Five Questions: Michael A. Moore of the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog
Today’s post in our ongoing “Five Questions” series features Pennsylvania attorney Michael A. Moore, a lawyer with Russell, Krafft & Gruber who operates the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog. Mike – one of LexBlog’s more active clients – is constantly engaged in the blogosphere, often posting daily. The blog was recently recognized in The HR Capitalist’s HR Blog Power Rankings, coming in third on the list of 25 blogs and receiving a Power Rating of 5 (the complete ranking methodology used by The HR Capitalist is available for readers curious of how Mike’s blog achieved such a distinction).
1. Rob La Gatta:
When and why did your firm decide to launch the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog?
Mike Moore: In late 2006, we decided to launch the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog to attract new and service existing clients by providing timely and interactive information on employment subjects. We all recognize the limitations of newsletters and seminars when compared with the convenience and power of an Internet-based information source. Newsletters take longer to produce and print only to get relegated to the bottom of the pile and go unread. Seminars sometimes require a significant time commitment. A blog is a perfect information source to build a reputation as an authority in an area: your readers come to you by search engine, referral and subscription. They can read what they want, when they want to, and don’t have to file it away for future reference. You can publish quickly and produce timely pieces that can generate an Internet discussion by readers and other bloggers.
2. Rob La Gatta: Many of your entries are fairly lengthy and well thought out. How long would you guess writing the average blog posting takes you? Do you have a daily routine for writing entries?
Mike Moore: As a start-up blogger, I had no credibility (and not just because of my name similarity with a famous director). I felt that more detailed posts with links to other sources would help build a reputation. It also happens to generate more searchable text and possibly improve page rating. The sort of reference post to another article only works if you have some authority. Typical posts take several hours to write. I try to have two types of posts: one that is not tied to current events and one that picks up a hot topic that I want to publish right away. For the former, I write those over lunch or at night. For the latter, I try to do them first thing in the morning after I review my RSS Feeds for the day.
3. Rob La Gatta: Where do you find the information you put in your blog, and how do you decide what content makes the cut and what doesn’t?
Mike Moore: I get inspiration from several places. As mentioned, RSS feeds from news outlets and other blogs are the primary source. I also look at the searches that find the blog and try to write long term articles that address what people are searching the web for in the employment area. Finally, things that happen in my practice are a good source. What makes the cut is total whimsy. Believe it or not, I have several dozen articles that never got posted for reasons such as some other blogger jumping on the topic or it just seemed too lawyerly. I always try to think of subjects that might tempt a prospective client to pick up the phone or e-mail me for some advice, but I don’t want the post to scream “hire me.”
4. Rob La Gatta: I noticed that in many of your posts you include links to other blogs or articles. In your opinion, how important is linking in and out of a blog? Do you ever see the people you’re linking out to sending traffic your way?
Mike Moore: I think linking out is important to your credibility and it provides the reader with more resources. Linking out takes a lot of time, and I hope someone finds it helpful. As my blogging experience grows, I find more people are linking back and I am starting to develop an network of bloggers many of whom are LexBlog clients.
5. Rob La Gatta: If you were to offer one bit of advice to a lawyer just launching his or her own blog, what would it be?
Mike Moore: Focus on your content. Try to make your posts say something that readers will find useful enough to want to return again. Make posting fun for you, or you’ll never stay with it long enough to see the rewards. If there aren’t regular updates, readers will stop visiting.