Can law students use MySpace effectively?
Top Law Student Blog asks can law students use MySpace effectively?
Not long ago, I recommended that law students delete their MySpace page. But I recently read on MyShingle and LexBlog about Anicia M. Ogonosky, a young lawyer who uses her myspace page to market herself.My strongest criticism with law student MySpace pages was with the fact that law students often ignored the fact that potential employers, potential clients, and other attorneys may view their page. I was surprised how many law students posted drunk, sexual, or other questionable photos that did not market themselves in a professional light.
Ms. Ogonosky’s MySpace page is different from most students’ MySpace pages. She treats her MySpace page more like a law firm website.
..... History will show whether Ms. Ogonosky’s MySpace page was the step of a pioneer in law marketing or merely the act of an amateur.
Technorati Tags: MySpace lawyers
Law students, like everyone else, need to exercise judgment when it comes to what they post online. But I think the burden goes both ways on this.
Potential employers, even the stodgy recruiting folks at major law firms, need to keep the photos law students post on MySpace (or anywhere else) in context.
I'll bet that back in your law school days, you had one or two nights of debauchery with friends. It's possible that slightly incriminating photos from those nights on the town wound up on the bulletin board in your communal living space. My generation treats social networks like the bulletin boards in the communal living space.
Obviously, photos of underage drinking and illegal activity should be kept private, if they exist at all. But there is such a thing as frame shifting, and even the most professional among us do it from time to time.
Thanks Teresa. Folks from your generation are adding a new perspective of the net for me. One I need to recognize if I am going to compete in today's market place.
Law firms hiring lawyers would be far ahead in hiring law students who blogged during law school, especially if done as means to advance their critical thinking of the law. Heck, a blog is living resume.
When hiring for LexBlog, we're looking for people who blog. How else can tell what the person is made of?
For those who do not know her, Teresa is one of the real movers behind Blog Business Summit.
My question is can employers do anything about employees on myspace if they are not representing themselves professionally?
Joyce: They can -- and have -- fire employees for representing themselves or the firm in an unprofessional way. But I find that unwise. A better step would be to simply ask the employees to either make their MySpace profiles "friends only" or to take the photos down.
And of course, it's all a matter of degrees. There's a difference between photos of a bong collection and photos of some good, clean fun on a Saturday night.