There sure are lots of social media panels at legal conferences these days. The topic often falls into one of two categories: (1) a discussion on how clients get themselves into trouble with their online posts or (2) an analysis of how lawyers can effectively use social media for business development. Because this is a blog about how lawyers can innovate, let’s talk about the second category.
What’s interesting is that most panels have social media enthusiasts along with skeptics who are not sure whether social media is a good tool for lawyers. What’s even more interesting is that there are no panels on whether lawyers should use golf, Rotary Clubs, or cocktail parties for business development. No detractors there. All lawyers agree that these are acceptable ways to meet potential clients and referral sources.
A Social Media Cocktail Party
What if social media was one huge, gigantic series of global cocktail parties? What if Twitter was really about meeting people in a room, face-to-face? As it turns out, it kind of is.
People who are in the same city will often have what are called “tweetups” (Twitter + meet-up = tweetup. Pretty smurfy, huh?). Tweetups are amazing because they bridge the gap between the online world and the traditional way we meet people. Twitter users who might not be “following” each other often attend the same tweetups, exchange business cards (that’s right, actual paper cards), schedule coffee and lunch meetings (real meetings, not over a webcam), and eventually do business together (they might also start following each other on Twitter and connect through LinkedIn, but I digress).
Any Naysayers?
Tweetups rarely make their way onto panel discussions, but they are truly great business development tools. Even if you don’t tweet anything and don’t have any followers, all you need is to follow enough other people so that you hear about tweetups taking place in the city in which you live or in any city to which you are traveling. In other words, you don’t actually have to say anything on Twitter that you think might expose you to the purported risks of social media. You can simply be a social media bystander, watching out for opportunities to meet people and network at tweetups.
Can there really be a skeptic on a panel discussing tweetups? If so, get ready for panels discussing the inherent risks and malpractice exposure that can occur from cocktail parties.
P.S. – If you know of any good tweetups, send me a Twitter message at @atlaslegal. I’ll be the Indian guy drinking a Diet Coke.
UGG Bailey
/ December 23, 2011The hue of the website is quite superb. i’d personally would delight the ones colors way too on my blog site.
Mike Maslanka
/ August 15, 2010I think that many people still associate Twitter with something frivolous, as in”I am at xyz eating a doughnut.” Before they realize the value of a Tweet up, they need to get the basics. Also0, they think Twitter is just one more chore, as opposed to an efficient way to meet new people and more deeply connect to those you know. “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come,” is how Victor Hugo described profound change. SM is an idea whose time has come, and many will just need to catch up. Mike
Rocky
/ July 29, 2010Thanks for the comment, Chad. I don’t know why the tweetup thing doesn’t show up more in the social media discussion. I have a couple of very unscientific hypotheses: (1) tweetups might not yet institutionalized among Twitter users and (2) tweetups might not “feel” like social media because they take involve in-person contact. In truth, tweetups are proabably a byproduct of social media. Either way, they are great. I love them and wish they happened every week.
We are planning a tweetup in Dallas in September. I hope we’ll see you there!
Chad Ruback
/ July 29, 2010Great point, Rocky! I wonder why Tweetups don’t get more mention at legal conferences’ social media panels.