I finally had a chance to upload slides prepared by my partner Scott Lichtman on how law firms can use Web 2.0 technologies to increase their billings. Download.

What happens when the “old new world” of internet marketing (and by that, I don’t mean the general sense of marketing on the internet, but more specifically the world of affiliate marketing and information products) collides with the “new world” of Web 2.0?

Well, the result isn’t always pretty. It seems that all the internet marketing gurus are trying to get their head around (and their fingers in) Web 2.0, and sometimes, the fast-talking, hype-laden, list-building mentality just doesn’t jibe with the authenticity and relationship-driven approach of Web 2.0.

Case in point… I recently saw an ad for The Authority Black Book (note: this link does not constitute an endorsement - I’m providing it so you can see for yourself), promising “The Best Web 2.0 Resources for Generating Traffic and Winning Customers”.

See, here’s the thing. Web 2.0 isn’t just about technology. Web 2.0 is about technology enable authentic relationships — people connecting with other people over some common interest. So when the whole sales process for something like this completely violates that promise, it kind of makes you wonder just how much the people behind it really “get” Web 2.0.

You can read the first in what I plan to be a 3-part series reviewing this e-book and related programs on my new blog, Revenue River:

Pet Peeve: Web 2.0 Gurus Who Really Don’t Get Web 2.0

Be sure to leave a comment… when one of the people behind this thing finally discovers that blog post, I’d love to have a show of force there.

I hope to see you at this upcoming event:

Sponsor: InfoWorld
Title: Social Media Breakfast: Overhyped or Under-executed? Strategies for Success.
Location: Roosevelt Hotel, New York City
Time: Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Register for this complimentary event by clicking here: http://www.infoworld.com/3909

Social Media is experiencing phenomenal growth. As a highly effective and efficient way to communicate with Information Technology professionals, IT Peer to Peer Communities are gaining ground quickly. Yet key questions remain on how to best market to this new media.

Topics includes:
* New proprietary research on Social Media trends and technologies
* Hear from expert panelists on Social Media implementation and ROI opportunities
* Testimonials from marketing and advertising executives using Social Communities today

Experts participating in panel discussions:
* Julien Blin, Research Analyst and Social Media Expert, IDC
* Allen Fear, Director of Online Content & Production, InfoWorld
* David Teten, Co-Managing Director, Nitron Circle of Experts; Author, The Virtual Handshake
* Mike Walsh, CEO, Leverage Software
* Additional speakers TBD

By attending the InfoWorld breakfast you will gain expertise in the following topics:
* Tips for developing ads that connect with your target audience
* Measurement techniques and how new tools/metrics are being used to determine ROI
* Ideas on building IT Community loyalty
* Evaluating communications potential and coverage
* Marketing vehicles used to best communicate in an IT Peer to Peer Community.

http://www.infoworld.com/3909

If you would like to invite a colleague to attend this event with you, please forward this email and have them register for a complimentary pass.

On behalf of a friend, does anyone have ideas on the query below?

“I am launching an internal speaker’s bureau for a professional services firm. My role is to win speaking engagements (both unpaid and paid) for the senior executives at my firm, particularly in financial services. I would like to compile a comprehensive database of the major conferences worldwide and the speaker selection team at these conferences. My question is: What is the best way to track these events and the speaker selection team information? Should I use an open event platform such as www.Upcoming.org ? Does anyone have any other advice for me? I’m particularly interested in talking with people who work at major speaker bureaus, who could give me insight on these questions. I’ll share my results with Speakernetnews, in the compilations section: http://speakernetnews.com/post/index.html .

Please post your suggestions in the comments below or in a trackback. Thanks!

An interview with Michael Gerber, Author of The E-Myth Revisited:

“If they don’t fail outright, most businesses fail to fully achieve their potential. That’s because the person who owns the business doesn’t truly know how to build a company that works without him or her.. which is the key.” - Michael Gerber

Michael Gerber is the founder and CEO of E-Myth Worldwide, and best selling author of The E-Myth Revisited, and E-Myth Mastery. He defines E-Myth as: 1: The entrepreneurial myth: the myth that most people who start a small business are entrepreneurs, 2: the fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business can successfully run a business that does technical work.

Since its publication in 1995, this business classic has sold over one million copies, and is published in 16 languages. Michael observes that most small businesses are started by “technicians”, that is, people who are skilled at something and who enjoy doing that thing. When these technicians strike out on their own, they tend to continue doing the work they are skilled at, and ignore the overarching aspects of business. Without clear goals and quantification benchmarks, they soon find themselves overworked, understaffed, and eventually broke. They come to hate the work they do. Rather than owning a business, Gerber writes, “they own a job.”

Click here for the interview.

The creator of BugMeNot.com has launched http://www.retailmenot.com/, which provides coupon codes for retail stores, without the privacy-infringing registration requirements. A very useful tool.

Many online stores allow for a “coupon” or “promotion” code when you order to automatically assign discounts, deals and freebies (kinda like money for nothing). RetailMeNot.com is a place for finding and sharing these coupon codes.
So… when you buy online, check here for discounts first (unless you’re frikkin crazy).

Via GoodExperience

Our COO, Scott Lichtman, is speaking at this event:

New York County Lawyers’ Association’s Cyberspace Law Committee

The Internet is upgrading to version 2.0 and so should your law firm’s marketing. More and more lawyers are taking their practices to the next level and this forum should help you do the same. Take an evening to familiarize yourself with how blogging, online referral networks, research-sharing wikis and more can expand your firm’s profile and attract prospective clients.

SPEAKERS

Scott Lichtman

COO, Nitron Advisors

Scott Lichtman is COO of Nitron Advisors (www.nitronadvisors.com), a provider of senior industry executives with specialized backgrounds to law firms for testimony and to investment funds for market advice. Nitron Advisors extensively applies Web 2.0 technologies – including blogs, peer referral networks, online expertise acquisition services, specialized professional search engines and live interactions – to acquire clients and experts as well as build awareness for the firm’s capabilities.

Martin Schwimmer, Esq.

Partner, Schwimmer Mitchell Law Firm

Martin Schwimmer is co-founder and Partner at Schwimmer Mitchell. He represents owners of some of the most famous and soon-to-be-famous trademarks in the world. He focuses on international and domestic trademark and domain name counseling, prosecution and litigation. Martin was General Counsel to an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar and continues to represent domain name companies. Martin was a partner at Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu. Managing Intellectual Property Magazine selected Martin as one of the best trademark lawyers in the United States. Martin writes and speaks frequently on trademark and domain name issues and is editor of The Trademark Blog, www.schwimmerlegal.com, one of the most popular blogs on the Internet in this field of law (and generally ranked #1 by Google in this niche).

Bruce MacEwan

Creator and Host of AdamSmithEsq.com

Bruce MacEwan is a lawyer as well as a consultant to law firms on strategic and economic issues. He publishes the site “Adam Smith, Esq.” providing insights into the business of law firms, which generates 250,000 page views per month. You can read it at www.AdamSmithEsq.com. In his consulting practice, Bruce provides guidance on how to expand one’s business in the legal world. A recent engagement, for example, was a return-on-investment analysis of a knowledge management initiative at an AmLaw 20 practice. He’s also produced empirical studies of the structure of the profession, working with leading law professors. Most relevant to tonight, he has witnessed fascinating situations in which Web 2.0 technologies are being used to the fullest in law and related professional services. Bruce has written for or been the subject of articles in: The National Law Journal, Law Firm, Inc., Law Technology News as well as the Wall Street Journal and Web 2.0 magazine. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s committee on Law Practice Management.

Natalie Sulimani, Event Co-Chair, NYCLA Cyberspace Law Executive Committee;

Ron Katter and Henry Diaz, Event Co-Chairs, Co-Chairs NYCLA Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

NYCLA Home of Law - 14 Vesey Street

(between Broadway and Church Street)

RSVP: DLAMB(AT)nycla.org, Subject: “November 16 Forum”. Entrance and facilities for those with disabilities are available. For wheelchair access, a ramp is provided. Please call 212 267-6646 at least one day in advance to make arrangements.

For this blog and for Brain Food, We are looking for an email service that can convert our blog posts into both daily and weekly mailings. Services like Feedburner can automatically convert each blog post into an email. And a company like Constant Contact (and its many competitors) will take our mailing list and send out mailings.

However, Feedburner won’t let us upload our existing mailing list into their system, no doubt because of anti-spam concerns. And Constant Contact does not have a facility to automatically allow us to convert each blog post into a mailing to our whole list there. We’re currently using Mailman to address this problem, but the problem with Mailman is we are running it locally, and that makes our server liable for spam complaints. Also, Mailman usually puts each blog post into an attachment, instead of into the body of an email.

The ideal service would automatically create a weekly newsletter, including the most recent blog posts. It would also allow easy editing for readability – say, excerpts from the best 3 recent posts and subject links to the rest of them, plus some heading text. The About.com subject guide newsletters are examples of what we’re looking for. It would also include all of the unsubscribe/other reader functionality that Mailman and Constant Contact offer.

Does anyone have a solution to this dilemma? We’re happy to pay for a service that will work for our needs, which are common among blog publishers.

As a followup on my Vistage presentations, here’s “What every CEO needs to know about the array of new tools that foster online collaboration — and could revolutionize business”: BusinessWeek: Web 2.0 Has Corporate America Spinning