Blogging in One Hour for Lawyers by Ernie Svenson

For someone that has been blogging actively since 2004 and driven more web content than probably any lawyer or law firm in the world, I love the following series of posts by Ernie the Attorney where some of the top bloggers on the internet answer 5 questions as to why they blog.

  

5 Questions for a Law Blogger: Sharon Nelson

Sharon Nelson is the author of Ride the Lightning, a weblog about electronic evidence and information security. Sharon is a lawyer, and speaker, and the founder of Sensei Enterprises, which helps lawyers and law firms with electronic evidence and forensic issues. She and her co-host, Jim Calloway, interviewed me for their podcast, and asked me some questions about the benefits of blogging, but here I take the chance to ask her about her blogging experiences:

1): Have you had any unexpected benefits from blogging (if so, what are they)?

Regular blogging keeps me incredibly current in e-discovery and information security. And I’ve unexpectedly made friends with people that I don’t know in person – and some of those friendships have crossed over into real life, which has been wonderful.

5 Questions for a blogger: Tom Mighell

Attorney Tom Mighell works for Contoural, Inc. helping lawyers to develop records management programs, but back when he started his law blog (Inter-alia.net) he was a litigator with a prestigious Dallas law firm. Tom's keen interest in technology has made him a leading light in the ABA, and he's written several books on legal technology, including two on using iPads. He's also a past Chair of the ABA Law Practice Management Section. If anyone can offer useful perspective on law-related blogging, it's Tom. So, I asked him the usual 5 questions, and here are his answers.

1. Have there been any unexpected benefits to blogging, and if so, what are they?

For me, the most surprising benefit of blogging has been the "presence" that it created for me on the Internet.  Because of the blog, I suddenly found myself being asked to speak around the country and write articles and books for legal outlets.  And all because I had a presence on the Internet, where I could provide useful information to lawyers on Internet legal research and technology.  In retrospect, this benefit really shouldn't have been unexpected, but back in 2002 when blogs were just getting started, we didn't know quite what to expect when we launched our blogs.

5 Questions for a Law Blogger: Townsend Myers

Townsend Myers is a criminal lawyer in New Orleans, focusing on state court actions. His weblog is called NOLA Criminal Law. He also makes effective use of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google Plus. Here are his answers to my stock 5 questions:

1. Have there been any unexpected benefits to blogging, and if so, what are they?

Pure enjoyment of writing about things that interest me. I thought this was just going to be about generating buzz and SEO juice. It's been a real surprise how much I enjoy doing it.

5 Questions for a Law Blogger: Molly DiBianca

Here are 5 questions for long time law blogger Molly DiBianca, who practices law with Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP in Delaware. She publishes the Delaware Employment Law Blog, a continual honoree by the ABA in its Blawg 100 list of top legal blogs. Molly also posts on Twitter at @MollyDiBi.

1. Have there been any unexpected benefits to blogging, and if so, what are they?

There are more benefits to blogging than I could name. I have met so many wonderful people, both other bloggers and readers, and have developed great friendships and referral sources. The blog also serves as a great research tool that I use frequently. 

One of the more surprising benefits is the impact on my Google rank, which has value that money can’t buy.  And, because of the blog’s good search-engine optimization (SEO), I get calls from national publications about the hot topic of the moment. As a result of that publicity, I am able to secure more national speaking engagements, which I enjoy immensely. All of these components have helped me secure new clients and cases and to develop loyalty among my current clients. 

Being named to the ABA Journal’s list of the Top 100 Blogs in the country was an absolute shock, as I never petitioned readers to nominate my blog.  It’s an incredible honor that I certainly did not expect but that I am incredibly thankful for.

5 Questions for a Law Blogger: Jeff Richardson

Jeff Richardson’s iPhoneJD weblog has been going strong for 4 years, and this year his blog was chosen for the 4^th time as an ABA Top 100 Blawg. Jeff is a partner in a large New Orleans based law firm, specializing in appellate litigation and representing defendants in class actions and complex litigation. His blog output is abundant and always incisive. If you have an iPhone or iPad then you should be reading Jeff’s blog every day, because that’s about how often he posts new stuff.

In writing my book about blogging for lawyers I asked Jeff if he’d answer 5 questions about his blogging experiences. If anyone can give sound advice on how to create and maintain a successful blog, it’s Jeff. So, here's the Q&A:

1. Have there been any unexpected benefits to blogging, and if so, what are they?

I'm surprised how often I will meet someone for the first time and they already know who I am because of iPhone J.D.  It's a nice icebreaker.  I had hoped to experience some of that when I first started the blog, but it still seems like a nice surprise every time it happens.

For the answers to the following questions, please visit Blogging in One Hour for Lawyers - by Ernie Svenson.
 
2): Were there any unexpected challenges to blogging?
3): Looking back to when you started, what did you envision would happen?
4): Given what you know now, what advice would you give a lawyer who’s just beginning to blog?
5): If you were going to start over, what three things would you do differently?