Happy Holidays, LXBN readers! It’s the season of list-making for who was naughty, nice, and produced one of the best law blogs of the year. The ABA Journal doesn’t dabble in the first two as much, but they do release a Blawg 100 every year, where they list their top 100 law blogs from the year. This year was the eighth year of the contest, and Lexblog is proud to announce that 12 blogs from the Lexblog Network made the list this year. In honor of that, we’ve asked writers from each blog to share their stories and their process. Today we talk to Kevin LaCroix who blogs on The D&O Diary, who sheds his know-how on blogging and adding his voice to the conversation.
Why did you decide to start this blog/why did you start blogging?
Almost eight years ago, I went through a job change and I wound up starting in a new industry (as a wholesale broker in the professional liability insurance industry). When I started out, the phone was not exactly ringing off the hook. To keep myself occupied, I decided to write some professional articles. I started experimenting with the blogging medium out of curiosity. The next thing you know, my blog was up and running. Since then, I have just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and eight years later I have published hundreds of blog posts and I have a site that is read daily by thousands of readers.
Why do you enjoy blogging? What’s most rewarding?
The most rewarding thing about having the blog also is one of the most unexpected. Through the blog, I have not only developed a network of professional contacts around the world, but increasingly I am called up to participate in industry events in far-flung locations such as Singapore, Stockholm, Mumbai and Barcelona. The coolest things is that at these industry events I meet people from everywhere around the word who tell me they regularly read and enjoy my blog. It is the coolest thing to meet somebody from, say, Mauritius, Jakarta or Chennai and have them tell me they follow my blog.
Why do you think you made it on the Blawg 100? What sets you apart?
I was nominated in the Blawg 100 in the Niche category, which is an accurate designation for my blog. I have one of the only blogs writing regularly on the topic of directors and officers’ liability insurance. There are several law firm blogs that also address the subject but most of them are written by lawyers for lawyers and limit their discussion to case law developments involving the insurance. My blog takes a broader perspective, touching on many aspects of the professional liability insurance industry. However, I think it is important to note that the way I have developed and maintained a loyal readership is by regularly posting new content. It is the regular resupply of new content that makes the blog required reading for other professionals in y industry.
What’s the biggest challenge you have in blogging?
It is always a problem finding the time to blog, but that is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is finding enough topics to serve as the basis of new blog posts. The most empty feeling I have known as a blogger is the feeling of frustration I have when I can’t find anything worth writing about. I am always on the look out for things to write about. The moment I finish a blog post, the search for a new topic begins. The good news is that I do get a lot of help from my readers, who often suggest topics to me.
Why did you choose LexBlog to help you with blogging?
I started out using the Blogger application on Google. It was perfectly adequate when I first started. Over time, I found that I needed technical help that is not available from Google. Also, the Blogger format is not as flexible as I would like and I couldn’t adapt my blog the way I wanted. I signed on with LexBlog about five years ago. The support staff has been extremely helpful with all of my technical issues and they have helped me to modify the blog as I wanted. The design assistance provided by LexBlog helped me to fashion my existing blog into a more professional looking site. I have appreciated all of the help I have received from LexBlog over the years.