Traditional ethics rules apply in social media best practices
Do not share information about cases that are in suit or have a confidentiality agreement in place about the verdict. In some cases, neither the amount nor the names of the plaintiffs or defendants may be released. Your attorney client is the best source of knowledge about whether you can share this information.
Assume everything you write online will become public, potentially in an embarrassing way.
This is true even in it is on an account that is not explicitly linked to your employer. Think of it this way: How would your social media message look on a billboard for all to see? A man on his way to a meeting with Fed Ex executives tweeted disparaging remarks about Fed Ex’s hometown. His tweet got to the conference room before he did. He was greeted with frosty expressions.
Don’t post on Facebook or tweet that you are going on vacation.
Why invite burglars into your home? Wait until you get home to share photos you took on vacation. Don’t tweet that you are at a conference, which again announces to the world that your home might be empty.
Don’t post embarrassing photographs on Facebook.
Consider the impact of this social media best practice when you want to get work. An attorney who plans to hire you will likely have checked you out on Facebook before that crucial interview or contact with you. One of Med League’s expert witnesses posted a picture of her in a bar holding a beer bottle and exposing her bra strap. Imagine that showing up in a courtroom the next time the expert testified? She took the photo off after I talked to her.
I am aware of a story of man who posted he was at a party when he actually called in sick. He lost his job. Another man posted pictures of his trip with his mistress. His wife was not amused.
I know of a couple who divorced after the man posted pictures of him flirting with his mistress.
Engage with readers, but professionally
. Interact with others and respond to messages. Check to see if you are being mentioned on twitter and thank people who retweet your messages. Respond to people who comment about your LinkedIn or Facebook messages.
Pat Iyer is president of The Pat Iyer Group, LLC and the former owner and founder of Med League Support Services, Inc. She started blogging and posting on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn many years ago. Learn more about social media best practices by getting Pat’s book, Social Media for Legal Professionals, watching replays of our webinars: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.