This week, Musings welcomes Michelle Mangen to the Guest Post Friday fold.  Michelle’s vast talents and expert skills in accounting, bookkeeping and Excel, far exceed the average virtual assistant’s scope of knowledge; thereby further enhancing not only her back-end office, but those of her clients.   Extending administrative and other remote admin services to her global client base, Michelle creates personalized virtual assistant solutions for each and every client, ensuring 100% customer satisfaction, loyalty and professionalism.

Her core services are: Social Media Management: (Facebook Fan Pages, Social Bookmarking , Twitter, etc.),  Aweber, WordPress site management, Bookkeeping and Excel spreadsheets. Additionally she offers administrative services as well.  You can reach Michelle at www.TheVirtualAsst.com or follow her on Twitter at @mmangen.

Larger law firms have the resources at their disposal to place expensive TV ads or billboards along the highway to garner new clients and to establish their brand. Smaller law firms could gain a competitive edge on these larger firms by taking advantage of many of the tools and resources (many free) that would enable them to dominate local search results through the use of Social Media.

By utilizing your own website as your content hub many of the following ideas could be implemented at little or no cost:

• Blogging – this alone has innumerable benefits to your marketing campaign
• Creating whitepapers and allowing other attorneys to use the content in a cobrand situation
• Hosting a weekly or bi-weekly Q&A session around a specific topic and publishing to your website as a podcast
• Submitting their practices to the many local search engine profiles (Google Local, Bing, Yahoo!, Superpages, etc.)
• Participating within LinkedIn groups and the Questions & Answers area
• While your gut reaction may be to avoid Facebook it’s currently the fastest growing website with the greatest increase in the 55+ and older category
• Twitter
• Becoming a volunteer at AllExpert.com (January 2010 had over 5.3 million unique visitors to the site according to Compete.com)
• Submitting articles (or re-purposing blog posts) at sites like Ezine and GoArticles
• Online press releases to sites such as PitchEngine and PRWeb

So how does an overworked attorney maximize all of these areas? One of the easiest and most effective ways would be by partnering with a Virtual Assistant who is familiar with and practices Social Media for their own business.

Here are just some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Have a virtual assistant do the necessary research for references you would like to include on your blog (landmark cases, etc.)
• Find free stock photos that can be included in your blog posts
• Proof and / or edit posts before they go live
• Schedule your blog posts and depending on your website platform install plugins that allow for your blog posts to be spread automatically to various platforms (such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn)
• Submit previous instructional blog posts to article directories
• Set up and maintain all local search engine profiles
• Submit press releases announcing new hires, won cases, etc.
• Schedule podcast sessions and upload to website after the event
• Prepare and send out monthly newsletters

Aside from the ideas mentioned above there are many more ways a Virtual Assistant could assist an attorney or small law firm to gain new clients at a cost that is minimal in comparison to pricey yellow page advertisements.

At this point you may be asking how to find a good social media virtual assistant. I’d first suggest asking your network if any work with one. If that yields no results then you can turn to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Once you find a virtual assistant who you feel may be suitable check out their website to see the if they have their own blog and monthly newsletter.

By just doing those few steps you will quickly narrow down the list of potential Virtual Assistants who may be able to help your firm grow its online presence.

One last thing I’d suggest to properly monitor your growth is to start with benchmark numbers on anything that can be obtained – your Google Analytics, Twitter following, LinkedIn Connections, etc. so you can document the growth you achieve through your newly established efforts.

If you would like more tips and tricks on leveraging Twitter for your business I invite you to download a free copy of an e-book I co-authored: Leveraging Your Power through Twitter. Enter code: BIZCARD at the checkout screen to receive it at no cost.

Now you’ve been given some food for thought. What other ways can you see utilizing a Virtual Assistant to grow your online presence?

As always, Michelle and I welcome your thoughts and comments below.  Also, please subscribe to keep up with this and other Guest Post Friday posts.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

While you wait, please check out the Guest Post Friday page and, if you are interested in joining the parade, check out the guidelines and then let me know what you’d like to contribute.

Thanks to everyone past, present and future who’s contributions to this series have made this construction law blog so much more interesting.

Image from stock.xchng.

As always, I welcome and encourage your comments below, please share your thoughts.  Also, please subscribe to keep up with the latest Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you read this, I am happily taking a break from my construction law practice and hanging at the beach enjoying some spring break fishing and family time on Sanibel Island, Florida. Musings will pick back up again next week.

In the meantime, check out the recently added Alternate Dispute Resolution page to hear my thoughts on construction mediation and arbitration.  Also, be sure to read the Guest Post Friday page to catch up on some of the great contributions from my friends in the construction, Web 2.0 and legal worlds.

Thank you for your continued readership and I’ll see you next week.

Please join the conversation with a comment below.  Also, I encourage you to subscribe to keep up with the latest Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

For this week’s Guest Post Friday here at Musings, we welcome Rob Mathewson (@geedrarob) of Geedra.  Rob has spent twenty years in sales and marketing management roles with experience in industrial, consumer and construction markets. Rob believes the construction industry is ripe for innovation, based on its massive size, yet low productivity. Even with such inefficiencies, a building still rises from the ground. Rob’s goal with Geedra is to leverage technology to increase transparency and communication so that projects can be completed with less risk, effort and cost. Prior to founding Geedra, Rob was the Chief Marketing Officer for Construction Documentation Services, where he was responsible for sales, marketing and business development. He spent 15 years in the chemical distribution business, including eleven years as the Northwest Branch Manager of a $50 million distributor. Rob was the founder and CEO for On The Spot Games, a board game startup.

Digital photos and video have become increasingly important to the construction industry over the last 10 years.  Given the dynamic environment of a construction site, visual media are the ultimate data collection devices delivering more information that anyone could hope to capture with words or numbers. Though, the ease with which we can shoot photos at will generates a lot of visual chaff, unusable photos that take up our time and effort without delivering on their full potential value.  Below are six construction photo essentials to help you get the most out of your next visit to a job site with your camera in hand.

1.     Take good photographs

It should be a given, but unfortunately too many people take this basic point for granted.  Would-be valuable photographic evidence can be ruined because an image is out of focus or poorly lit. Pay attention to lighting, focus and framing. If you regularly take construction photos, then invest in a decent SLR camera and flash. If you’re rolling with your smartphone instead, then consider using a photo app to enhance the quality of your photo.

2.     Have a plan

When recording a construction installation as part of a planned photo-documentation effort (e.g. recording a post-tension deck prior to concrete placement), be methodical and consistent. Shoot the installation from at least 2 angles (up to 4 if possible) to negate the effects of shadows or obscured details and always move in the same direction (clockwise or counter, pick one) as you move from one angle to the next.  If necessary, shoot wide-angle area shots first, before moving in for the close-up. Moving predictably will help you identify photos or spot gaps in your coverage later.

The same rules apply if you are shooting reactive documentation in response to an incident or some other unanticipated condition.

3.     Put it in perspective

Context is as important in construction photo-documentation as any individual image. In addition to shooting area shots paired with close-ups, plan a series of shots to convey spatial relationships. Use rulers, crack meters or other props (even people) to establish scale in the image.  Placards or directional arrows can also help to orient future viewers of a photo.  Aside from improving the accuracy of the documentation, using the aforementioned contextual enhancements also provide protection against damage, sabotage or refutation of an individual photo.

4.     The power of information

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a picture doesn’t have a volume control knob.  In other words, there may be details surrounding your installation or condition that the photo(s) cannot convey. Was it windy that day? Cold? Noisy? Written notes or recorded narration can provide critical complimentary information that further substantiates the visual evidence in your photo.

5.     Preview and review, or the truth can burn you

Cameras don’t discriminate. Your camera will record whatever appears before the lens. That could be an un-harnessed ironworker, a manager or engineer with a tool in their hand on a union jobsite or some other damnable offense. Protect yourself by quickly scanning the background before hitting the “Shutter” button and then routinely reviewing photos on your camera and again on your computer before including a potential ticking time bomb in a report or project archive.

6.     Be sure you can find the photo

Congratulations! You have painstakingly followed each of the steps to produce beautiful images, shot with a plan, perspective and in context with no unfortunate surprises lurking in the shadows. However, all of your hard work in photo-documentation will go to waste if you can’t find the right photo when you need it most. Be sure to create a photo filing plan that includes time and location references, and stick to it.

Inconsistency is the greatest threat to best-intended photo-documentation efforts. A moment of inattention can lead to a mis-filed photo, causing hours and hours of searching for a photo that may never be found again.

Rob and I welcome your comments below. Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Guest Post Fridays at Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

With my new foray into the world as a mediator, I am of course looking for all of the practical guidance that I can get.  While the satisfaction of helping people resolve their disputes will be a reward in itself, I would like to make this a larger part of my construction counseling practice.  Vickie’s new book gives great practical advice on everything from various techniques of mediation (facilitative, evaluative and the like) to ways to make money as a mediator.

Where her prior book gave great anecdotes and stories to illustrate conflict resolution in a more general sense, her new “Dummies” book is focused exclusively on the practice of mediation.  Like the other books in the “Dummies” series, it starts with a great overview and outline of the various chapters and moves forward in a manner that allows a reader like me to read it cover to cover or to find just what I’m looking for.  As a newly minted mediator, the book gives me a great perspective on the future possibilities as well as giving real life ideas that I may not have thought of.    I recommend it for anyone dipping a toe into the mediator pool.

That’s not to say that I don’t think it will help the seasoned mediator (or litigator for that matter).  Many of the tips point out impasse breaking strategies aside from locking the parties in a room until they agree.  Many of these tips give some great “outside the box” ideas to get the most recalcitrant parties to see the value of a settlement.  The more “arrows” in the quiver of any mediator (new or old), the better in my thinking.

In short, if you are at all interested in mediation from either the advocate’s or the mediator’s perspective there is something in this book that will help you out.

Please join the conversation with a comment below.  Also, I encourage you to subscribe to keep up with the latest Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

All of that said, I have also had a growth in the number of unsolicited offers for guest posts and a majority of these have been from folks with whom I have never had contact.  While these offers are generous and most likely well meaning, the increase in their numbers has led me to feel the need for a set of guidelines (albeit a loose set).  I want to keep the diversity of posts and subjects while making sure that the posts are relevant and at least tangentially related to the practice of construction law.  I also hope that these will help to answer questions that I get from new guest posters and save them some time.

So, without further ado, here are my guidelines:

• If you are not specifically asked to post or offered the opportunity by me, please contact me to introduce yourself first.  E-mails with “Guest Post” or the like as a subject and the body of which talks about how great your article will be are uniformly placed in the trash.
• The purpose of these guest posts is two fold.  First to add something interesting for the readers and second to give some exposure and a platform to the person posting.  Because of this, all guest posts will need a short bio (preferably with links that relate to you) and a head shot or logo.  This is for your benefit and hopefully you, as a guest poster, will get some benefit from your generous donation of time and effort.
• While some topics are inherently political (see the recent posts on potential changes to Virginia mechanic’s lien law), I try and keep this blog as apolitical as possible.  Your opinions and personal take on the legal and practice landscape of construction law (and even the occasional lawyer joke) are welcome and encouraged, just try and keep the commentary as apolitical as possible.  For instance, your thoughts on recent green building trends are encouraged but political commentary on the particular individuals that implement these changes are not as encouraged.

I don’t want these guidelines to limit the great posts that I have gotten here over the last 3 plus years, and none of the posts to date fall outside of them in any way.  In fact, aside from the occasional typo, I’ve had to exercise little or no editorial control and plan on continuing this trend.

What are your thoughts on the guidelines?  Are they too strict (I sure hope not)?  Anything here you see that could cause some posters to lose interest?  Please contact me with any issues or suggestions that you have with or for this set of guest post guidelines.

Image via stock.xchng

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

For this week’s Guest Post Friday post here at Construction Law Musings, we welcome back a good friend, Matthew DeVries.  Matt (@matthewdevries) is a construction lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee and the founder of www.bestpracticesconstructionlaw.com, a construction-related blog that focuses on transportation, green building, and technology.  He heads the Tennessee construction law practice of Stites & Harbison PLLC, which has offices in TN, VA, KY, GA, and IN.  He is married and has seven young kids.

As a construction lawyer, I do a good deal of public speaking.  Next week, I will be speaking at the AGC National Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on the following topic: From BIM and PDFs to Tweets and eDiscovery: Planning and Managing a Technology-Driven Construction Project.  After attending at least 100 conferences and trade shows over the last 20 years, I have made a few observations about the people, booths and information presented by the companies in attendance:

• People love giveaways.  This may not seem like a big deal to you or your company after having shelled out thousands of dollars to attend and host a booth at one of these shows.  However, your booth will see a lot more traffic if you have some incentive, enticement or … let’s just say it … an iPad to give away.
• Eye contact is important.  Whether you are manning the booth for your company or you are walking the floor trying to decide where to stop, eye contact is the first meaningful connection that you will make.  I cannot tell you how many booths I strutted right past because the person sitting (…not standing…) behind the booth was either reading something, texting on their phone, or simply not paying attention.
• A smile invites a meaningful connection.  Again, no matter which side of the booth you are on, a smile can make all the difference in the world.  As a construction lawyer, I am not sure how much these vendors or suppliers want to chat with me.  In other words, I am not looking to purchase a new excavator or concrete product.  However, it is about making connections with people in the industry.  If I cannot help them, perhaps I can find someone who can help them.

In the end, if part of the draw to a conference or trade is the business development and networking, you need to realize that it is kind of like speed-dating.  You may be selling products, services or expertise.  You only have a short amount of time.  Give them a smile … a genuine and sincere introduction … and make a meaningful connection.

As always, Matt and I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Guest Post Fridays at Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

In December of last year, this corner of the Web turned 3 (something that still amazes me).  When I began writing for this blog, I had no idea how much work, learning and fun would come out of it.  Sure, there is some marketing value to a blog and the use of other Web 2.0 and social media tools for client development and networking with other lawyers and construction pros.  However, if publishing this blog and posting on a regular basis weren’t fun and interesting (and I thank all of you who read and post here at Musings for making this experience all the richer), this blog would never have made it past the first year.

Other benefits that I’ve gained from the experience?

• Keeping abreast of developments in Virginia construction law.  Keeping to my publication schedule has made me keep up on developments in Virginia law in ways that I would not have without having to find a topic every week.
• Meeting great folks.  Many of the calls, guest posts and other contacts that have grown from my presence here at Musings have grown into friendships and business relationships that I never would have had otherwise.  Thanks to all of you who stopped in to say “Hi.”
• A bit of tech savvy.  While I will never profess to be a tech guru, I can at least find my way around a WordPress dashboard and fumble my way through rudimentary web design.  This at least lets me stay only a few steps behind my kids on the tech side (though fluency in PowerPoint to the level of my high schooler has eluded me. . .)
• Education in areas of construction I never would have learned about. Thanks to the numerous comments and guest posts here at Construction Law Musings I have had the opportunity to get insight into everything from alternate dispute resolution to the “green” benefits of some concrete products.  I cannot thank all of those that contribute enough for their time and insight.

In short, I blog because it’s fun an rewarding in ways beyond any SEO or marketing benefits gained for my solo construction law firm (though the benefits have been real).  I blog because I learn something new every day.  The benefits listed above are really what got me through the first few months of posting and what I remind myself of every time I stare at the screen with writer’s block.  The rewards far outweigh the occasional struggle through inspirational quicksand.

If I ever get to the point that this is no longer rewarding, I’ll let you know.  For now, I don’t plan to stop “musing” any time soon.

Image via stock.xchng.

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

If you don’t vote for me, you can check out the blogs and links listed there (including friends of Musings @matthandal and @melissabrumback among others).  Each of those listed provides a great insight into different aspects of construction, from law to marketing.  Even if you don’t vote (and I hope that you will), read some of these blogs, you will certainly learn something.

Thanks again to Mark and to all of my readers and contributors that make this blog fun to publish.

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

PS- Guest Posts will start up again next Friday with what will be a great one!

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.