Blawg? No marketing company would recommend one
Is there any legal marketing, website development or public relations company that would recommend that a law firm client use a 'blawg,' as a opposed to a blog, to further enhance the lawyer client's reputation as a reliable and trusted authority?
If so, why? And if not, why are lawyers and website development companies using the term ' blawg' in cases where this law blog is going to be used to market the lawyer and law firm.
Now that Justia and Blawg.com have come out with legal blog aggregators, both using the term 'blawg,' we've got more lawyers running around asking what a 'blawg' is and how that compares with a blog? And if 'blawgs' get indexed by search engines like blogs. Believe me, I get the questions.
I'm sure the public is only more confused by the term 'blawg.' And those who are not, just dismiss it as lawyers and their special legalese used by lawyers to set themselves apart from average folks. We've been working at giving our profession a bad reputation for decades. Is using the term 'blawg' part of the continuing plan?
I practiced for 17 years. One thing I hated was lawyer parties where lawyers talked about things lawyers thought were 'cute and funny.' Couldn't get my spouse to go as she would be bored to death - lawyers talking legalese isn't that entertaining. I put the term 'blawg' into this lawyer 'cute and funny' category.
LexBlog uses the term 'blawg' when referencing items for the search engines. That way lawyers confused about law blogs versus 'blawg's can find us. I'll then advise that if they are looking to use a blog to reach a target audience of prospective clients and those who influence those prospective clients, they table the 'cute and funny' and go with a blog.
I've been told to lighten up on this issue. Reason I don't is that I'd like to see an improved image for our legal profession. I also look at the dollars and time being spent on lawyer marketing as deserving a return on investment.
I commend your approach to the "blawg" v. "blog" debate. You're absolutely right that it is just some cutsie legalese that ends up alienating people.
With that said, I do use "blawg" a bit in my posts. However, most of the times I use it are specifically aimed at drawing in users who typed that search term (as you mentioned).
I better get back to work on my "lawtop" computer.
You are on the money with your post, Kevin. While I have grown somewhat accustomed to seeing the word "blawg," it still strikes me as elitist and antithetical to blogging, which should be based on transparency and a theory of explaining complex things in simple, understandable and entertaining ways. Although a lot of lawyers read my blog, I try not to orient it to the legal profession, but rather to anyone who is knowledgeable or wants to be knowledgeable about insurance coverage law.
Kevin,
Not only do I dislike "blawg", I hate the word "blog" as well. See my post about it at
http://www.irish-lawyer.com/old-notes/.
Here, in the land of your ancestors (I presume), the dreaded word has not yet passed into the language. I am hoping to kill it at birth.
I was not a fan of the word blog either Fergus thinking when I got into this blog thing that no lawyer of good taste would have a 'blog.' I was happy to call them anything else.
As I got further along, I realized it was what it was. People, mostly non lawyers, called them blogs. Became clear to me we were going to have a third leg to Internet communication, blogs & RSS. The other two being email and the WWW.
I also viewed blogs as something that would break down the lines of communication between lawyers and lay people. So I was not about to say, we lawyers are different again and will not have blogs like the rest of you.
Respectfully, have you seen some of the lawyer advertising out there? I do not think I would rely on a legal marketing, website development or public relations company as the sole voice in buttressing the reputation of my law firm. I guess that if even the web's biggest "blawg" opponent uses the term to reference items for search engines there must be something there. You appreciate the importance of the term "blawg" and use it for what I would assume is the same reason I use it. People are looking for it.
As a trademark attorney, I like the term "blawg." It conveys a lot of information very efficiently. The only think I do not like about it is that it sounds the same as "blog." You cannot have everything I guess. Is there a better term out there? Probably. There is probably a better term for a lot of things. The fact is that "blawg" got there first and "blawg" is what the people want.
Personally I do not find the word "blawg" cute or funny. I use it because my readers use it. I am not in the business of telling readers or clients what to do? I ask them what they want and, based upon my expertise, advise them as to the best way to get from point A to point B. I applaud your ongoing effort, but I think this is one windmill you are not going to be able to tilt.