Social Media for Attorneys 101

San Fernando Valley Bar AssociationIrma Mejia, Member Services Coordinator

November 10, 2011

Today’s Program

• Overview of social media options• Benefits for attorneys• Features and Privacy Settings for major social

networks– Twitter– LinkedIn– Facebook– Google+

What is social media?

Social media is a platform for online interaction.

• Use of the platform is defined by goals• Set of tools• Two-way street

With social media, you are curating an exhibition of your life

Social Media Sites

Social Networks:

Review Sites:

Blog Sites:

Media:

Document Sharing:

Location Based:

Attorney Specific:

Facebook: most popular social networking site for all age groups.

source: mashable.com/2011/11/04/facebook-most-popular-forrester/

Why should you care?

Manage Online Reputation

What are the benefits of social media for attorneys?

• Professional Development• Networking• Marketing • Legal Research• Establishing your Expertise• Personal Entertainment

• “Water Cooler”• Very Informal• Sharing is limited to 140 characters• More than 100 million active users• 250 million daily tweets• 50% of active users log in every day

Source: mashable.com/2011/10/17/twitter-costolo-stats/

Hashtags #

Lists

TwitterSettings

TwitterSettings

How Not to Use Twitter

• Most formal• Professional Development• Networking• Job Hunting

• More than 135 million members in over 200 countries and territories

• New sign ups at a rate of 2 new members per second

source: http://press.linkedin.com/about

Account Settings

• “High School Online”• More than 800 million active users worldwide• 50% of users log on everyday• Average user has 130 friends• More than 2 billion posts are liked or commented on every

day and 250 million photos uploaded every day• Average user spends 7 hours and 46 minutes a month on

Facebook• More than 350 million active users access FB through mobile

devicessources:facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheetmashable.com/2011/10/21/facebook-infographic

Settings• Privacy is possible• Many settings available• Tedious but worthwhile to review

1.Profile Settings

2.Account Settings

3.Privacy Settings

Profile Settings

Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps7. Chat

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Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps7. Chat

Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites

**PUBLIC SEARCH**5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps7. Chat

Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps7. Chat

Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps

a. Block ex-spouseb. Block Farmville invitationsc. Block invitations from the

MCLE speaker you accidentally friended

7. Chat

Privacy Settings1. Default Privacy Control2. How You Connect3. How Tags Work4. Apps and Websites5. Limit the Audience for Past Posts6. Blocked People and Apps7. Chat

1. CHECK SETTINGS!!!!

Personal Profile v. Company Page

Personal Profile• Your personal page on Facebook• Friends• Your voice

• Jane Doe Likes Disneyland• Jane Does commented on John Doe’s

Picture

• Personal connections• Informal• Privacy settings should be checked regularly

Company/Firm Page• Public page for your company/firm on Facebook• Fans who “Like” you as a company• The Company voice

– The Law Offices of Jane Doe likes Disneyland– The Law Offices of Jane Doe is in a relationship

with John Doe

• An online storefront– Less formal than your website– Not a replacement for a website

• Administrators

Facebook Page$1 to Blanket the Homeless for every new “Like” we get on Facebook in the month of November!

Page Settings

Nestle Facebook PR Debacle

"To repeat: we welcome your comments, but please don't post using an altered version of any of our logos as your profile pic--they will be deleted."

Greenpeace vs. Nesetle

Mic Check

Mic Check

Page Insights

• Launched beta early 2011• Opened to the public September 20• 25 million unique visitors• Fastest growing social network• Brand Pages allowed November 7• Neat features:

– Circles – Hangouts – Editable Posts

– Public / Non-Public Posts – Locked Posts

New Features: ListsQuasi-New

*Smart Lists

Timeline & Subscriptions

New Feature: Subscriptions

Managing Networks

• Schedule time for social media• Do not outsource your tweets• If necessary, use a social network

managing tool

Managing Networks

Social Media Workshop Recap

1. Set Goals2. Choose Preferred Platform3. Optimize Privacy Settings for Your Audience4. Use Tools to Manage Social Media Efforts5. Set Aside Time for Social Media

Resources

• Mashable.com• Lawyerist.com• nylawblog.typepad.com• myshingle.com• Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier

(2010). Carolyn Elefant and Nicole Black. ABA Law Practice Management Section.

• “Ethical Hotspots for Attorneys Using Social Media.” Brian Hemsworth. Valley Lawyer. October 2011.