Taking off the Firm's Wraps: Time to Launch a Blog

This post will be in the nature of "piling on," usually an indefensible tactic but, dear reader, as I hope you will agree in this case, justified as an exercise in overcoming what is for many practicing lawyers a nearly insurmountable allergic reaction to the notion that a personal or firm blog could benefit their practice.  My aim?  To invite, and then to welcome, more legal commentators to the blogosphere.  After all, blogs live or die by the acuity of their analysis, the felicity of their writing, and the focus of their viewpoint.  To all the practicing lawyers in the audience:  Which of those capabilities do you lack?

Let us call the roll of members of the MSM ("mainstream media") who are now staunchly converted to this apostasy.  I hope you recognize a few of the names.

The Wall Street Journal: “The blog as business tool has arrived.” (March 1, 2005)

The Financial Times:  From a story published today about Jonathan Schwarz, president of Sun Microsystems, and why he has a blog:

"Any CEO who says a blog would take too much time is deluding himself because the number one imperative of any senior executive is communication. How much of our time will you spend on analysis? A very small amount. Decision-making is difficult but it tends not to be time-consuming."

"I am much more interested in quality than quantity. When I go to a Wall Street analysts' event and ask, 'Which of you reads my blog?' half the room raises its hand."

Fortune:  In December 2004 they offiically declared the blog the technology story of the year, and in a January story, "Why There's No Escaping the Blog," they not-so-subtly underlined the core fundamental reality that blogs must speak in a genuine, unfiltered, sincere voice:

"If you fudge or lie on a blog, you are biting the karmic weenie," says Steve Hayden, vice chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather, which creates blogs for clients. "The negative reaction will be so great that, whatever your intention was, it will be overwhelmed and crushed like a bug. You're fighting with very powerful forces because it's real people's opinions."

Or, as Mazda learned when it launched a "cloaked" blog allegedly by a Gen. Y hipster to promote the Mazda 3, which was exposed as a fraud after all of 72 hours, trying to game the blogosphere doesn't work; it was a "learning experience," according to a Mazda flack.

Business Week:  This week's cover story, "Blogs Will Change Your Business," starts with this simple piece of advice:  "Catch up...or catch you later."

• "How big are blogs? Try Johannes Gutenberg out for size."
• They provide a primer about blogging for the corporate types (including the meaning of "dooced," which is not nearly as salacious as it sounds).
• A profile of a business that has jumped into blogging whole-hog (or perhaps we should say "whole-cow," since they sell yogurt—which you would think is far less reliant on critical analysis and commentary than, say, the law).
• "Six Tips for Corporate Bloggers" says "you can't afford to miss this wave," and tip #6 is the scary, but ever-so-true, "be transparent."

Still not convinced?  Pretty sure none of the AmLaw 100 are toying with what still sounds to you like Kryptonite?  Guess again:  At least one AmLaw 50 firm has written an extensive article, "Blogging for Law Firms:  Not Why, But When and How."  If that doesn't convince you, welcome to the 19th Century.