Twitter has 200 million users : 5 reasons that matters to lawyers

Twitter announced this morning that the service now has 200 million monthly unique users.

This represents a 40% increase in only 6 months from March, when Twitter announced that after 6 years there were then 140 million users sharing 340 million tweets a day.

Why care as a lawyer or law firm?

• Twitter is what moves the news in this country and around the world, especially when it’s breaking news. Twitter is the pipe with in which news, insight and commentary flows. Twitter enables you to filter the pipeline for the news and info to the subjects and people you want to follow.
• Twitter is one the better listening tools for you to stay abreast of legal developments as well developments in the industries or consumer segments you represent. A failure to use Twitter puts you at a disadvantage.
• You may not always think of going to Twitter, but the people who report and share information, including a lot of lawyers, bloggers, and reporters do. You are conspicuous by your absence and could become irrelevant to the people who may have cited you as a thought leader – bloggers, reporters, association leaders etc.
• Twitter, as opposed to Facebook, is a more affluent group. By following relevant users and information you’ll engage and develop relationships with the people you want to get to know for business development.
• It’s no badge of honor to tell folks you don’t get Twitter and don’t user. To some folks that’s like saying you get cell phones. Twitter is in use everywhere. Whether you turn on TV to see Twitter tags on sports or entertainment shows or go to a legal conference where they’re telling attendees to stay connected via Twitter.

Those are just 5 reasons off the top of my head that Twitter is important for legal professionals. You can probably think of 18 others.

For those of you you don’t use Twitter, start trying it. For those of you who use Twitter, but not well, learn from other lawyers who do.