Legal Commentary

Like a rude guest at a party, I fear I've stayed past my welcome by a few days. I really want to thank Dan and everyone at PrawfsBlawg for having me. But before I go, a few more thoughts. When I first joined PrawfsBlawg at the beginning of the month, I posted that I was trying my hand at blogging for the first time with both curiosity and hesitation. On the one hand, I felt that there was something very exciting and valuable going on in the blogosphere, and I wanted to be a part of it. But on the other hand, I wasn't sure if I had the right personality for blogging and if it would be a productive use of my time. So I offered to be a "Blogging Guinea Pig" for any other reluctant bloggers out there who also weren't sure if this was something they'd like to try. For all of you, I offer my final report:

My month of blogging went by in a flash. I managed to post nine times (including this one) but several of them were not particularly substantive. I felt like there were so many more things to say but the time simply wasn't there. I was surprised at how long it took to compose even one seemingly simple post. But I was also amazed that once I started to blog, I started to see the events of my day as potential blog entries (here's an interesting thought about something I read in the paper, is there a post in that? or what about that discussion with a student in class, is that worth writing about?) Having both a duty and an opportunity to explore small thoughts seemed to light up a part of my brain that often lies dormant and that must be a good thing. The bad news is that my blogging definitely interfered with my ability to do other research and writing.

The potential for immediate feedback, however, was enticing. When the feedback came, it was fun and exciting, but when it didn't the silence was deafening. (Embarrassingly, I got the most comments when I simply copied and pasted an entertaining email from a colleague.) Being part of an online community was a really nice feeling. And there were no "piranhas" -- I found the PrawfsBlawg crew to be a positive one. One post even resulted in me reconnecting with a former professor.

In the end, I'm so glad I jumped in the deep end by giving blogging a try and I urge others to do the same. The more voices that join the conversation can only make it that much richer and more productive. For now, however, I'm retreating back to my private world where I can get some "real" work done. But maybe I'd like to join the party again some day if you'll have me . . .