At Avvo, we spend a lot of time on the Web, and more specifically in the blogosphere. We even offer our own blogging product designed to get more lawyers blogging. However, as more lawyers blog, some interesting personality types have evolved. I have tried to catch these blogging personalities below, at least the 10 most common; but feel free to suggest some of your own.

Keep in mind that some bloggers combine types – like the Bloprah and the Moser or the Bludgeon and the Puncher. And, for the record, I see myself as a combination between the Moser and the Bloater, while always pursuing the noble goal of being the Hitter. Whatever your type, you are already ahead of the game if you are blogging.

Top 10 Blogging Personalities

1. Bloprah – These are bloggers that want to be the Oprah of social media. They offer all sorts of thoughts on work/life balance, neat trends and their favorite products. Video montages of themselves are never hard to find. I had a prominent lawyer tell me once that, if a lawyer is looking for work/life balance, they probably shouldn’t be a lawyer. While correct, this lawyer would be shunned by Bloprahs world over.

2. Hitter – The hitter knocks the blogging ball out of the park. The hitter often offers new ideas and unique commentary. Sometimes the hitter will criticize things they see; but not without offering productive suggestions and sometimes even innovative solutions. The Hitter is the antithesis of the Bludgeon (see below).

3. Bludgeon – Bludgeons are blogging curmudgeons. They see blogging as their personal and never-ending critical peanut gallery. Seldom do Bludgeons create. Seldom do Bludgeons offer solutions. Bludgeons simply complain. Don’t be a Bludgeon.

4. Puncher – Punchers are some of the best bloggers. They write punchy, concise posts (which doesn’t always mean short) that boil big issues down to their simplest form. Punchers also typically hammer out blog posts in a matter of minutes. They grasp issues so quickly and precisely that they don’t get hung up when writing. They have already done the pre-production in their heads.

5. Hogger – This blogger has to speak on every issue. No issue is relevant if they have not blessed it with their prose. If someone challenges the Hogger, the challenger is met with a reply that is never less than 400 words.

6. DiDer – These bloggers find the devil in details – in fact they live for the details. DiDers tend to be the intellectual upper crust of the legal profession with a genuine love for legal theory. Law professors and highly specialized attorneys are most often DiDers. They are simply posting throwaway footnotes from their latest Law Review article.

7. Cloaker – Cloakers claim to be objective voices and often see themselves as a digital-age reporter. The problem with Cloakers is that they have a reporter’s objectivity until their real job is threatened – then the cloaked smear campaign begins. Over time Cloakers will be rooted out of the blogosphere but they are some of the more dangerous commentators on the web. If you see a Cloaker, please call them on it.

8. Bloater – Bloaters are bloggers who are shameless self-promoters. Admittedly, the Avvo Blog too often falls into this camp. But we’re pretty transparent about it, as we never want to be the Cloaker. I actually find self-promotion to be necessary in getting any business off the ground. If you don’t find yourself great, who else will?

9. Moser – Like Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt, Mosers blog to help other lawyers find a better place. They share some of the Bloprah characteristics, but they are much more focused on practical issues and execution. They might blog on how to become a solo or how to better market one online. It is all very instructional, but seldom professorial. The devil is in the practical execution rather than the academic details.

10. Punter – The Punter never takes a stand. They love to observe but hate to opine, which may be the worst of all blogging form. Blogging (and most other social media) is about sharing your opinions – being an influencer. If you don’t take a stand in your blogging, you are littering not blogging.

Did we miss any? Also, if you are interested in blogging but aren’t currently doing it because of time, expense and/or irrational fear, please give us a call. Here is all of the info regarding Avvo Blogs.

Mark

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am by Mark Britton, CEO and is filed under Mark Britton Posts, Marketing for Lawyers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.