Could this be a 15 blog post series with that title?  Yup. 

But I don’t have the time nor the inclination to do that.  So don’t worry, you can all breath that sigh of relief and instead click the title of this post and read the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section’s Law Practice Today Article.  

Now if you’re like me, most of this stuff is rudimentary.  Have your own URL, or multiple… use a Google Profile to make sure you choose the info that people see early in search results for your name… advertise… use Linkedin… etc…, as I see it these are all basics.  But I’m “plugged in”, and many Attorney’s aren’t, so I thought that this article might be helpful to those of you looking to get more out of your web presence.  If you have questions, find me (use my Google profile for instance!) and I’ll help if I can. 

Social media and the accompanying developer-created tools are changing the ways businesses communicate with customers, the ways customers communicate with brands, and the ways businesses communicate with other businesses as well. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Google Wave, Wikipedia, Slideshare, FriendFeed, Posterous, Delicious, WordPress, Tumblr and more, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed and confused.  Its even harder to start using them without feeling like this undertaking is going to be the equivalent of a part-time job.

So why should we even use social media in the first place?  Because being active on these new web 2.0 sites can:

Provide international web exposure

Attract like-minded and discussion minded people

Speak directly to your audience wherever they are

Help put out, or start, a fire (manage your PR)

Enhance your knowledge base

Improve collaboration

Expose you to different ideas

Allow you to test or get feedback

Let you meet and converse with new audiences, industry leaders, younger generation

The Cone Business in Social Media Study reported that 93% of Americans expect companies they do business with to have a social media presence, while 85 percent believe a company should not only be present, but also interact with its customers via social media.

This is what it is all about… the secret to social media is communication.  You must spend most of your time listening and then speaking, just like a face to face conversation.  You must listen to know what people want to hear, what topics will garner their interest and what answers will spark their interaction.  Then you can speak directly to them, providing the content that will engage the people on these media networks and delve into their discussions.  They’ll appreciate this, your brand’s reputation can grow and business will follow.  Good luck!