A Law Actually Interview with… Andro

Yes, my interview adventures continue with Andro stepping up to face the questions.

You’ve designed some great looking blawgs for various members of the ‘sphere.  What makes a good blog design in your opinion and where do you get your inspiration from?
The main thing about a blog is content, so the design shouldn't interfere with it. The main thing for me is readability. No conflicting colours or too much contrast. No fancy fonts. The design needs to be unique and memorable.

I get my inspiration from the world around me! Sometimes I would see an interesting combination of colours on the street. Music plays a big part in the design process. I also get my inspiration from websites such as http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

You take a very open approach to your identity when blawgging and certainly don’t shy away from revealing who you are.  Do you ever regret that or ever feel sandboxed by what you can / cannot blawg about?
I don't feel sandboxed, because Android's Reminiscences is just one blog. Internet is a bottomless pit, so there's nothing stopping me from creating a new anonymous blog, should I feel the need to do so. But... now that I have a job that I care about, I am a bit more careful in what I blog about on A.R. I always think about the possibility of my colleagues or, God forbid, my boss finding it by accident (my readers will be aware that my blog came up on a pupillage interview once; awkward). I obviously try to avoid breaching client confidentiality or defaming my firm, but a little bitching about my boring job duties won't hurt, will it?

Could you imagine yourself suddenly not blawgging one day.  Why?
On days like that I feel like I have nothing to add to the blogosphere. I don't like blogging for the sake of it.

Where do you see the future of blawgging going?  Does it even have a future?  Will other forms of social media take over?
Because we are so busy nowadays, everyone has a shorter attention span, which is why twitter and facebook are gaining popularity over the traditional blogging. There's just too much reading and not enough interactivity. The blogs, with their once revolutionary rss feeds, are becoming too static and dull for the web 3.0 generation. I think that traditional blogging does have a future though. Firstly, the blog platforms are constantly being developed to keep up with the latest web-technology. Secondly, blogs seem to be replacing magazines and newspapers, and it's only the beginning. Thirdly, there will always be people who resist change.

If a new law student approached you for advice on starting a blawg, what would you say?
I would definitely recommend it, as long as it doesn't interfere with the studies. Ha! Just kidding. No, really - it's a great idea, if only to read it back in a few years and laugh at yourself.