With more and more employees checking their personal websites at work—and possibly even on a work computer, it is imperative for them to realize that they are using corporate infrastructure, therefore completely blurring the lines regarding who has the rights to their online postings. Think about it—most employees sign some sort of employment contract which likely indicates that all intellectual property created during their employment belong to the company. By the same token, when employees work from their homes in the evening on their personal computers, it becomes even fuzzier. Due to our busy lifestyles, most of our Facebook or LinkedIn accounts likely have references to both work and home, personal and work-related. So, the question remains, who owns the content of your collective social media?

Who Cares About My Facebook Page?
Many professionals have career-related blogs which attract other companies, clients, etc. During that person’s tenure, who owns the content to those blogs? If the employee generates a source of revenue from the blogs, should that revenue then be given to the employer? If you launch a career blog during your employment with XYZ Law Firm, which discusses information specifically related to the firm, who, then, owns that information? You may be wondering—what the heck, my employer could care less what I post on Facebook. And you may be right to some extent. However, consider the Twitter account of Padmasree of Cisco, who created this account during her employment at Cisco. She frequently discusses both personal issues as well as content specific to Cisco, and her Twitter account has over 1,200,000 followers. It is clear that this is an asset to Cisco, and that should she leave, it would be a decided loss to Cisco, so, again, who owns the content?

Intellectual Property
Some attorneys feel that a clause claiming all “intellectual property” created during the term of employment covers tweets and blog posts as well as anything else creative the employee did on the side during his or her term of employment. If you are presented with a contract of this type, consider having the wording restrict the intellectual property to only that which was created within the scope of your job duties under the agreement. The theory behind this would be that if you are not being paid to create something—such as a Twitter feed or a blog posting—then the company shouldn’t own it simply because it was created during your term of employment. In other words, the ownership should only be tied to the type of job you were actually hired for.

Policy Aspect
Obviously there exists the question as to whether the job or industry you are in is of the type that your company would find it beneficial for your to be blogging during work hours or using work equipment. Many believe that people will find a way to blog, Tweet and use social networks, so they might as well give in to it and try to find the value in such activities, and relate them to their company’s benefit. Keep in mind that literally thousands of attorneys spend their days reviewing literally millions of company e-mails which have been subpoenaed for various lawsuits. Companies should always remind their employees that they have absolutely no right of privacy regarding anything that goes through a company computer. If all employees keep this fact in mind, and the employment contract is strictly spelled out regarding intellectual property, an employee’s blogging can actually benefit the company. Companies should also update their policies to reflect our changing world, which is full of social media, and even set up training for employees so they can fully understand what happens when the workplace and home collide.

Free law firm social networking marketing advice when you call Lawyer Success, Inc. Call (769) 218-6099 to speak with a Social Media expert not a sale representative. Call today!

One of the biggest mistakes most law firms make due to time restraints and the push for developing new business is the lack of responsiveness and the neglecting of current client relationships or relationships of the past. LinkedIn.com is a popular business networking tool that has a very good reputation for developing new business for law firms and solving the issue of keeping in touch with client of new and old. One of the best practices we use when using LinkedIn.com to market our clients our law firm internet marketing company is to make sure you send invites to new or potential clients. This is a great way to make sure that #1 – you make a great first impression, #2 – keep in touch with new clients or potential new clients. We find that is a very courteous and well received.

If your firm offers special seminars or educational workshops with potential clients, offering an invitation through social networking sites like LinkedIn.com can make life much easier for reaching out to your prospective clients on both an individual level and on a group level. The feedback our law firm clients consistently receive utilizing this technique is uniformly positive. Also, keep in mind that LinkedIn.com is great for finding colleagues and past clients.  Making a new connection is just like freshening up your your old client referral list.  Our clients have been able to really refine their client referral programs making and revisiting with connections on LinkedIn.com.

Many of our clients used to just simply accept the LinkedIn invitations, believing that this exchange has no more relevance to their practice that the typical “meet and greet.”  However, LinkedIn is an effective marketing tool just as joining a civic group or business networking group.  Be cautious though of using LinkedIn to blindly identify and invite new clients or push unsolicited invitations in the hopes of develop a huge network of referral sources which spans the globe. I realize there are most marketing companies promoting this idea but it is a violation of the rules of professional ethics in all 50 states for your to do just that.

The best way to attract people and clients that have never heard of you before in a manor that keeps you inline with the lawyer advertising rules is to build a very robust profile and create a legal group where people may join. This is a technique that is completely permissible and will allow you to ethically market to a potential audience (now with 60,000,000 members). We typically advise our client to set up groups in which they offer potential or existing clients entry and participation.  This builds value and value enables you to demonstrate expertise and skillful application of legal services.

One of the other benefits of LinkedIn is the relatively simple user interface. This interface makes it very simple to add, edit or remove information within minutes. This application also enables attorneys to connect with new clients, potential clients, past clients, and referral sources daily with just a few minutes of effort. No more having to buy lunches or setting golf outings to make a fresh connection.  The theme of LinkedIn is business communication and everyone gets it.

To discuss some of the best practices your law firm can take to develop a strong presence and create value using LinkedIn. Call the 11 year veterans of Lawyer Success, Inc. You can speak to one of our marketing experts immediately by calling (769) 218-6099.