Law School Deans Need to Use Twitter
Law school deans need to be using Twitter.
It’s no longer acceptable to have your communications person craft a statement for you, include it in a press release and hope you’ll pick up accolades in the traditional media.
I am not saying that it’s bad. But this morning, I saw coverage in a local east coast newspaper of law school’s legal tech certificate program being offered to lawyers and other legal professionals because of tech training needs arising out of the pandemic.
The dean and the head of the school’s legal tech tech program were each quoted. I shared word of the story on Twitter to compliment school and to share what the school was doing as an example for other law schools.
I wanted to quote and/or give kudos to the dean and the head of the program, but neither had a Twitter account. You cannot give a shoutout to someone on Twitter if they don’t have am account.
The reason being is that they cannot see your compliment. Have an account and they’ll see your “kudos” and all the other acknowledgments that followed yours on Twitter. After my twitter, a number did this morning.
No dean or director of a program at a law school wants to miss out on kudos and the resulting engagement among those talking about your program. You want to join the discussion and offer thanks. But that’s exactly what you choose to do when you opted off Twitter.
It’s no longer cool to say I’m too busy to get on Twitter or that I can’t keeep up with all the crazy social media out there.
Twitter is not crazy.
- It’s how people, including many in the legal profession, receive news and information.
- It’s how you share information with your audience – alumni, faculty, students, prospective students and faculty, media, social media influencers and other law schools.
- Information moves in a real and authentic fashion today, versus through public relations.
- It’s how you build relationships and connections with the people with whom you need to.
I follow a good number of deans and former deans on Twitter. What they are doing and have done for their schools via networking through the Internet, including via Twitter, is wonderful.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not bashing anyone. I am just explaining there is a real lost opportunity when law school deans opt off Twitter.