Comments on Converting a newsletter into a blog | Real Lawyers Have Blogs

david@attorneymarketing.com (David Ward) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:33:18 -0800

I just started a blog and wrestled with the same issues (and commented on this post today). I haven't lived in Chicago for four decades and still miss Italian Beef and Deep Dish. Please write about them.

lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com (Lorelle) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:47:07 -0800

While I agree with many of your points, I don't see what's wrong with the paragraph you featured?

Exploring the content of a newsletter to find the "redundant" content to go into Pages is part of the process. Pulling out the timeless information is easy, the easiest part of the process of converting. It also helps to introduce the newsletter editors to the concept of how a blog works with timeless Pages and chronological posts.

It sounds like you handle newsletter conversions to blogs for customers who don't get their hands dirty with the details. My article series is for those who will be doing this themselves and setting newsletter-to-blog conversions for their clients to do the work and maintain. Familiarity with the blog concepts is a must from the start.

kevin@lexblog.com (Kevin) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 02:34:26 -0800

Lorelle, I don't know that I am disagreeing so much but if I understad what you're saying about going through the process of trying to create something more than a blog because you're converting from a newsletter, I don't see why you want to do that. A blog is a blog, maybe it does not have everything a newsletter has but the advantages may well offset anything you're losing with the newsletter.

The clients we're detailing with are very hands on and have spent very significant sums on marketing through their 'intellectual capital.' In the case of moving from a newsletter to a blog, many of them are just ready to make a clean break from the newsletter and move on.

steve@stemlegal.com (Steve Matthews) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:39:02 -0800

Lorelle & Kevin, let me split the difference here. First, there's nothing wrong with moving some static content into page structures, and Lorelle is correct in saying this content is easy to identify and important not to lose in the process. Blog posts can also highlight where these static pages are to help readers.

But I'd also agree with Kevin that the greater you can distinguish between a blog & newsletter, the better. Most newsletter author's believe they can continue to write their blog like they used to write their newsletter. And the voices are completely different.

Writing a blog in third person is a big networking blunder, and in essence creates a CMS enabled newsletter. No personality and no opinions often equals no links, no google juice, no contacts, and no readers.

I would transition the static content, but after that advise the group or person creating things to forget the newsletter ever existed.

kevin@lexblog.com (Kevin) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:10:52 -0800

I understand Lorelle's point after reading David's post about static content serving as evergreen content - items that will stand the test of time. There are ways that content can be built into the blog as I have done here with the resource center.

lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com (Lorelle) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 11:47:49 -0800

I'd just like to reiterate my original point of my series on converting a newsletter into a blog: it's about converting a newsletter into a blog. It's about replacing the newsletter.

Newsletters are newsletters and have their place. Blogs are blogs, and have their place. You can also combine the two easily. However, if an organization, business, or individual wants to stop the newsletter and put all their energy on a blog, then my article series takes them through the process of helping them convert past newsletter content into blog content, leaving the costs of mailing and printing behind them and embracing new technology.