What exactly does it mean it mean to be a real blogger?
Blogging in Bangladesh, where speaking openly can get you killed, certainly requires more than blogging in the United States, but Dhaka Tribune’s Arild Klokkerhaug’s (@arildk) piece on what it means to be a blogger is one ever law blogger ought to read.
You see, a man approached Klokkerhaug and proclaimed, “I am a blogger.” Klokkerhaug smiled and replied that he already guessed so – he had witnessed the man’s engagement in a crowd.
How does Klokkerhaug spot a real blogger?
- Real bloggers are true storytellers who can capture your imagination and attention as if it came naturally to them.
- Bloggers always care about something, some issue or subject, so much that they just cannot remain ignorant or passive when it is being discussed.
- Engagement is what throws them into blogging and online debates, making them return day after day to publish new posts on their blogs.
- Bloggers are community-oriented and relationship-focused. Bloggers are almost always found in groups, engaged in deep “adda” and camaraderie with other fellow bloggers.
- Bloggers rarely settle for the established and commonly accepted views. Whenever important questions involving lots of “whys” and “hows” pop up in their heads, the seeds to a new blog post are sown.
- Bloggers are resourceful, talented, and smart and have no deadline for subjects they want to investigate deeper into.
- Courage is a defining trait of real bloggers.
- Through the comments and social media engagement of others, bloggers get instant feedback on their stories and become emboldened to write more.
American law bloggers worry they’ll offend a partner, run afoul of an ethics rule (never happens), express true insight and commentary versus dry summaries of the law and not be able to afford to pay someone to blog for them.
Across the world, Klokkerhaug reports Bangladesh bloggers spend their own money to print and distribute thousands of awareness creating posters and travel long distances to distribute warm clothing and help sick children by raising money for expensive life-saving operations.
Rather than take dry legal summaries, alerts or newsletters to blog software in the name of blogging, lawyers would be well served to get out and track down a good blog and read it. I am with Klokkerhaug that by doing so you’ll get a real peak into the amazing world of true blogging and be surprised how such blogging can help you in your blogging.
As Klokkerhaug says, “bloggers constitute such a beautiful and enriching diversity of opinions, appearance, and characters.” You’ll find joining them a heck a rewarding experience.
Image courtesy of Flickr by Naquib Hossain
