Social Networking and Twitter: Our Small Planet Gets Even Smaller

The tsunami of social networking opportunities continues to grow exponentially. With the proliferation of text messaging, Twitter and the rapid expansion of LinkedIn, FaceBook and MySpace; law firms face perhaps some of the most interesting challenges yet created by today’s technology. Perhaps the biggest part of this challenge is simply understanding what these things are and how they can affect the firm.'

The Internet today is a seductive creature, filled with interesting and often valuable content, but unfortunately, wasting time on the Internet has been a problem since its inception. What we see among our clients is mostly a jaded acceptance of this problem with a few using Content Filtering technology to block users from reaching what are considered to be inappropriate sites. The reality is that if you have a person who will waste time on the Internet they are likely a problem in other areas as well. Conversely, your staff members who have good work ethic simply don’t waste the firm’s time.

Before we look at social networking, another important change to the Internet must be considered. While in the past, you “surfed” the net to find what you wanted. Today the information finds you! As an example we often see users who have Google as their startup page for their web browser. Google allows you to customize your own iGoogle page so that it presents information that concerns you. Often users customize their iGoogle page to show stock tickers, real-time weather, news, sports, chats or twitters that they are interested in. Once all these areas are setup, the user is presented with a constant flow of information of high interest. This can have both positive and negative effects. On the good side, those interests may also be of interest to the firm. Thus an attorney could stay informed about important developments in their practice area. On the negative side, each piece of presented information offers a link to explore further and the user is drawn to the web in areas that may NOT be of concern to the firm.

This leads us to Twitter, the latest in the Chat/Text messaging craze. Twitter simply asks “What are you doing?” So Twitter account holders can keep tabs on a celebrity, friend or person of interest who simply “tweets” away a near constant stream of consciousness. This does not take significant bandwidth via the web and most people use it on handheld devices. So aside from the “time wasting” factor; there is little impact on the firm. There could be value however if the firm uses a twitter network to keep tabs on a trial, negotiation or client meeting. A staffer or attorney could be assigned the task of streaming information as it is happening so that concerned parties at the firm could be kept abreast, up to the minute of the situation. Thus the firm could be significantly more agile and fluid in its casework by receiving information as it happens, rather than waiting until those scribbled yellow pads are translated into e-mail and sent to colleagues.

So if Twitter can have value, how about social networking through LinkedIn, FaceBook and MySpace? Once again if we look at these in the old way – time wasting – we are missing the most important concerns and perhaps some real value. LinkedIn is the “professional” networking site, while FaceBook and MySpace are more “after hours” or at least were intended that way. First it is important to recognize that younger, incoming associates and staffers who join your firm probably already have either FaceBook or MySpace accounts. A recent survey at a large law firm showed 90% of the incoming summer associates had one, the other or both. So there is simply no way to keep your staff from social networking.

Linkedin works much like a professional version of the other two. It allows some very basic networking but its real value is making contacts among your friends and colleagues. It is not intended as a social networking site and thus lacks the “writing on the wall” type features of FaceBook and MySpace. Few, if any law firms would have issues with LinkedIn.

With FaceBook and MySpace, once you setup your page and allow your friends to join, they are essentially free to put up whatever nonsense they want on your page. Often this can include embarrassing photos or messages that are available for anyone with the proper rights to read. In the same way colleges now routinely examine a prospective student’s MySpace, prospective clients might examine one of your attorney’s in this same way. So what your attorneys have on their FaceBook and MySpace becomes part of their record.

We can see how these services can hurt the firm, but how can FaceBook and MySpace benefit the firm? With FaceBook for example a network can be built around anything. What was once a bunch of high school and college students having fun is now used by some of the largest law firms in the world. Firms such as Skadden Arps, Baker & McKenzie and Latham & Watkins have hundreds of users in their FaceBook networks. These firm networks can then be used to transfer important information, refer clients, connect colleagues and in general spread business.

These trends, just like ATM’s, cell phones and the Internet itself are inevitable. The real challenge is far less about the threats of these trends, but more about finding their value. In many ways, these emerging technologies bring back the age old adage; If you can’t beat em’ – Join em!