BlawgConnect.2005! Get’s Things Rolling

The BlawgConnect.2005! dinner is now behind us.  We had our first chance to see the Catalyst Ranch and meet some of the people behind the faces behind the keystrokes. All these people are connected by the concepts of blogs.  What a strange ad hoc way to create a group of people.  But yet perfect as well.  You can read each attendee’s blog and know each is committed to making a difference in the profession.  I suspect there is tremendous diversity within specific goals to achieve and how to go about achieving those goals.  Sunday’s LexThink will be far more focused, challenging and engaging.

As I looked around the room and tried to gage every ones motive and interest, I was struck by the commonality in the group.  The group affinity was palpable.  Here are my observations, not of the event itself, but of the people attending. 

• There is tremendous diversity among the bloggers, their stories, their situations and the paths which brought them to this point in their careers.
• Within that diversity there is passion and excitement about having an impact on the practice of law and delivery of legal services.
• This group is neither naive nor diluted about the reality and hurdles which we face in our individual and collective efforts to make a difference within the profession.
• These people are prone to action which is probably why they started blogging in the first place.  They got tired of sitting on the side-lines.
• This group is far more open-minded than the average joe/jane. They are ready for change and innovation.  They won’t be deterred by the magnitude of the problems, or the relatively small size of the group leading the charge.
• These people have a fundamental faith that blogging, which is little more than the sharing and discussion of ideas, can be the fuel which drives the change. Blogs and the ideas expressed on them, can draw large audiences quickly and inexpensively.  As those audiences grow, those ideas become more powerful tools of change.

It will be interesting to see if the diversity becomes a  strength or weakness within the group.  While I strongly suspect the former, this is truly uncharted territory for everyone.