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Link Love and the Practice of Law

I noticed I have been getting a lot of press this week. From Colin Samuels’ incredible Infamy or Praise to a substantial quote in the Des Moines Business Record concerning the Iowa Microsoft case.

One particularly notable hat tip came from Canadian Law Librarian, and host of Blawg Review #105 Connie Crosby. In her post, she quotes some rather profound insight from Rajesh Setty, author of Life Beyond Code, in his 10 things they didn’t tell you about blogging:

7. If you want to succeed, you HAVE to start making others succeed.

You want to succeed in your blogging initiatives. Others want to do the same. If everyone thinks that ONLY they want to succeed, it will be hard work for everyone. Please spread the word about other blogs. You don’t have to promote other blogs blatantly. A little bit of “link love” will go a long way. Don’t worry. People will reciprocate if you write “linkworthy” content

This is particularly important advice for lawyers who blog. You are never going to succeed as an island. That old school philosophy of “step on everyone to get to the top” just does not work in the blogosphere. The great news is that you do not have to despise your colleagues. The main reason I enjoy blogging so much is because the successful bloggers I meet are such great people and lawyers are no exception. Upon meeting me, their first thought is “How can I help you.” They do not expect anything in return; they just want to give back to something that has done so much for them.

The best thing about blogging is that it naturally weeds out the bad eggs. Blogs make you transparent. If you are honest, that shows through. If you are nice, people can see that. You can try to hide it, but your blog will eventually bring out your true personality. Blogging is putting a new face on an oft criticized profession. People are using blogs to sort the wheat from the chaff and find the best lawyers out there. Based upon the lawyer bloggers I have met, and continue to meet, I have a new found optimism that the legal profession is more civil, more collegial, smarter and more caring than it was even five years ago, and it is getting more so every day.

Brett Trout

Be sure to check back in Monday, when I will be filling Blawg Review #106 with dozens of links to the amazing attorneys putting this new face on the practice of law.

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