I will be speaking tomorrow about Blogging at Social Media for Lawyers II tomorrow at New York Law School.

Here is an outline of the topics I will be discussing:

1. Chris Anderson, Free and it relation to legal blogs;
2. Chris Brogan, Trust Agents and how it relates to how lawyers write on the web.
3. Why blogs are powerful;
4. How to get started with your blog;
5. Discussion of WordPress, themes and widgets;
6. Thoughts on what to write on your blog;
7. Ideas on how to draw traffic.

For more: https://www.gothammediaventures.com/commerce/orderform.php?id=60

Social Media:

Social Media for Lawyers II (CLE)

Social media has become a part of the legal landscape. An understanding of Twitter, Face Book, Linkedin and blogs have become critical for understanding clients and their issues as well as emerging as a potent form of marketing and valuable research tools. These sessions will offer a unique and highly target look at social media. A panel of legal experts who have become leaders in the social media arena will offer hands on sessions as well as leading sessions on the inherent risks, limitations and potential vulnerabilities and liabilities of these social media tools.

Session 2: Blogs, Facebook, Linkedin For Lawyers

Registration is available for one or both sessions, and a total of 6 CLE credits will be available, pending accreditation by the CLE Board of the NYS Bar. Financial assistance for these seminars is available upon request.

Registration: For Day 2 Only: $75

Panelists:

Frederic Abramson, Esq. Attorney, Blogger, Social Media Practioner

Deena Burgess, Esq. An attorney specializing in issues relating to social media and technology as well as the representation of entrepreneurs

T.C. Coleman, Esq. Lawyer, Marketing Strategist, Blogger, CEO Upward Action LLC

Roman Fichman, Esq.Frederic Abramson, Esq. Attorney, Blogger, Social Media Practioner

Michael Grygiel, Esq. Chair, Media and First Amendment Law Practice, Hiscock & Barclay; Chairman, NYS Bar Association’s Committee on Media Law

Ronald Minkoff, Esq. Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, LP; In 2009, he was named a New York-area “Super Lawyer” for Professional Liability

Eric Robinson, Esq. Staff Attorney, Media Law Resource Center; Blogger, Citizen Media Law Project

Cameron Stracher, Esq. Professor of Legal Writing and Publisher, Law Review, New York Law School; Author; Fmr. Litigation Counsel, CBS

Related posts:

1. Social Media Law
2. Is There any Room for Social Media for In-House Insurance Defense Attorneys?
3. Why your Social Networking Policy Should Address Collaboration
4. Clorox looks to Hire an In-House Social Media Attorney
5. The Latest Twitter Tips for Lawyers (and anyone else)

Your employees are probably participating in social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. But what are your workers doing on Facebook while on the clock? Are they networking or are they sharing their 5 favorite beers? On the one hand, you want to trust your employees and make them feel like they have autonomy to perform their work duties. On the other hand, you are paying them to work and you want them to present themselves professionally.

Recently, staffers of The Wall Street Journal were provided a compiled list of rules for “professional conduct” which regulates online behavior. Should your company follow the lead of the Wall Street Journal and draft a written social networking policy advising what your employees can post while working at the office? If you would like to limit potential company liability to lawsuits, the answer is yes. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. A written social networking policy may shield your Company from defamation lawsuits. What happens if your employee starts posting on Facebook untrue statements about a competitor? Without a written social networking policy, your Company could be sued for defamation.

2. Potential disclosure of Company proprietary information. Let’s say that your business has created the next killer app that will be ready to launch in 3 months. By having a non-disclosure section written into your social networking policy, your employee would be on notice and could be held liable for posting on LinkedIn such information.

3. Your business’s social networking use policy should encourage positive and constructive use of the social networking sites, as well as to prevent the use of such sites for personal or inappropriate reasons. You could be held liable for anything that your employees say of a personal nature on social networking sites.

4. Potential use in litigation. Information disseminated by your employees on social networking sites can be uncovered by a potential adversary and used against your company in litigation. Therefore, you should be clear about the type of topics that can be discussed on social networking sites.

5. Intellectual Property. Trademark and Copyright laws extend to what your post on social networking sites. Your social networking policy should make clear that your employees should refrain from posting trademarked or copyrighted material while representing the company.
So, your Company should regulate social networking use in a more expanded way than the way you regulate other Internet use. By being upfront about the potential problems of social networking, you could help both you and your employees successfully utilize this tool and avoid unwanted lawsuits.

Further Resource:

Online database of social networking policies.

Contact the Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson at 212-233-0666 for more information about social networking policies.

Related posts:

1. Why your Social Networking Policy Should Address Collaboration
2. Legal Problems of Social Networks
3. Facebook’s Law Department is Ready to Brawl over Requests for Information from a User’s Facebook Account
4. Legal Reasons For Keeping Email
5. Should Bosses Be Worried About Accepting Facebook “Friend” Requests?

Twitter has only been around for a few years.  As a business owner, you are probably wondering how to use the service to grow your local business. Here are a few ideas:

1.  Follow as many people in your target market as possible.  If you are searching for Internet marketers, twitter is a gold mind. However, if you are looking for business owners in the construction industry, your task will be more difficult.  I would suggest using  Twellow, a twitter yellow pages which categorizes tweeters by industry and location.  Another option is using  Google advanced search.

2.  Create a Twitter tribe.  Seth Godin has been spending the last year pushing his idea of the importance of Tribes. If you can create  a Tribe of 1000 local Twitters who eagerly anticipate your every Tweet, I guarantee that you will obtain new customers.

3.  Follow mavens on Twitter. If you don’t know what a maven is, read the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  On that note, read anything that Malcolm Gladwell publishes.

4.  Never eat lunch alone.  Invite one Twitter follower a day to lunch.

5.  Invite your favorite Twitter followers to join you on other social networks, such as Facebook and Linkedin.

6. Tweet information in your field that demonstrates that you are a leader in your industry.  If you own a restaurant, link to articles about Thomas Keller.

7. Create amazing content on your blog. Use Twitter to drive traffic to disseminate your produce and your ideas.

8.  Create a Tweetup.  It is simply not enough to sit around the computer or iPhone all day and tweet. You need to actually meet your followers in the flesh.

9.  If you live in New York, go to a Mashable event.  People who tweet love Mashable.

10.  Invite your Twitter followers to work from your office.

11.  Provide exclusive offers to your followers on Twitter.  Follow Dell.

12.  Be real.

13.  Don’t push your products all day.

14.  Be curious and engage your followers.

15.  Be funny.  Considering the space constraints, this is extremely difficult.

16.  Be memorable.

17.  Have fun!

Please be advised that I am a New York business law attorney and I am not one of those self-proclaimed Twitter gurus.  Feel free to share your riffs on how to use Twitter to build your local business in the comment section of this blog. I would love to hear from you.  If you are in the New York area, lets have lunch!

Related posts:

1. What is Trending on Twitter for Lawyers (and anyone else)
2. The Latest Twitter Tips for Lawyers (and anyone else)
3. What are you doing to build your Community?
4. Review of Chris Brogan’s Trust Summit: Be a Priest and Build a Church
5. Legal Problems of Social Networks

You are probably using social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked in for a variety of purposes, from updating your status, to networking with college friends that leads to new business.  Although the law on social networks is evolving, there are several issues that you need to be aware of to protect yourself legally.  Listed below are 5 issues that you need to be aware of regarding the legal problems of social networks.

1.    Privacy:

Some information that you provide on social networks are available to the general public, such as the name of your employer and photographs. As a result, any claim of a right to privacy to any material posted on social networking sites may be lost.

2.    Identity Theft:

Social networks contain a treasure trove of personal information.  For instance, my Blackberry was recently stolen and the thieves were able to hack into my Facebook account. The information gleaned from the site, such as date of birth, mother’s name and hometown could have been used by a thief to steal my identity.

3.    Potential use in litigation:

Such personal information can be obtained by legal adversaries and may be exploited if you are ever involved in a lawsuit. Before posting, think about how any information can be used against you

4.    Defamation:

Social Networking sites do not provide immunity from defamation laws. Expressing your views about Britney Spears may be fine, but watch out for any defamatory comments that you make regarding anyone else.

5.    Intellectual Property:

There are no special laws shielding users of social networks from trademark and copyright laws.

Related posts:

1. Legal Reasons Why Your Company Should Have a Social Networking Policy
2. Social Networks, Employees and Anti-Discrimination Laws.
3. Facebook’s Law Department is Ready to Brawl over Requests for Information from a User’s Facebook Account
4. Why your Social Networking Policy Should Address Collaboration
5. Litigation, Privacy and other Legal Issues in Cloud Computing