The LinkedIn Lawyer

Friday, April 9, 2010

Worcester County Bar Association Presents The LinkedIn Lawyer

The SlideShare Presentation from the event below. Get more social media seminars for lawyers on DVD at http://www.legalsocialmedia.blogspot.com

Worcester County Bar Association Presents The LinkedIn Lawyer

View more presentations from David Barrett.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

As Lawyers and Law Firms on Facebook Explode, Facebook Legal Networking Groups Mushroom

If you don't believe "the hype" about the huge number of lawyers and law firms setting up profiles on the mega-popular social networking website Facebook, try a search on Facebook yourself (see above) using the terms "law firm" or "law office" or "attorney" and you can see this phenomenon for yourself.

The challenge moving forward for these law firms, is going beyond "establishing a presence" (i.e. merely setting up a profile and/or firm fan page) to "effectively" utilizing this new media technology (which has as many definitions as there are observers and consultants).

As Facebook continues to implement changes to various Facebook news feeds, the effective use of groups and fan pages as "media channels" to reach online networks is becoming increasingly important. Many lawyer Facebook users are not yet up to speed on the nuanced relationship between groups, business pages, and news feeds - but it can be simply stated as - folks who want content on a particular subject now get that content in their own news feeds via their group / business page membership.

Popular Legal Groups on Facebook

Facebook Lawyer Referral Group (1350+ Members)

Lawyer Referral Network (170+ Members)

Lawyer Referral Exchange (1380+ Members)

Legal Marketing Using Social Media (1110+ Members)

Because whether you have employees or a job, EVERYONE needs an employment law resource (760 Members)

The LinkedIn Lawyer (1890+ Members)

Online Legal Marketing (500+ Members)

The Rainmaker Institute (1100+ Members)

Digg Lawyers

Interested to learn more?

Facebook for Lawyers - Seminars on DVD

Friday, November 27, 2009

This Week's "Top Tweets" the Black Friday Edition

Legal Social Media This Week - Black Friday Episode

Monday, November 23, 2009

Social Groups and the Attorney / Client Relationship

Stephen Fairley and I were speaking about the great increase recently in lawyers and law firms who have established some kind of presence on Facebook. As the number of Facebook users has exploded (now Canada's favorite website) the number of lawyers and law firms with some kind of presence on Facebook has increased as well.

Many solos and small firms handle their own social media marketing campaigns, and lawyers and law firms have developed a variety of approaches on Facebook to include fan pages (aka "business pages"), personal profiles, or sponsorship of groups or causes as a marketing and business development activity. Some lawyers use a mix of these options, some firms utilize one or another.

Facebook is ever-evolving and I was recently asked about my opinion as to whether groups or business pages are "better" in some way when considering the recent Facebook interface updates.

Jan Henson Boswell Belcher
If you have a "group" page, should you convert these to business pages ?

David Barrett
I'm generally against efforts to get folks on social media to migrate anywhere (whether that be within or between social media platforms) because it is a lot of work and it never works, so why swim upstream. Groups seem to be treated differently now in terms of news feed (i.e. pages feed posts to the members but groups do not).

However there may be a particular advantage with forming a group of a particular population - some folks are just more likely to join a group of equals rather than become a "fan" of someone or something. Purely in terms of the technical Facebook functions of each, pages seem to be better if all else is equal.

As a speaker for Bar Associations and lawyer groups I'm often working to identify the legal ethics issues in social media (in our relentless pursuit for CLE credit), and in my view the important issue for lawyers when it comes to setting up a group is AVOID ANY INDICATION THAT GROUP MEMBERSHIP FORMS AN ATTORNEY / CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. As lawyers, we know that this kind of issue trumps other minor technical considerations like whether a group post comes up in the news feed of the group members.

In many examples lawyers could do more to make sure that it is clear that membership in their online social media group does not create an attorney / client relationship. Many lawyers failed to include any disclaimer on this issue in the group or page description. Many law firms use a firm logo or establish a group in the firm name, which may implicitly denote a relationship between the firm and the members of the group.

However in the example in the photo above, we have a group of 80 members all of whom identify themselves as members of "Joseph Rosetti is My Trial Lawyer" which is even more problematic than Facebook groups that merely use the law firm name or logo because it states there is an attorney client relationship.

Membership in this group is not even conditional - I just joined the group myself without any screening or establishment of a written document attorney / client relationship.

Picky picky picky LinkedIn Lawyer David ... so why is this a problem?

I can think of a few potential problems with this kind of group -

1. Likely a legal malpractice insurance carrier's nightmare

2. Possibly a violation of local bar lawyer rules

3. Group membership may need to be considered in client conflict database, thus limiting a lawyer's ability to represent other parties

4. In part it simply doesn't make sense after reading the firm and group descriptions

Is this kind of group cute? Sure. Should lawyers take legal ethics issues more seriously than they do when engaging in online advertising? Yes.

Many firms seem to set up groups in the firm name in order to "get their name out there" which is simple enough to understand. However, even dismissing the ethical issue identified above - who wants to join a group that does nothing but promote your law firm?

Successful online social media groups are somehow a resource for those members of the group by meeting their information or networking or other needs in some way. Smart social marketers figure out how to meet needs of the networking targets identified in the firm marketing plan when considering each practice area's competitive advantage.

Click here to learn more about how lawyers can effectively utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Blogs.

LinkedIn for Lawyers

Facebook for Lawyers

Twitter for Lawyers

Blogging for Lawyers

Social Media Tool Kit for Lawyers

Lawyer Small Talk on Facebook is Published News

Yesterday's LA Family Court Examiner published a story called "What Lawyers Really Think of Judges, Pro Per Litigants, and Their Jobs" which basically republished Facebook communications made by a number of lawyers as they had idle time in the work day.

Whether one line of text about how the author got the printout of the Facebook communications is actually an article or whether this is an adequate practice of journalism may be interesting issues, but LAWYERS focus on the forest, not the trees (i.e. what you say on Facebook is potentially newsworthy media content for all kinds of publications).

In my seminars for lawyers and on speaking occasions about effective social media for lawyers, I frequently use the mantra ... think publishing ... think publishing ... think publishing ... but the truth is many lawyers either choose to use Facebook for personal rather than professional activities, or they improperly operate their account privacy settings or misjudge what might put them in a bad light.

However, as social media marketing becomes more popular with lawyers and law firms working to establish a robust presence online, the answer is not only as simple that now lawyers need to make their Facebook profiles private.

Used properly, social media can provide a significant marketing and business development benefit for lawyers and law firms. From a marketing perspective, public Facebook profiles or Facebook profiles and pages that maintain communities with large numbers of members are obviously preferred to private accounts that use Facebook like a communication tool such as email, chat or text.

Common sense is still the best advice - figure out which are your personal social media accounts and which are your public social media accounts, and have a plan for each. Of course everything we do online is online, so don't overestimate your online privacy in your personal accounts.

Interested to Learn More About Lawyer Use of the New Internet and Web 2.0 ???

Social Media Seminars for Lawyers on DVD - http://bit.ly/3EhkX6

http://www.LegalSocialMedia.blogspot.com

Facebook Business Pages for Lawyers

Facebook Fan pages (aka "Business Pages") are one of the most successful ways lawyers and law firms can establish a presence on Facebook. Although Facebook has modified its Terms of Service to allow for "(non-)personal use" a law firm profile set up as a Facebook personal profile is awkward for a few reasons.

First, such use may be construed as a violation of the terms of service and without warning Facebook could shut down all of these accounts, and all the friends and work put into building such Facebook pages would be lost.

Second, the personal connection inherent in social media is lost. Is there a person behind that curtain? Does this law firm answer messages or Facebook chat? Who exactly are we speaking with?

Third, a Facebook strategy that utilizes personal profiles for attorneys, business pages for the law firm, as well as Facebook groups achieves a much more robust presence on Facebook. This arrangement also allows for attorneys to feed content to and from the law firm page, as appropriate for the particular personal or group network.

Here you may find an example of my Facebook "Fan Page" or "Business Page".

Interested to learn how to leverage the power of the new internet?

Legal Marketing Using Social Media

Seminars for Lawyers on DVD - http://bit.ly/3EhkX6

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Digg Widget

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Social Media Planning for Lawyers

I was pleased to see my Facebook friend Francis Flynn Thorsen's Slideshare presentation (proud to be on page 11) on "Social Media Business Planning and Time Blocking."

Although this presentation was developed with real estate professionals in mind, the message for busy lawyers is the same - if you are to achieve ambitious goals with social media you will need an organized and time saving approach.

I do an entire webinar about social media systems and balancing social media and practicing law.

Real Estate Social Media Business Planning and Time Blocking

View more documents from Frances Flynn thorsen.

Thank you for visiting The LinkedIn Lawyer blog.

David Barrett

Let's Connect on Social Media
http://davidbarrett.mylinkinvitation.com
http://twitter.com/barrettdavid
http://www.facebook.com/barrettdavid

Marketing Resources

Free Guide - 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan
Rainmaker Institute Law Firm Marketing Newsletters
Free E-Book "Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them"
The Rainmaker Retreat - July 17/18 Las Vegas, Nevada

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Twitter Interview with LinkedIn Lawyer David Barrett

Many thanks to Lance Godard of The Godard Group for including me as the 22nd interviewee in his creative Twitter interview series, "22 Tweets - Real Time Twitter Interviews with Lawyers Who Tweet."

Godard uses a series of questions posed via Twitter and a threaded conversation hashtag (#22twts) to allow his subjects to tell the story of their law practice.

You can click here for the full interview with LinkedIn Lawyer David Barrett.

Godard includes particular questions about law practice, and more broad questions about the legal profession as a whole. As patterns emerge, he is able to bring together the common views of his interviewees.

Godard proves that Twitter is only as innovative and powerful as we are, and that this rather simple internet interface has significant creative potential.

Follow David Barrett on Twitter here.

Monday, June 1, 2009

This Week's LinkedIn Lawyer "Top Tweets" - Top of June Edition

Twitter is a free and easy-to-use "micro-blogging" site that allows you to send and receive short updates from multiple users. David Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer is "Twittering" -- follow me here -- and keep up to date with news about Web 2.0 social media and the legal profession, with a particular focus on LinkedIn.

Here are the "Top Tweets" from the last week (partially as tracked with Tweetburner).
David A. Barrett's Recent Most Popular Twitter Messages

"Top Tweets"

@barrettdavid proud to be on "20 Twitterers Lawyers Should Follow on Twitter" - http://twurl.nl/uol4em (via @GinaRubel)

Most Influential "lawyer" Tweeting @ABAJournal @lawtweets @barrettdavid @rex7 @gma_news - http://twurl.nl/14gngx

How To Be A Rainmaker In 2009: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook & Blogs - http://twurl.nl/i4nyl5

The Anatomy of a Twitter Tweet - Twitter Basics for Lawyers on The LinkedIn Lawyer blog - http://twurl.nl/zi5nmn

6 Keys to Becoming a Recognized Expert in less than 180 Days - http://twurl.nl/mtvsfa (by @StephenFairley)

Rainmaker Institute Law Firm Marketing Newsletters - http://twurl.nl/1uc2r2 (by @StephenFairley)

Found JDSupra: Emotional Intelligence for Lawyers http://twurl.nl/nt8r4i (best lawyers are people smart who understand and manage emotions)

Twitter for Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/1g16g2 (via @Pistachio) "There’s a growing body of articles about Twitter for Attorneys ..."

Free E-Book "Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" http://twurl.nl/7zzrio (by @StephenFairley)

15 People All Securities and Corporate Litigators Should Follow on Twitter - http://twurl.nl/lv3n3z (by @SecuritiesD)

The Web 2.0 Revolution: Lawyer Marketing fuses with Social Media - http://twurl.nl/naedv7

5 Tips to Grow Your Twitter Presence - http://twurl.nl/bt171y (via @problogger)

4 Myths Attorneys Believe About Referrals - http://twurl.nl/hsvl20 (via @StephenFairley)

The Rainmaker Retreat - San Francisco and Las Vegas - http://twurl.nl/miecp1 2 Day Marketing Boot Camp for Small Law Firms

Web 2.0 and David Barrett in the Maryland Bar Bulletin - http://twurl.nl/qifuyy

Any Tweeps out there using Hummingbird for Twitter? http://twurl.nl/doz8in

RT @TotalAttorneys: Crain's Chicago Business Fast Fifty - # 2 - Total Attorneys!! http://tinyurl.com/nxlsgs (via @edscanlan)

Daily reminder: take 5 mins to reply/retweet others. Nothing about you. Engage, interact, build. (via @unmarketing)

RT @BostonBar 100 Twitter Sites for Law Students and Twitter Newbies http://bit.ly/uY9Eu (via @OklahomaBar)

RT @Law_Practice JDSupra: It's Time to Teach Marketing and Sales in Law School http://tinyurl.com/lt4st5 (via @AdvertisingLaw)

Web of Justice?: Jurors' Use of Social Media - http://twurl.nl/wtjans #lawyer #law

Find David Barrett on Twitter @barrettdavid

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Anatomy of a Twitter Tweet - Twitter Basics for Lawyers

A few weeks ago while checking email I noticed via a email update that one of my favorite colleagues, Attorney Tom McLain, was following me on Twitter.

Although Tom is an attorney in the Greater Atlanta area, and I practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I have had the opportunity to get to know Tom just a bit via social media.

In addition to the typical pleasantries exchanged upon making a new LinkedIn connection, Tom responded to my call for help in response to the major change in the group policy by LinkedIn.

In a rather short amount of time, I had to “share” my nationwide network of lawyer networking groups, and Tom was both courageous enough to take over ownership of a group and willing to keep the group in part of the larger MyLinkLaw family of lawyer networking groups. (I still "give away" LinkedIn lawyer networking groups as a networking activity itself, but the time pressure has passed.)

After looking at Tom’s Twitter page (which has since flourished), I noticed that he was rather new to Twitter.

I was confident Tom would be able to share interesting content on Twitter, and I knew he was sincere about his use of social media for professional networking. Also because Tom had done me a big favor, I thought I might repay the favor by attempting to attract him some followers to his new account by Tweeting about him.

My Twitter message was –

Follow @TomMcLain Chair, Corporate Lawyer Network on LinkedIn (1700+) - http://twurl.nl/qr2mry #followfriday

… and Tom responded with a private DM (Direct Message) full of honesty and a great question -

“I think I may be in over my head . . . The message you posted - - what does it do?”

Although Twitter messages are only 140 characters, Tom’s question was a good one since there are a few elements included in this Tweet.

Let’s deconstruct:

1. “Follow @TomMcLain” – in addition to the general suggestion for others to follow Tom, including the “@” sign together with his active Twitter account name allows users to easily click through to his Twitter home page, where viewers may learn more about Tom, click through to his website, or choose to follow him on Twitter.

2. “Chair, Corporate Lawyer Network on LinkedIn” – is my attempt to tell others something about Tom. You see … I happened to create and send this Twitter message on a Friday, and I did so with the Twitter meme (the term Internet meme is a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an inside joke) “Follow Friday” in mind.

“Follow Friday” can be found as its own Twitter page and its “bio” reads as basic instructions on how to execute the concept (“Tweet the names of Twitter users you'd like others to follow and tag it with #followfriday”).

One "Follow Friday" Tip -

Some folks pack in as many Twitter addresses as possible in 140 characters for their “Follow Friday” messages:

@barrettdavid, @jdtwitt, @tommclain, @stephenfairley, @bambrogi, @rkodner, @massgovernor, @barackobama, @rex7 #followfriday

However, “Follow Friday’s” are more effective if you include fewer people in each Tweet, and if you explain something about why you think others should follow this person. For example:

@barrettdavid – World’s Largest LinkedIn Lawyer Network, One of 20 Twitterers for Lawyers to Follow #followfriday

3. The “tag” (i.e. “#followfriday”) typically is found at the end of the Twitter message, and this refers to the “#” symbol used to create a searchable term (i.e. distinguishing it from a simple word search, which may have an alternate meaning) by using a service such as Twitter Search. These tags are commonly referred to as “hashtags” and are collected and observed at the Hashtags website.

4. The “(1700+)” adopts some LinkedIn shorthand typically used to show how many LinkedIn connections one has (LinkedIn changed its initial policy and now only shows the number of connections a given member has up to 500) and refers to the number of members in the aforementioned Corporate Lawyer group on LinkedIn,

5. and “http://twurl.nl/qr2mry” is a quick link to the group, should others be interested to join.

One should note that the "real" link to the Corporate Lawyer group on LinkedIn is:
“http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=117520&trk=anetsrch_name&goback=.gdr_1240602125088_1”

However, this link is way too long for a Twitter message of 140 characters or less. So I plugged that link into Tweetburner, a free website service which produced this shorter link (i.e. http://twurl.nl/qr2mry) while also tracking how many people “click through” that link.

Now, looking at a Twitter message (or “Tweet”) such as this –

Follow @TomMcLain Chair, Corporate Lawyer Network on LinkedIn (1700+) - http://twurl.nl/qr2mry #followfriday

Should no longer seem as intimidating.

I hope this helps explain a little bit of the foreign language of Twitter. Twitter can be a great networking tool when used wisely.

Follow Boston Attorney and Legal Social Media Consultant David Barrett on Twitter.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Do Lawyers Have Good Facebook Manners?

Although these etiquette tips are in the context of the relationship between Timmy and Alice on Facebook “The Electric Friendship Generator,” there are many lessons here that apply to a professional networking presence on Facebook.

Connect with David Barrett on Facebook here.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

This Week's LinkedIn Lawyer "Top Tweets" - May Day Edition

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Lawyers Exploring Twitter Communities

A large online legal network is a useful tool when taking the social media pulse of lawyers nationwide, and there seems to be a current buzz around lawyers making sense of the various Twitter communities online, and how to use them effectively.

This buzz first bubbled up to me when Robin Kobayashi of the Lexis Nexis Workers Compensation blog asked if I had written anything or had an opinion about Tweetlaw.

Smelling the potential interest in a larger blog post not only on Tweetlaw, but Tweetlaw and other Twitter communities for lawyers, I used Twitter to solicit a little feedback –

@barrettdavid Working on a review of Twitter lawyer communities for The LinkedIn Lawyer blog - might you @me a Tweet about your faves?

The response was tepid, like swimmers testing the water with their toes in the springtime … not sure if it is warm enough to dive in and start swimming.

For example, @KMarvel a somewhat anonymous child support enforcement lawyer from San Antonio Texas responded:

Still trying to find good lawyer communities -- not much out there for family lawyers. I'd love some ideas, please!

and apparently responding to one of my subsequent tweets:

@barrettdavid - Just joined a twibe. Visit http://twibes.com/attorney to join

The “fairly uppity business and tax lawyer” @CynthiaRRowland

Asked: @barrettdavid I don't get it, what's the point of Twibe?

So first, I would generally describe “Twitter communities” or “Twitter Lawyer communities” as self-selected sub-groups of the larger “Twitter Community” (i.e. everyone on Twitter) who join such groups via websites independent of the official Twitter interface. Generally these websites re-broadcast the Twitter feeds of the members, and allow members to find other Twitter users who may be lawyers, legal professionals, or whatever shared interest of the group.

Historically, these communities were not so fancy, and Adrian Lurssen’s hyper-linked article “145 Lawyers and Legal Professionals to Follow on Twitter” (now at 703 members) was a ground-breaking tool assisting lawyers to find other lawyers and legal professionals on Twitter.

Slick website Twitter communities were soon to follow, including Kevin O’Keefe’s “LexTweet,” Justia’s “Legal Birds” and the aforementioned TweetLaw.

These communities further evolved to be defined by the users themselves, and leading the charge with the use of “Twibes” is legal marketing guru Stephen Fairley with his “Attorney Twibe” and “Law Marketing Twibe.”

So @KMarvel - here’s an idea for you, go to the Start page on Twibes and start a Twibe of Family Lawyers. I started a Twibe for Legal Professionals, but like any social media group for lawyers, recruitment is a considerable challenge.

Really a similar result could be achieved by using an existing LinkedIn group, say American Divorce Lawyers and organizing all the members to provide the group manager with their Twitter feed RSS to that the manager may re-broadcast the Twitter feeds of all the members.

However, this will never work. One secret to getting lawyers and other busy professionals engaged in your particular social media activity is to keep the engagement process as simple as possible.

Social media group organizers need to anticipate that folks are not going to just join because you created a group (i.e. “if you build it they will come” doesn’t work), and getting over the considerable barriers of limited time and varying degrees of techy skills requires you to make the sign up process quick, easy and low-tech.

What is the point of Twibes and other legal communities on Twitter @CynthiaRRowland????

There are a few reasons to join:

1. You may want to find other lawyers or legal professionals who you may want to follow on Twitter. This can help supplement your efforts to crib followers off of other people’s Twitter friends lists, and is easier than going through the trouble of running two internet browsers on your desktop and using Google as a sort of third party Twitter Search.

2. You may want to be found by other lawyers or legal professionals who are interested in what you have to Tweet, and you may gain followers.

3. You may want another venue to re-broadcast your Tweets. Much like the static lawyer directories like the Cornell Law School Directory re-broadcasts of your Tweets can enhance your exposure and your presence in search engines.

4. You likely won’t use these communities as a new place to view a Twitter stream, but you could. Most Twitter users want to follow a Twitter stream that relates directly to them.

Generally I would say that Twitter communities for lawyers are very useful, and very helpful when it comes to networking with folks who are your networking targets, not just any Twitter user who may come along.

Related Articles

For the Birds: LegalBirds: Twitter Directory for the Legal Community

Lawyers Are Building Community Online

Follow David Barrett on Twitter @barrettdavid

Monday, April 13, 2009

This Week's LinkedIn Lawyer "Top Tweets"

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The Powerful Networking Synergy of Martindale-Hubbell Connected and LinkedIn

In Beta, Martindale-Hubbell Connected is Valuable Resource

There have been a few highly-regarded squeaky wheels blogging in order to get their oil from M-H Connected as LexisNexis slowly rolls out the social networking for lawyers website (currently in Beta), but let’s face it – all online social media tools have their quirks, and dealing with those is part of being a cutting-edge early adopter.

I was ranked #23 on LexTweet before Twitter mysteriously wiped out half of my follower/following connections, LinkedIn scrapped who knows how many hours of work by changing their group policy out of the blue, and who can even think of writing a how-to book about Facebook when dealing with the new interfaces is a constant re-education process? It is an imperfect world and social media websites are not always an artful example of the inclusive, transparent and democratic values that many associate with “the internet.”

I admit that I used some of my social media connections in the legal community to get my second M-H Connected application approved, but let’s focus on the important part – Martindale-Hubbell Connected is a super social networking resource for lawyers, particularly when used together with a strong lawyer network on LinkedIn.

Although the Compliance Building blog calls it “sparsely populated,” as I log into M-H Connected today my screen indicates a membership of nearly 3500 lawyers.

Certainly 3500 people is not an incredible number, but one should remember that these are lawyers - a group who are widely regarded to be slow to embrace the worldwide frenzy over social media. After all, my modest personal network of 4000 lawyers is still “The World’s Largest LinkedIn Lawyer Network” and until many more lawyers not only set up profiles on social media websites, but actively network using online social media, any group of attorneys over a couple of thousand is a pretty substantial online lawyer networking resource.

However, rather than the sheer number of lawyers on M-H Connected, the social network has considerable value because of the kind of lawyers in the network rather than the volume. Although there are many exceptions to broad generalizations, it appears to me that many of the lawyers on M-H Connected are the kind of lawyers who wouldn’t be caught dead on MySpace, who don’t spend much if any time on Facebook, but who may have entered their rolodex into the professionally focused environment of LinkedIn.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for using “cross-over connections” on various social media websites in order to enhance my knowledge of the people in my network, and my interaction with them. I love getting my LinkedIn connections into my Facebook network, so that my connections can learn more about me, and so that I can interact with them using the multimedia tools Facebook offers. I generally view my LinkedIn network as a “virtual handshake” and use Twitter and Facebook as “relationship enhancers.”

At the same time, I believe building fresh professional relationships is the greatest asset online social media has to offer. Certainly one can connect with a legal community of social media savvy legal professionals who are on blogging, using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter very very frequently but unless you provide services to the people who provide services to lawyers, why invest so much time in building professional relationships with only such a similar and tight-knit group?

Simply put, you can find lawyers in M-H Connected that you may not so easily find in other areas of the social media universe. But I digress … in addition to a fresh group of online networking targets, there is a powerful synergy between LinkedIn and M-H Connected, and it exists in one function on most M-H Connected profiles. If a M-H Connected user has a LinkedIn network, and that person has enabled their M-H Connected profile to share their LinkedIn connections – the networks work together, in effect making one network from the two social media websites.

So for example, if I am browsing the members of M-H Connected, and I find a lawyer I would like to initiate a professional relationship with – I can click on a LinkedIn link in order to see how we are connected to each other (whether by first, second or third level connections) on the more populated professional networking website LinkedIn.

To their credit, much like LinkedIn the stated M-H Connected policy seeks to rein in out of control connectors who send invitations that smell much like spam –

“Quick Tip! Since Martindale-Hubbell Connected is a trusted online community, members should take care to extend invitations to people they already know. Remind potential connections how you know each other by including a personal note.”

… and even I of 8300 LinkedIn connections would agree that invitations to connect are most effective when they include a personalized message and a reminder about some commonality between you and the target connection.

But the integration of LinkedIn into M-H Connected helps to develop a commonality that would not exist on M-H connected alone. M-H Connected invitations may include something like –

“I noticed that we’re both connected to Barack Obama on LinkedIn, and I would be interested to learn more about your practice as I may be in a position to make legal client referrals in your area.”

Another area where users can leverage a synergy between M-H Connected and LinkedIn (not to mention another commonality with fresh target contacts) is with lawyer groups on both social networks.

M-H Connected seems to encourage users to set up new lawyer networking groups, and much like LinkedIn, groups on M-H Connected can be powerful networking tools. Certainly if a lawyer were to set up law school alumni groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and M-H Connected, s/he would get an assortment of networking contacts who all share a common history. Practice area or geographically focused groups have flourished by utilizing more than one social media portal for some time (historically LinkedIn and Facebook), and attracting members who have different social media starting points.

I appreciate it when social media experts like Chris Brogan advocate for websites like LinkedIn to adopt new features that may enhance our user experiences, and M-H Connected seems genuinely interested in user feedback. At the same time as lawyers, why not leave the geeky website development stuff to the pros – and just focus on using available technologies for networking and developing new business?

Connect with David A. Barrett on Martindale-Hubbell Connected

Connect with David A. Barrett on LinkedIn

A Martindale-Hubbell Connected promotional video -

Friday, April 3, 2009

Lawyers Seek to Grow Online Networks

Recognizing the Business Development Potential of Social Networks

Everyone has their own philosophy when it comes to “effectively” using social networking. Social networking is so new, and is used by such diverse groups of professionals, that there is not really a “user manual” nor a clearly defined set of “best practices.” Many of these answers are still up for debate.

However, it does seem to be a trend that lawyers are seeking to grow their online networks.

One can think of the styles of online networking as a sort of continuum, where on one side “open networkers” willingly connect to anyone who asks (and to many who don’t), and use social networking websites as “relationship initiators.” While on the other side of the spectrum “closed networkers” only allow those who they know well, or those who they have an existing professional relationship with, into their online social networks, presumably in order to enhance those relationships.

Lawyers, being the cautious and exclusive breed they are, have generally been somewhere of the mind of “closed networkers” in the past, and have often been unwilling to connect without a pre-existing relationship.

However, such attitudes among lawyers seem to be changing.

Law and Legal Open Networkers – Not just for LIONS anymore

One barometer of such a change I see is the increase in the number of lawyers, and the number of large firm lawyers, who are interested to join the LinkedIn group Law and Legal Open Networkers. At one time this group was full of non-lawyers associated with the legal profession seeking to build new business relationships, however recently lawyers from nationwide firms such as Mintz Levin, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, and Duane Morris have applied for and gained admission to this group.

Although as a group, lawyers are still somewhat apprehensive about the potential havoc an untrusted contact may wreck in one’s online network (please contact me with examples if you know of any – I have yet to hear of one), lawyers do seem to be catching on to the business development potential that building new relationships via social networking offers.

Building Connections is not a Self-Executing Process

It is important to remember that although you may have decided to change your social networking philosophy, simply joining a group of open networkers, adding your email address to your profile, or even adding a message like “INVITE ME” to your profile will not dramatically increase the size of your online network. Many LinkedIn users are busy people, and they incorrectly assume that by taking one or more of the aforementioned actions that the entire online world will come after them seeking to connect as if they have the name recognition of Barack Obama.

It is important to remember that although some connections may come to you by joining such groups as Toplinked, Open Networker, or the Dallas Blue Business Network, most connections (particularly most targeted or high quality connections) will not just come to you as you are engaged in other work activities.

If online networkers are sincerely interested to build their connections in a substantial way, they should:

1. Identify their networking targets
2. Locate groups where their networking targets may be found
3. Initiate contact with their networking targets

Always be careful not to send messages that smell like SPAM, always be a “networking giver” by sharing resources, and seek to initiate a conversation or a relationship rather than delivering a sales pitch.

Click here if you are interested to join David Barrett’s online network on LinkedIn – the World’s Largest LinkedIn Lawyer Network.

The LinkedIn Lawyer "Top Tweets" - April Showers Edition

David A. Barrett's Recent Most Popular Twitter Messages

Twitter is a free and easy-to-use "micro-blogging" site that allows you to send and receive short updates from multiple users. David Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer is "Twittering" -- follow me here -- and keep up to date with news about Web 2.0 social media and the legal profession, with a particular focus on LinkedIn.

Here are the "Top Tweets" from the last week (partially as tracked with Tweetburner).

"Top Tweets"

Hear "Lawyers and Social Media" blogtalkradio show on The LinkedIn Lawyer blog - http://twurl.nl/q8dzcz

DAB is #47 on Top 100 Twitter Feeds for Law Students - http://twurl.nl/cwg2va

Sending a Tweet in the Right Direction (Michigan Lawyers Weekly) - http://twurl.nl/grqc0b

Health and Hospital Lawyer Network on LinkedIn now feeds health law news and articles from JDSupra - http://twurl.nl/ntfxcx

How to Build a Social Marketing Plan - http://twurl.nl/abpool

Copyright And Libel Questions Hit The Twitterverse - http://twurl.nl/lko30r

LinkedIn for Lawyers Guide from AttorneySync - http://twurl.nl/beiteq

Courtney Love Gets Sued For Tweets - http://twurl.nl/4jc8ai (Don't Drink and Tweet)

Environmental and Land Use Lawyers on LinkedIn now feeds legal news and articles on topic from JDSupra - http://twurl.nl/2me72t

Real Estate Lawyer Network on LinkedIn now feeds hot legal news and articles from JDSupra - http://twurl.nl/chj7ig

Building a new profile on Martindale-Hubbell Connected - http://twurl.nl/m065aq (and is seeking connections)

Updating juror instructions for the era of Internet 2.0 - http://twurl.nl/moidf4

Think of Tweeting about work as "publishing" and remember "Cisco fatty" cautionary tale - http://twurl.nl/y7alb0

Employment Law Network on LinkedIn now feeds news and content from JD Supra - http://twurl.nl/ruhcmq

RT @JDTwitt Social media is seen by many marketers as the next gold rush - http://snurl.com/exp8a

Ambrogi: Social Networking for Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/z7n6w7

Find David Barrett on Twitter @barrettdavid

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Lawyers and Social Media blogtalkradio show

Monday, February 23, 2009

What Were We Tweeting When the Human Rights Lawyers Were Killed?

Advanced Topics in Twitter and Human Rights Law

Amidst this worldwide economic downturn, and in The Year of Twitter it is certainly understandable for us all to get excited about the inherent business potential of this new online social media.

However, although the practice of law is a business, lawyers have a particular responsibility to stand up for the rule of law – and for those lawyers who dedicate their professional lives to protecting the fundamental human rights of themselves and others.

Although I aspire to use Twitter to support Human Rights Lawyers more than I have, my work to do so has been an informative journey in advanced topics in using Twitter, particularly hashtags and retweeting.

Hashtags

Hashtags are a tool to help those using search together with Twitter to have a conversation on a limited topic. Hashtags are included in Twitter messages, and can be recognized with the pound sign attached (i.e. "#lawschool"). The Twitterer using a hashtag may seek to enter an existing conversation, or that person may seek to start a conversation on a particular topic.

The great thing about hashtags is that you can just make them up, once you follow the @hashtags Twitter user from
http://hashtags.org/ and it will automatically will follow you back.

As I was working on developing the hashtag for Attorney Gao Zhisheng, I initially came up with “#zhng” or an abbreviation of his last name.

Now that I have seen hashtags such as “#americanidol” and “#oscaradwatch“ I realize there was little reason to abbreviate the name, and I have come to learn that popular terms without the "#" will also come up in hashtag searches, or Twitter Searches.

At the same time, the publications were referring to Attorney Zhisheng as “Mr. Gao” and I wondered if this was the same phenomenon I have never clearly understood that allows Ichiro Suzuki to be the only player in Major League Baseball to put his first name on the back of his jersey.

Whever the reason, I figured a “#gao” hashtag may personalize Attorney Zhisheng for American Tweeple, and make the effort to spread word of his situation on Twitter more effective.

However, I should have used the search function on hashtag.com to check before creating the hashtag, as another Twitter user had already used “#gao” in an unrelated way when tweeting about the Government Accounting Office (and their reports on the lack of paid health care benefits for U.S. Soldiers).

ReTweeting

The other Twitter topic I got to know better in my quest to spread the word about human rights lawyers unjustly detained or killed was the art of asking others to "Retweet" my Twitter message. Although I'm not sure that all of the involved government and military officials are on Twitter, there have been a number of Twitter campaigns that have had a real world impact.

How to Retweet is best covered the Related Articles below, but in brief there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. You "ask" people who see your Twitter message to "Retweet" (or cut and paste and then re-post on their own Twitter page) by including "Pls. RT" in your message (i.e. Please Retweet)

2. Those who are kind enough to Retweet your message, do so with attribution, starting with "RT" or "Retweet" or "Tweet Tweet" and then the address from where they found this 140 character informational jewel (i.e. "RT @barrettdavid") before the text of the message.

3. You have limited Re-tweet capital, so spend it wisely. Folks who see your request may think to themselves, "what has s/he done for me lately" and opt to ignore your plea. As @guykawasaki says "We all want to be Retweeted."

4. You may have to educate your followers on what retweeting is, how to do it and why to do it.

As examples, I have listed my "Top Human Rights Tweets":

Nobel Contender Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Disappears - http://twurl.nl/qn8l7e (pls RT) #zhng

Markelov Assassination Tied to Release of Budanov? - http://twurl.nl/vnq5gf #mrklv (pls RT)

Markelov Killed For Human Rights Law Work - http://twurl.nl/toum6j (Please ReTweet) #mrklv

(Pls ReTweet) Russia: Investigate Murder of Prominent Rights Lawyer http://twurl.nl/uvhpvq #mrklv

BonnieRN: RT @barrettdavid Nobel Contender Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Disappears - http://twurl.nl/qn8l7e(pls RT) #gao

Related Articles:

How to Start a Twitter Hashtag

An Introduction to Twitter Hashtags

Hashing Through Twitter Hashtags -- a Look at Structured Conversation

Explore the Twitter Hashtag

The Art and Science of Retweeting for Twitteraholics

Retweet: The Infectious Power Of Word Of Mouth

How to Retweet

How to Retweet: Format and Convention

International Human Rights Law Resources

PROFILES IN COURAGE - China's rights defenders

Human Rights Watch, Stay Informed - Get action alerts, breaking news and updates

Beyond Obama’s Order to Close Guantanamo

International human rights law

Human Rights First believes that building respect for human rights and the rule of law will help ensure the dignity to which every individual is entitled and will stem tyranny, extremism, intolerance, and violence.

Interested to Discuss this Blogpost? - Connect with David Barrett on Twitter

ABA CLE Online Social Networking Gets Professional

Social Media for Lawyers Seminar Online Success

The American Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Seminar, "Online Social Networking Gets Professional, the Pitfalls and Rewards" had a number of very pleased seminar/webinar attendees, and a considerable following on the social media website Twitter.

Seminar faculty set up a hashtag of #LPMSM for the online event, allowing another mode of communication for seminar attendees, and for other interested people to follow along and even participate without signing up for the entire seminar. At one point, @RealTimeTrends found the hashtag "#lpmsm" to be the #4 trend on twitter.

Online Social Networking Gets Professional

View more presentations from David Barrett. (tags: social media)

ABA CLE Online Social Networking “Top Tweets”

As partially tracked with the assistance of Tweetburner.

Connect with David Barrett on LinkedIn - http://twurl.nl/dke3nk #LPMSM

barrettdavid: Social Media Pitfalls: 5 Lessons Learned - http://twurl.nl/7vir0n #LPMSM

List of 350+ Social Networking Sites - http://twurl.nl/vx1ey3 #LPMSM

Find more social media information and links on The LinkedIn Lawyer http://twurl.nl/xld62v #LPMSM

50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence on - http://twurl.nl/apfeia #LPMSM

@heathermilligan: $250,000 worth of patent work! via LinkedIn - http://twurl.nl/yeftdw #LPMSM

Professional Social Networking or "Facebook for Suits" http://twurl.nl/nhcyd2 #LPMSM

Twitter 101 for Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/8xgdqp #LPMSM

Law Marketing on Ning - http://twurl.nl/w58w4g #LPMSM

To friend or Not to Friend – Social Media for Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/kmjzsz #LPMSM

Twitter Basics for Curious Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/4pt3ua #LPMSM

LinkedIn Lawyer Networking groups by practice area and location - http://twurl.nl/klg0d0

Social Media Marketing for Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/i620ho #LPMSM

How Sociable is Your Brand Online? http://twurl.nl/5hizh1 #LPMSM

Highlights from the “#LPMSM” hashtag Twitter Tweets during the Seminar

JDTwitt: 42% want to reach new clients with SM - biggest challenge: developing a strategy/ #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @stevematthews: blog is the hub for lawyers - every else pushed out to the networks. #LPMSM

barrettdavid: @tamerabennett - if you're losing ROI don't read every tweet - following more builds more new relationship opportunities #LPMSM

molecule18: #lpmsm Important to own yr domainname and website, for SEO purpose, as well as so not to be at the whim of Google,Wordpress etc...

heathermilligan: @barrettdavid - LinkedIn is a "relationship initiator" #lpmsm

matthomann: It's easy to learn how to use Twitter, but it's hard to learn why. Once you get it you'll move from skeptic to disciple overnight. #lpmsm

JDTwitt: @barrettdavid makes nationwide litigator referrals using LinkedIn - has largest network of attys on LI -"even modest newtork" good #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @barrettdavid to sum up: want to understand LinkedIN? Connect with David Barrett #LPMSM (join groups, associations, practice g's)

JDTwitt: @heathermilligan: Linkedin allows a small firm to make a big impact. "Have fun" Connect with colleagues, friends, former clients #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @stevematthews: Connect with as many relationships as you can, even childhood friends. Power of "who knows who" Again: join groups.#LPMSM

leahcdaniels: @JDTwitt Yep, LinkedIn is a relationship building tool that can be used to disseminate content which can lead to virtual referrals.#LPMsm

alinwagnerlahmy: #LPMsm @barretdavid: “ twitter great way to make and enhance relationships you have made on other sites”

barrettdavid: High quality Twitter posts are appreciated. Think before you Tweet. #LPMSM

alinwagnerlahmy: #LPMsm @heathermilligan "Twitter expanded my presence across country, world, practice area – building my reputation very quickly ...

nicolecaccamo: If you are using multiple SM sites - FB/Twit/LI create similar brand throughout to create a well-rounded & prof image of yourself #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @stevematthews: OK to display your professional work to personal network. Show people what you do. Opportunity for referrals #LPMSM

nicolecaccamo: RT @barrettdavid: Twitter is a local networking event without a particular time and location - always open, always on. #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @barrettdavid Facebook and Twitter connections aren't necessarily the same. OK to tether - have Twitter updates appear on Facebook #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @barrettdavid uses JD Supra app to stream documents from JDS to Facebook. "Connect one to another" #LPMSM

nancymyrland: I LOVE your 4 point 2.0 plan! :-) RT @heathermilligan: Here's my 4-point 2.0 plan. http://tinyurl.com/crcek3

JDTwitt: RT @matthomann Friends more likely to recommend you than colleagues who do same thing you do. Let friends see your professional side #lpmsm

JChristi: RT @stevematthews: "Write once, publish often." This is one value of social media/networking. Allows for presence in multiple places #LPMSM

barrettdavid: Individual Facebook pages and firm pages can work together to compound online presence - must be personal but professional. #LPMSM

eschaeff: RT @matthomann From my LTNY Presentation: Ten Tweets about Twitter http://is.gd/i8PA #lpmsm

DebraTuomey: RT @JDTwitt: RT @barrettdavid What is a Ning site? http://www.ning.com/ Create your own social network for anything. #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @stevematthews distinguish between formal pieces of content (articles, case law, etc.) and then the informal conversation #LPMSM use both

JDTwitt: @davidbarrett: lawyers should think of social media participation the way you think of publishing. follow same standards. #LPMSM

barrettdavid: Is it worth paying for LinkedIn account? Absolutely. Pay for an account and delegate administrative tasks to staff. #LPMSM

barrettdavid: @lancegodard - Plan first, then pay for LinkedIn - need a plan to make it worthwhile, but if you have a plan is very valuable. #LPMSM

barrettdavid: @lancegodard - building relationships with referral attorneys and potential clients is more important than one communication. #LPMSM

barrettdavid: @lancegodard - building relationships with referral attorneys and potential clients is more important than one communication. #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @barrettdavid think of it like a party. No one likes guy at party who goes around saying "Hello I'm a lawyer, why don't you hire me" #LPMSM

barrettdavid: @claxtonlegal - Many aspects of difference between paid and free LinkedIn accounts - search results, # invitations, mail messages #LPMSM

JDTwitt: RT @SCartierLiebel Have social media plan to develop relationships. Give first. Be generous w/tools for others benefit. It comes back #LPMSM

JDTwitt: @stevematthews: Google yourself. Connects to everything. If you're saying nothing, that's your fault. SM participation allows control #LPMSM

stevematthews: RT:@matthomann Twitter is also a great way of incubating ideas that will later grow into a full blog post. #lpmsm Completely agree.

leahcdaniels: Attys have to be very careful about sending private DMs . Don't want to inadvertently create an attorney-client relationship. #LPMSM

molecule18: #LPMSM Thanks! Most fun CLE ever!

stevematthews: @fredabramson RT: "I practice under my name, I twitter under my name... my name is my "brand" Great approach, I think. #LPMsm

stevematthews: @fredabramson I don't think either strategy is 'wrong'. I just happen
to think investing long term in your name, is never a mistake. #LPMsm

heathermilligan: @jonlin98 I find that clients "interview" the firm, but "hire" the lawyer. Both brands are equally important. #LPMsm

heathermilligan: @JDTwitt twttr is like wlkng into a cocktail party / million ppl, shouting "who wants 2 talk abt legal mkt, & having 1200 ppl respond #LPMSM

heathermilligan: @LarryApple for a lawyer, it is always advisable to have a disclaimer on your page somewhere re: creating att/client relationship #LPMSM

LindsayGriffith: RT @nancymyrland: Not that u asked ;-), but here are my Twitter strategy & goals #lpmsm http://bit.ly/VCFHB

nicolecaccamo: RT @stevematthews: @kdtalcott has a good foundation article on the use of twitter by lawyers #LPMsm http://is.gd/kaH6

dhowell: What firms (as opposed to individual lawyers) are doing social media best? Thx, I'll put you in my talk notes. #lpmsm http://ff.im/-18WZE

goldenm: RT @matthomann People want to know you before they hire you. Be yourself in SM, unless you don't expect to be yourself with clients. #lpmsm

JDTwitt: One value of @nikiblack's LegalTweets.com: see stevematthew's summary of the recent #LPMSM webinar & tweetapalooza ... http://is.gd/ktMH

Connect with David Barrett on Twitter here.

Monday, February 9, 2009

This Week's LinkedIn Lawyer Social Media "Top Tweets" Stimulus Package

Click here for a video introduction to David Barrett's Twitter profile.

Twitter is a free and easy-to-use "micro-blogging" site that allows you to send and receive short updates from multiple users. David Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer is "Twittering" -- follow me here -- and keep up to date with news about Web 2.0 social media and the legal profession, with a particular focus on LinkedIn.

Here are the "Top Tweets" from the last week (partially as tracked with Tweetburner).

"Top Tweets"

Client Referral Strategies For Attorneys - http://twurl.nl/1fmhpz

Massachusetts Fee splits require up-front written client consent - http://twurl.nl/pisqms

Superstar Article: How to be a LinkedIn Superstar - http://twurl.nl/687pfl

BubbleTweets for Distinguished Social Media Lawyers - http://twurl.nl/46zggq

Video Welcome to David Barrett's LinkedIn Network - http://twurl.nl/zz3ggx

Are Lawyers Taking Full Advantage of Slideshare? - http://twurl.nl/vp5fta Via LinkedIn, blog widget, Twitter, Facebook? #slideshare

Hello LegalTech New York from the LinkedIn Lawyer - http://twurl.nl/w7wvow #ltny

The travelers guide to Twitterverse - http://twurl.nl/di0qz1

"145 Lawyers to Follow on Twitter" by JD Supra now 563 - wow http://twurl.nl/tmxtti

Social Media Legal Marketing on the Law Marketing Network - http://twurl.nl/xwtfha

Nobel Contender Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Disappears - http://twurl.nl/qn8l7e (pls RT) #zhng

Rights groups: China rights lawyer released (!!!!) - http://twurl.nl/lvfs31 #gao

Twitter: It's Not You; It's Me... http://twurl.nl/wg3ak3

Online social networking is the beginning of a relationship that can develop - http://twurl.nl/lkxxmr

MySpace And Facebook Becoming Evidence In Court - http://twurl.nl/n6ussn

Duke University Law Library on Facebook - http://twurl.nl/k1aldu

LinkedIn Legal Networking Groups at MyLinkLaw.com - http://twurl.nl/ck13wj

Nancy Gertner: New Media Judge - http://twurl.nl/llobu7

NY Times Twittering Tips for Beginners - http://twurl.nl/r552xc

Find David Barrett on Twitter @barrettdavid

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

David A. Barrett's Representative Legal Clients

Slideshare is a great application that allows users to get powerpoint presentations out to social media portals such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Representative Legal Clients

View more presentations from barrettdavid.

Related Twitter Chatter:

barrettdavid: Are Lawyers Taking Full Advantage of Slideshare? - http://twurl.nl/vp5fta Via LinkedIn, blog widget, Twitter, Facebook? #slideshare

cableandclark: @barrettdavid Looking forward to trying out Slideshare in overhaul of web site. Thanks for the links!

BillTilley: @barrettdavid I have not used it but have been thinking about it, are you having success?

RecruiterEsq @barrettdavid i browsed through slideshare for "law" & "legal" & (lack of) results surprised me. also, why isn't law its own category!

stephkimbro: I try! RT @barrettdavid : Are Lawyers Taking Full Advantage of Slideshare? Via LinkedIn, Twitter, etc? #slideshare

gerkmana: RT @StephKimbro : RT @barrettdavid : Are Lawyers Taking Full Advantage of Slideshare? #slideshare
about

Friday, January 30, 2009

BubbleTweets for Distinguished Social Media Lawyers

Names like “Tweetbubble” or "BubbleTweet" can make even the toughest trial lawyers’ eyes roll back in the head. Much like the International House of Pancakes patrons ordering the “Rooty Tooty Fresh N’ Fruity” with an embarrassed whisper, many of today’s distinguished attorneys use the new nouns and verbs of social media with some trepidation.

While waiting in line for the court clerk, during a break at trial, or when counsel awaits the verdict of a jury deliberation, the shift to this new whimsical language can be downright amusing:

“hey um … have you started using Tweeter … Twitted … I mean Twitter?“

“well I just started that stuff … I guess yesterday was the first time I Tweeted, but I felt pretty good about it. I figure the more Tweeple I get, the more well known my new DUI defense practice will be.”

“nice going … the other day I Facebooked someone, but I just about lost it when I got a message on LinkedIn from this guy who had a Twitter-bubble or something … um, did I miss this class in law school?”

Counsel, hang tough. Just like learning the new vocabulary of the law when we were just starting to quack like a duck as first year law students, seeing the social media forest through the trees can enable you to overcome this foreign landscape for your profit – this time by taking advantage of some of the most cost-effective legal marketing available.

Bubble Guru Kevin Sherman’s BubbleTweet is not only worth a try, it may have a huge online social media impact.

His primary product of self-executing videos is the BubbleTweet – which makes a great introduction to your Twitter profile. It is great because BubbleTweet puts the people in the media, and does so very effectively.

Even as Portalfuse's Social Media Blog cautiously and critically reviewed the article "How Will Social Media Change in 2009?"

they had to “agree the most with her #1 point: It’s About People:

…(S)ocial media is bringing back the human element to all digital interaction. People now deliberately seek meaningful connection, self-expression, and a relevant and receptive community.”

Feedback on my Tweetbubble from New Media Product Manager at LexisNexis, Alin Wagner-Lahmy (who also blogs at Sleepless in NY and Virtually Social) struck a similar note:

“Seeing your (BubbleTweet) clip brought a huge smile on my face and I hurried up sending it through to all my friends and connections - it was one of those rare moments on web when two media formats were sitting together in such harmony, complementing each other in a perfect mix. Just a drop from each, and voila - there's a real taste of personality here!

Seems like Twitter's nuggets-sized content bits form a perfect base for different formats to be layered within and/or on top of one another - and what a tasty dish it is! [I could go on and on here about Jeremiah Owyang's "Content like Shish Kebob - bite sized media" theory (see Slideshare presentation under “Appendix A - The Future of Social Media in the Social Era" below), but maybe best to chew one idea at a time...).

I am always very curious about the role of video with 'conversational' communities, I think this is a great example of a simple yet brilliant start: will it just remain an introductory video or will it develop into a 'status update' either in its own right or complementing textweets, and how will that work with 12seconds.tv ? that, I guess, remains to be seen - and we'll all be watching every second of it. literally.”

Thanks for the conversation Alin.

BubbleComment may Revolutionize Micro-blogging

Bubble Guru Kevin Sherman has another similar product, BubbleComment, which is very similar to BubbleTweet but allows one to create a webpage overlay – so that a bubble video can allow users (and micro-bloggers) to provide a video comment to any existing web page.

Let’s face it, as we use Twitter more our demand for quality Tweets increases. We are quickly becoming bored over Tweets like “having lunch” or “having a ham sandwich for lunch … mmmm” or “boy I’m tired … having coffee” and a recent Retweet from Adrian Lurssian of JD Supra captured the need for high interest content well -

@JDTwitt RT LOL @davewiner Twitter should replace the question 'What are you doing?' with OMG NWAY!

“Micro-blogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates (say, 140 characters or fewer) or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user.“

But it wouldn’t really take much to “revolutionize” micro-blogging, as after a while many folks sharing links get around to sharing the same ones – and scanning websites in the race to be first isn’t always the best use of a lawyer’s time.

However, adding a BubbleComment to a shared website link, not only allows an added human factor, but it adds an ability to comment on, add to, or interact with the content on the shared link to add value.

For example, I was able to get involved with Larry Bodine’s blog post on Are (Law) Marketers Really Using Twitter? - even apparently after having missed his solicitation for comments.

Pointing out links I haven’t seen is great, and I appreciate those who do share interesting and useful content. At the same time, I would love to see a quick comment from many of the professionals I follow in response to many of those links, as the social media landscape is forever evolving and there are few authoritative resources. Publishing about social media is just becoming "part of the conversation."

Creative uses for combining BubbleComments seem to be only beginning. I have added them on my own blog posts (LinkedIn QuickLink Invitations (Quicklinks are Great!)) and I have added one to my own LinkedIn profile.

Still skeptical?

I have noticed on Twitter Search that there has been some favorable buzz on Twitter about the BubbleTweet that I use as a profile introduction -

@econwriter5: RT @JDTwitt if you haven't seen it - go to @barrettdavid and click on the link in his twitter bio. grab some popcorn, oda & turn off yr cell

@JDTwitt: if you haven't seen it - go to @barrettdavid and click on the link in his twitter bio. then grab some popcorn and a soda & turn off yr cell

@JDTwitt: @barrettdavid that bubble tweet on your twitpage is COOL. wild, crazy, cool. i'd imagine as the concept spreads it'll become like

alinwagnerlahmy: started writing a comment 4 @barrettdavid 's fab bubble & got so carried away I almost wrote a booklet. no worries ive cut it into a par ...

"Appendix A - The Future of Social Media in the Social Era"

The Future of Media in the Social Era

View more presentations from jeremiah_owyang. (tags: socialmedia media)