Social media is everywhere. Merging breaking legal news that is relevant and interesting to your legal practice with blogs, Twitter and Facebook is something that should be specifically tailored to each social media outlet. Your participation with one or multiple social media outlets allows you to connect to your readers (and potential clients) in a unique way. It also turns what was once static content into a social experience by empowering readers to experience media through their friends and easily discover and share great content.
Last time we looked at two legal cases that were getting a tremendous amount of publicity: Casey Anthony and Roger Clemens. Turning legal news into social news does not have to be limited to celebrity figures. Here at FindLaw, we post a range of legal features on our consumer blogs and have noticed recent interest in employment rights as well as recent restrictions on Facebook use as it relates to workplace relationships. Both these topics are a perfect example of how you can reach out to your clients and bridge the gap between a strictly legal story and a social legal story.
Looking at three social media channels, here are examples of how you can take the two trending topics mentioned above and turn them into social news:
What better place to talk about the legal issues surrounding Facebook than on Facebook. Most recently, laws are being put in place limiting Facebook friendships. Whether the cyber relationship is between judges and lawyers or teachers and students, this topic is a great chance for you to post your thoughts on the topics as well as any legal implications that placing such restrictions (or violating them) may ultimately lead to. You can ask your followers whether they are Facebook friends with their professional colleagues and ignite a conversation on the topic. Make sure to link to your blogs on the topic as well! Engage your readers with a post he or she will want to share with others.
Getting your point across in 140 characters or less is a practiced skill. Applied to these two legal trends, tweeting your legal take on an employment issue is a chance for you to become a relevant authority on an important issue.
Blog
Your blog is your chance to engage your reader with a more casual tone while simultaneously displaying your expertise on a topic. One way to think about this approach is to write as if you are explaining a topic to a friend. Take a general employment rights issue, such as how to ask for a reasonable accommodation at work and embellish your blog with simple examples and the legal rationale behind this right. Your blog can also contain helpful links to law surrounding disabilities in the workplace as well as other blog posts you may have written on the same or similar topic.
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