LexThink Lounge lessons
Had the opportunity tonight to attend LexThink Lounge, an event organized by Dennis Kennedy, Matt Homann, and JoAnna Forshee. (I met Dennis and Matt back at BlogWalk 6.) LexThink was an informal gathering of influential law-oriented bloggers, thinkers, and vendors: bloggers like Dennis, vendors like Randy Farrar of Esquire Innovations (who is a pretty good bowler but needs to watch that foul line) and Rob Robinson of RenewData (who also has a blog). We ate, bowled, and had a great time.
A couple of key insights bubbled to the top out of my LexThink experience. They’re rooted in the fact that lawyers are a generally conservative group (as in “opposed to change”). Although the participants in LexThink were not opposed to change, they were intimately aware of the issues surrounding the marriage of technology with tech unsavvy (or tech-resistant) people. This is a good perspective to have, as tech savvy folks often lose sight of the fact that most people don’t think the way they do.
Insights
- Technologists talk big, but lots of little technology problems bug people day-to-day. Take the simple annoyance of cutting Microsoft Word-formatted text. It transfers with formatting but this formatting doesn’t always hold in all applications. Small problem, right? It can be a small problem that wastes significant time and causes lots of aggravation. (This came out of a conversation with Dennis.)
- Content is getting better and better and better. Lots of smart people publish. Frequently updated, high qualify stuff is almost a commodity. A paid content model is almost totally out of the question; ads is where it’s at. (From a conversation with Jordan Furlong of the CBA, a very affable guy)
- Email is NOT dead. I may be using RSS, you may be using RSS, but almost everyone else is still using email. Email newsletters are useful. (From the insightful Neil Squillante
- High-powered, high-paid people are wasting too much time on grunt work. The ROI is not there. It doesn’t even have to be “outsourced”—people just need to offload grunt work. Do what you’re best at.
- Oh, and if you don’t offload it—to someone cheaper and better and faster at the grunt work—someone will come along with a business model that does and hurt you. Maybe not now, but eventually.
- Technology change is fundamentally driven by customer demand. If the demand isn’t there, why change?
- Personalization is great as a concept, but it’s damn expensive to execute. It’s worth taking a long hard look at your customer’s needs AND what they’re actually asking for before you spend a lot of money on customization and personalization. (From conversation with Fred Faulkner)
- Figure out exactly what it is you want in the output of technology project, then decide whether you’re willing to put forth the time/effort/money to make that vision a reality. You’ve got to get a handle on what you want to in the beginning, because you may find that in a sober analysis, the entire project just isn’t worth it. This could as big as making a new website or as small as buying a new personal organizer, but each requires an investment of time. (Inspired by a conversion with Tom Mighell.)
It’s events like LexThink Lounge that really make me appreciate blogging. If you’re a real blogger—and by “real blogger” I mean you don’t just write stupid crap intended only for your friends—you’re investing a lot of time and energy into an endeavor. It’s work. That sets us apart, and it makes bloggers a pretty interesting lot. A good group to get together and shoot the breeze with.
Yep, blogging’s a pretty decent gig. Thanks for inviting me, Dennis and Matt!
UPDATE: Rob Robinson posted lots of photos from the event. I like this picture best. There’s only one marginally presentable picture with me.