Robert Ambrogi Blog
I recently blogged here about Law.com’s forthcoming launch of an extensive contributor network, with from 100 to 500 writers from outside ALM regularly contributing commentary and analysis. I wrote that the network would be in the style of The Huffington Post, but it now appears that the better comparison would have been to Forbes, which has its own extensive network of independent contributors.
Today, Forbes announced that it will license the software that drives its contributor network to ALM, the parent company of Law.com. In addition, Forbes will host the Law.com website and provide Law.com with ongoing consulting and custom software development, the announcement said.
The software, called Falcon, is one of the key factors that has enabled Forbes’ contributor platform to be successful, the announcement said. From 2010-2013, Forbes.com’s unique monthly visitors have more than doubled, from 12 to 26 million.
The announcement included this quote from Jeff Litvack, ALM’s chief digital officer:
In the print world, we were limited by physical space as to the number of contributors, but in the digital era, we can expand the number of lawyers and industry watchers who write for our publications. By partnering with Forbes to license its innovative Falcon content management platform, we are confident that the upcoming Law.com Contributor Network will be a groundbreaking digital platform for thought leaders to provide the legal community with opinions and insights on today’s top issues and happenings.
Watch for the contributor network to launch in the first quarter of 2014.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I formerly worked for ALM and was involved in the early development of Law.com.)