Social Media is here to stay, like it or not.  Daily I’m barraged with the latest “privacy rules”, social media tools, and often compelling articles about the use of Social Media in many industries, including Law.  As you know, the legal industry as a whole isn’t known for being “early adopters” when it comes to the latest business practices.  However, times are a-changing in our profession, like it or not!  And Social Media is invading the Law like no one ever imagined.  For those of you reading this who may not have a website yet, or who don’t have a clue how Facebook or Twitter could be relevant to your life or your practice, you might be in for a rude awakening if you read on.  For those of you who are cutting edge practitioners who “tweet” with the best of them, I’m sorry if I’m preaching to the choir.  I felt it might be time for a Social Media Recap in case some of you aren’t fully on board with this yet. 

I’m hardly “cutting edge”, but I’ve been an active user of social media the last 2 years, or 5 years if you count my LinkedIn use which was my first social media tool–back before that term existed.  I was one of those busy professionals kicking and screaming that I didn’t have time to “Tweet” and check a bunch of “useless email” on Twitter.  I assure you I wouldn’t still be an active participant if my perception from the early days was even remotely close to my actual experience.  The fact that the three main social media tools combined have allowed me to connect with roughly 1000 people who I never would have met otherwise, and it has generated referrals and revenue for me, is only one benefit I’ve gleaned from my use of Social Media.  The information I’m receiving has helped me stay current, compete, and excel in this global information age.    Even though my legal referral and legal consulting practice is all about Metro Detroit, I’m positively impacted by the national and international content generated and distributed through LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.   

I’m not here to convince you of anything.  My goal is merely to make you aware or more informed, so you also have access to this information, if you don’t already! Below you’ll find article links to bring you up to speed on how Social Media is relevant to the Law and your practice in particular.   Take a look and see if there’s anything you can use. 

• Online Privacy Policies
• Prepare Your Facebook Page for Public Disclosure
• Facebook for solo attorneys: Why the Legal Community Must use Facebook to market their law firm
• Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg vows to fix past privacy issues
• Facebook launches new security feature
• Twitter: Ready to Reveal All? 
• Twitter is Top Social Media Platform at Fortune 100 Companies
• Twitter Cluelessness
• The Top 5 Mistakes on LinkedIn
• Social Media becoming “mainstream” in practice of law? Used in in conjunction w/depositions & trial prep
• Attorney Can’t Ask 3rd Party to ‘Friend’ Witness on Facebook
• Jurors’ Online Activity Poses Challenges for Bench
• Be sure to be up to speed on rules of evidence when using legal technology in courtroom
• The Smoking Social Media Gun: Intent
• A Collection of Articles About Law Firm Marketing
• How to Write an Article That Draws Thousands of New Readers
• In the Beginning:  Marketing Tips Then and Now
• Constant Contact Acquires NutshellMail to Move into Social Media Marketing
• Taking Your Law Firm to the Next Level
• Why Social Media Really is Worth Your Time
• I Tweet, Therefore I Am… Empty? (Calling out the Social Media Gurus)
• U.S. Internet users watched 31.2 billion videos in March
• 5 Reasons Your Law Firm Website is Failing
• The State of Online Word of Mouth Marketing [STATS)
• Unlike Advertising, Social Media Can’t Save A Bad Brand, Product Or Service
• How To Use TweetUps As a Marketing Strategy

If you have questions or you’d like to know more about how to use these tools, discover the latest tools, create a social media strategy, etc., just reach out to me.  I can refer you to someone who has helped me tremendously in this area.

POINTS FOR YOU TO PONDER AND SHARE:   

• How would you describe yourself when it comes to using social media on a regular basis (inexperienced: never touch the stuff; beginner: I can spell LinkedIn; Advanced: I’m using the tools but don’t know all the ins and outs yet; Proficient: I teach others how to use the tools and create a strategy for doing so).

   

• How has ”Social Media” impacted your practice? Have you dealt with privacy issues on behalf of your clients or been involved in litigation based on “evidence” produced through Social Media postings?

   

• What’s your current Social Media challenge at this time? (Keeping up with it all?  Finding time to learn/use the tools? Not knowing where to begin? Other?)