Back in June of 2007, I came across a story about Facebook at Law Firms. A Magic Circle firm had banned Facebook, then abruptly lifted the ban. The decision was made because Facebook has "business benefits as well as social uses."In the 18 months since then, web 2.0 and the social internet have grown immensely. Twitter has come roaring onto the scenes. There are three attempts at creating social networking sites for lawyers: Legal OnRamp, Martindale Connected and the ABA's Legally Minded. The number of law firm blogs has nearly doubled in those 18 months.
Are any law firms still banning access to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, YouTube or other web 2.0 sites? Let me know. You can leave an anonymous comment or drop me an email at kmspace@dougcornelius . com.
If you have been reading this blog, hopefully you have come to the conclusion that web 2.0 tools are great for lawyers, create lots of professional development and create business opportunities. Maybe there are some firms out that there that have not seen the light. Let me know.
one mid-sized texas-based firm has blocked facebook and myspace for "security reasons," but not blocked linkedin. go figure...
ReplyDeleteIf they are, it is ill advised. I have not been on long and have already had one case come in through twitter.
ReplyDeleteOne of the NLJ top 250 firms is banning youtube, but isn't banning FB, Twitter or other web 2.0 social networking/collab resources (I fear mostly due to a lack of knowledge of them).
ReplyDeleteArgument for youtube ban was mostly "bandwidth" issues, but I am convinced it also had a lot to do with business value not being plain-as-day. Even LinkedIn is still being approached with caution.
As an evangelist for web 2.0 at said firm (but not a lawyer nor IT denzien), I am trying to avoid the potential of FB and twitter banning altogether by strategically building awareness and reducing fear of the unknown. Wish me luck!
My 200-lawyer firm has banned Facebook, blocking access, but only because it had brought an alarming number of viruses into the firm. I have noticed that there seem to be more and more video-link viruses there lately, so I can't blame the firm for teh decision. I'm very open to exploring Web 2.0 options though, so hopefully Twitter and other sites will not get the same treatment.
ReplyDeleteA friend at a local public defender's office told me that their over-zealous system administrator blocked access to myspace, facebook, and other social networking sites, in an apparent attempt to keep the employees in line and more productive. The problem is that many of the clients (criminal defendants) and alleged victims also use these sites!
ReplyDeleteIn my family law practice area, I've found social networking sites to be a treasure-trove of information on the opposing spouse.