Blogging has enormous depth, Ctd Modern day pamphleteers

Legal blogger Adam Wagner talking about social media for law professionals here

David Allen Green (@DavidAllenGreen) (@JackofKent) is a legal bloggers who began writing online in 2007 when he created his personal blog Jack of Kent, to promote the public understanding of law. He said that blogging is like being a modern day pamphleteer. He said:

"The elements of speed and self-publication in blogging make it, in my view, akin to pamphleteering... blogging is akin to pamphleteering, then it is pamphleteering with electronic footnotes."

He explained how his online writing has agitated and helped to effect positive change:

"From spring 2008 to spring 2010 Jack of Kent became popular for its detailed and accessible coverage of the libel claim brought against Simon Singh by the British Chiropractic Association. 

There was intense interest around the world in this case, especially in the scientific community, but no sources of reliable information and I was able to provide a responsible and informative commentary on the case, including links and the reproduction of materials, and also to host discussions as to where the case should go at certain set-backs. Those posts have been credited by Dr Singh’s solicitor and others as providing the basis for how support in that case was converted to a libel reform campaign which led to all three major parties committing to libel reform at the last general election."

David Allen Green explained the strength that links add to blogging, as Andrew Sullivan explained here. David Allen Green gave his take:

"Blogging also tends to have a number of other qualities which distinguishes it from other forms of media activity... There is the feature which - in my opinion - makes blogging sometimes stronger as a medium than any print journalism, and that is linking. Blogs can easily link to other sites. 

Links make blogging an incredibly powerful tool for both blogger and reader for testing claims made about materials on other websites. If blogging is akin to pamphleteering, then it is pamphleteering with electronic footnotes."

Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) is a barrister and legal blogger, he explained why he began blogging during the Leveson Inquiry. He said:

"The primary reason UK Human Rights Blog was set up was to act as a corrective to bad journalism about human rights, and in under two years it has become a trusted source of information for journalists, politicians, those government and members of the public. UKHRB operates alongside a number of other excellent legal blogs, run by lawyers, students and enthusiasts for free, which provide a similar service in respect of other areas of law."

This are excerpts from a blog post I wrote on Defero Law here. My previous blog with observations from Andrew Sullivan here. I've written on the power of blogging on The Huffington post here and here. My blog on Andrew Sullivan who wrote, 'Why I blog' here. Christopher Hitchens spoke here about the authority of bloggers and online writers (7m30s) original (original video here).

Research here tells us that blog posts are best kept short. I covered it here. You could adapt Winston Churchill and say of some terrificly long blog post:

 "This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever being read."