Re: plaintiff attorneys chatboard GOT IT

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On 11/03/05, Curmudgeon wrote:
> Duh--finally got brain in focus--Bob added a bunch of new boards and
> there are no "old" posts for those boards.

LOL, thank you! In was trying to formulate an answer, but I wasn't
sure of the question.

As you can see, I've added a number of new chatboards to the site.
The challenge is to intuitively channel our users to the boards of
interest.

My solution at this point is to divide the entire group of chatboards
into three networks:

1) Attorney chatboards
these are designed exclusively for attorneys, and relate solely to
topics of interest to legal practitioners. The topics are not
restricted to the board topics, but should be topics of interest to
that group of attorneys. Law students and other legal professionals
are invited to participate, but should realize they are guests. The
overall goal of this network is to provide attorney peer support.

2) Practice Area chatboards
These chatboards are reserved exclusively for the topics specified,
and are also dedicated to attorneys. Law students are encouraged to
participate in substantive discussions, and attorneys should encourage
the academic development of these future lawyers.

The public may participate respectfully on the Practice Area
chatboards, but only on a provisional basis. In other words, they may
serve to spur discussions through legal questions, but their presence
on the chatboards is not invited and may be rescinded without notice
at our sole discretion. While we will never require attorneys to
indicate they are attorneys, it usually becomes obvious who is not an
attorney. Two indicators I'll rely on is illiteracy and antagonism.

3 Law School Chatboards
These include the Law Student chatboard, the group of substantive
areas identified as first year law topics ("1L"), the Constitutional
Law forums, and a few other areas relevant to law students and legal
study. These chatboards are strictly academic in nature, were
developed specifically for law students (and students, for the pre-law
chatboard). Attorneys are encouraged to provide mentor interaction on
these chatboards, keeping in mind the chatboards' target group.

And of course, the Legal Questions chatboard, our run-off valve
for the general public. The Counsel.Net mission is limited strictly
to supporting the legal community - this chatboard is not provided for
any other purpose than an academic exercise for those interested in
legal issues. The standard disclaimers apply - no information posted
is "legal advice," no client relationship is formed, etc.

--

At this point, I've got most of the substantive areas I think we can
service with discussions, but if you can think of any major practice
areas I've left out, or lawyer interest group you think is large and
gregarious enough to fill a chatboard, let me know.

More navigational improvements to come - adding the boards was phase
one, perfecting the navigation is now my top concern. Suggestions and
feedback are welcome here as well....