The Week in Review

Yes, I know about the spacing and the fonts.

Daily Practices for Lives That Are Anything But Routine 

By Mike Ethridge over at Lawyers in Search of Soul.  I have written before about the importance of a number of daily ore regular routines, including  exercise, mindfulness meditation, and expressing gratitude. What morning routine can you cultivate to get fired up for the day?

How to Turn Lawyers into Better Writers 

By  Cari Twitchell  and published on The Lawyerist. For all of the writing we do in the profession, it's hard to step back and assess how well we're doing it and how to improve upon it. Can you accept a little criticism in service of improvement? 
  

What’s The Future of Work?  

Not a short read, but a thoughtful piece on the different values we assign to different types of work.

The Intangible Law Firm 

By Jordan Furlong. What assets does your firm hold that don't walk out the door when an attorney leaves? 

Solving All the Wrong Problems 

For all of this talk about "hacking," it makes sense to consider what we are tearing down and our intention in doing so in the first place.

How Technology Disrupted the Truth  

A long read on the consequences for responsible journalism brought about by social media and other forces.

The Improbable Life of James Taylor 

As a native Chapel Hillian, I couldn't help but add this piece about Sweet Baby James. And if you really want your mind blown, listen to his podcast interview with Marc Maron.

And of course, this week would not be complete without a little of the augmented reality craze sweeping the world. I found this little fella in our attorney lounge yesterday ...

Social Media: Tools for Being Remarkable

I have linked to the Law Consulting Blog numerous times. Cordell Parvin is absolutely essential reading for all attorneys, green and seasoned, on every aspect of working and living as a lawyer, and particularly in the area of client development.

In a recent post Parvin explains that client development is still about "doing great work and building relationships" (as it has been since he began practicing many years ago), but that the tools for becoming known for those things are vastly different.

And Parvin quotes Seth Godin, another "indispensable linchpin" (puns intended) of this Blog, in explaining the importance of these tools:

"How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?".

Read Parvin's Practical Guide to Social Media article for more information.

Fire Your Marketing Manager and Hire a Community Manager

Piece from David Armano on HBR emphasizing the importance of a community manager, someone who "actively monitors, participates in, and engages others within online communities."

If you don't know what these online communities and social media are, who is using them, how they work, and most importantly what they are saying (or aren't saying) about your organization, I suggest you ask somebody. Better yet, find out for yourself.

Linked in Is More than Just Your Profile

Lawyerist piece on how you have to actively use LinkedIn to benefit from it.

Key Points from the Article:

"Some quick tips for using LinkedIn:

* Upload your contacts and invite others to link with you
* Personalize your invitations; let the contact know how you know them
* Customize your profile page url: include your name, firm name or brand
* Join Groups and follow what’s happening in your area(s) of interest and in your clients’ industries
* Update your profile periodically; make sure it reflects how you help your clients and how you are different
* Let your personality shine through
* Keep your status current
* Join discussions to share your expertise and learn from others
* Post events and invite others to participate or attend
* Consider recommendations; even if you don’t want to ask for them, be generous about giving them to others
* Use the Questions and Answers section to share information and build your expert status
* Use search features to find people in industries or businesses you’re interested in
* Look at your connections to see who they are connected to and ask for introductions
* Follow up and take your LinkedIn relationships offline; pick up the telephone or meet for coffee"

Marketing and Social Media

From the Lawyerist. Lots of ways to get out there, follow and be followed, and create content to drive traffic to our site.

FastCase Review

Good review of FastCase from Social Media Law Student