The way to say "thanks" in the blogging world is to post a thoughtful and responsive comment.
I appreciate those of you who already gave me comments in person or sent emails about my blog. I am very interested in your feedback, but I'd prefer that you post your comments on this blog site. That's the best way to express appreciation to a blogger. That's how the blogging world works. (Of course, if you want your comments to remain private, in person or email communication is best.)
Already, I had a friend stop me on the street and say. "Hey, I like the blog you wrote yesterday!" Also, a lawyer sent me email on Wednesday (after only 5 days of blogging) saying that I sounded like a “voice crying in the wilderness.” I assume that is because there are so few comments posted. I asked both of them to post a comment, but it hasn't happened yet.
If you want to encourage my writing, and have a minute, just post a thoughtful comment. Initially, just a note that says "congratulations on keeping your NY's resolution" or "Great topic, I look forward to reading it" would be fine. This tells other readers that people are already reading the blog even though it just started. Later on, or if there is a serious discussion, comments should respond more directly to the content.
Blogging etiquette is very subjective and still evolving. Each blog has a different atmosphere. It is like walking into someone's house for a party. Some are very formal, some are wild. When you join a party you have to take a look around and ask. Am I wearing the right clothes? Do I need to bring something? What can should I talk about? Blogs are the same way.
At this point, the party is just starting, but if you like the content and want to hear more, post a comment!
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3 comments:
I really rate Lawrence as a great blogger and for the causes he champions.
http://www.lessig.org/blog/
Let me take the time to introduce myself. I'm the person who stopped Roger on the street to complement him on his most recent blog at the time, "How many lawyers does a law firm need".
Both of our boys were attending the same activity during the winter break. I was in my car waiting for my wife when I saw Roger pull up behind me. I got out to clean off some ice from the windshield and when we said hello, I had to express my interest in that post especially since I had just read it literally minutes earlier.
I have been following Roger's blog ever since he told me about it a week or so ago. When I told him I was following it regularly, he expressed some surprise because, after all, his intended audience is other lawyers, and I am not a lawyer.
What I am is a computer programmer. My work tends to get me so deep in the bits and bytes of whatever it is I am tasked to do, I sometimes takes this stuff for granted. And, it is very easy for me, and honestly for a lot of my colleagues, to lose track of how real people try to use the tools we are constantly trying to shove down the real world's throats.
That may be somewhat cynical. But all too often many people in my industry tend to come up with solutions first and then look for problems that end up having to be twisted and contorted to fit the solution. Many of the people I have encountered over the years are fairly bright. This can be a mixed blessing. Though they see things more deeply than the average bear, that insight can also cause some problems to look a lot easier than they really are. Too many times we underestimate just how hard the real world can be. My favorite example can be summed up in two words. Artificial Intelligence.
Before I start into a long and tiresome tirade, let me return to my original thread.
What draws me to Roger's blog is that here is someone who is not a computer guy, but is someone from another profession who sees a "problem" and is looking for ways to shape those computer-related tools that are out there such that they will fit his problem. Not the other way around.
Even though this blog is by a lawyer for lawyers, the content is well written and the comments are expressed in such a way that can be appreciated by a wide variety of people. It is that characteristic that has turned me into a regular reader.
Back to the article that caused me to compliment Roger. I visited the blog that morning, as I now do every morning when I turn on my computer to check my mail and catch up on the news. I don't know anything about law firms. My experience with lawyers is very limited. So, when I read Roger's observations about this evolution the legal industry is going through, even if it may be information that many of you take for granted, I learned something new. Yes, there was a connection to an earlier post on knowledge management - that technology thread that Roger weaves through every post. But it was that insight into how things are evolving in a field I know very little about that I appreciated.
I should end things here. But let me share something with those of you who are tempted to post a comment in the future. Something that is not new to many I'm sure, i.e., I should have known better.
I'm a big fan of clientless apps. I've been using web based email for years. Clientless apps can be very liberating as long as you can keep your network connection. When I first started to post my comment, I wanted to see what it would look like, so I hit "PREVIEW". I didn't know that I was no longer connected to the network. So, instead of a preview, I saw some useless error telling me that my page could not be loaded. Once I figured out what went wrong, and reconnected to the network, my comments were lost. Poof. Not every clientless app will save your work for you. And, given that I have been burned by this so many times before, like I said, I should have known better.
I now have a new New Year's resolution. If I am going to make a comment to a blog, unless it is short, sweet and easy to reconstruct, I'm going to write it in a local editor first.
Thanks for your support! Great to hear that this blog appeals to a wider audience. Although the legal profession is different, many challenges in growing the law firm of the future are shared by other professional service providers. We can all learn from each other.
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