USAir plane crashed into the Hudson, the news broke on Twitter.  So, now that Twitter is starting to index links, this will create more value for the real time search aspect.

However, Eric’s article is also useful for those of you new to Twitter.  Eric discusses what should and should not influence the potential algorithm:

• Follower Count Shouldn’t Matter
• Age of Twitter Account Shouldn’t Matter
• Frequency of Tweets Shouldn’t Matter
• Co-Follower Rate Should Matter
• Followers of Your Followers and Their Tweets Should Matter

I completely agree with Eric on these main points.  If you’re new to Twitter, head over to SEL and read the whole article.  Think about why Eric makes these suggestions and, as you develop your Twitter presence, keep all of these suggestions in mind.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a mystical and often misunderstood aspect of the web.  I have mentioned SEO in a few posts (here and here) and am a bit skeptical of many SEO consultants.  SEO is more of an art than a science.  There are certain things that you can do to improve your Search Engine Rankings, but there’s no silver bullet.  I hope that this post gives you a bit of background on SEO and a few tools to incorporate into your blogging routine to increase your rankings.

SEO refers to any  series of actions taken to improve your sites search rankings.  There are two types: white-hat (or ethical) SEO and black-hat (deceitful) SEO.  In this post we will only discuss white-hat SEO and internal SEO.  Internal SEO is focused on improving your site based on actions taken on your site.  This does not include listing your site in directories or receiving links from other sites.

First, let me tell you what SEO cannot do.  I don’t care what the consultant tells you, he or she cannot guarantee that your site will do better on a Search Engine Results Page, or SERP.  Period.  Full stop.  Search engines are controlled by complex and secret algorithms.  Unless your SEO consultant has access to these, which they don’t, they cannot assure you that they will be successful.

That being said, there are techniques that, generally, can drastically improve your ranking in SERPs.  The first is a real no brainer: create quality content.  I’ve said this over and over again, both in the context of SEO and as a general rule on your blog, Twitter, etc.  This is the most important aspect of any SEO work.  If you have a great looking blog, awesome widgets, dozens of links, and no quality content, you fail.  I don’t think I need to get too specific here, just write accurate and strong content related to your firm or organization.  Make sure you use important keywords in your content, but do more than just list popular phrases.  Your writing should sound professional and keyword rich.

Second I highly recommend tagging your content in WordPress.  I use a WP plugin called Simple Tags, but there are many others that have good reviews and recommendations.  Simple Tags can show you local tags that you have already used and incorporate tags from Yahoo and a few other sites.

Another plugin that you must have is the All In One SEO Pack for WordPress.  This robust plugin allows you to add keywords, descriptions of content, and excerpts for each post.

I also highly recommend Google XML Sitemaps plugin for WordPress.  This plugin creates an easily digestable sitemap for Google to index.  No WordPress blog should be without these three plugins.

If you’re feeling a bit brave, I’d also recommend Zemanta.  This plugin, according to it’s description, provides contextually relevant links, pictures, and tags.  I’ve been using it for a few months and it’s pretty awesome.  However, it does take a bit of memory to run and can slow down your posting.  However, I find that it’s completely worth the performance hit.

Finally, for the sake of SEO and for your readers, I highly recommend the Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.  Based on your settings, this plugin creates links to other relevant content on your site.  It’s a great way to increase the interlinking of content on your site.

This is a great start for SEO on your WordPress site.  However, this is only a start.  SEO is a complex and ever-changing field; what worked last week might not work this week.  I mentioned these plugins because they are ones that I use for a basic WordPress install.  With the exception of Zemanta, I would not launch a WP site without the listed plugins.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sergei Sokolenko: 20 of the Best SEO Plugins for WordPress (via delicious) (mashable.com)

Interesting.

Last week, I published the Concise Guide to Twitter, which boiled down the numerous list style posts about Twitter and Twitter resources to a few simple paragraphs.  Before that, I wrote a bit about my ‘journey’ to using Twitter, “Do You Twitter?“  Seems I’m not alone in needing or wanting a concise guide or loving TweetDeck.

Martindale-Hubbell, a division of LexisNexis, published a straight forward post on adopting Twitter, specifically geared to the legal community.  Very similar stuff: Create an account; Download Tweetdeck; Start searching for similar users.

Even more interesting will be tomorrows post on the Martindale-Hubbell blog, “How to Become a Part of the Conversation and What to Tweet (and Not Tweet) About.  A whopper of a title, but I hope it will be a useful post.  Also, there seems to be a webinar available on Friday the 17th that might be useful to tweeting lawyers.

What’s your firm’s online marketing plan?  You have a website, you say?  Having a site is a reasonable start, but if that’s all you’re doing, you are missing the opportunity to reach out to new clients.  Lets talk a little more about your website.  When did you last update it?  Is all your contact information still correct?  What about the content on your site?  Do you have more than just a few lines about each of your partners and some quick notes on your practice area?  How are people finding your site?  What are you doing to have a serious conversation with your site visitors and clients?

There are three basic steps to create an online presence.  First, update your website.  Simple enough.  While you’re updating the site make sure you create new targeted content.  If content’s step two, then it follows that the third step is to utilize this new content to drive traffic to your site.  After you have a new site, new content, and new traffic, you should start thinking about how to reach new clients and interact with your current clients.

Update Your Site:

This should be a no-brainer.  If the last time you updated your website was just before the dot-com bubble, chances are you need an update.  As the story goes, people make a decision about your site within 1/100th of a second of arriving.  In other words, if you site looks dated or uses antiquated technology, people are going to make a snap judgment about the quality and respectability of your firm.

Here’s the good news.  As technology has advanced, the technical expertise required to use it has decreased.  Using CMS software such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla you can create a brand new site with a limited time and money investment.

Content, Content, Content

While website design will get people to stop at your site for a few seconds, but content will keep them on your site.  I bet your current site has a bit of information about you, your partners, maybe a few short sentences about your practice areas and your contact information.  Firms with a serious online presence have much more.  Most successful firms have well-written, professional legal content.  Successful firms spend a great deal of time creating content that details their practice area, emerging trends in that area, and developing news and current opinions.

Here’s the good news:  you’re a subject matter expert.  You don’t need articles that trace two hundred years of jurisprudence, but take your time creating the content.  Make it approachable for non-lawyers.  More than anything, your content needs to be informative.  Site visitors should leave your site with a fuller understanding of your practice and why you are the best choice to represent them.

Finding New Visitors

Why am I so concerned with content quality?  In addition to helping visitors understand your practice, there’s a secondary benefit of quality, original content.  Original, high-quality content will get the attention of search engines.  There is an entire industry, called Search Engine Optimization or SEO, that claims to help your site place better in search engine results.  In many cases, SEO experts can help your results, but be careful.  Almost anyone can call themselves a SEO expert and promise you the world.  The first thing a true SEO consultant will tell you is to make sure your site is packed with original content.  There’s a lot more to successful SEO, but content is the largest piece of the puzzle.

Having serious and original content will attract search engines and increase your ranking on Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  Additionally, if you have high quality content on your site people will consider your site an authority.  In many cases, other firms, lawyers, and clients will link to your site and comment on your advice.

So you now have a new site, some great new content, and, hopefully, more traffic to your site.  Now, start thinking about how you will interact with your current clients, new clients, and others who might find your site interesting.  This could take the form of writing a blog with related content, creating a profile on Facebook and updating it regularly, creating a Twitter account and microblogging on legal topics.  Don’t worry about staring this too quickly, but keep in mind that this should be the next step in creating your online presence.

Even if you’re not a webgeek, I’m almost certain that you’ve heard of Twitter.  For those of you that have missed the recent buzz, here’s a quick primer:

Twitter is a micro-blogging service.  To be precise, Twitter allows you to update your “status” in response to the question “What are you doing?”.  There is also a huge social networking aspect to the site.  You can update your status via the Twitter website, SMS text message, or a myriad of third-party programs.  Your friends, or “followers” in Twitter-speak, are then notified of your new status.  However, there’s more to Twitter than telling folks what you’re currently doing.

Some people question, rightly so, why anyone would take the time to update the site.  I have felt the same way for quite a while.  However, in the past month or so, I’ve really tried to use Twitter and am finding it a bit addictive.  Here’s why:

It’s Quick:

You don’t have to spend too much time writing a full blog post.  You’re limited to 140 characters, so you have to be brief.

It’s Easy:

What could be easier than 140 characters?

It’s Current:

I think this is the most vital part.  Twitter is fast.  Your updates are almost instant.  You can search the entire site and quickly identify emerging trends and breaking news.  When the US Airways plane crashed in the Hudson River, Twitter was the first source of breaking news.  If you visit Twitter Search you can easily view breaking news and popular trends.

Google Loves Twitter:

If you search for me on Google, the fourth result is my Twitter homepage.  For some users, you will see their Twitter page in position one or two.

OK, so you know why I like Twitter, but why, and how, can you make it useful?

Personally, I use TweetDeck, a great, if slightly overwhelming, desktop program.  The default install shows you the status of all your friends, any replies to your messages, and any Direct Messages sent to you by your followers.

To become a real power user of TweetDeck, you need to set up a few searches.  I currently have one for DMOZ, Beaufort, and triathlon.  This allows me to see any posts that contain these words.  I have about 200 friends and have trouble keeping up with their updates, so I generally only review my search tweets.  By doing this, I can stay on top of any news related to a few hobbies and interests in real-time.

As a DMOZ editor, I use that search to answer any questions folks might have on getting listed or having submission problems.  As a budding triathlete, I can view updates, breaking news, and new products for triathletes.  As an example, I spent a lot of time yesterday shooting down a yellow journalism piece about triathlete deaths.

Notice that I don’t just read the tweets.  To be a serious member of the community, you have to create value, not just consume information.  If you sign up for Twitter and don’t engage in conversations, then you’re not being a good community member.

One of the more interesting uses of Twitter is a company called BinEndsWines.  They publish reviews and tasting notes via their Twitter page and offer deals available only to their followers.  This generates traffic to their webpage while creating value, that is discounts, to their followers.

How to Get Started on Twitter:

My recommendation is to download TweetDeck.  Once installed, set up a few searches for your hobbies or interests.  I’d recommend starting with unique interests, not Search Engine Optimization or Web Design.   TweetDeck will display the 200 most recent posts containing your search term.  Simply review the posts, maybe click on a profile or two if you find the tweet interesting, and start following people.

You can also check out WeFollow, a Twitter directory.  WeFollow allows users to submit their names in up to three categories.  Search for your interests or hobbies and you’ll find plenty of folks that believe they’re experts on, or at least interested in, those subjects.  Most people will return the favor, that is, they will follow you after you follow them, so be prepared to start having a real conversation.

A word of caution:  If you have no followers, are not following anyone, and don’t bother to post any updates, it’s highly unlikely anyone will follow you.  On the surface, this is because you might be a spam account, but the deeper reason is that you don’t create value.  If you’re not participating in the conversation, you’re not worth following.  So, just as with a regular blog, don’t expect people to show up unless you have good, original content.  So put a bit of time into your profile, your first dozen tweets or so, and your Twitter goals.

If you’re not already following me, you can view my Twitter profile here.

Anything I missed?  Have a comment?  Feel free to leave any feedback below.  I always read and answer your comments and questions.

So, it’s going to be challenging to write about technology and law firms without sounding like a shill for my employer, so bear with me.

Please visit my copyright and disclosure page if you have any questions or concerns.

I received an interesting email from our corporate communications department last week.  Don’t worry, I checked with them before distributing this information.  Unfortunately for you news hounds, there’s nothing too secret here…

LexisNexis has launched a Client Review Ratings Service that allows legal service purchasers to review and rate their experiences. This is in addition to the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings System

The service is pretty new and I have yet to submit a review for any attorneys, but expect to submit the first review next week after we close on the house.

I’m pleased to see LexisNexis embracing new thinking here:  Having folks submit reviews and making those available for all to see is a pretty ‘new media‘ approach.  Just last year, one of our insurance companies began collecting reviews and ratings on physicians within their network.  Now, user generated content is making it’s way into the legal profession also.

Overall, I’m pretty optimistic on this one.  Lawyers, possibly more than other professions, depend on reputation and positive interactions.  Hiring someone to advocate on your behalf or represent you in a criminal or civil matter is a significant undertaking and involves a great deal of trust and faith.  I can see these ratings becoming a very important part of making a legal services decision.

However, I also think there will be a immense opportunity to abuse and misuse the system.  Take one or two bitter ex-clients and you can absolutely ruin the lawyers reputation, especially if satisfied clients don’t use the service.

If you want to try the review service, simply head over to Lawyers.com and search for the firm or attorney you used.  After the lawyer or firm’s profile loads, click on the “Review Now” button to complete the review.

Here’s my question to you:  How will you and your firm use this new tool?  Will you specifically ask your clients to submit a review?  Will you simply ignore the reviews and hope the service doesn’t take off?  Do you currently use Martindale-Hubbell Peer Reviews?

About a year ago I started a blog about technology for non-profits.  The idea was simple: as a technology consultant to non-profit organizations, I have learned quite a few tips and tricks that other non-profits might find helpful.

After a few months of running the site separately from my personal and main site, I realized I wasn’t doing a great job updating either.  So I combined the two sites and changed the focus of this site from a completely personal blog to an information resource for non-profit organizations.

Recently, I have started working with a few law offices doing tech consulting.  To that end, I am going to start adding some legal-related content to the site.  The legal content will mirror, in many ways, the non-profit content.  I expect to discuss the impact of new technologies on the practice of law.  Specficially, I’ll discuss ways to incorporate new tech into your practice, how this technology can reduce your expenses, improve your efficiency, decrease your workload, and increase your client base.  That’s the plan…

If you use Google Reader, chances are you have a new interface starting today.  Here’s a link to the Google Reader Blog article about the improved interface.  I have included a picture, below.