What is a blawg and what can it do for you?
by Patricia Jordan

A blawg is a blog that focuses on commentary about the law. A blawg can get you noticed, drive traffic to your website and improve your search engine ranking. Savvy law firms use blog technology to promote services to potential clients, and post information in real time from anywhere in the world. You do not need to be a techie or spend vast sums of cash to build a great looking blawg. Blog publishing software is easy to use, free or relatively inexpensive.

Blogging is about connecting with and hearing from people who read your work. Stan Rule, a Kelowna-based lawyer who practises in estate planning, probate and estate administration at the law firm of Tinker, Churchill, Rule, has been posting online at rulelaw.blogspot.com since August 2005. His blawg “Rule of Law” was created in the hope that he could help others learn more about law, and encourage discussion about law and law reform. “It has definitely helped in the marketing of my practice,” said Rule. “But, I think the main thing is that it is something that I enjoy doing, and it helps me keep on top of the developments in my practice.”

Blog Publishing Software
TypePad.com offers inexpensive solutions for people who want to build a web presence. They offer five levels of products and services. You choose the level that works best for you. TypePad has a selection of templates that can be customized, and their easy to use editor has feedback management tools, feed and podcast support, and more.

Moveable Type 4 (MT4) is a professional publishing platform that is available online at movabletype.org. MT4 has dozens of templates and core authoring functions that help you manage your blog. Their web editor utilizes WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) functionality. MT4’s graphic displays let you see which content and contributors drive conversations on your site. It also has a built-in registration system that allows you to authenticate commenters and users; giving you control over who posts. MT4 licenses are available for commercial, education/non-profit and enterprise purposes for a fee. The personal use license is available at no charge.

WordPress.com offers a free service with more than 60 templates and a text editor that makes it easy to create posts. All you need is an e-mail address and a name to get started. You have the ability to categorize and tag your posts as you type them, allowing you to immediately create archives that are automatically added to a global tag system. To support their service WordPress may occasionally show Google text ads on your blog. In the future, the option of purchasing an upgrade will be available to turn the ads off or show your own ad and make money from your blog.

Google’s Blogger.com is a free alternative to posting online. Google has made posting easy with their selection of templates that will help you get started with minimal effort. You can customize colors, fonts and even edit HTML code. The drag and drop page elements allow you to place archives, posts, and profiles exactly where you want them. Posting photos is quick and easy too. You have control and can choose to allow comments on a post-by-post basis or delete a comment, if necessary.

Look for more on Blawgs in Part 2 of Online Marketing in the February issue of BarTalk.

Patricia Jordan is the CBABC Web Manager. She welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions. Tel: 604-646-7861 E-mail: pjordan@bccba.org

This article was published in the December 2007 issue of BarTalk. © 2007 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.