"Hey Michael - nice idea, but i have far too much fun ready you're [sic] blogs! And plus it would be more like a distraction for me(rather than motivational). but nice suggestion though."
Oh well. It's your loss, Katie. But does the blawgosphere lose too?
The ‘sphere needs new blood - desperately, if the out and out truth be told. And it's not going to get it from an ageing bunch of law graduates, now slightly squidgy round the edges, growing bitterer by the day. (Speak for yourself, Michael :p).
Indeed, I seem to have attracted the reputation of being the Victor Meldrew of the blawgosphere - and not, I might add, without good reason.
We've lost that air of virginal innocence and thirst for life under the years of strain, studying and exams. And now, weighed down with the tedium of working life, that former sense of life and vibrancy in the blawgsphere is seeping away. Save for Andro & Charon QC who are choking my RSS reader daily, most members of the blawgosphere are now notable by their absence. I don't include the ever-dwindling members of the the inner sanctum of blawgers in that - Asp Bites, AW, CBC, Lost LLS, BM, Swiss, Pooni, Travis and yours truly. But the point remains that blawgosphere is a mere shadow of its former self.
When you look at some of the blogs the most recent newcomers have fielded, it doesn't look encouraging at all:
- Alan Plawtridge - possibly holding the record for the most-promising yet shortest-lived entrant of all time. Blink and you missed it.
- That other kid? (Oh, that was it - Loony Uni) - enough said, I think.
- Pink Polka Pimple - a blog which degenerated into nail-varnished, red-lipped and rose-cheeked farce.
etc.
You get my point.
So why this great reluctance with the legally-inclined youngsters out there in cyberspace to blog? There are more law students than ever. You can't tell me that they're busier than we used to be.
I don't want to see the blawgosphere age ungracefully to the point that we're all croaking to one another, 'what's that dear?' followed by 'ooh, did she?' and the inevitable, 'well, I never?!' That's not what the 'sphere should be - a retirement home for washed-up blawgers.
Perhaps we all need Minxy back, to cheer us up with her boundless maternal energy. Maybe she'll make a comeback a la Michael Schumacher to launch her second career after a few seasons in retirement?
Just stop moaning M and share those Worther's Originals for goodness sake.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that, dear? :p
ReplyDeleteI'm just making the point that it wouldn't have been like this, you know, 'in my day!'
I have lost a lot of motivation for posting, apart from my despair posts which are a lot more frequent!
ReplyDeleteI could post about other things.. but sad things want me to post the most.
Well, at least you aren't giving us a blow-by-blow account of each working day like Andro seems so keen on! :p
ReplyDeleteMaybe you'll rediscover your passion for blogging at some point soon? :-/
I feel like I can't post about my job etc just in case it gets me in trouble...it's hard :(
ReplyDeleteMichael, all this doom and gloom is possibly worse than my increasingly negative outlook at the moment. Its certainly more amusing!
ReplyDeleteP.s. It wasn't Pink Polka Pimple - it was Pink Polka Dot and now its called something else!
I know - at least someone appreciates my doom and gloom! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I know it wasn't called 'Pink Polka Pimple' ... it was actually called 'Pink Pop Polka Dot' I believe :p
I knew there were four words to the title... couldn't remember it and convinced myself that you couldn't have got it that wrong!
ReplyDeleteI must say I whole-heartedly agree with this post Michael - there must be *some* students out there keen to take up blogging.
ReplyDeleteIt becomes increasingly harder to post now I've started my new job, in part because of I'm not sure what I can / should post, in part because I'm more tired and in part because some people know my real identity and all that. *sigh*
Maybe blogging was just a passing trend?
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, we've been going for a few years now, and we started when blogging was the "in word".
Maybe we need to look for twiaws nowadays?
Still, I'm not going anywhere yet. Poonam - that doesn't stop me going on about work, and I think most people know about it now (a NQ told a partner that my blog was excellent to read after a bad day at work, so it could well be official by now). If it's a good or bad idea I'll let you know when the qualification interviews happen ;-)
You're so hard to please, Michael! :P
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree Travis... I'm still amazed the generation of students just haven't materialised to claim their share of cyberspace (in whatever form). Maybe they're all consumers rather than contributors now?
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, you're probably right, ASP.
Andro - Yes, I know.... and you love it! :p
Hi Michael (and others!)
ReplyDeleteGosh I'm glad to see you're all still here :)
Ditto, Mel. Seems my post prompted a few of the old members of the 'sphere to show their faces! :D
ReplyDeleteJust like old times, eh? :-)
I can't say I've ever really blogged about law, meaning I've never really been part of the 'blawgosphere'. My personal blog has mainly revolved around my other passion: games.
ReplyDeleteHowever I would just like to say Michael that your law blog is excellent, and I consider it to be the blawg I would have written myself if I had the inclination to cover legal matters.
Thanks, Adam - that's high praise indeed! :D
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm afraid to report that the Blawgosphere is now getting ever smaller.
ReplyDeleteI apologise unreservedly to Michael for using his post in this way, but I need to post things to my fellow blawgers whilst not, for reasons that will become apparent, putting it in the blog.
Over the past few months, I've known that some of my work colleagues have come across and read 'Bites. I, personally, did not see that as a problem. I've been careful with my posts, not referred to people by names, and not mentioned any cases I'm involved in any detail whatsoever.
The problem with blogs though is that it's a very 2-dimensional platform. There's no body language or tone of voice to show how things are intended. People can comment, but generally don't.
Today one of my colleagues, who knows about the blog etc, gave me what I would professionally term as "certain advice". This included a warning that some of posts could even get me struck off - doomsaying I'd think, but not a risk I'd rather take.
I've stewed on these comments all day, and have - with deep regret - taken the decision to close Asp Bites for the forseeable future.
It's the time of my training contract where the "big decisions" are going to be made as regards September, so I don't need any complications towards that.
I'm not going to vanish. I'll probably still stay around commenting. And I may, when things have settled down, return. But it'll either avoid all mentions of work, or be under a completely new identity and starting afresh.
Many of you have my e-mail addresses and even Michael's my "facebook friend", so do stay in touch. But, I just wanted to explain why I've done what I've done - to stop to rumours of my demise!
In the meantime though, so long, and thanks for all the fish.
This is a really sad loss the blawgosphere, ASP, but I think we can all understand the reasons behind it.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope you stay in touch with the inner sanctum of blawgers and return the fray (in a new guise) in a few months! :-)