December 2005

What's your take on the rise of the blogging phenomenon?

A fair amount of buzz has been created around the practice of blogging recently, but is this a trend that has really caught on? How does it relate to the legal profession? Blogs are certainly pervasive on the internet, and a slight majority of you (57%) read some sort of blog on a regular basis. However, creating and maintaining a blog is a different story: only 19% of respondents write their own law-related blog.

The hype surrounding blogs also comes with a dark side, and we've all heard stories about bloggers getting into tight positions at work regarding their blogging habits. Despite these stories, none of you responded that your employer has specific policies governing employee blogs.

Your comments indicate that these are among the most popular law-related blogs:

• How Appealing
• SCOTUSblog
• Volokh Conspiracy
• Ernie the Attorney

Your Opinions:

“I do not understand how anyone with a legal practice of any size would have time to blog. Also, self-publishing of any sort should come with a big warning label regarding accuracy. Sharing one's opinion is fine, if it is clearly identified as such. Passing off that opinion as authoritative is quite another.”

“I am still a student and find the academic and professional blawgs a great supplement to what I learn in the classroom. It's nice to have access to the latest thoughts from practitioners and scholars in virtual realtime. I feel like a virtual student/protege.”

“Blogging is a professionally-enhancing activity, although I can't attribute any specific business to it yet.”

“All of these web-based communications take a lot of time and effort to stay current and meaningful.”

“I would be interested in starting one but don't have much technology background.”

“I don't read editorials in newspapers so why should I waste my time reading people's opinions online?”