Source: St. Petersburg Times
Distraught over the loss of her husband, Robin Shwedo did the only thing she felt she could do all by herself: Start a Web log.

“It’s got to start somewhere,” said Shwedo, 53, whose husband, Paul Middleton, died at 71 last year after what Shwedo says was poor care at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg. “I thought at least I could start to get some of my thoughts down and have some people look at it.” Shwedo’s Web log, or “blog” for short, may help her share her grief, but it also puts her at the cutting edge of technology and trials. “You create blogs to create a public perception,” said David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Visions, an Atlanta public relations agency that has helped plaintiffs blog to force action. “It puts pressure on the hospital to settle.”

Johnson didn’t work on Shwedo’s case, but he said he’s seeing more examples of similar cases. He said the idea is in its infancy but is catching on because it works. Others see technology encroaching from other sides. “The Internet is invading the courtroom in 1,000 different ways,” said Bob Kelley, a Fort Lauderdale attorney and author of juryblog.com. “It’s really changing the way we practice law.” [more]