Every Single Thing You'll Ever Need to Know About Social Media

Maybe you Facebooked in college, or tweeted once or twice, just to see what the hype is about. Or perhaps you've been a luddite to this point and practiced online abstinence, eschewing social media as a venue for self-important twits to chat endlessly about their latest culinary consumption.

Now you're having second thoughts. You want to reach out to a new and broader clientele. You've heard about the benefits of online discussions with "thought leaders." You want to go back-and-forth with the legal Twitterati.

You could buy a lengthy, expensive book on social media management. You could go into it blind, Facebooking and Tweeting until your fingers bleed, with little to nothing to show except, maybe, an ethical violation or two.

Here is a better, more efficient, and free idea:

Social Media for Attorneys: Don't be a Luddite Lawyer

We're always talking tweets, lamenting LinkedIn faux pas, or flapping our gums about Facebook. You can expect regular tips on social media on this blog, as well as our legal technology and young lawyer blogs.

Playing catch-up, and digging through years of advice, probably isn't a great idea given your busy schedule. We get it -- we're lawyers too (most of us, anyway). We took the best bits of our past posts and turned it into this single, short guide:

FindLaw Social Media for Attorneys Miniguide by FindLaw

Further Reading

We were being facetious about the mini guide being everything you'll ever need to know. After all, social media is a constantly-evolving entity. Ten years ago, MySpace was the spot, Facebook had barely launched, and Twitter didn't exist. Other than blogging, lawyers weren't even thinking about social media.

Our mini guide is a great start. Once you've mastered the basics, look into LinkedIn groups, check out our favorite legal Twitter-ers, and stay tuned to our blogs.

Oh yeah, and you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Editor's Note, March 26, 2015: This post was first published in March 2014. It has since been updated.

Related Resources:

• 5 Social Media Tips for Law Students (FindLaw's Greedy Associates Blog)
  
• Foxwordy: Another Social Network for Lawyers? Why? (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
• Judge DQ'd for Ex Parte Facebook 'Friending' of Litigant (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
• Top 5 Social Media Mishaps by Lawyers and Law Students of 2013 (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)