I have previously suggested that corporations could scan blogs as an early warning system for legal issues. Business Week’s Blogspotting has an interesting post that relates to this idea.
Quoting an “experienced corporate blogger,” How corporations track the blogs: A blogger weighs in reports “any company that is not watching the blogosphere is missing out on a great deal of information that is quite useful/pertinent. It’s stupidly easy to do and basically, a free way to gather intelligence.” Among the sources of information one might not find elsewhere: spouses and new or ex-employees.
A forward thinking law firm could either track the blogosphere as a service for its clients or to identify possible legal issues as part of its marketing efforts.