Comments on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog: Are Blogging and "Thought Leadership" Compatible?

Great post Greg - love the spaghetti comment. I t...

2009-09-06T11:13:32.847-05:00

Great post Greg - love the spaghetti comment. I think that a thought leader emerges as someone who starts the compelling conversation, encourages feedback and other ideas, and continues to put themselves out there for the development of the community and the ideas driving the communal response.

As to Jeff's comment, to blog does not make one a leader in thought, (there is plenty of drivel out there), but blogging is one of the more powerful tools that a thought leader can use to have a conversation with others on a subject.

Now the difference to me in a blog v. a forum is that the blog is more of a soapbox - the blogger invites you to their party; you are a guest commenting in the conversation about what they wrote and the original post and blogger remain the focus of the dialogue. A forum discussion is more of a level playing field: regardless of who started the thread it is the topic itself that plays host and everyone is a guest in the discussion.

Good post. I agree with Aaron, the label ‘thought...

2009-08-29T00:33:52.259-05:00

Good post. I agree with Aaron, the label ‘thought-leader’ is conferred. However, whether a thought-leader uses her blog to develop new theories or uses the comment section of other blogs to develop new ideas, this is a matter of preference.

For example, I use my firm’s blog to educate our audience (primarily the small business community). It would not be appropriate for me to use that blog to propose new theories or stretch old theories.

Instead, I use the comment section of other blogs as my forum for change. (Note, I do not consider myself a thought-leader. However, I believe I have a duty to the profession to contribute intellectual capital.)

I find the blogs that are geared toward lawyers, encourage a dialogue between the blogger and the readers. I enjoy exploring new ideas with other bloggers.

Also, you raise a very good moral question. Why do you blog? You are suggesting that we should blog (or comment) with a purpose—and of course, the purpose should be for the advancement of our legal community. I agree.

I think a related point is that you don't conf...

2009-08-24T22:08:18.405-05:00

I think a related point is that you don't confer thought leadership on yourself. Others confer that status on you, as demonstrated by the velocity your ideas get among your peers in whatever community of interest you operate in. It seems rather unlikely, however, that you will ever gain that respect without engaging in a back-and-forth exchange with those same peers.

I really like your looser definition of "thou...

2009-08-24T12:56:49.616-05:00

I really like your looser definition of "thought leadership". However, I don't care much for the term, and not necessarily because of how it's defined, but what it confers - a pseudo cult-like status that many follow and few question.

More distasteful, is the hypocrisy that often accompany these sage offerings - Even Wikipedia includes "actionable" in it's definition.

In a recent article I equated a narrow definition of "thought leaders" with "Twitter evangelists" and although not the most fluid of examples, I was attempting to voice my own experience and many others who have shared with me, this largely unchallenged "do as I say, not as I do" exhortations by those who don't hold themselves to the very standards championed.

I saw your tweet quoting O'Keefe with the (so true) comment, let it go and planned on revisiting later but this spot-on post begged commentary and, in fact, confirms your contention that blogs are indeed an excellent platform for such discussions.

Thank you for bringing this to a blog post rather ...

2009-08-24T12:26:51.050-05:00

Thank you for bringing this to a blog post rather than trying to have the full conversation in Twitter. :)

I don't completely disagree with your supposition that some bloggers are thought leaders (regardless of the definition), and that the reverse is also true, that thought leaders tend to be bloggers. Rather, I think that to be a real thought leader, you need to do more than just throw your ideas up onto the wall for others to comment on... you need to comment on OTHER people's thoughts, too.

My response about comments wasn't meant to say that bloggers aren't using their blogs to teach, but to stand on a soap-box... but to say that I thought that thought leaders need to comment on other people's blogs and not just post their own stuff on their own site.

In other words, if you're simply standing in your own cave, shouting at the walls (blogging), I don't think that makes you a thought leader. If, on the other hand, you visit other caves to share your message with those caves' inhabitants, then I would see you as a thought leader.