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Lawyer blogs : A bridge to lay people, not a tool to alienate them

Telling non lawyers who don't know what a 'blawg' is to go look it up seems the height of arrogance and the stuff that makes the public hate lawyers. But that's exactly what the editor of the Blawg Review says to do. “…[I]f you encounter someone who doesn't know what blawg means, kindly tell them to google it.”

Not trying to be the language police, but lawyers have much to gain by being more like non-lawyers than expecting non-lawyers to understand our world and language. In a 2002 ABA study on the poor reputation of lawyers, consumers recommended that we lawyers do a better job communicating with people and that we create Internet legal resources for people.

Legal blogs are a perfect answer to the public's request. Why lead with more legalese? As lawyers, why not call our blogs by the same name everyone else uses? Wouldn't it be step in the right direction?

  • Dennis Kennedy

    Kevin,
    I noticed today that the Wikipedia entry on “blogs” no longer mentions the term “blawg” or treats legal blogs as a specifically-mentioned category of blogs, as it used to do.
    Although I use the word “Blawggies” for my annual “awards,” I use the word in a jokey way, even though I sometimes feel that I'm the only one in on the joke. I've always felt that Denise Howell created the word “blawg” with a sense of playfulness, not with any idea of making it a proscriptive or taxonomic term. In fact, I “consulted” with Denise on whether the word should be “blawggies” or “blawgies.” On the other hand, we both felt that “blawger” was better than “blawgger.”
    I do see your point that “blawg” may create one more barrier, albeit a small one, to communications.
    I've struggled with the alternatives. The worst, it seems to me, is “legal blog,” which suggests that there is another category of “illegal blogs.” “Lawyer blogs” doesn't cover law professor, law librarian, law student and other law-related blogs.
    I find that lately I'll refer to “law blogs” or “law-related blogs” when I refer to the general category.
    One of the cool aspects of Denise's formulation of the term “blawg” is that it reflects the formation of “blog” out of “web log.”
    What attracted me to blogging was the freedom in the form and the lack of “rules.” I don't like to see proscriptions on what to do or not do. Your audience will generally help you sort that out. Otherwise, I say let's let a thousand flowers bloom.
    I notice that I tend to use the term “blawg” less these days than I used to, for some of the reasons you've described, but it does remain an effective short-hand term to use when referring in a blanket way to law-related blogs.
    I admit that I fear the day when the debates occur over what is and isn't a “blawg”. I'll be staying out of that discussion, but I can imagine the questions over whether it includes blogs on non-legal subjects by lawyers or blogs on legal subjects by non-lawyers. That discussion alone suggests that the simple use of “blog” may be the way to go.
    Denise donated the term “blawg” to the world, so I think it's great if people use it, although it's nice if people remember to credit her now and then.
    You and I might not agree on when to use the term, but we definitely agree that there may be good reasons to use it. I can't resist noting your use of the word “blawg” at the bottom of your blog and the good reasons for doing so.

  • http://kevin.lexblog.com Kevin O'Keefe

    Well said Dennis. You're right about about one attraction of blogs being the freedom in form and the lack of “rules.”
    And there's no doubt Denise Howell created the word “blawg” with a sense of playfulness. Heck, each time I write about the subject, I hesitate out of fear I am slamming Denise, which I don't intend to. She, as well as you, has ton for blogs being where they are.
    You're right about 'legal blogs' implying there are such things as illegal blogs. I'll probably stick with blog, law blog and lawyer blog.

  • T Edwards

    So what is the latest score in your pissing match with Blawg review?