Book Review – Blogging in One Hour for Lawyers
Although some lawyers have been blogging for quite a whilenow, others are just starting out. I still hear even established lawyers askingquestions like, “Should I start a blog?” “What is the difference between a blogand a website?” and “How do I get started with blogging?”
All of these questions and more are answered in Blogging inOne Hour for Lawyers, by Ernie Svenson, published recently by the ABA Law Practice ManagementSection. The book truly is, as Ernie says, “A short guide on how to start andmaintain a law-related weblog.”
Ernie started his blog in 2002 and was one of the very firstlegal bloggers, and he’s still going strong. So I guess you could say he’s beenaround the blogging block. Although no book can teach you everything you needto know about starting a blog in one hour, Ernie’s book does a good job ofgiving you the basics and walking you through the setup, showing you how topost, how to gather information, and how to monitor and maintain your blog. Andalthough it may take you longer than an hour to set up your blog (particularlyif you want to customize design and add plug-ins or other features), you cancertainly read Ernie’s book in an hour.
Blogging in One Hour for Lawyers is an easy to read, step bystep guide that provides all of the information you need to know: why to starta legal blog, the important elements of a good blog, the ethical issues you needto be aware of, how to set up and customize your blog, how to find ideas forblog posts, and how to build your audience.
One of the features of the book I think many new bloggerswill find exceptionally helpful is the Checklist for New Bloggers, found in theAppendix. I recommend that you read through the entire book and then use thechecklist as your guide to walk you through the steps while you’re sitting atyour computer setting up your new blog. If you need clarification or moredetail on a particular step, you can always refer back to the more detailedchapter in the book.
When I read the book, I had the same thought blogger and lawpractice management expert Bob Ambrogi did (you can see his review of the bookhere) – with the popularity of WordPress for legalblogs, it was a bit surprising that Ernie focused on TypePad in the book. Ernie has responded to this issue by statingin the blog that accompanies the book (see below) that he now recommendsWordPress for legal bloggers, but when writing the book, it was easier for himto demonstrate the blog setup using TypePad.
If your blog is currently on WordPress or you’re planning to create a new blogon WordPress, don’t let that stop you from getting Ernie’s book. This blog was created and is still hosted on TypePad, although my Lawyer Meltdown site is now hosted on WordPress, so I’ve used both. The screenshots in the book may show you TypePad’s platform, but all of the samefunctionality is available in WordPress and all of the same principles apply.
If you’d like to learn more about blogging, Ernie has evenstarted a website as a companion to the book. The site includes interviews with lawyer-bloggersabout their blogging experience, resources for those who want to start aWordPress blog, articles about what other activities bloggers should beengaging in, and more.