Why Every Law Student Should Seriously
Rethink Social Media
As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed this past weekend, I repeatedly seen the hashtag #MSULawSM. Intrigued from the many posts, I decided to explore further and to my surprise it was a social media conference being held for law students and lawyers at Michigan State University.
This innovative conference highlighted the importance of social media as it relates to career development, and incorporated techniques that lawyers and law students could effectively utilize LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
When most of us came to law school, one of the first things that we were told was to censor our social media accounts, and create a barrier of privacy from potential employers and the legal community. However, this esoteric notion has been completely shattered by the students at MSU Law.
As law students, we should break down these barriers and effectively use social media to our advantage. Connecting with legal professionals after networking events via LinkedIn has outdated the traditional exchange of business cards. Using twitter to engage the legal community and connect with lawyers and legal educators in your field of expertise can be a powerful tool in expanding your professional network. Blogging about relevant legal topics in a certain field can demonstrate your writing ability and allow you to stand out as a law student.
Kevin O'Keefe, CEO of LexBlog, which helps lawyers develop blogs and connect online, was the featured speaker of the conference. I first met Kevin after he gave the keynote address at the Up Global Legal Innovation Start Up Weekend last year. His message then, was reiterated at this past weekend’s conference of how critically important it is for lawyers and law students to actively engage their audience through blogs and social media. Kevin is a pioneer in the legal innovation and social media space, boasting nearly 22,000 followers on twitter and one of the premier legal blogs in the country.
Here are some easy ways that you can began to effectively use social media to you advantage as a law student.
LinkedIn- Keep your LinkedIn profile updated. Also connect with professionals via LinkedIn after networking events. Post professional content and also comment on others content.
Twitter- Follow legal professionals in the area of law that interests you. Create lists that allow you to segment users and content related to a specific area of law or topic. Actively engage with your followers.
Blog- Create a blog in an area of law that interests you. Generate content of the latest news, innovations, and thoughts regarding that area of law. Engage user to build up your subscribers. Create social tags that allow others to share your posts.
Thanks for reading and hope you found this article useful! For more helpful articles please check out the "Not Your Average Law Student" Blog.
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