24
Jan 12
A lot of “preventative” law in the online space is about understanding the way the business on the internet works. Where I work, we regularly counsel people that one of the best things they can do to prevent a legal issue is to “avoid making people angry.”
The internet has created so many reasons for businesses to spend a little extra money and time to do the right thing…
One broken guitar (and a lack of empathetic customer service) resulted in over 11 million views on YouTube of the catchy jingle United Breaks Guitars. A decision by GoDaddy to support the Stop Online Privacy Act led to an online petition on Reddit (and partially instigated by Tamar) that got thousands of domain owners to transfer their domains off GoDaddy, a revenue loss of around $370,000 a year. NetFlix’s sudden and dramatic increase in prices led to massive consumer backlash, including 67,000 negative comments on their Facebook page. Need I go on? How about Verizon’s decision (and quick retraction) to add a $2 convenience fee, or Bank of America charging $5 to consumers to use debit cards.
Social media makes it easy for like-minded consumers to band together and amplify their message, it spreads rapidly, and it always feels more genuine than the talking heads from a corporate PR team. As a result, we’re seeing large corporations closely monitoring any complaints on social media, and addressing them in hours, instead of weeks or months.
via Techipedia – Attack of the Consumer! The Many Ways Consumers Can Put You Out of Business Online
22
Jan 12
This guy gets it…
This year, we saw Diddy release a really compelling dance-rap album, put the amazing Prince-esque ladybot Joelle Monae in the spotlight and publicly lament the fact that he couldn’t sign Jay Electronica, one of the most “real hip-hop” dudes out there on the cusp right now.
Ten years ago, Diddy was a punching bag for backpackin-ass dudes for whom “keeping it real” was some kind of weird religion. Now he looks like one of the more forward thinking big men in the giant tent that is “rap music in 2011″.
via Cooking Music: Best of Lil B 2010 on Rad Summer Radio
12
Jan 12
Law school is great if that’s what you want to do… Not so much if you think it’s a get rich quick scheme:
If you are going to go to law school, you better love the law so much that you’d practice it for free. If you expect to get paid for your services, take a number; it might be a long time before the legal economy gets around to serving law graduate 45,001.
-Above the Law, More Evidence That The Legal Job Market Is In Terrible Shape
The fact that the world might not need as many investment bankers and insurance brokers isn’t a problem per se. But the fact that it could need fewer lawyers is. Outside of a few elite MBA programs, not many people get a degree specifically to become the next Will Emerson. But roughly 45,000 students do graduate from law school each spring. Most of them have taken on significant debt. And despite the old saw about being able to “do anything” with a law degree, they don’t have the specific technical or quantitative skills to go into faster growing fields. While the overall unemployment rate for lawyers is a microscopic 2.1%, that doesn’t take into account the trouble recent graduates are facing to find work that will soon pay off their debt. The industry is entering a period where it will be well oversupplied with talent. Unless a whole lot of old lawyers start retiring ASAP, that situation probably won’t change.
via The Atlantic, What Do Lawyers and Bankers Have in Common? They Lost Jobs in 2011