A blog, which is short for web log, is a Web site with regular updates, usually displaying the most current entry first. It's very definitely a Web 2.0 use of technology; personalized content with the possibility of interactivity, depending on if you allow comments. (If you allow comments, it's recommended that you screen them to prevent spam from posting to your blog.)

There are many Web sites dedicated to blogging, such as LiveJournal and Blogger, and software designed to update blogs, such as WordPress and Movable Type. Most corporate blogs won't use the dedicated blogging Web sites, but may use blogging software.

Internal corporate blogs are used for communication within the company and can be used to replace meetings or e-mail discussions. This can be particularly useful for companies with geographically diverse offices or flexible work schedules.

External corporate blogs are publicly available and can be a useful public relations tool. This is your opportunity to keep your clients and visitors up to date with your firm's activities without having to contact each and every one of them. Readers can even request Web feeds to automatically receive blog updates.

A better way to think of your external corporate blog is as an opportunity to put your best foot forward... after having a pedicure, picking out your best stockings and putting on the nicest open-toed shoes you have (to show off that pedicure, of course). It's a friendly, well-written, carefully proofread announcement to the world about your firm or interests.

If you look at our portfolio, you'll notice that several of our clients have added blogs to their law firms' Web sites. Have you?

-- Frances

There's no exact definition of Web 2.0; it's the evolution of the internet, as seen in the combination of new and old technology and how it's used. The general idea of Web 2.0 is that the World Wide Web is used as a base for applications and social interaction, expanding the use of technology to provide an interactive and personalized feel to Web sites.

This is a far cry from the static page design of the internet just a few years ago; Web sites today are dynamic, with constant updates made through software, rather than hard-coded into the pages. Look at today's Yahoo, with continuous updates to the news, advertising, and popular searches sections, compared to the first version available in the Wayback Machine, from Oct 17, 1996. Yahoo's evolution to Web 2.0 moved it from being a search engine to a customizable portal; my personalized Yahoo portal updates with e-mail, weather, news, comics and listings for several cable channels with kids' shows. It's all part of my Web 2.0 experience.

Web 2.0 technologies that law firms are likely to make use of include blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts and wikis. These technologies encourage your clients and visitors to return to your Web site frequently or receive updates from you.

I'll explore each of these technologies, and some others, in later blog entries.

-- Frances

Is it worth five minutes to install free, open source software that will track it if lost or stolen?

Adeona was released on July 14th, with free versions available for Mac, Windows XP or Vista, and Linux users. The main purpose of the software is to track a lost or stolen laptop while it's connected to the internet; the IP address that is being used to connect to the internet, and that is then used to in combination with geolocation software to identify the location.

While there are many commercial packages available for tracking laptops, Adeona was designed with the intent of only allowing the laptop's user to track it; this privacy guarantee is what makes Adeona truly different from the other device location tracking systems.

I hope never to use their retrieval tools, but just in case, I installed Adeona this morning.

-- Frances