On the one hand, the social Internet has become perhaps the most revolutionary communications tool in human history. On the other, it has also been called "a shallow and unreliable electronic repository of dirty pictures, inaccurate rumors, bad spelling and worse grammar, inhabited largely by people with no demonstrable social skills." But, for better or worse, most of us would agree the Internet, as a place to share knowledge, engage in dialogue and socialize, is here to stay.

If you were one of the 108 million Americans watching Super Bowl XLVIII, you know what I mean when I say it’s a rare few of us who’ll ever feel the adulation Jacoby Jones enjoyed when he ran back the first kickoff of the second half for a 108-yard touchdown. You just don’t get that […]

Today is the first in a new edition of "Ask the Experts" produced in collaboration with the Association of Legal Administrators. ALA told us that one of the most troubling issues on law firm managers’ desks right now is computer “cyber-attacks.” So we asked six top legal technologists to weigh in on this question: "Cyber-attacks are on the rise, and our firm is very concerned that client confidentiality may be compromised. What are some of the short-term and long-term tactics we can implement to minimize this risk?" Robert Baumgarten, Elias Montova, John Sroka, George Theochares, Stephen Wilder and Rob Wilson have some answers. ...READ MORE

Stephanie Kimbro will speak on "The Consumer Law Revolution: Lawyer Collaboration with Branded Networks" at the Lawyernomics 2013 conference in Las Vegas on April 27. Her topic is a hot one—and as author of three books on related topics and recipient of the 2009 ABA James Keane Award for Excellence in eLawyering, Stephanie is much in demand. We managed to catch up with her with a few questions for lawyers who may be about to take the virtual leap. ... READ MORE

If there is one thing I know to be true about lawyer marketing, it is that you will get out of something what you put into it, and nothing more.

It's a simple fact that being organically ranked number one on Google is still one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your website. Even the savviest marketers may be unaware, though, that regular algorithm updates by the good folks at Google can completely unravel online marketing strategies. Because of software updates, those who once boasted “page one” status on Google searches may literally become invisible to prospective clients. ... READ MORE

It's that time of year—conference season! So for this week's Friday Five, we're checking out the "coming events" that promise to put a polish on your practice management know-how. There are so many conferences we want to attend, our virtual highlighters have run dry. Open up your calendar, and start making plans now—no fence sitting! (Especially if you want to take advantage of early-bird discounts.) ... READ MORE

In this edition of "Ask the Experts," three savvy members of the Legal Marketing Association take on the question, "I say that law firm websites are a thing of the past. They are nothing more than brochures. I’m trying to convince my partners we should replace our website with a blog. What do you think?" ... READ MORE

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with social media entrepreneur and best-selling author Gary Vaynerchuk. If you haven’t read his book, The Thank You Economy, go read it. It’s fantastic. Gary —who has nearly 1 million followers on Twitter—is working on his next book, Jab Jab Jab Jab Jab Jab Jab—Right Hook, and he's giving 365 interviews—"one a day"— this year. I was ecstatic to get the chance to pick his brain about how lawyers are using social media. Please note, Gary's responses in the following are paraphrases of my conversation with him. (I can only type so fast!) ... READ MORE

Google Calendar, available with a free Google account and also bundled with the fee-based Google Apps productivity suite, is an interesting product. While it is not exactly revolutionary in the way it handles online calendar management, there are features—such as easily creating and sharing multiple calendars, the “quick add” smart appointments, and the option to make calendars public—that make it intriguing. Those who use Google Apps for Business will have the best experience in terms of sharing calendars, seeing others’ schedules, managing appointment slots and other features. This, as you may have heard, is because Google recently did a "winter cleaning" and announced its intention to discontinue support for Google Sync and Google Calendar Sync for free accounts. (See the end of the post for a few more details.) Despite the pullback on features for free calendar users, there is plenty for a solo or small firm to take advantage of that rivals the business-ready MS Outlook with the MS Exchange server. However, the integrated views of Outlook—easily moving from calendar to email to tasks—take a little setting up in free Google products. Here are some ways to take advantage of the free Google Calendar by integrating it more tightly with Gmail and Tasks, along with a few other tricks. READ MORE