On a discussion board I follow, a link had been posted to an article about why attorneys should write a blog. Several attorneys added their comments, most of which were in agreement.

One poster said, “In an industry which is increasingly commoditized, blogging allows a a lawyer to show creativity and wit — skill sets that are underrepresented in the profession, but vital for client development and practice management.”

Another mentioned that blog posts provide a record of your ideas and create an inventory of material you can use elsewhere in your marketing.

Good stuff.

But one comment in particular caught my attention: “I would be concerned that if the public began to know you too well, legal strategies could be predicted.”

Sure, we all have a few tricks up our sleeves we don’t want everyone knowing, but c’mon, that’s not a reason to avoid blogging.

Want to know what I think? I think she’s afraid. She’s afraid that if she writes a blog, she will no longer be able to hide behind her technical skills, she will have to expose her true self to the world.

And she’s right.

Building a law practice means building relationships. You have to meet people and make them like and trust you. You can’t do that without showing them who you really are.

When you write a blog or a newsletter, or do any public speaking or networking, you must do more than state the facts and provide the citations. You must give color and contrast to what you write or say, and that means injecting your personality, your opinions and your experiences.

Clients buy us before they buy our services. If you want people to like and trust you, you have to expose yourself to them and if you’re not willing to do that, you probably shouldn’t bother with marketing. You’ll be happier in a job where client development isn’t required or with a partner who is good at bringing in new business while you handle the paperwork.

There are many reasons why you should write a blog. There’s only one reason you shouldn’t: you don’t want to.