My dear friend LinkedIn has some competition coming its way–that’s right, Facebook is developing a new platform designed to let people use the social networking site at work.

The new Facebook–dubbed FB@Work (Zuckerberg couldn’t think of something more clever?)–will allow co-workers to chat, network with other professionals in their field, and work together on documents.

Many professionals already use Facebook at work, but now the company is actually testing the professional platform with companies, according to Reuters. FB@Work would be a completely separate site from the social networking site. Its main competitors include LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, Box, and Salesforce.com

Zuckerberg’s move to create a professional networking platform gives Facebook a new edge. The tech industry is in a high-speed capability race and this new platform gives Facebook a one-up.

FB@Work’s chat tool can compete with Salesforce.com’s Chatter, Google’s Gchat, and Microsoft’s Yammer. Networking with professionals on FB@Work compares to the entire platform of LinkedIn. Lastly, providing co-workers with a space to collaborate on documents challenges Google Docs, Box, and Dropbox.

All of these features will not only be more attractive for users, but also for advertisers. The Financial Times reports the professional website will provide users with accounts separate from the social Facebook, so marketers have more space to place ads. The separate accounts would function to keep certain information private from certain audiences.

Some features will look similar; the News Feed will still be a staple of the site. The terms of confidentiality are still in question.

With FB@Work, you may portray your Facebooking habits in a more positive light at work. However, the new platform is designed to foster a more-efficient Facebook that will overall increase productivity and connectivity in the workplace.

Would you use FB@Work? Personally, I wouldn’t want to have an additional distraction. Google and LinkedIn already provide all the services I need–chat, room to collaborate on documents, discussion boards, and networking space. Creating another account means worrying about another password to remember and another networking site to keep up with. Honestly, I think Facebook is just trying to remain relevant with this new platform.

In the past, Facebook has tried to compete with other sites and networking platforms. Do you remember the Beacon fiasco? Beacon was part of Facebook’s Ads platform, but users were infuriated when the truth about Beacon’s tracking mechanisms came out. Beacon tracked users’ online activity on third-party sites–even when they were logged out or opted not to broadcast their activity to their networks.

This controversy, which occurred in 2007, was not a lone incident in Facebook’s spotty history with privacy leaks. In 2011, a similar privacy breach occurred when three applications were reported to provide users’ personal information to third-party sites. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m hesitant to join the movement for FB@Work. Though the site is still in its development phase, I don’t trust that the social account and the professional account of Facebook will be kept completely separate nor will it be entirely secure. Until this site is fully developed and used by many early adopters, you can find me on LinkedIn.

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Facebook at Work: Facebook Creating LinkedIn Competitor appeared first on Law Street.

Millennials are often accused of losing their interpersonal skills because they depend on technology for too much. Regardless of what critics may say, technology and social networking play an important role in our futures in many ways. Millennials should take to their social networking sites not only to create larger networks, but also to showcase their skills for prospective employers.

Some websites are more directly associated with professional development. The most prominent website for such uses is LinkedIn, however Millennials should take advantage of Facebook, Twitter and blogging sites to market themselves as well.

Create a social resume.

In 2012, 92 percent of employers reported using social media for recruiting, according to OnlineColleges.com. Websites like LinkedIn make it easier than ever for users to showcase their industry-related experiences, projects and connections. However, there are a plethora of other websites that allow users to create different types of curricula vitae. More creative individuals may use ResumeSocial.com or VisualCV.com while more traditional individuals could turn their blogs into CVs using WordPress, Tumblr, or Typepad. Here are some examples.

Engage in professional conversations.

Whether it leads to taking part in Twitter chats or participating in conversations in LinkedIn groups, these activities will increase users’ visibility in their respective networks. Though Facebook is often used for social interactions, becoming involved in professional conversations on the site could also yield visibility to hiring employers. LinkedIn offers groups specifically for individuals seeking jobs in certain industries–join and participate in a group that pertains to your profession.

Participate in industry-related activities.

Actively seek job listings, conferences and chats using hashtags on Twitter and Facebook. Remember that each post you publish represents who you are through your online presence. Share thoughtful comments related to your field of interest and offer valuable input to conversations as such. The more active users are in specific topics, the more likely they are to create networks who can share employment opportunities.

Create a professional blog.

Sometimes Twitter’s 140 characters merely aren’t enough to express your ideas and opinions on specific industry-related topics. Your blog can double as an e-portfolio or social resume. This platform allows individuals to present their communication skills and work experience. Blogs are jobseekers’ way of creating relevant, interesting and unique information about themselves. Check out these great examples:

• Words to Good Effect
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Moz
• The Smart Passive Income
• CopyBlogger

Engage with influencers.

Use LinkedIn influencer profiles to monitor industry-specific updates and innovations. Tweet at big name professionals in your field. Follow blogs of leading individuals in your industry. These different channels of social media will not only provide you with the most recent news in your specific area of interest, but also prepare you with valuable talking points at your next interview or networking event. Lastly, creating connections with influencers in your field could help you down the road.

The Internet provides endless opportunities for Millennials to showcase their valuable experiences, skills, and passion relevant to their careers. With so many resources literally available at their fingertips, Millennials should begin to think creatively about marketing their assets online. While doing so, Millennials should be careful not to plagiarize, badmouth former employers, or repeatedly post about controversial topics.

Use the Internet to your advantage to contact future employers in new, creative ways. Create video or photo resumes, design your own logo and showcase your passion through personalized posts. The age of online recruiting is on the rise and Millennials can beat the curve by creatively showcasing themselves through various platforms.

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post How to Use Social Media to Land a Job appeared first on Law Street.

Twitter is suing the the United States Department of Justice for violating its First Amendment rights, the company announced on Tuesday. The social media service is arguing that it has the right to disclose to the public how often the government requests data from it for national security purposes.

Currently, the government requests information for such investigations from tech companies like Twitter in the form of national security letters and Foreign Intelligence Security Act court orders. The government does let these companies disclose how many times it requests information, but not down to the exact number. Instead they can report ranges of the requests they’ve received in “bands” of 1,000. For example, a firm can report that it has received between 0 and 999 government information requests, without being any more specific.

Twitter’s complaint is that these restrictions inhibit its freedom of speech. It argues that it should be allowed to disclose to its users a more precise number of government information requests. In particular, if it hasn’t received any requests in a certain category, Twitter wants to say publicly that the number is zero.

Ben Lee, a Twitter Vice President, said in a blog post on Tuesday:

It’s our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users’ concerns and to the statements of U.S. government officials by providing information about the scope of U.S. government surveillance – including what types of legal process have not been received.

Twitter tried to accomplish the same thing earlier this year without going to court, by sending a sample transparency report in April to the DOJ, asking which information it could or couldn’t publish. Unfortunately, that attempt wasn’t fruitful. “After many months of discussions, we were unable to convince them to allow us to publish even a redacted version of the report,” Tuesday’s blog post also disclosed.

The current restrictions stem from a January settlement between the DOJ and Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Facebook, and LinkedIn. At that time, the companies were were looking for permission to publish any number at all related to national security requests. That settlement allowed these companies and “similarly situated companies” (that includes Twitter) to use the bands of 1,000 rule to report the number of government requests. Twitter hints in its formal complaint that the number of requests it receives is relatively small, and argues that it  should be allowed to reflect “limited scope” of government surveillance on its accounts in its transparency reports.

In the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks that revealed the vast extent of government surveillance online, tech companies have tried to show their users that they care about privacy. Apple and Google made news last month when they announced that their new generation of mobile operating systems would encrypt user data with the user’s passcode, making it impossible for either the company or the government to access private information without the passcode. Even if the government requests it, the company can’t reach it.

Unlike on most social media platforms, anything the average Twitter user tweets is publicly visible. So, intuitively, the government doesn’t need to request from Twitter too much information; it’s there for the picking. That seems to be what Twitter is hinting at when it says that it would like to be allowed to report that it has received zero national security requests. That being said, it would be nice to know what other information the government is asking to have – information that supposedly isn’t public. Twitter comes off in this story as the noble tech company trying to stay accountable to its 271 million active users. The company can stay even truer to the value of transparency by letting its users know what non-public information the government wants, and this suit will decide whether they get to do just that.

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Zaid Shoorbajee

Zaid Shoorbajee is a an undergraduate student at The George Washington University majoring in journalism and economics. He is from the Washington, D.C. area and likes reading and writing about international affairs, politics, business and technology (especially when they intersect). Contact Zaid at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post A Tech Company That Has Your Back: Twitter Sues the DOJ appeared first on Law Street.

It’s no secret that I’m mildly obsessed with LinkedIn. Anyone who knows me even remotely will knows this. But much to my dismay, many of my colleagues and peers disregard this social network, disparaging it as the Facebook for old people and arguing that it serves no purpose, it’s lame, etc. I disagree.

LinkedIn has so many features that most people are unaware of that they are truly missing out. Are you in college? Grad school? Law or med school? Or maybe you just graduated and you’ve joined the rat race that we call job hunting. I won’t say LinkedIn can solve your problems just like that — by no means are you guaranteed a position by way of LinkedIn. But I bet if you use the site the way you should and get the most out of LinkedIn, you can highly increase your chances of landing a decent job or connecting with someone who could change your life.

Here’s a list of five useful LinkedIn features that fly under most users’ radars:

1. Update your professional gallery. LinkedIn is the ultimate e-portfolio. It’s like a resume without a one-page limit. You can digitally share all kinds of projects you’ve worked on — articles, designs, videos, pictures, etc. This is probably the best way to showcase the experience you’ve gained at each internship or job.
2. Join and participate in relevant groups and discussions. One of the best ways to get noticed on LinkedIn is to join groups and discussions that interest you. For example, if you are in the finance industry or seeking fluency in a language, they have groups for that! Once you join groups and discussions, you not only have access to loads of useful advice, but you are connected to people you may have never encountered before.
3. Share updates, including useful articles you’ve read or wrote yourself. Get out there. This is where people confuse Facebook and LinkedIn. Yes, you can share updates, but no one cares that you just brushed your teeth and walked your dog. Share a new piece you just finished or an interesting article you read. This will call attention to your profile and the more viewers, the better for you!
4. Utilize your alumni network. Newsflash, alumni love their alma maters. Their pride is often accompanied with a sense of nostalgia in the vein of, “I remember when I was your age, getting ready for life in the real world.” This is usually followed up with some type of advice and swapping of contact information. Take advantage of this opportunity to build your network! LinkedIn has a variety of features specially designed for alumni to connect with each other. Almost every college and university has an alumni network; if you’re connected instantly, why not reach out?
5. Request introductions to people of interest through your network. This is probably based on the Six Degrees of Separation theory. Basically, any person on this planet is only six introductions away from any other person. So, I’m only like six introductions away from Angelina Jolie. Sweet. You can use this tool to make connections with the judge at the court where you want to clerk or meet an partner at your dream firm.

Just like every other form of social networking, LinkedIn is constantly adding features to allow users to show their personalities by adding experience outside of work. Employers like well-rounded employees with varying interests. Some career influencers tell us to let our personalities shine through our brands, it’s the name of the game. LinkedIn now allows you to showcase your volunteer experience, certifications, even patents. So take the extra few minutes to surf the site that could change your professional career profoundly.

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Natasha Paulmeno (@natashapaulmeno) 

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Get the Most Out of LinkedIn With These 5 Useful Features appeared first on Law Street.

A friend and I were talking recently and decided that there are three major, tumultuous situations that plague the twenty-something. They are (in no particular order): the job hunt, dating life, and the apartment scramble. I, personally, have always found the job hunt to be the worst of all. If you don’t have a job, you can’t afford an apartment, and no one dates homeless people…so you’re pretty much screwed.

When faced with an insanely stressful situation (such as any of the aforementioned) the urge is to get yourself out of it as quickly as humanly possible. That could result in settling for that apartment in Bushwick with cockroaches and five roommates. Or dating that toothless guy you met on Ok C for way too long. Or, maybe even worse, taking the first job you can find without even really wanting it. Of course, it’s always better to be employed than not, but you don’t want to do this hunt again in a few months do you? OF COURSE NOT.

Here are a few tips for the application process that will help you avoid a potential career mistake.

1. Apply within a wide range. Basically, don’t limit yourself. So what if you majored in journalism? Jobs in that field aren’t exactly easy to find. Really dig into your resume and your pool of experience when applying. If you did some design work for an internship that could open up a whole new career path for you.

2. But definitely have a range. Of course, you should still cap off your search at some point. If you’re just widely applying to jobs that you have no interest in actually doing then you’re wasting your time and theirs.

3. Consider your future self. It sounds cliche, but where do you see yourself in five years? Ten? Think of each job opportunity as an investment toward the future you want. Think of that position on your resume down the line. Will it help you get where you want? If not then maybe pass on that one.

4. Use your network. Not just on LinkedIn. Reach out to mentors, past coworkers, people you’ve met along the way. A foot in the door helps immensely and you never know what opportunities are out there until you ask.

Sure, at some point it is a numbers game. Diligence is important when you’re on the hunt, but applying to jobs that are a dead end for your future won’t be beneficial. Be honest with yourself.

Happy hunting!

xo The Capitalista

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is a PR & Media Outreach Manager. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

The post Surviving the Job Hunt: Apply Yourself appeared first on Law Street.

LinkedIn is basically a prerequisite when job hunting now. Countless companies require that you apply with your profile and the site has one of the biggest job boards out there. Despite its prevalence, many job seekers still are not entirely sure how to navigate the social media platform. We (OK, most of us — not this compassionate professional, of course) know it’s important for networking and career hunting, but how do we use it to our greatest advantage?

Forbes recently posted “22 LinkedIn Secrets LinkedIn Won’t Tell You” and I found it extremely helpful. Here are my top five tips from the list:

Be opportunistic. Join groups that will let you connect with people who are in your target audience but are not contacts. Being part of the group gives you permission to reach out to them and invite them to join your network. You don’t need to upgrade to Premium to do so.

Be redundant. Know the top five strengths for which you want to be recognized and use them in your profile – repeatedly. If your top skill is project management, describe your project management proficiency in your summary as well as in multiple experience descriptions. This will help the right audience find you.

Be ungrateful. Ask your contacts to endorse you for only your top skills. Having the highest number of endorsements for your signature strengths will influence those who are looking at your profile. Have the courage to delete or reject the endorsements that aren’t central to how you want to be known.

Be promiscuous. Ignore LinkedIn’s advice to only accept connection requests from people you know. That helps sell Premium, but it doesn’t help you get found. LinkedIn’s search algorithm favors those who are in your network. That means when people are looking for what you have to offer, the results of their searches are displayed with 1st level connections first, then 2nd level connections and so on.

Be personal.  Your profile is not a resume or CV. Write as if you are having a conversation with someone. Inject your personality. Let people know your values and passions. In your summary, discuss what you do outside of work. You want people to want to know you.

Great tips! Thanks, Forbes!

PS – Thanks for the post idea, Ashley Powell!

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

The post How to Link In appeared first on Law Street.

“Your invite to connect is inappropriate, beneficial only to you, and tacky. Wow, I cannot wait to let every 26-year-old jobseeker mine my top-tier marketing connections to help them land a job. I love the sense of entitlement in your generation. You’re welcome for your humility lesson for the year. Don’t ever reach out to senior practitioners again and assume their carefully curated list of connections is available to you, just because you want to build your network.”

Yikes. Are you blushing with empathetic embarrassment after reading that? Because I am. Twenty-six-year-old Diana Mekota sent the LinkedIn request heard ’round the world to Kelly Blazek, Cleveland’s “Communicator of the Year.” Blazek responded to the request by berating Mekota with the above along with the fact that she felt  Mekota’s request for connection was self-serving and only for networking. But guess what? That is what LinkedIn is for. What makes it even worse is that Blazek actually prides herself on being a source for young job seekers. This is exactly how young people network.

Blazek was on the receiving end of terrible public backlash when the message went viral and she has since apologized. But what do we learn from this? Besides the fact that some people are bullies. Our generations need to find some commonality, some mutual understanding of our differences.

Entitlement of millennials — business people in older generations actually conduct conferences on how to deal with it (us). Millennials are cutthroat, fiercely motivated, tech savvy, and kind of annoying. We are entrepreneurial and start up new ventures much more frequently than those before us. We don’t have the same boundaries as the generations before us because we were born into the social media world of instant communication and technological gratification. We email instead of call, and text instead of email. Some of us don’t know how to say “thank you” or how to follow up on a job interview appropriately. We were raised to think that the world can be ours, that it is owned instead of earned, and that it should be easily achieved.

The thing is though, the economy hasn’t done so well for us. The job search is harder than ever. Technology has its downsides — it takes forever for an automated system to sift through resumes. Competition is tougher than ever because we’re all fighting against other millennials who have similar qualifications. It’s rough out there.

But is it all our fault? Are we the only ones who need to adjust and accommodate? Yes, millennials are entitled, but we’re also the future. We also have the drive, gumption, and creativity to drive business and to really be an asset to a company if given the chance. The net-net is: don’t judge on either side. We can learn from each other. Because, if businesses are going to succeed, we’re going to have to.

If you’re thinking about starting a business or launching into any entrepreneurial venture, it is of utmost importance that you bridge the gap. If you’re older and starting a business, you’ll most likely hire a millennial at some point. If you’re younger, you’ll probably have someone as a client who would prefer an email to a text. Try to see from the other side, use your instincts, and avoid judging someone who might not have come of age in the same professional climate that you did.

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

The post Entitled Millennials or Entrepreneurial Generation Set on Success? appeared first on Law Street.

A few months ago, I wrote a post entitled Is LinkedIn the New Myspace? It seems that social media is making yet another transformation as far as job hunting goes as Facebook is becoming the dark horse of the job hunting competition. Forbes recently examined a Jobvite survey on the subject and the results were surprising — to me, at least. I consider Facebook’s appeal to be limited to seeing a whole bunch of baby/puppy/apartment/party pictures posted by people I went to high school with. Oh, and to remind me of birthdays. I really hadn’t considered it to be a spot for the job seeker.

Times are changing. According to the survey, more people actually use Facebook for their job-seeking needs than they do LinkedIn. Why? Because it is all about networking. LinkedIn is great for that as well, but it’s not really as easy. On LinkedIn, you can’t just connect with anyone. Some profiles require that you have a premium account to send a message, follow up, make an inquiry, etc. Facebook was built on networking — you can easily search for the people behind the institution and see if you have any mutual acquaintances. There might be something to it.

Here are a few of the suggestions that Forbes gives to better use the original social network to take the next step in your career:

1. Fill out your career history section. Not a lot of people do this on Facebook — at least not beyond their current job. But taking the time to add where you’ve been can lead to the next place you’ll end up.

2. Categorize your contacts. You know that section of Facebook where you can add how you know each friend? College, an old company, an internship? You should do that. It helps group your network and would make it easier to target your connections and your work updates.

3. Pay attention to professional updates. Believe it or not, amidst all of the pictures of pets and families and vacations, people actually post valuable career tips on Facebook. Pay attention to those posts, comment on them, share them.

The takeaway? Your online presence matters, and as social media increasingly becomes the standard for networking interaction it becomes more and more important to keep that in mind. You don’t want your online identity to hinder your hunt. Especially when the competition is using theirs to get ahead.

Happy hunting!

xo

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

The post Is Facebook the New LinkedIn? appeared first on Law Street.

In recent years, social media has become intrinsically linked with daily life. From dining to retail to business to politics, almost every public figure or company uses some sort of social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Youtube, or one of the many other options, social media isn’t just for individuals anymore, it’s for businesses, too. It’s estimated that 73 percent of Americans who regularly use the internet are involved in social media and networking in some capacity.

Working in social media is actually a viable and legitimate job for many people right now. An AOL jobs post from January 2014 projects that this year a Social Media Strategist will make about $61,000, require a bachelor’s degree, and points out that “the more social media followers a company has, the more their products and services are recognized.”

So, how are law firms doing with this? Well, a firm called Good2bSocial tried to answer that question this winter. Good2bSocial is a consulting firm that helps other companies expand their social marketing, particularly in the legal field. They worked together with AboveTheLaw to attempt to figure out how exactly the legal industry, particularly leaders in the industry, are doing with social media. The results were that big law firms are doing a pretty miserable job with it.

A white paper called “The Social Law Firm” by Good2bSocial was released last December, and followup articles have been released since then. The white paper itself requires a (free) subscription to Good2bSocial’s site, but if you don’t feel like reading the entire thing, I’ve summed up some important points below.

The study essentially analyzed the social media practices of the Am Law 50. It was conducted through surveys and questionnaires and an analysis of existing social media sites for each of the firms.

The study pretty much finds that while many law firms use social media, and use it extensively, they don’t use it in the most efficient or creative ways. The use of social media is described as a “token effort,” because law firms create social media sites to say that they have them, and so that they’re searchable, but don’t take advantage of the potential that those sites offer. Good2bSocial points out that social media takes real strategy separate from basic marketing. While law firms are creating substantive and interesting content, they are not using social media to promote such content as much as they could be.

Law firms have gotten that social media is important, it just really seems like they haven’t begun to understand how it works. The report states that “firms continue to view social media as nothing more than a distribution channel for firm news and press releases. This alone explains why firms achieve such low levels of engagement.” Uploading a pdf link to twitter isn’t engaging, it isn’t going to foster discussion, and it isn’t going to attract more followers.

Another mistake made by law firms, according to this study, is that they don’t have platforms in place to allow for coordination and collaboration within the firm, or in-house blogs. All of these things are not only attractive concepts for clients or potential employees, but also are helpful and engaging for current employees. The study does predict that this will all change, but that change is slow going and many firms are just beginning to scratch the surface of their social media potential.

The study does note that smaller firms are doing a better job with social media, but overall the conclusion remains that the field of law in general is lacking in social media prowess.

This begs an important question, though. Should law firms even care about social media, especially big, established firms like the Am Law 50? Social media is so crucial for places like retail stores, restaurants, or other product-based businesses because these places can attract new customers through the web. Is the same true for big law firms? Will interesting social media make clients more likely to visit that firm?

Well to be honest, I don’t know. Part of me wants to say absolutely not, these law firms have their niches and their reputations on which to rely. Engaging social media probably won’t have as large of an effect on their track record, as say, a good track record. On the other hand, though, social media can’t hurt. It could attract employees who find the idea of a collaborative social media experience within in the firm interesting. And as the business world changes, clients shopping around for new law firms may be interesting in finding lawyers who are as technologically savvy as they are.

The fact that smaller law firms are doing better with social media is very interesting. It’s unsurprising, given that I would assume smaller firms are more likely to try to actively attract new business, and are more willing to experiment with different outreach techniques.

In conclusion, Good2bSocial’s rundown was very interesting, but I don’t think social media will end up meaning that much for the Am Law 50 that were analyzed. The different nature of consumers of law services rather than other products make social media less of a necessity and more of a bonus. That being said, there’s much more to be gained by instituting a robust social media strategy than to be lost, and really, big law firms should consider getting on the bandwagon.

[Good2bSocial]

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jason Howle via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law Firms Are Bad at Social Media, But Does it Matter? appeared first on Law Street.

Ok, so, let’s talk about social media use while job hunting. Social media isn’t going anywhere, and neither is your need for employment. So, let’s find a way to make them fit together, shall we?

1. Don’t be creepy on LinkedIn. Having a current LinkedIn profile is almost a given in the job market. Everyone has one. And most employers check it. Let’s get one thing straight: LinkedIn is not for making friends, it’s for finding a job, researching a company, and reading articles about those two things. It is for networking. Think someone is cute? Check to see if they have a MySpace (and if they do and it’s active, reconsider). Leave LinkedIn to the searcher and the employer. Take the social out of this network. Keep your photo and content strictly professional.

2. Keep it clean, folks. Guess what? Future employers probably google you. Do you want them to see that photo of you on the mechanical bull circa spring break ’09? No, you don’t. We’ve had Facebook long enough to know this, people.

3. Keep your current work experiences to yourself. Did you fake sick? Keep it off your page. Do you hate your boss? You don’t want your new boss thinking you’re a boss-basher. Just keep that stuff to yourself. You also might want to keep your job hunting on the DL if your employer is still in the dark. You’re always just one mutual friend away from an awkward situation.

4. Make your wall private. “You are what you post” is the new “you are what you eat.” Keep your posts, shares, and friends’ comments private.  Do you want to look like a hot mess? Of course not. At least not in front of your prospective employers.

Happy hunting!

xo The Capitalista

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

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