We’ve all heard of myspace. We know the basic premise behind flickr. Every day a new piece of “social software” comes out and is touted as the next big thing.

But are any of these new services useful to the attorney or blawgger?

The answer, in a word: sure.

But the problem, to me at least, is finding the time to try these new services out. There are just so many of them! So, in this post, I’d like to highlight a few 2.0-ish services that may be useful to this blog’s readers. If you’ve got others, please feel free to add them in the comments section.

RSS:

Bloglines. I’ve been using bloglines as my RSS reader since the day I’ve heard about it. You sign up for an account, add your favorite RSS feed addresses, and you’re done. Exactly what a “Web 2.0″ service should do: simplify the complicated and be reliable.

Project Management:

Basecamp. This is a great “project collaboration” tool that allows you to assign “to dos”, post messages, schedule meetings, share files and track time.

Business Networking:

LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is basically an online rolodex of connections. I can’t say I’ve used it much, but I do like the idea.

Connecting With Entrepreneurs:

BuildV1. Still in its infancy, BuildV1 is an interesting idea: Entrpreneurs ask for help from advisors, service providers, etc through the web.

Blog Traffic:

Technorati.  I have a love-hate relationship with Technorati. Sure, it can be very slow. Sometimes it takes days for a post to be indexed. But either way, technorati sends readers to blogs. If you’ve got a blog, you will want to set up a technorati account and add their small piece of javascript code. Your posts will be indexed in technorati, you’ll get traffic, and you’ll be able to see other blogs that link to you.

Blog Message Board:

BlogString- This is a very shameless plug. BlogString.com is something I’ve been working on for some time now, but it’s going to be at least four more months before the “service” is launched.

Until then, I’ve put up a message board with one simple premise: I haven’t seen a forum dedicated to blogging issues. So if you’ve got a blog and can’t get something working, want advice on anything blogging related, or just want to meet fellow bloggers, the BlogString board is the place for you. Again, this is VERY new. If you’re interested, sign up for an account here.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I just got off the phone with Kevin Cross of accept-by-phone and Lawbby. His partner, Chris Rempel sent me an email a few days ago detailing their accept-by-phone service, and they wanted to touch base. Good thing they did, as I must have opened the email quickly and dismissed it as one of the many affiliate programs I see every day that have nothing to do with anything I’m interested in. My name must be on a list somewhere identifying me as a guy that will hawk any product to anyone, any time.
Well, that’s not really what I’m about. (The preceding sentence is sponsored by Duff Beer. Drink Duff)

So anyway, back to what I was talking about. I was sitting at my desk drinking a Mountain Dew, responding to some emails, when my Tadiran Coral phone rang. I immediately took off my Sony headphones and pushed pause on my Slipknot CD.

**********end of sarcastic commentary***********

It was Kevin Cross, and he told me about their accept by phone service. And I honestly love the idea, as I would use it myself in a heartbeat. When I take on a client, my usual process it to get half of the project’s fee up front, and I get the rest upon completion. However, 99% of the time, it takes a few days to have the check written and processed. So it usually takes a full week before I have the check in my hands, then I have to deposit it. And because I won’t start working on a project until I have the money in my account (I learned that the hard way), that makes it at least a week between agreement and starting the work.

Sometimes that’s fine, as it gives me time to finish one project before moving on to the next. But honestly, what a pain.

If I used the accept by phone service, I could just call a number, fire off the client’s credit card number, and be done with it.

So my question is this: Would solos and small firms be interested in this? I can see how bigger firms would have no problem doing their own credit card processing, but for the little guy, that can be more of a hassle than it’s worth. I honestly think that this service is a good idea.

By the way: I want to make it clear that I am in no way being paid to endorse accept by phone. I am not an affiliate, I just thought this may be useful.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’m sure most of this blog’s readers have heard of the recent controversy over the SuperLawyer designation. In short, a committee appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court decided that calling yourself a “Super” lawyer violates the professional code of conduct.

So, I think I’ve got the answer.

This morning, I created an award. I’ll give it out each year, and the selection process is absolutely a no-brainer. There are just two qualifications:

1) You need to be an attorney.
2) You have to post a comment on the Adequate Attorney page.

All adequate attorney honorees are encouraged to display the following graphic on their blog:

Popularity: 11% [?]

Google’s popular Blogger service has announced a new beta. Finally blogger is giving users new features, such as the ability to categorize posts and a drag-and-drop template editor.

As Google always does, this beta is only available to a limited number of people (invitation only). If you’re using Blogger and want to try the beta, sign in and you’ll need to indicate that you want to switch to the new beta. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones.

Popularity: 4% [?]

This weekend while driving, I was listening to an NPR segment about why U.S. automobile manufacturers are lagging behind their Japanese counterparts in revenue and innovation. Some of the suggested reasons for this were:

• American auto workers are being paid too much
• US car makers are reluctant to introduce fuel-efficient vehicles, as they are much less profitable
• Manufacturers do not know their customers
• The notion of “buying American” is no longer compelling in an increasingly interdependent global market

And so on.

One commentator noted that the average American automobile buyer is more educated than ever (an obvious statement, but a powerful idea). Rather than walking into a showroom and just looking around, today’s car buyer goes to the dealership after hours of research on the internet. Sometimes, the commentator suggested, consumers know more about a car than the salesperson.

That was interesting to me. Is an educated consumer a positive or a negative?

Thinking in terms of law firm clients, I would have to say that it’s a good thing.

First off, having an uninformed customer is only beneficial when you’re trying to hide something. In general, I like to think of law firms as being more ethical and professional than that.

Secondly, having an educated client speeds up the process. When a client really understands their problem, the attorney has a much easier time getting to the solution(s). I think of it this way: You’re walking down the street in your home town, and someone approaches you asking for directions. Which case would you prefer?

a) someone that has never been to your city before and knows nothing about the area

or

b) someone very familiar with the area

Obviously it would be easier to give directions to person b. You can use landmarks (”It’s over by the old Dunkin’ Donuts”) and draw on their previous knowledge to get them to their destination.

This is another reason I like blogs. As a legal blogger, you can provide the information you’d like your clients to have. Teaching as marketing. Now that’s a win/win.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Yesterday, while checking my stats, I noticed some traffic coming from a Yahoo Group. I went to check it out, and found a great resource I recommend for small firms and solo attorneys looking to ask questions and get feedback from peers on all things legal marketing related.

Yahoo Groups: Solo Marketing
Description: This group is set up to discuss marketing ideas for small law firms and sole practitioners.
# of Members: 424

This is a VERY active list. I’d encourage any legal blogger to check it out. This discussion group is not limited to blogs or web sites. Rather, it is a place to discuss anything a solo or small firm professional could ask. It’s a great place to learn from others in the legal marketing business.

Popularity: 3% [?]