What are you doing? In 140 characters or less: "I am writing an article on the impact of social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, on in-house counsel for GC Mid-Atlantic."
That "tweet" uses just short of the maximum 140 characters (136 to be exact) for a Twitter post. It avoids TMI ("too much information" for the non-texting crowd). And knowing what it is and how it works is imperative.
Recently, the chair of a law firm's professional responsibility committee ordered me to "go print out LinkedIn." Besides being short of time, paper and toner, he showed his hand. He had no idea what LinkedIn is or how it works. Yet, he wanted to create firm policy regarding its usage.
As the protector and advocate of a company, you simply cannot afford to be naïve. The continuing advent of social networking creates both issues and possibilities for in-house counsel.
The Need to Know
As someone who speaks and advises law firms on ethics issues related to online efforts, including lots of focus on social networking in the last year, I did not want this column to be about ethics. As lawyers, we all know the hot-button issues. Unlike attorneys at law firms, where there is a business development or advertising goal (be it direct or underlying), the in-house audience is not soliciting.
Whether you are "poking" a friend on Facebook or "tweeting" on Twitter, the social networking phenomenon is everywhere -- including the offices of top executives at some of the world's largest corporations. For in-house counsel responsible for protecting a company in areas ranging from intellectual property to employment law, from advertising regulation to communications, the need to have a working knowledge of these online entities is critical.
The "need to know," however, expands well beyond the responsibilities of protecting your company. Some in-house counsel have uti...
