In preparation for the session “Combating the Web Site Blues: A showcase of
content and outreach approaches from around the country” we circulated an online survey to capture interesting statewide web site activities. The results are listed below.
Presenters – Christie Constantine, Pro Bono Net
Kathleen Caldwell,
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Ayn Crawley,
Maryland's Peoples Law Library
See Appendices for Additional Session Notes
Content Ideas
Susan Sokol
Legal Services for New York City
646-442-3608
ssokol@legalsupport.org
In posting community legal education materials, linking to materials on other web sites is sometimes the most efficient way of bringing good resources to your audience. However, resist the temptation to post a page of links, even if most of the resources that the page lists are useful. Instead, follow each link one by one and review, choose and post each individually chosen resource separately. Don't be shy about using internal links, even if this is not the other organization's preference. By posting each resource as a separate material, you have the opportunity to screen out the less useful materials, highlight the more useful ones with helpful summaries, and order the resources as you think will be most useful. This makes it much more likely that users will find the information that they need and not get lost in a sea of links, unable to find their way back to where they began or to your site.
Margaret Duval
DC Bar Pro Bono Program
2026263471
mduval@dcbar.org
We've matched law librarian volunteers with Topic Owners who write content for our client web site. The law librarians can help find and catalogue the Internet resources that already exist so that the Topic Owners don't have to start from scratch.
Sue Encherman
Northwest Justice Project
206-464-1519
suee@nwjustice.org
Use info from the statewide hotline attorneys to see what new legal problems are popping up - then write a pub for your client web site.
Vince Morris
Arkansas Legal Services Programs
501.975.3775
vmorris@arkansaslegalservices.org
We use WebEx as a quick down and dirty tool for getting a document ready to be published on the public side of our site. I am currently the full-time Content Coordinator, but began as an intern from the local law school. As an intern I recruited several other law students and we created or gathered existing documents with a result of posting to the advocate area over 300 fact sheets, model client letters and forms.
The next hurdle was to have them properly edited for public use on the website. As only a second year law student I did not feel qualified to make the call that a document was accurate enough for posting so I implemented a weekly WebEx meeting inviting all lawyers and paralegals statewide from our offices. This was at most an hour and 1/2 meeting we I show the document via WebEx and edited it on the fly during the meeting. We just went sentence for sentence. And at the end we would usually have a completed edited document ready for posting. Larger documents (such as a packet) would take multiple sessions.
I cannot express enough the efficiency of using WebEx. Instead of getting a dozen different edited documents to piece together you have one meeting where the lawyers are forced to come to an agreement. My role was more of a facilitator than host. You have to be ready to take a lot of hits about your document, but it is worth it. Just be prepared to grow some thick skin.
Early prep is essential. If it is debatable subject make sure you have your states code ready to pull up and those statutes book marked for speed during the meeting. Also, it will fall on you to keep the lawyers from getting too lofty. Focus on readability before hand and during the meeting.
Lastly, the sense of community and teamwork that has grown around this dialogue has been really cool. Part of my job is creating this statewide website was to promote such communication between offices. This strategy has worked very well to that end.
Presenters’ Note: Thanks to Vince for a great long-distance demonstration of his WebEx-based editing technique during our Atlanta session.
Ayn Crawley
Maryland Legal Assistance Network
410-576-9494
acrawley@mdjustice.org
Public Website – We have found it helpful to work with both public and law libraries in 2 ways.
First – as part of our outreach efforts we ask them to give us content ideas based on what people coming into the library ask for. The range of issues tends to be more reflective of the broader community needs. Other ideas – www.peoples-law.org/library.htm. Second - We have worked with a law librarian to develop a section on how to do legal research – http://www.peoples-law.org/finding/the-law/looking_for_the_law.htm. We also worked with her to develop a series of topical research guides - www.peoples-law.org/finding/the-law/research_guide_interface.htm.
Advocate Website – We have found it helpful to work with task forces or others planning trainings. We work with them on the materials, which we post and link to both the agenda and to the cited law, cases, regulations etc. The goal is to have a deeper set of tools than the written materials can provide. We also encourage them to use the newly posted materials as the backdrop for the actual presentation (in addition to the paper versions).
Steve Berry
Northwest Justice Project
562 434-8007
steveb@nwjustice.org
Buy a portable CD burner or zip drive and offer to go on-site to get content from legal service and pro bono lawyers. Often the only thing preventing lawyers from sharing content is either the technical knowledge or the time burden required in submitting content. Make it easy.
We've learned a lot by having a law school librarian on our working committee. Our committee member is very savvy on technology issues and consistently has useful ideas about relating to and developing enthusiasm from lawyers, law students and faculty, maybe because he has the many of the same challenges in his work as a law librarian.
Emil Ray
The Bar Assoc of San Francisco's Volunteer Legal Services Program
415-567-4498
eray@sfbar.org
We have had good results with obtaining content by asking all of our volunteers to pass onto us some samples of pleadings they have created for their cases. We then remove all names and identifying info and post these on our advocate web site for other attorneys to uses as examples.
Most of our user feedback comes from volunteers who call our supervising attorneys and ask questions about navigating through the web site’s libraries. We've found that it helps to post a linked table of contents online, and also to have multiple links to the same document scattered throughout the library, so that people can find a specific resource through a variety of paths.
Madelynn Herman
National Center for State Courts
757-259-1549
mherman@ncsc.dni.us
The reports generated by Pro Bono Net for our pro se advocates web site, Selfhelpsupport.org, are very useful in looking at who is using the site, and what documents users are accessing. This can assist in creating future content to meet users needs.
Beth Kowalczyk
Ohio State Legal Services Association
614-221-7201 ext. 130
bkowalczyk@oslsa.org
To get good news items try using the Google alerts. You simply put in some search terms, like "Ohio poverty welfare" or "Ohio unemployment" etc. and you will receive news items which have those terms in an email message with links. You can use these to find interesting articles to link to.
Jack Liberman
New Mexico Legal Aid
505-864-3295
jjl@swcp.com
I am busy uploading my content at this time. The materials I am using are all researched by myself, and then checked for content by the attorneys responsible for each specific subject area. Following that I edit each piece to the reading level of our expected clientele. My job is solely that of finding resources to be used on our site and preparing them for uploading. I include a graphic whenever I can find something appropriate.
Rachel Batterson
Vermont Law Help/Legal Services Law Line of Vermont
(802) 863-7153
rbatterson@lawlinevt.org
Finding useful content isn't always easy, especially in a rural state. Developing content quickly in all subject areas isn't always possible.
In Vermont, we found that other nonprofits and agencies (two orgs that aren't legal services providers had developed materials that were useful to our users. We also found that our Bar Association (also Advisory Committee members) had developed some content useful to our users. And some state agencies had user-friendly content.
In one case we obtained permission to link to the (non legal services) org's site. In another, we obtained permission to post the org's publication on our site. With the Bar, with some content we link to content on their site and with other content we maintain the content on our site.
The other organization didn't have the ability to publish their booklet on Advanced Directives, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Terminal Care on their site. We agreed to credit the organization with authorship and provide a link to their website in return for their allowing us to post the PDF files of their publication on our site.
We also link to relevant publications on the Vermont Commission on Women website. They have several useful easy-to-read publications about workplace rights.
We also link to state agency information that is written for the general public (as opposed to agency regulations).
Readability. I've found that everyone agrees content needs to be readable. The problem is that legal services advocates (including myself) believe we already write at a grade-appropriate level.
So how to get advocates to write at a lower grade level?
1. Show them HelpMeLaw's site. Yes, it is possible to explain law at a 5-7th grade reading level. They have. So can we.
2. Sit down with an advocate and rewrite a short piece. Make the advocate do it with you. The first time I tried this, we took a 15.36 grade level piece down to grade level 6.12 in 1 hour. Yes. It took an hour. But now this advocate believes it can be done. And we talked through the tips and tricks to lowering grade level as we went. (Example attached as Appendix 4)
Beth Kowalczyk
Ohio State Legal Services
614-221-7201 ext. 130
bkowalczyk@oslsa.org
We have had several Equal Justice fellows working on special projects (one for predatory lending and one for special education). I really took advantage of their limited focus in a certain subject area and made sure they included drafting content for the website in their project. As a result we have a wealth of content on these two areas (which we would not have had otherwise!), including Frequently Asked Questions (not yet posted). The attorneys were very enthusiastic to help out on the project.
Tracy Pappas
Indiana Legal Services
(317) 631-9410
tracypappas@aol.com
We have been drafting content in a question and answer format. I have a list of topics for which I would like an article. These topics are given to law student volunteers along with a brief memo on "writing for the web." The law students draft the articles and return them to me. I either review the work or give the article to an in-house attorney or a pro bono attorney to review. I then post the article after it has been approved by an attorney.
Sonia Montero
california indian legal services
510 835 0284
scmontero@calindian.org
Be flexible. Chances are your first attempts to get a content system may not work so do not be rigid about having to change content collection and posting systems. By the same token, have some general guiding principles. This helps with sustained buy-in even if you have to revamp your process. (See our Content Standards posted on LS Tech.)
Sherna Deamer
Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
(925) 646-2127
sdeam@sc.co.contra-costa.ca.us
Many content providers approach the subject as though the user had walked into their law office. That is, they seem to assume: 1) the person looking at the site is in the state; 2) is already involved in a case; 3) and has made some decision about acting on the information.
www.cc-courthelp.org does not make these assumptions. Because we know people are looking at this material from all over the world, the front page is a very simple explanation of what type of problem this type of case addresses. It goes from very broad to extremely specific, as requested by the user.
Also, we don't assume that the person has made a decision about the process. Information is given about ways to solve this type of problem BEFORE going to court, how to proceed with a court case if that is one's decision, and what to do after a court case -- immediately, and later if the situation changes.
Outreach Ideas
Beth Kowalczyk
Ohio State Legal Services Association
614-221-7201 ext. 130
bkowalczyk@oslsa.org
We are redesigning our site and have a new logo we'll feature. We are also going to print business cards and I thought we could put a blurb about the website on the back of the cards. We could potentially use lots of color to make the website info stand out. Not sure if we'll use it but just a small idea of what we might try to help promote the site. Taking a cue from LStech.org we are setting up our own "cyber cafes" in our state support office for when there are meetings and trainings held here. We have one or two computers set up and people can check their email or specifically our HotDocs document assembly project and test it out. This was a great idea from Pam Lammon our Project Attorney.
State legislators get questions from constituents all the time. Tell your state legislators about the website and how it can help them with constituent questions. We had one legislator take our letter and use it to write an article in the local paper for his district.
Carolina Lombardi
Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc
305.576.0080 X 326
carolinal@lsgmi.org
I handle our program's web site using the template provided by probono.net. I am surprised by the number of applicants for attorney positions who check our our web site before their interview and who use the information posted to ask pertinent questions. A lot of other providers also use our website for information on what we do, how to get service etc. Our Board President uses the information on the web site when she represents our Program. Staff reference the web site to friends and family since we started adding profiles of cases with advocates photos, which in turn raises our profile in the community.
Emil Ray
The Bar Assoc of San Francisco's Volunteer Legal Services Program
415-567-4498
eray@sfbar.org
(regarding advocate focused web sites) We automatically give a website membership to all volunteers who attend one of our trainings. We also sent out a mailing to pro bono coordinators, as well as a follow up email about the website's resources.
Vince Morris
Arkansas Legal Services Programs
501.975.3775
vmorris@arkansaslegalservices.org
During our WebEx Edit sessions (described above) we include a couple minutes each week for people new to the website or for new features for regular users. It has been the number one way of getting advocates to becomes aware and use the materials posted. There is a sense of agency and ownership over the material. Even though the document is complete before editing there is a sense that we all create it and share equally in its success or failure.
Sherna Deamer
Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
(925) 646-2127
sdeam@sc.co.contra-costa.ca.us
We would like to collect two types of data -- user profiles, and user behavior -- and to tie these two together with zero risk to the user. This is done by using session cookies, which self-deletes at the end of each session, and persistent cookies that load from a generic domain. These are correlated with the users' IP address.
Sue Encherman
Nortwest Justice Project
206-464-1519
suee@nwjustice.org
Advertise the web sites in monthly newsletters with statistics. Add a humorous graphic.
Sonia Montero
california indian legal services
510 835 0284
scmontero@calindian.org
We developed a brochure for clients explaining how to navigate the site.
APPENDIX 1
Two Interesting Factoids from the Maryland Legal Assistance Network
#1 – Client access to the Internet
MLAN and Legal Aid have been operating focus groups of potential clients who are waiting for intake over at the Legal Aid Bureau’s Baltimore city office. As of March 8, 2003, 76 clients have participated - ages 14 to 76. (Only 2 were juveniles.) Of the total, a surprising 68% reported they had access to the Internet. 34% responded affirmatively that they had access at home. While an additional 34%, who did not have access at home, reported that they had access at other locations, such as the house of a friend or relative or the public library. Interestingly, 26% have looked for legal information on the web before.
Statistics on Percentages of Internet Usage as of 3/11/04
| Question |
Yes |
% |
No |
% |
Total
Answers |
| Do you have access to Internet at home? |
26 |
34% |
50 |
66% |
76
50
76
76 |
| If no, do you have access somewhere else? |
26 |
52% of the # who said no
34% of total who answered |
24 |
48% of the # who said no
32% of total who answered |
| Would you use legal info on the Internet if reliable? |
69 |
91% |
7 |
9% |
| Ever looked for legal info on the web before? |
20 |
26% |
56 |
74% |
In terms of future use, 91% said that they would use the web to find legal information if the site was reliable.
#2 Who are we serving with statewide websites?
When considering the needs of low-income persons, we often have our current client population in mind. There is a body of research that has looked at the question of who is poor. This research contributes several issues of importance when considering content level and intent. They have looked at the "cycles of poverty" and found that:
· Most of the people who will ever become poor will have a relatively short stay in poverty (in under 2 years approximately 59% will leave poverty)
· Most of the people who are poor at any given time will have very long spells of poverty.
Literacy is more than the ability to read prose. It includes the ability problem-solving, finding information in text, completing forms and interpreting charts.
· 3 of 4 people on welfare are in the lowest 2 levels on the 5 point national literacy scale.
· 25% of the people on welfare have skills comparable to those with some post-secondary education.
Sources: “Getting Down to Basics: Matching Welfare Recipients’ Skills to Jobs that Train” by Anthony Carnevale and Donna Desrochers and “Welfare: Indicators of Dependency” ETS Policy Information Report by Paul Barton
Interesting Factoid from the Kathleen Caldwell about the Tennessee Legal Needs Study
The results of the Tennessee Legal Needs Survey were published in January 2004 and offered two questions on technology access.
· Do you have a way to get on the Internet (at home, at a friend’s, library, etc.)?
Forty-three percent (43%) responded “yes”. Interestingly, 38% of the households with extremely low income (under 62.5% of the poverty level) reported Internet access.
· Do you have email?
31% of the people who answered said that they had an email account.
Source - Tennessee Legal Needs Study: January 2004
http://www.tals.org/Home/PublicWeb/LinkedDocuments/Executive%20summary.pdf
APPENDIX 2
Session Follow-up Notes
“Combating the Website Blues”
Atlanta Equal Justice Conference Session
April 15, 2004
URL’s for sites we discussed during our session:
A Nation Online: How Americans are Expanding Their Use of the Internet
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/index.html
As of this 2002 report, 25% of households $15,000 and below reported Internet use.
Tennessee Legal Needs Study
http://www.tals.org/Home/PublicWeb/LinkedDocuments/Executive%20summary.pdf
January 2004: 43% reported easy access to the Internet.
What Underserved Internet Users Want
http://www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/low_income/underserved.html
Study conducted by The Children’s Partnership.
Comprehensive links lists to legal services and other self-help sites:
http://www.ptla.org/ptlasite/links/links.htm
Comprehensive list of statewide web sites now available:
http://www.lawhelp.org
For list of probono.net advocate web sites currently launched, see:
http://www.probono.net (select state from drop down menu on left navigation)
Ideas and tips on working with Librarians
www.peoples-law.org/library.htm
Biggest Challenges/Solutions
1. Getting content from providers
· Survey hotline staff, or front-line intake people to find out where new content is needed
· Go around to legal services and pro bono lawyers with CD burner or zip drive, to get content from them on the spot
· Work through program or statewide task forces to develop and solicit good topical content
· Use the task force trainings as opportunities to collect material and/or to create a section of the website dedicated to the training. Can also use this newly created content section as backdrop/resources during the training by projecting the relevant materials on the site as the speaker presents.
2. Developing community partnerships
· Do presentations to community groups, court personnel, state workers, librarians, etc. (although this is a very labor-intensive approach)
· Work out a deal with the Bar for updating content
3. Translation costs/cultural issues
4. Keeping it current.
5. When others move their content, creating broken links.
· Having strong partnerships helps—so you’ll be more likely to know when they’re making changes to their websites/moving things around/posting new content or taking down old content
· Keep hard copy file of content you link to, to help find moved content, where URL has changed.
6. Other people’s sites (especially contact information) not being current.
7. Challenges around going to more on-line intake (vs. phone and office intake)
8. Problems with duplicating efforts/ not re-inventing the wheel
· Survey what’s already out there before you create new content
· Develop a network of content creators, to help co-ordinate the creation and updating of content in your state across agencies
9. Inability of non-tech people to access and revise/ update material
· Use platform that will support submission and updating of content by non-tech staff (such as those that Kaivo and LawHelp template sites provide)
10. Paternalistic attitudes, territoriality, people who don’t want to share content
11. TIG reporting responsibilities
· Use to your advantage; don’t let this framework drag you down or stifle the creative dynamic it takes to develop a site that works for your community. Get LSC to work with you on this.
12. Lack of time and resources.
· Use law students to:
o Convert brief bank
o Do marketing
o Develop drafts of new materials – work with substantive experts
o Edit
o Translate
o Catalogue existing resources
o Fact check current and newly developed materials
o Post materials
o Research routine updates
· Network with librarians:
o NW Justice includes law school librarian on website working committee—has been a very successful partnership.
o Ask them for content ideas—what people are looking for online but can’t find because no good resource is posted on that topic.
o They can help with outreach, to familiarize their users with your site.
o Find out what they know about existing resources, so you won’t waste time developing duplicative content.
o Also see Maryland ideas on working with librarians www.peoples-law.org/library.htm.
Challenges/solutions particular to advocate-side sites
1. Sorting out different user groups/giving access to different parts of the site.
· This takes planning with all stakeholders. Best to plan this out, as best you can, before launching the site.
2. Ongoing problem for site manager: among individual registrants, deciding who to give or deny access to.
3. Figuring out what content pro bono attorneys really want and will use.
· Alaska – identified need for individual packets on how to handle specific cases.
Top Ten Ways to Energize Your Project (well, nine…)
1. Outreach via Access to Justice Initiatives – work with the Initiatives to publicize the site on their materials and sessions.
2. Go to big law firms for graphic design and print help.
3. Ask law firm marketing departments to help you develop outreach materials and a strategy.
4. Link to the statewide on-line or 800# “Ask a Librarian” programs operated in many states by law libraries and other public libraries.
· MD example - http://www.epfl.net/ask/index.html
· TX example - http://info.lib.uh.edu/services/aska.html?t=text
· CA example - http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/html/ask_a_librarian.html
5. “Do-it-yourself” updates help to make it easier and faster to stay up-to-date—give multiple people access.
6. Make it easy for others to critique what is on your site.
· Feedback forms
http://www.ptla.org/ptlasite/cliented/housing/questionnaire
· Page rating system—Amazon-style
http://www.illinoislawhelp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.dsp_content&contentID=1779
7. Include website address everywhere that you publish contact information: agency denial notices, court notices re/ where to get legal help, brochures, letterhead, etc.
Pro bono sites:
8. Use the site to post materials from CLE sessions.
9. Post “volunteer of the month” profile on the website.
Equal Justice Conference, Atlanta, GA
April 15, 2004
AGENDA
I. Introductions & Outline format of session (10 min)
II. Client Web sites: Content and Outreach (35 min)
-Brainstorm challenges
Webex demo with Vince Morris 10:15-10:30
III. Advocate & Pro Bono Web sites: Content and Outreach (25 min)
-Brainstorm challenges
-Brainstorm solutions and no-no's for each challenge
IV. Discussion/Q&A (20 min)
Content & Outreach--Client Challenges
-Not enough time to focus
-Paternalistic attitudes about access to info and ability of people to inform selves
-“Poor people don’t use the Internet”
-Non-charismatic personalities
-Lack of vision
-People treat site as one time effort, not on-going work
-People are territorial, don’t want to share
-Too few resources for marketing
-Little expertise in marketing & media work
-Timeline for grant is stressing me out!!! Try to be true to the process you are cultivating, e.g. publish 2 topics, not 10
Solutions
Content
-WY developed detailed content protocols, has helped with workflow and managing expectations.
-Many states have tapped sources of national online content.
-TX has established content committees, and focused on a smaller number of content areas .
-MT, WA & VA have used law students & VISTA volunteers to write drafts of client content and assist w/ gathering, formatting and uploading materials to their web sites.
-AK tapped local courts that had legal ed. materials available. AK partnered w/ Pro Bono Net to implement new multi-document cluster presentation tool to accommodate court content. Courts now using the AK LawHelp site for distribution of their materials.
Outreach
-MT placed postcards advertising their site in food baskets given out at the local food bank.
-TX ATJ included web site projects in their overall marketing plan. AZ, LA, TX marketing planning and/or funding for marketing materials/activities donated by state bar.
-Librarian outreach—many states providing local libraries w/ marketing materials to spread the word about the web site.
-Tap LSC office of public relations for press coverage. LSC helped AK get coverage in USA TODAY for the launch of their client web site.
No-No’s/Ways to kill your project
-Don’t follow up on people’s offers of content
-Don’t cultivate sense of ownership of website among colleagues
-Expect people to follow up on their own, don’t offer to help
-Don’t set written protocols
-Treat site as static web page—don’t seek feedback or conduct evaluation for new content ideas
-Don’t seek out interesting partnerships
-Don’t have press kit
-Don’t express your project’s mission in terms of poverty population’s needs
-Don’t tell hotline, intake, librarian, churches, social services!
-Don’t take a holistic approach w/ content, make sure non-integrated into state delivery system
Content & Outreach--Advocate Challenges
-Where do we get content?
-Who is site focused on?
-How do we get people using it?
-How do we change the minds of technophobes?
-How to deal w/ one program w/ strong intranet—how to get people to share?
-Practice habits not fully developed w/in legal aid of using technology—time heals—patience and maturity of tech skills & comfort level
-Larger dysfunctions w/in the state justice community manifested in planning process
-Need core constituency, need to focus on areas where people are unfamiliar or where there is a need to bring people together. E.g. consumer, in MD.
Solutions
Content
-Listen and meet the need!
Marketing
-CA features a volunteer of the month on their web site: http://www.probono.net/sf
-Do demos of site at law day, conferences, related events.
-TX, LA, GA and others offer CLE credit to those who attend demos & trainings
-Law firm summer and new fall class outreach—PBN goes to the firms at these times to recruit new members.
-Post cards
-E cards
-Promote site at established legal clinics & trainings
-Promote site at local and state Bar Assoc. conferences
-Try to tap local and state bar publications for press
-Monthly emails highlighting new content & calendar events to members to keep them coming back.
No-No’s/Ways to kill your project
-start really big, bite off more than you can chew!
