Dear Reader,
I bowled a couple of bouncers on twitter last night when I asked if law blogging was becoming less gentleman/womanly with law bloggers broadcasting rather than ‘engaging’ and not linking to other blogs as much as they used to do. Certainly, there are more law blogs than some years ago – a positive development – but are these blogs ‘out for themselves for business purposes’ or are they part of a wider collective of information sharing?
Brian Inkster considers the ‘elephant in the room’ in a very good blog post which has attracted many comments – all interesting. I’m not interested in the ‘Flawgs’ – blogs which merely highlight the brilliance of the law firm along the lines of *I was sorry to hear that Mount Etna killed thousands in Pompeii in AD 79 (substitute the latest disaster to taste) – meanwhile, if you need advice on conveyancing, personal injury or will drafting etc etc …contact us at…*
The law tweeters I follow on twitter, who also blog, are good at assisting other law bloggers with links in their blog posts to other law bloggers and the occasional RT on twitter. I don’t blog or do podcasts for business purposes. I do it for pleasure. I am delighted to have the support of advertisers on Insite Law for my free student materials project and I am more than happy to assist lawyers and others who assist students by sponsoring the odd podcast or blog post, and I am always receptive to assisting where I can by promoting interesting legal developments, pro bono projects and the profession and academe generally. I have no difficulty whatsoever with law bloggers enhancing their professional and business reputations by blogging – provided they engage, share their expertise and provide good analysis for all. The bloggers in my blogroll and the lawyers I follow on twitter do this. I don’t bother to read the broadcast law blogs or tweets.
A quick look at BlawgReview – an excellent resource for US and other law bloggers – and the recent UK Blawg Roundup #7 will give you an idea of how law bloggers can assist each other by promoting good blogging. I’ve done six BlawgReviews – and enjoy doing them. My most recent was UK centric.
I shall return later in the day….
Best, as always… I raise my glass to law bloggers this week…. Sláinte
Keep batting!
Charon
I generally do not link to posts by other UK law bloggers on conflictoflaws.net, simply because the content does not transfer. Our readership only wants to hear about private international law, and I don’t want to abuse their trust by linking to irrelevant material, no matter how interesting I might find it personally. If I had my own general law blog (again), I certainly would do that.
I don’t, however, generally find any utility in ‘blogrolls.’ They were included by default in the early blogging software packages, and they have stayed. But blogs are born, and die, so quickly nowadays that I think the only viable method is the one mentioned above: link to specific, interesting posts, like you’ve just done here Charon!
Martin – agree in the case of Conflict of Law.net – a very precise and specific blog. An excellent resource.
In your case – given that there aren’t any other Conflict blogs (as far as I know) I can see the point – but you do provide links to useful materials.
I am just pleased to see an increase in law blogging. Long may it continue.
As the purpose of blawgings shifts to flawging, links and interaction become counterproductive, as readers become “leads” that the flawger would never give away.
But isn’t that why different names have emerged to distinguish blawgers from erstwhile flawgers and faux pundits? And of course, while the general reader may have some trouble realizing the purpose of writers, those of us who have been around the blawgosphere for a while know who is who.
I generally don’t link to blogs that don’t themselves link out unless the blogs are of a truly exceptional quality and are providing substantial original content, e.g. something like SCOTUSBlog. If you do not help support the ecosystem, do not expect the ecosystem to support you.
Great post! I pride myself on supporting my fellow bloggers. I use 3 blog rolls, have extensive twitter lists, and recently started a paper.li to bring together my communities content.
Blogging can be a lonely affair sometimes and engaging with the community can be the difference between a consistent blogger and one who drifts off
Max makes an interesting point, about linking to blawgs that don’t link to anyone else. Lawprof Jonathan Turley is like that, a selfish scoundrel to the core, but since I read some interesting things there and find myself writing about them as a result, I feel it would be dishonest not to link to him even though he’s unworthy.
On the other hand, I draw a line at the liars, and I’ve recently decided that I will no longer link to those who are enbaling the liars. It may be childish of me to be overly concerned with integrity online, as opposed to so many others who care only about whether someone “likes” them back, even if they are engaged in pathological deception, but integrity means more to me than gathering a tribe and surrounding myself with friendly, if lying, faces.
As for DietJustice Blog, I sincerely hope you don’t have a clue who I am, as I want nothing to do with your spammy, self-aggrandizing paper.li. That’s not supporting your fellow bloggers, but using others to compensate for having a small penis and nothing worthwhile to say on your own. Write your own stuff and don’t ride the coattails of others.
DietJusticeBlog – I have no interest at all in these absurd .li papers… frankly… I would prefer those who have them … not to use MY stuff (sensible or insane) to fill these vapid organs.
Sorry to be so blunt….
SHG – Agree….. don’t need to add anything to that! We are.. to use a bit of the old Latin… ad idem
A blawg link serves multiple purposes:
-attribution: in the form of a citation to an originating source (i.e. a footnote);
-verification: allowing the reader to consider whether the linked posts have been used in the proper context;
-institutional memory: building upon the differing ideas, concepts and arguments that comprise the Blawgosphere;
-collegiality: acknowledging the views of others, even on points of disagreement, provides an open forum in the marketplace of ideas which promotes free speech, rational discourse and public education.
I’ve never been sure what the point of the paper li is either, although I have to confess to having felt flattered to be included in one or two, but that was because I thought they might help drive some readers to my blog. However, i don’t think they do, probably because noone reads them!
I do like blog directories though (if that’s the correct term). I’m thinking of sites like solicitorsblogs.com – very useful for showcasing blogposts and encouraging new readers, and for discovering other people’s blogs.
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