In-House or Out-House: Who handles your social media strategy?

I feel pretty well connected into Social Media, but that doesn't mean I'm an expert... by anyone's imagination!

However, I was talking with my good friends up a DerekMedia today, Derek Johnson & Andrew Dumont, about further developing Summit Law Group's social media presence. This is a really tough topic for me since I've been doing it all up til now and I was curious about what an outside company might be able to offer insofar as changing up my own approach and "strategy" (if that's what you can call my shot gun approach). Are there better and more practical methods that I'm not employing? LIKELY!

DerekMedia is likely a great solution for a firm like mine. First off, they are a customer and it always feels good to give business back to customers! Secondly, they have an edginess about them that I absolutely LOVE! They aren't willing to sit idly by while the world revolves around them in the same old way it always has. They want to challenge the direction of the revolution!

Anyway, so the dilemma is: I've been doing all the Summit social media activity for a fair amount of time now getting things off the ground. And in the local legal community I am held in fairly high regard for innovation and approach on these issues. However, what is enough? When's it time to say, "Yes I can, but should I? Is this the best use of my time and skill? Is there someone else who is more effective and/or efficient?" My ego says, "HELL NO! You rock!" But my intuition says, "Richard, relax. You can still 'do' it even if you out-house to Derek's posse!"

Anyway, so now comes the discussion of ROI and budget and all that. But before I can touch that topic, I have to convince myself and develop convincing arguments that assistance is needed and desired.

Until next time, In-House or Out-House, help me decide! :)

In-House or Out-House: Who handles your social media strategy?

The Peter Principle meets Murphy's Law - A Cautionary Tale

This lovely story was just circulated by one of Summit's lawyers who recently joined the firm. Enjoy!

This morning, unable to print a document on the 10th floor color copier, I decided to follow the Summit Law model of "take care of it yourself" and fix the problem. The "System Monitor" told me to replace the waste toner cartridge (a/k/a "Bottle, Waste Toner"). I am proud to say I found the damn thing in the machine, found a box with a new bottle, and successfully extracted and replaced the old bottle (which turns out not to be rocket science). I noticed the box had a bag in it, which I quickly surmised must be where one puts the used bottle, and that's where the trouble began. I unfurled the bag, picked up the used bottle (none too carefully, it turns out) and the next thing I knew my shirt, pants and a large swath of the supply/copy room floor were coated with a fine purplish powder. One role of paper towels and 10 minutes later, I think I finally got the stuff off the floor and me, but I found myself longing for the days at Heller Ehrman where we had phalanxes of folks to deal with these sorts of problems, so the lawyers could stay within their level of incompetence.

The Peter Principle meets Murphy's Law - A Cautionary Tale

Cautions for Fixed Fee billing?

I love how much is being discussed in regard to "Alternative Billing" in the legal community right now. However, for most folks "Alternative Billing" just means Fixed Fee or Flat Fee Project billing. There ARE alternatives to these "alternatives"!

First off, I know there are very complex fixed fee arrangements that exist for litigation. Usually involving fixed fees for different stages of the litigation process. But for some lawyers, evaluating the fixed fee process for the first time it seems very simple: Project one = $5,000. Not so fast! Be careful when proposing fixed fee arrangements. Use this cautionary hypothetical tale to keep you in check!

So, you're getting pressure from your client (or Customer as Summit Law Group refers to folks who buy legal services from us) and your colleagues to come up with Fixed Fees for a litigation matter. As is the case with 80% of litigation matters there are a MILLION possible directions the case could go! And a multitude of complications within each of those directions! When bidding on a fixed fee litigation project, remain calm, don't let your mind and anxiety drive you too far. "So many things could go wrong!"

Your #1 objective for proposing alternative fee arrangement is: Risk Sharing with your client. Of course anything could go wrong! Imagine the fear of "anything could go wrong" from your client's perspective! If they are contacting you for litigation assistance, it likely already has gone wrong!

So, the real point of this entry was going to be about "Cautions for Fixed Fee billing".

Caution #1: Think about pricing from your client's standpoint. Is this flat fee sufficient to get the work done efficiently and fairly while saving your client money and giving them confidence in a job well done?

Caution #2: Don't under bid! If you're well known for using alternative fee structures by other firms it's likely they will try very hard to bust your flat fee structure into pieces by dragging out the case. If you end up under bidding on the flat fee you put yourself in a tough spot. If this DOES happen to you, remember this IS part of the "risk sharing". Your part of the risk was estimating the efficiency. You're not efficient? Your problem!

Caution #3: No padding! Don't just take your hourly rate and count on your fingers how many hours this will take you, then add 30% "just in case". The "just in case" part is your risk. Think about the scope of the case at hand and what would be a reasonable fee for your team. If you're new to the litigation game, then you likely have NO clue how to judge reasonableness.

What are your thoughts?

Cautions for Fixed Fee billing?

Video: Intro to TweetDeck

This is my first attempt at a video blog! Hope you like it. I know I likely missed a lot of TweetDeck hot items, but I think this video shows some nice basic uses.

(The advertisement at the beginning is out of my control. It's like 30 seconds.)

Video: Intro to TweetDeck

"Twitter Succss"... a success!

We've gotten some amazing feedback from the Twitter Success webcast held on June 23! We had 265 RSVPs!!!!

Here's the demographics for the RSVPs.

Below you'll also find the recorded webcast. PLEASE fast forward to minute 25 for the "show" to begin! The first 25 minutes was just the recorded "count-down" timer. Sorry about that!

"Twitter Succss"... a success!

HTML Option on BES BlackBerry Problem...

So, here's the story, I have two computers. My work desktop, my home laptop. At work, I plug my BlackBerry into my machine and it connects to Desktop Manager, thus synchronizing settings each time. I do a similar thing at home with my laptop, except it just requires me to connect via VPN first, then I can open Desktop Manager and connect to the email server, again, synchronizing settings each time.

The recent issue has come up that when I plug in to my work desktop, it removes the HTML option from my BES account email options. However, when I get home and plug into my laptop with Desktop Manager running and connected to the exchange server, then VOILA the HTML email option comes back.

This just started in the past day or so. And it did happen before too, but I had a different machine at work. When it was recently replaced the problem stopped occurring.

I thought I solved this once by uninstalling Desktop Manager (removing all user settings), restarting the machine, reinstalling DM, restarting and then connecting BlackBerry. I was sure this solved the problem once before, but now this "solution" isn't working.

It can't be related to Corporate Policies on BES because I connect to BES on both machines.

Desktop Manager is setup the same way on both machines, to sync with Exchange work email.

Is it possible that some sort of setting is being cached on one machine and not with the other?

I consider myself quite well versed in all things BlackBerry (device side), so this is perplexing. I've tried searching Pinstack.com and Crackberry.com without any help.

Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

HTML Option on BES BlackBerry Problem...

Twitter Success - 140 Characters at a Time!

On June 23rd, Richard Wood (@LegalAdmin) of Summit Law Group will be presenting a Twitter Educational Class for PSALA and the greater Legal Community entitled, "Twitter Success - 140 Characters at a Time!". RSVPs can be made for either the live, in-person course, OR view the webcast either live or after the event! Thanks to PSALA In-Kind Web Sponsor ProMotion Arts for making the Webcast possible!

Learning objectives for attendees of this special class are:

1. Basic introduction to Twitter
   
2. Deciding whether you or your firm should participate
   
3. Getting Started
   
4. Best practices for finding people and information you want
   
5. Tools to make your Twitter experience most productive and useful
   

Here's the agenda for the course:

• What is Twitter and why should I care?
  
  • What is “Following”?
    
  • What does it mean for someone to “follow” me?
    
  • How do I follow someone else?
    
  • What is an “@Reply” and a “DM” or “Direct Message”?
  
  
• How do I decide if I, or my firm, should be using Twitter?
  
  • Will I be referred to as a "Twit"?
  • HR nightmares
    
  • “Waste of time” concern
    
  • Pre-screening Tweets
  
  
• How do I get started?
  
  • Do I have to “text” from my phone? (No)
    
  • Isn’t this for kids? (No, highest participation is 30-50 years old professionals)
  • Protected or Unprotected Status Updates?


• How do I monitor Twitter for my firm?
  
  
• Networking via Twitter… is it real?
  
  • Uses from a Client Development perspective
    
  • Uses to build your personal/professional Network/brand
    
  • How do I find people and topics I want to follow?
  
  
• Tools to help manage Twitter
  
  • SpliTweet
    
  • TweetDeck
    
  • TweetLater
  
  
• What is a “Tweetup”?


• What are “Hashtags” and should I have one?
  
  
• Can I maintain Twitter from my BlackBerry? How do I do that? iPhone too?

This course is tentatively scheduled for June 23, 2009 from 1pm-3pm PST, location TBA.

Cost: FREE!

** Anyone attending the event who already has a working knowledge of Twitter and Hashtags should add the hashtag #PSALAtwit to their tweets about this event! Thanks!

About the presentor

Richard Wood is the Director of Communications for the Puget Sound chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, Vice President of QLaw (GLBT Bar Assocation of WA), a volunteer at Lambert House, and to feed himself, his husband and three cats, he is the Accounting Manager at Summit Law Group. Richard blogs about Legal Administration at "The Legal Hokey-Pokey" and is heavily involved in social media for professional and personal growth.

Special Thanks to Joann Jen (@JoannJen) (local twitter junky) and PSALA member Laura Walters (@LauraAWalters) for their help in preparing for and assistance during the course!

To attend go to the Registration Site

Twitter Success - 140 Characters at a Time!