Jottings By An Employer's Lawyer

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Seven Years of Jottings. Why?


If on July 17, 2002 when I made my first post, I had a goal to blog until retirement, today would have marked the 1/2 way point, if not to retirement at least to the time when I reach my full social security retirement age. However, I had no goal and no real plan, just trying out a new and interesting technology. I chose to write about a topic I that I knew something about.

The "why" question is one I have asked on numerous occasions, and one I am sure my law partners over the years have asked as well, although I must say never directly of me.

In good blogging fashion, I will refer you to an excellent article by Cliff Tuttle at Pittsburgh Legal Back-Talk, Why Blog? 10.5 Good Reasons, which is what I would have hoped to have been wise enough to write, if I answered the question in full.

Two points, I would particularly emphasize, self-education and reinforcement of learning. A third that is implied if not explicit, is having my own research repository, which has proved to be helpful both to me and to my colleagues over the years.

I would also agree with Cliff that marketing by itself is not a sufficient reason.

As I noted in last year's posting on the 6th anniversary, the number of blogs focusing on labor and employment law is far more than the three I can think of that existed at the end of my first year. (The two others - George Lenard and Michael Fitzgibbon continue as well.) After my list of 49, by April of this year, the folks at Delaware Employment Law Blog, were able to come up with their Top 100 Employment Law Blogs, and I would guess that there have been new ones since that post.

For the future, I intend to continue blogging, maybe writing more about traditional labor law as I think that is going to be more relevant in the near future and returning to stories of MDV's which for some reason seems to have lagged of late. (My posting, not the verdicts themselves.)

For those who have stopped in at some point during the last seven years, thanks.


Comments:
Mr. Fox:

Thank you for posting about my article on blogging. I have received a lot of positive feedback on "Why Blog?" which has been gratifying. It has also reinforced my resolve to keep doing it and to do it well.

I don't have an employment law blog on my blogroll at present, so I am adding yours. I read the blogs on the Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk blogroll frequently and have been known to feature them in my posts.

Cliff Tuttle
 
Michael, thanks for the thoughtful post. I definitely agree with the "repository" reason. More often than not, I post to record my understanding of an area of law at the peak of my understanding. On numerous occasions, I have searched my own blog to refresh my recollection of the law. And the reinforcement of learning is another powerful reason to blog. In short, I think blogging makes you a better lawyer.
 
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