In-House Counsel

Thoughts on this blog?s third anniversary

By Rees Morrison

Hold the confetti, but do drop me a line. Three years ago, on Feb. 20, 2005, Law Department Management made its debut. Three years on, this blog offers 3,049 posts. In a Word file the blizzard runs over 1,000 pages. As on each anniversary, the outpouring makes me reflect (See my post of Jan. 4, 2008: retrospective thoughts on this weblog.).

This past year my posts much more frequently referred back to related posts on a topic (See my post of Jan.18, 2008 #2: more than 3,500 back references.). Given the bulk of previous writings, it is rare for me to write something that does not resonate with an earlier entry. It is unclear to me, however, how many readers go to find prior posts.

As a related step, I have pulled together many more embedded metaposts and now have put more than 50 of them on Law Department Management. By my rule, an embedded metapost collects five or more posts on a topic. Gradually I am integrating, systematizing, and learning this large subject area.

In a third development this year, my compulsion to cover only new topics ? never repeat the core idea of a prior post! ? has been weakening. After all, even if a second or third post comments on yet another convergence project, the size of the law department differs, or the industry, or the time period during which the project took place.

My practice has also begun to shift toward inserting documents, specifically my recent articles. I can upload a PDF file and hypertext to it. Whether readers find those articles useful is unknown; as I have often muttered, nearly all of my efforts are met with one hand clapping.

It has proven useful during the past year for me to send blog posts to those who are cited and to ask them to comment. I intend to do so more often. Additionally, several co-posters have joined me, and Paul Roy has become a regular contributor of expertise.

This blog captivates me and I look forward eagerly to 2008.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on February 25, 2008 (boomark / email).