Blog or Blawg?

So this morning I was checking my referrers and discovered that the law firm of Bremer Nelson, LLP had linked to this blog from their new blawg, Quid Pro Quo. They kindly refer to Stay of Execution as a "great example" of a "personal diary or journal of daily living," in their explanation of what a blog is. Thanks much. And then I noticed that they have a nice blawgroll of all kinds of law blogs and Stay of Execution was not among them. By which I deduce that they considered the question of what is a "blog" and what is a "blawg" and decided that this site is a great example of the former but is not really the latter.

Which is okay with me, but did get me thinking. I mean, this is definitely a journal of daily living, and pretty clearly not about law, right? Notwithstanding my previous post, which was kind of tongue in cheek (although that is what I'm working on, and I'd better get to it). I don't write about the cases I'm working on, because generally that's not okay to do. Sometimes I write about clients and their problems and the things it makes me think about, but that's more journalish than legal. I run into interesting legal problems that get me intellectually excited, not every day but several times a week for sure, but I often don't write about those because the interesting parts are the grey areas and those come up for me in the context of cases or business positions where we have to take a position, and so it would be inappropriate to discuss how hard and murky and strange the law seems to be. I suppose I could go back and write about such questions after the client's problem and this firm's position have been resolved, but it is my nature to gallop forward and not to stew too long on such things. You guys have other places to go to read about cases and legal theory; I'm not your best source for such things. Nor can I offer many war stories.

Is this a blawg because I have a law degree? Because I am admitted to practice law in a couple of states? Because I actually work practicing law? Because lawyers read it? Because law students read it? (And lawyers and law students, do you read it for legal content? Or just because it's a great example of a journal of daily living, to coin a phrase?) I dunno. And do non-lawyers like it because it's legal, or because it's not? I dunno.

I agree with the Quid Pro Quo guys. I think this is a plain old blog, written by a person who happens to be working as a lawyer. What do you think?

Comments

[pjm]

Hmmm, I was reading something apropos just this very morning. Let me see if it's online... yes.

"How many hours have we all spent trying to come up with names for the music we love? Shhh. If you want to hear it, listen."

(Source available on request.)

[Dave]

I concur. I couldn't care less about the categorization of your site. All I know is that it's well-written, entertaining, and (whether you like it or not) informative.

Keep up the good work.

[ML]

Hmmm; the law office does give you access to the heights of Portland, where chimneys can look like people about to jump. I guess that's one reason it's good it's a blawg.

[Jim]

I agree with Dave. Your observations are made through the eyes of a lawyer (even if the observations are not about the law itself) and that makes your site, I think, especially interesting to lawyers.

[Evan]

Good post title, but I'm still going to do "Blawg As Dog," which I believe is still available for posting ("Blog or Dog," "Blog As Dog" and "Blog or Blawg" having been taken).

If a dog, your site would be in the "winning show dog" category. But let's switch metaphors. As you know, I practice in Madison County, Illinois, which is across the river from St. Louis. According to a recent issue of the New Yorker, St. Louis is now the rap capital of the world. Remember Nelly? He was from St. Louis, and he had a number of "cross-over hits." You, Scheherazade, are a cross-over hit. Blawg or blog, it doesn't matter. Fans of both enjoy your site.

[cm]

For me, this "plain old blog" reenforces the crazy idea that I can enter the legal profession and be a generally content, well-rounded person. Many lawyers (and law students) don't leave one with that impression...

That and everything people said about fun and well-written!

[colin]

I read this, and other blogs/awgs to better understand what it is to be someone with a law degree.

I could learn about it myself in three years after I graduate with one, but this seems easier (for the moment.)

-Colin

[WAB]

I like the description as an incredibly engaging journal of daily living. But it is more than that. It is the journal of a young lawyer relating some of the human issues in getting established in her career. It is also an insight of the world as early career, women professionals see it.

So for me the law connection is very relevant, but it certainly is not a law blog a la Lawrence Solum's Legal Theory blog which I also read avidly.

[Ann M. Byrne]

Gosh, all I wanted to do was recognize what a great job I think you're doing!

I'm not crazy about the word "blog." I think it sounds like something you'd do in private. I am even less crazy about the word "blawg" because I think it sounds even more like something you'd do in private because you don't want anyone to know you're doing it! I was just trying to clue my poor clients into some of the lingo.

Actually, I don't really think it matters whether you have a blog or a blawg. Just keep doing your thing. It's a read I look forward to every day.

[pjm]

I dislike the word "blog" too. It sounds like a nasty belch.

In this case, I think we should just refer to Stay as a bl*g. (For a more restrictive PCRE, there's the alternate "bl[aw|o]g".)

[oem software]

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