Bay Area Blawger’s Event Re-Cap
I had the opportunity last night to represent the California Biotech Law Blog at the Bay Area Blawgers Event, where I met many of the Bay Area’s most prominent blawgers. Law Professor Eric Goldman at Santa Clara University organized the event, which was attended by more than forty-five blawgers and members of the media, including yours truly.
It was a great privilege to be in the presence of so many Bay Area blawgers, and to have the opportunity to hear first-hand their thoughts on why they blog, how they dealt with the challenges they have encountered in blogging, and the role we are all playing in developing the law today.
The event was such a success that there are already plans in the works for a second Bay Area Blawgers Event later this year.
While the focus of the California Biotech Law Blog has always been very targeted on the subject of California biotech law, this event gave me occasion to step back and look at this blog as part of a larger community of blawgs. We have some very impressive company.
What thoughts did I take away from this event, which are relevant to you as readers of this Blog?
First, I was struck by the fact that the audience of this Blog is very different from the audience of many of my blawger colleagues. The scope of this Blog crosses over a variety of professions and skillsets, all of which share an interest in the very specialized area of biotech law. This was in sharp contrast with the audience of many of my colleagues’ blawgs.
Second, due to the nature of this Blog, we have not run into some of the challenges that many of my colleagues have encountered. This is in large part because we’ve not yet created the same level of controversy with this Blog. is this good or bad? I am not sure–perhaps it is the nature of our subject matter. Or our audience. Certainly, we in the industry have our opinions on the issues, but it may be that we just do not voice them as strongly in this Blog setting as others do. Perhaps this will change down the road.
Third, the tone this Blog has taken to date has been more educational in nature than pushing a particular perspective or agenda. This was in contrast to some of the other blawgs represented at the event.
My final thoughts on this issue: this Blog is still a young blawg and I know that this event and the greater awareness of the larger blawgging community will impact in some way its development. I thank everyone who participated yesterday for giving me the opportunity to develop a better understanding or this Blog’s role in the greater Bay Area blawg community. I am confident that this will work to the benefit of the California Biotech Law Blog, both in its short-term and long-term development.