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November 13, 2005
BlawgThink 2005
I am on my way home from BlawgThink 2005 in Chicago. The event lasted two days and consisted of one day of organized presenters on various blogging topics and a second day of relatively unstructured but topical interaction with other people.
The event was much like blogging: you get out of it what you put into it, but in ways you don’t necessarily expect. The presenters on the first day each had a prepared talk about a specific aspect of blogging, which may have been a technical session about specific tools or techniques, marketing aspects of legal blogging, or how to find your voice in creating a blog.
All the sessions I attended had wonderful nuggets of information that I will take back and incorporate into my soon-to-be more normal routine of blogging.
The best part of the conference, and one that was particularly emphasized, was the personal contact with other bloggers. Throughout my life, I have found that every individual person has a fascinating story to tell. Some people’s stories are incredible tales of heroics, while others are more sublime. I had the priceless opportunity to meet many different people from many different backgrounds and walks of life in a unique way.
Through a blog, a reader can get a slice of who a person is and what makes them think. After reading a blog for a while, a reader knows that aspect of the writer. Completing that picture by meeting the writer in person, breaking bread with them, and talking with them has been incredibly fascinating.
One story repeated in several different varieties is the notion that personal relationships developed through blogging have based on meritocracy than anything else. Skin color, gender, appearance, physical abilities, or any other factor with which we normally subconsciously judge people when first meeting them are swept aside and we hear that person’s voice on a specific issue. We may or may not resonate with the writer on that issue, but the other social factors that normally affect our interactions are completely removed, until we meet these people face to face.
In several cases, I had a developed a bond with people through their blog and internet presence only to find out that their views on certain other topics were diametrically opposed to mine. This was a great opportunity for me to hear other points of view from people for whom I had a tremendous respect on other topics.
In essence, this weekend has been an enormous internet dating ritual. I had known many of the bloggers through their writing, but never met them in person. The first evening, when we were to meet in a hotel bar, I remember standing at the bar ordering a drink and looking around the room to see who may be geeky lawyer blogger types. I realized that I had seen a few of them only through a postage stamp sized picture of some of the people on their blog, but I would not be able to pick them out of a crowd.
When I finally found someone remotely familiar, I realized I was in the right place. The bond, friendship, and almost instant camaraderie between everyone as palatable, as everybody began to put a face with the name and voice from their blog.
I got a good deal of tips, tricks, and technical advice from the conference, but the most important, most lasting, and most valuable portion of the event was to make deeper and more meaningful relationships with other bloggers. That was priceless.
Posted by krajec at November 13, 2005 06:53 AM
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