Social Media for Lawyers: Six Important
Principles for Effective Participation

Social Media for Lawyers: Six Important
Principles for Effective Participation
Presented by Nicole Black & Lisa Solomon

What is social media and why
should you care?

1. Lawyers cannot afford to be left out of
the loop

Figure it out

For companies, resistance to
social media is futile. Millions
of people are creating content
for the social Web. Your
competitors are already there.
Your customers have been
there for a long time. If your
business isn't putting itself out
there, it ought to be.
Business Week, February 19,
2009

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVXKI506w-E

Communicate & collaborate online

2. Social media is useless without goals

Determine your goals

3. Different social media sites serve
different purposes

(T)ime spent on social network and
blogging sites accounted for 17 percent
of all time spent on the Internet in
August 2009, nearly triple the percentage
of time spent on the sector a year ago.
“This growth suggests a wholesale
change in the way the Internet is used,”
said Jon Gibs, vice
president, media and agency insights,
Nielsen’s online division. “While video
and text content remain
central to the Web experience – the
desire of online consumers to connect,
communicate and share is increasingly
driving the medium’s growth.”
--Nielson Report, September 24, 2009

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYP-wBaqQAI

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYP-wBaqQAI

4. Social and professional networking are
not mutually exclusive

Take off your lawyer hat

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALbH63Ali9U

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALbH63Ali9U

5. People want to hire other people, not
businesses

Take the leap

6. Social media use pays off if targeted
and narrowly focused

A fundamentalist is a person
who considers whether a fact is
acceptable to their faith before
they explore it. As opposed to
a curious person who explores
first and then considers
whether or not they want to
accept the ramifications.
--Seth Godin

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

How can you squander even
one more day not taking
advantage of the greatest shifts
of our generation? How dare
you settle for less when the
world has made it so easy for
you to be remarkable?
--Seth Godin

Visit this link for additional articles,
about lawyers and social media:
http://bit.ly/pUJBR
Thanks for listening!
Lisa Solomon
Legal Research & Writing Pro
www.questionoflaw.net
Nicole Black
lawtechTalk
www.lawtechtalk.com