Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 62 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
This issue also contains links to every article in the June 2009 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
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TechnoScore: 1.0
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
Have you ever found yourself talking to someone who invades your personal space? They get a little too close to you and it becomes uncomfortable. Well, I'd like to introduce you to attorney Elliott Schlissel of the Law Offices of Elliott S. Schlissel, a finger-pointing, tough-talking father's rights lawyer.
The opening scene reminds me of the original Star Trek TV show when Captain Kirk is beamed aboard the Enterprise. Attorney Schlissel magically appears out of thin air. As he explains how father's rights are so important, he begins to get in your face, and not in a nice way. He turns aggressive. He begins to point his finger. He raises his voice as if his righteous indignation is reason enough to justify calling him.
Four things really bothered me about this video:
He doesn't even introduce himself. Yes, his name appears on the intro and exit, but not even "Hi, my name is Elliott Schlissel."
The background is an actual courtroom in New York. Attorney Schlissel is obviously not shooting his video in the courtroom, but certainly gives the appearance that he's "in" the courtroom. One could argue that it's not appropriate to be speaking from within the courtroom. You might give your viewer the appearance that what you say carries judicial authority, or perhaps might carry greater weight than an attorney who appears to be shooting video from his office.
He moves around a lot. He shifts his balance from one side to the other, and then approaches the camera in that "space invader" posture. He even opens his jacket button as if to say "Want to start something with me buster?" I got the sense that he was being aggressive and intimidating solely to convey his tough persona.
Twelve seconds for an intro? Come on. I admit it's a very well done, graphically pleasing intro, but I don't want to see the creative graphics; I want to hear what the lawyer has to say.
Tip #1: Introduce Yourself
That's not hard to do. Why wouldn't you introduce yourself? When you meet a new client don't you say "Hi, I'm (fill in the blank). Thanks so much for coming in."
Tip #2: Be Ethical
Beware of your State's ethics rules that govern whether you can create ads, commercials or video within a courtroom. You do not want to give the appearance that your comments carry judicial authority and what you say is the absolute law. Do not ignore this warning.
Be conservative, and if in doubt, don't do it. Do not let your marketing company or video editor choose your background. You are ultimately responsible for your content, not the person creating the video for you.
Tip #3: Stay Still
Sit on a chair if you can't stop yourself from shifting around during the video shoot. It's natural to move around while standing. However, in a video with a still background your constant movements make you look nervous and like you are incapable of standing in one place for longer than a minute.
Tip #4: Use a Short Introduction
Use a brief introductory sequence and get right to talking. Nobody cares about your incredible graphics. If you must use a graphic, cut it to 4 or 5 seconds. That's it.
Conclusion
Righteous indignation has its place. A law firm video that explains and highlights what you do is not one of them. Don't get in my face and start finger pointing and taking an accusing tone just because you want to show how tough you are. You might as well put on boxing gloves and start hitting a punching bag saying "This is what I do to other lawyers who dispute what I say."
I was not impressed with this video, the background, or the in your face aggressive style. For all those reasons, this video received a TechnoScore of 1.0. By the way, the sidebar lacks any contact information.
Want to make the video better?
Ditch the courtroom background. Sit on a chair. Improve your sound quality by not having it sound like you're in an echo chamber. If you really want to convince your viewer how aggressive you are, have actual former clients explain what you did to solve their legal problem. That's a lot better than raising your voice to prospective clients to show your toughness.
Till next time, see you on video!
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "Misogyny at its worst! Mr. Schlissel not only is a Father's Advocate, he hates women! A beautiful classic line, "Judges shouldn't be giving out orders of protection like candy…", should be followed up with "unless it is deserved and necessary," but wasn't. Also, his anger is too much for the camera — clearly he has personal experience with the system. Unless you want a drinking buddy to bash women with, I'd stay away from Schilssel."
Lawyer, journalist, and legal media consultant Robert Ambrogi says: "The primary weakness in this video is its production quality, which distracts from its message. The sound is tinny and he moves in too close to the camera. But the purpose of this ad is to market him as an aggressive fathers-rights lawyer, and in that the video succeeds."
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "Let's ignore the poor production values because the marketing angle here is far more interesting. Strange as it may seem, while many women may find this video offensive, estranged men seeking custody will probably find much to like, which is the point. In this regard, Elliott Schlissel is like the Eminem or Rush Limbaugh of family law. Those who find him distasteful would not hire him (buy his music, listen to his talk show) anyway. He knows his audience."
About YouLaw
YouTube offers law firms a free advertising platform with tens of millions of potential clients. But a poor video can hurt more than help. In this column, lawyer and online video expert Gerry Oginski reviews and rates the latest law firm videos. A panel of fellow experts (The Back Bench) add to Gerry's reviews with pithy remarks. We link to each new YouLaw column and all other noteworthy law firm marketing articles in our weekly BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
About Gerry Oginski
New York trial lawyer Gerry Oginski has created more than 150 informational online videos for his medical malpractice and personal injury practice. Realizing that most video producers don't have a deep understanding of the practice of law and what potential clients look for, Gerry launched The Lawyers' Video Studio, which provides free tutorials and video production services. If you need help producing a video, please contact Gerry now.
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 53 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
This issue also contains links to every article in the June 2009 issue of Law Practice. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Fat Friday: Anthony Campbell discusses consultants versus the DIY approach to technology, Simon Kogan reviews the HP Officejet 9210, Stelios Antoniou shares his firm's strategy for a successful Web site, Kathy Mergulhao reviews Interwoven Worksite for document management, and Carroll Straus discusses the security risks of scanners with built-in data storage. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 53 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
This issue also contains links to every article in the June 2009 issue of Law Technology News. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
TechnoScore: 2.0
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
From the corny introduction by a receptionist, to the offbeat background music, to the pregnant pauses by the attorneys at Florida law firm Levin Tannenbaum, I got the sense that the producer of this video needed some help with his editing skills. Lighting needs improvement as well. "Hello! Anyone hear of white-balance?" The video tries to introduce everyone in the office and give everyone a speaking part. Not a great idea especially when some people are, diplomatically speaking, more dynamic than others.
What's with the over-the-ear microphone by attorney Levin while he's talking to the camera? Looks goofy. Ditch the microphone off your ear. This isn't Star Trek. The b-roll footage of the conference room and buildings are okay, but stay on way too long. Edit, edit, edit.
Levin Tannenbaum's managing partner says he wanted to create a law firm that uses sophisticated technology to better handle construction cases. Another attorney says the firm uses technology to lower your cost, but he fails to tell you how. I don't understand how showing us LCD monitors (even dual monitors), a postage meter, or a printer while a secretary types explains why Levin Tannenbaum is technologically advanced.
"What do you want from a lawyer?" asks Attorney Tannenbaum asks. That's a good question. However, it seems like he was told to wait a few moments between each sentence. Not very natural — especially for a trial attorney. This video runs 2:45. With good editing it should run no more than 1:10.
Tip #1: Set Your White Balance Before Shooting
Notice the dark beige background in the video. Notice the attorney's shirts do not stand out from the background. I can't even tell what color the lawyer's shirts are. There's no contrast. The camera can't tell accurately which color is supposed to be white. Can you fix it after you've shot the video? Yes, in post-production editing you can brighten the background, but your producer/editor needs to know how. If it's not fixed, you get this dull color that dampens your message.
What I want to know is why didn't the editor realize the colors were off before putting this video out for public consumption?
Tip #2: Speed Me Up, Bones!
"Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a video producer." Attorneys have long drawn-out pauses between their sentences because some video producer is telling these lawyers to sloooow down. Talk too fast, and nobody will understand you. Guess what? They're wrong. By slowing down to the extent seen on this video you give your viewer a reason to leave. If this lawyer can't discuss his own firm in a smooth flow, how can he try my case? This problem is common with video producers who are not lawyers and who have not vetted the video with real viewers before putting it online.
Edit your video. This video was painful to watch. With good editing and producing, it would have been worth watching. When you watch a commercial, notice that each scene is no more than 3-4 seconds. Why? The common thinking is that a viewer needs to see change. Keep it interesting. Don't use the same camera angle for long periods of time.
Tip #3: Use the Sidebar
Some video companies still don't get it. The sidebar serves two important functions: (1) search engines, and (2) contact information. Yes, this firm uses it well to describe what they do in Florida. Okay, they get my nod for the search engines. Yet there's no phone number or address. Why not? It should be in the sidebar. Don't make your viewer jump through hoops to contact you. If you do, they'll lose interest and go on to the next lawyer.
Conclusion
Somebody forgot to edit this video. At the end of the clip, the logo stays on for 13 seconds with background music playing. Why? I have no idea. That's 12 seconds longer than necessary. Cut out the non-essential fluff. Edit out the people who do not liven up the video; set your white balance and then speed up the lawyers to 78 RPM (like in a Fred video) speed.
Making these tweaks will liven up your video and make it special. Stand out from the crowd, and don't go along with everything your video producer wants you to do.
Till next time, see you on video!
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "This video reminds me of the opening of hit comedy The Office — without the humor. I like how they focus on everyone's role in the firm. They convinced me that they run a good company. And they are technologically savvy — we love that! But what area of law do they specialize in again?"
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "While this video needs more polish — especially the cheesy opening, the managing partner with the microphone dangling from his ear, the flying logo, and the painfully drawn out closing remarks — it provides a good overview of the firm."
About YouLaw
YouTube offers law firms a free advertising platform with tens of millions of potential clients. But a poor video can hurt more than help. In this column, lawyer and online video expert Gerry Oginski reviews and rates the latest law firm videos. A panel of fellow experts (The Back Bench) add to Gerry's reviews with pithy remarks. We link to each new YouLaw column and all other noteworthy law firm marketing articles in our weekly BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
About Gerry Oginski
New York trial lawyer Gerry Oginski has created more than 150 informational online videos for his medical malpractice and personal injury practice. Realizing that most video producers don't have a deep understanding of the practice of law and what potential clients look for, Gerry launched The Lawyers' Video Studio, which provides free tutorials and video production services. If you need help producing a video, please contact Gerry now.
How did you pick your last office computer? Your doctor? Both decisions can have serious consequences, but one was probably preceded by research and comparison shopping, while the other was based on faith.
In fact the only thing these decisions probably had in common was that they most likely involved guidance from colleagues, friends, family, trade publications or, you guessed it, the Internet.
Welcome to the recommendation economy. Don't think for a moment that professionals can't be talked about, recommended into success or criticized into infamy. In the recommendation economy anything goes, and usually does.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Guess
Even the most independent among us constantly takes cues on how to behave, what to wear, and who to trust. Some cues arise organically from the environment. Others are specifically placed by companies to influence our decisions. The most influential cues of all come from ordinary experience with people who seem the most like us. It's a fact that most people who agree with us seem smart, and most who disagree seem stupid.
For instance, how do prospective clients choose a lawyer? Rates? Win/loss ratio? Articles published or seminars given? Most small firms and sole practitioners observe a "don't ask don't tell" policy on this point. And maybe that's best, because even when asked most clients don't know, aren't sure, or just lie about how they made their choice. So if you can't trust client answers, where can you go to get the straight story? Don't worry — the Internet is here to help.
Behold the Power of the Crowd
If the Internet is an ocean, Twitter is a raging, white rapids river of real-time impressions and feedback. It is also the rawest of feeds from the largest group of voluntary participants on the Internet. You might wonder (as I did) how this all came about. It's simple, really:
25% of Twitter users are voyeurs.
25% of Twitter users are exhibitionists.
The other 50% heard about it on Oprah.
In fact, since Oprah's announcement last month the service has grown at an annualized rate of over 1000% per year. Never mind that most of these new users will be casual at best and most likely move on to something else in a month. The point is that Twitter is becoming the focal point for a nation of increasingly vocal consumers that share, and expect, instant feedback. Reputations can now be made or lost in days instead of years.
Of course your last client probably didn't learn about you on Twitter. Instead, they most likely got your name from friends or neighbors. Maybe it came from another lawyer, a family member, or a Google search.
As it turns out, these sources are only once or twice removed from your Twitter reputation. Each of them is influenced by, and influences, the service. And as Twitter and its spin-offs gain traction in every corner of search-engineland, their impact is felt still more. The result is a vicious or virtuous cycle — depending on whether you are the recipient of good publicity or bad.
Just imagine: more search engines returning more Twitter-related posts about a given lawyer, which reach more people than ever, who in-turn are free to Twitter about their experience, and so on. The "I told two friends" shampoo commercial of our youth is now more like "I told 10,000 followers."
The result is unmistakably viral. Those who "get it" shoot up and up faster than ever, while those who don't are buried further and further in the rankings at light-speed. Twitter doesn't leave much room for "in between" or "middle-of-the-road" reputations.
So, how can you elicit recommendations rather than criticism? Provide your clients with quality work of course. But beyond that obvious strategy, I've developed some others that you and the other readers of this column can use to harness the power of Twitter and other tools to influence prospective clients before they pick up the phone. Stay tuned, and may the Tweets be with you.
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Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 46 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
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Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Fat Friday: Senior Marketing Manager Conrad Saam responds to our criticism of Avvo's Top Legal Blogs list, Edward Zohn defends his position on whether lawyers should know how to build a PC, Ron Murphy describes his Mac-based backup routine, Thomas Sennett shares a tip about using Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a computer with iTunes installed, and Michael Gibney discusses his problem with the marketing of iCreate. Don't miss this issue.
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Avvo's Top Legal Blogs list (TLB) — a ranking of the top legal blogs (blawgs) — is a textbook example of smart marketing. It provides interesting information and attracts inbound links (especially from the featured blogs).
I applaud the list in the abstract, but deplore its implementation. It strikes me as a lazy effort designed purely for marketing purposes with little to no regard for accuracy — strange for a company whose mission revolves around providing actionable information about lawyers.
Avvo's TLB has two major problems — sample pool and data source. A list by its very nature depends entirely on these two components. In other words, TLB is unreliable. It's also a slap in the face to legal bloggers, most of whom frankly need a slap in the face, just not of this variety (I'd like to see legal bloggers debate each other more often and also criticize lists like TLB).
Avvo's Sample (Kiddie) Pool
Many a blogger has no doubt wondered why their blog does not appear on TLB considering that as of today 15 blogs on the TLB have such a miniscule audience that scant data exists. And then they see the reason:
"[W]e could not include every blog we would have liked to (no subdomains or folders on non-blog sites), but we are working to change that. In the mean time [sic], if you wish to inquire about adding your blog to the list, please send an email to ..."
As you can see, Avvo admits that it does not include any blogs which exist as part of larger sites, eliminating many of the top blogs in one fell swoop.
But what about a blog such as Jonathan Turley, which won the ABA's Blawg 100 contest earlier this year in the Professors category? It resides at its own domain name and has an Alexa ranking of 158,350 (see below) yet is absent from Avvo's TLB.
It seems like Avvo put together an initial list and has since relied on bloggers to let them know about the existence of their blog.
What's the point of a list that omits such a large chunk of the legal blogosphere? The result is a kiddie pool of data a mile wide and six inches deep.
Alexa = Garbage In, Garbage Out
I suspect if you got Jeff Bezos drunk, he would express deep pride in and enthusiasm about all of Amazon's services — except Alexa, which he would admit is useless.
Avvo uses Alexa as its data source for TLB.
Alexa collects data on Web site usage from people who install its toolbar in their Web browser.
Remember your college statistics class? No? Well, here's a quick refresher. You can rely on statistical data about a group in only two situations:
When everyone in the group provides data (100% participation).
When you obtain data from a random sample of the group that is representative of the whole group (a small margin of error applies to the results).
Data collected in any other manner might be entertaining, but it won't be reliable. Like Alexa.
Not every Internet user has the Alexa toolbar installed so participation is not 100%. And Alexa does not engage in random sampling. Instead, anyone can install the toolbar (self-selection).
Using Alexa to gauge the popularity of legal blogs is like using a group of lawyers hanging out in a trendy lounge to determine the country's best-selling beer. Your survey might conclude that it's Peak Organic Pale Ale when in fact the answer is Budweiser.
How Avvo Can Fix TLB and Make It Useful
I would not criticize TLB without offering a solution. In fact, many possible solutions exist, including:
Forget about statistical rankings and instead provide editorial rankings. Avvo could take it a step further and invite people to vote for their favorite blogs from the pool it selected in a variety of categories. The only problem with this solution is that it already exists — the ABA Blawg 100.
Drop Alexa as a data source and instead use Compete or a similar service. Like Alexa, Compete obtains data on Web usage from people who have installed a toolbar. Unlike Alexa, Compete controls the distribution of its toolbar so that it doesn't suffer from self-selection problems. While the data is not as reliable as that from a true random sample, it's about as good as the Nielsen system that networks and their advertisers use for TV ratings.
Require legal blogs that wish to participate in TLB to install SiteMeter or some other free javascript-based Web analytics tool on their blogs and share the data with Avvo for ranking purposes. This method would provide the most reliable rankings thanks to data from 100% of the group — legal blogs that opt to participate. In this scenario, legal blogs absent from the list would have only themselves to blame.
Each of these methods would require Avvo to invest more resources into TLB. Because TLB seems to have little to no relation to Avvo's core business, Avvo may not want to make a significant investment. That's perfectly understandable, but Avvo cannot have it both ways. In its current incarnation, TLB does not, as Avvo claims, enable you to "[k]now who has the most popular legal blog [sic] based on objective, third-party data."
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to lawyers, law office administrators, and others in the legal profession. We link to each new TechnoEditorial and much more in our BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
