Poll on LinkedIn Benefits

I've posted a poll on LinkedIn to find out how people in my network are benefiting from using LinkedIn (if at all). Click here if you would like to participate. If I get back any interesting results, I'll post the results on this blog.

Study: Social Media Increasingly Used by Business Executives

An interesting new study documents that increasingly, CEO's and other business professionals are using social networks to help them in their decision making. Sounds like another good reason to join in the dialogue.

Social Media--On the One Hand, But On the Other Hand

A partner at Nixon Peabody lays out the risks and opportunities. Sounds like a lawyer grappling with the tension between what he knows is reality and what he fears could go wrong.

The Power of the Social Media Echo Chamber

Yesterday, Law.com published an article with the headline, Experts: Lower Associate Pay is Here to Stay. It was a provocative headline and one that I continued to see cited throughout the day in the Twitosphere. By the end of the day, I was convinced that lower associate pay was a "done deal". And then I thought to myself, what is the source of my belief? In-depth research? The opinions of the majority of the managing partners on the AmLaw100? No.

The source of these conclusions all boiled down to the comments made by two consultants at Altman Weil. Intuitively, I happen to believe they are correct. I also respect them as a great consulting firm. But I also believe that the authority on which the conclusion is based needs a lot more corroboration.

It's all a reminder to me that social media has tremendous power to become an echo chamber for ideas. Anyone who understands how to take advantage of this fact has a powerful marketing tool at their disposal (and the cost of entry is only your time.)

Be Strategic About Use of Social Media

It's easy to take a tactical approach to the use of social media. Each tool has a learning curve associated with it and given all the buzz surrounding Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging, it is easy to jump into the fray without thinking strategically.

For the most part, each of these tools are free to use. In reality, though, the real cost of each using these tools (i.e. your time) is high.

So get a strategy before you start employing tactics. What is the message you are trying to communicate? How are you trying to position yourself? What audience are you trying to attract?

Answering these questions before you become an active blogger, tweeter or social networker will help you spend your precious time more effectively.

Keeping Your On-line Profiles Fresh and Up-to-Date

Vanessa DiMauro of Leader Networks writes about the importance of keeping your on-line profiles up-to-date. She cites a number of important factors. For example, on many social networking sites, the date of your last profile update is listed.

Similarly Vanessa recommends that you periodically give updates about "what you are doing" so that you come across as engaged.

Which Social Networking Sites to Use?

Doug Cornelius has an excellent overview of the strengths and weaknesses of some of the on-line communities that are available to to attorneys. Read the comments that follow as well. There is an interesting debate about whether communities should be open (thus leading to the risk that the conversation will be diluted) or closed (leading to a stifling of good discussion).

Why Relying on Spell Checker is Dangerous

Those of us that blog, tweet and make general use of social media are often in a hurry to publish our posts. Some of us use spell checker to avoid egregious spelling error. But an e-mail I received this morning is a good reminder of why relying on spell checker alone can get you into trouble. You need to reread your posts before you hit "publish". Apparently, these were all taken from synagogue bulletins and newsletter. Enjoy! It's Friday!

1. Don't let worry kill you. Let your synagogue help. Join us for our Oneg after services. Prayer and medication to follow. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our congregation.

2. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

3. We are pleased to announce the birth of David Weiss, the sin of Rabbi and Mrs. Abe Weiss.

4. Thursday at, there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club.

All women wishing to become Little Mothers please see the rabbi in his private study.

5. The ladies of Hadassah have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the basement on Tuesdays.

6. A bean supper will be held Wednesday evening in the community center.

Music will follow.

7. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the JCC. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.

8. Rabbi is on vacation. Massages can be given to his secretary.

9. Goldblum will be entering the hospital this week for testes.

10. The Men's Club is warmly invited to the Oneg hosted by Hadassah.

Refreshments will be served for a nominal feel.

11. Please join us as we show our support for Amy and Rob, who are preparing for the girth of their first=2 0child.

12. We are taking up a collection to defray the cost of the new carpet in the sanctuary. All those wishing to do something on the carpet will come forward and get a piece of paper.

13. If you enjoy sinning, the choir is looking for you!

14. The Associate Rabbi unveiled the synagogue's new fundraising campaign slogan this week: "I Upped My Pledge. Up Yours."

Twitter, LinkedIn and the Tower of "Babble"--Part II

Several days ago, I posted some general thoughts about how to make sense of Web 2.0. It's the wild west right now so what lawyers really should be doing is experimenting. In some ways, this advice is not all that helpful. After all, it's fine to say go ahead and experiment. But where should you start?

One way to start is to follow the lead of someone else who is already using a variety of social networking tools. Here is one such template from an Altman Weil consultant.