Saturday, January 24, 2009
Copycat?
Someone mentioned Above the Law in the comments. I have been meaning to ask you, does anyone get the sense that they are copying HP's office. In the newish series they have where you can ask a question, they seemed to cover several topics I already covered. Such as the holiday party, and sending thank yous. With all the input they get from their huge reader base and the resources they have (over my little bare bones blog here), do you really think they need to copy me? Maybe I am off base, maybe it is just coincidence...but after the second time (and I think there was a third I can't remember), I just wondered if any of you noticed. Thoughts?
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10 comments:
You're probably referring to the "Pls Handle this, thx" series?
No, they are not copying you. Given the subjects they cover, it's only natural that they will comment on workplace behaviors. There are more than several blogs that touch on "how to behave at work" issues from different angles. One is called "Bitter Lawyer," a trashier one is "Sweet Hot Justice." There must be at least a few more.
ATL's intent is not so much to offer advice as to draw attention to, and/or make fun of the fear, paranoia, or doubt that some people go through at BigLaw, especially since people tend to think that in the world of BigLaw, every little move is scrutinized.
And yes, ATL gets input from a wide reader base, but the problem is the quality of the responses. Some are clearly facetious, some try to perpetuate certain petty behaviors, and only a few would actually be serious and well-meaning. Good luck sifting through 100+ comments to find those!
Every now and then, that ATL series will actually attempt to offer advice, but I've rarely seen the advice backed up by the proper reasons, or without a big dose of negativity and cynicism. ATL is good for knowing what people are talking about, and how the general masses think out there, but if I really want some no-BS and professionally grounded advice, I don't go to ATL.
You might just as well argue that you are copying them. Many of the topics you're discussing here are hardly new or undiscussed.
What I like about your blog is that it's possible to ask questions and receive an answer. ATL with its large readership is less suited for that. And the perspective of a hiring partner (rather than that of an associate or ex-associate) does add something. But the topics themselves are hardly something we can't read about elsewhere.
ATL was around loooooong before you. If anything, you are copying them.
I think my issue was that the subjects in teh Pls Handle This series seemed to cover topics that I had recently covered. Again, could be a coincidence, just struck me as strange. I think ATL is a good blog for what it is and I think it is terrific that information is readily available now. We did not have that kind of info in my days as an associate and it would have been helpful.
whether it is a coincidence or not i don't know, but that is such a minor part of atl and frankly, most of what you write has been covered elsewhere as well. occasionally you have something that isn't generic or obvious, but that's the exception rather than the rule.
i would focus more on trying to post more than once in a blue moon than worrying if one minor portion of the most successful legal site is using generic info that you managed to post in your once every week or two post.
I'm with "a" above. If you spend more time complaining about other blogs, people who didn't write for you, and trying to get people to vote for you in a blogging competition, than you spend actually writing articles that people want to read, that's not a good way of keeping your current readership and attracting new readers.
You had a good idea for a blog, but the execution of the idea is somewhat lacking in quality right now.
ATL has been plummeting off a cliff since Lat handed the reins over to Elie. You're far from the only person who has noticed that Elie has resorted to poorly executed derivative work and sophomoric humor replete with errors in grammar, spelling, and attribution. Basically, the site sucks now.
What I can't stand is Elie getting all holier-than-thou in every post, even though everything he says either misses the point or exposes how naive he is about how business is run.
HP gets didactic sometimes too, but he's in the thick of it, and he's in a position where he gets to observe, judge, and call the shots. Tons more credibility when HP talks than some punk like Elie trying to judge what he doesn't understand.
Elie lacks ANY understanding of big law...he can re-post info, but thats about it. When it comes to any sort of analysis, he falls incredibly short because he has no concept of big law.
This blog crushes ATL in terms of quality advice, but there needs to be more regular posting.
Not to comment spam HP, but for those who don't like Elie's take on BigLaw, check out our site (link above). We've actually been through, or are still in, BigLaw. And we proofread before we post.
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