30Mar09
There are few topics that librarians like to discuss more than web 2.0. Other than book banning and maybe the state of information literacy skills, I can think of few subjects that send librarians into such a frenzy.
But we are not the only profession with web 2.0 fever. Laywers, professors, law students, and others in the legal field have been blogging, tweeting, and social networking, and thereby changing the legal profession in their own way. As a law librarian, I try to keep up with how the web affects my users—law students and professors—and the legal profession. Even if you don’t work regularly with lawyers, learning how non-librarians use web 2.0 for marketing, communicating, or building online communities can lead to new possibilities for using these tools in our libraries. Here are some highlights from the legal world:
Blogging: Lawyers *heart* blogs just as much as you and me! Law blogs are known as blawgs and are popular for both practicing lawyers and professors. You can find blawgs on almost any legal subject. There are blogs about art law, the Supreme Court, DUI law, and there is even a blog called Real Lawyers Have Blogs. Lawyers use individual or firm-sponsored blawgs to market themselves to prospective clients and professors use blawgs to write about current issues much faster than they could publish in a traditional journal. One of the most entertaining and popular blawgs is the “legal tabloid” Above the Law.
Social Networking: Many lawyers use sites like LinkedIn, Myspace, Facebook, or other sites to connect with those in the field and meet prospective clients. Some lawyers are more agressive than others in this regard. If you only click on one link in this post, please check out the Myspace page of Mark Meisinger, an attorney who is “Representing those who mess with Texas” for one end of the spectrum [H/T to Above the Law]. At the same time, law firms, students, and others struggle with how to juggle the personal and the professional, with law firms blocking access to sites and many others, including lawyers and students, defending and promoting social/professional networking.
Twittering: Everybody in the blogosphere (and blawgosphere) is talking about Twitter and nearly 1 in 5 adults aged 18-34 have used it. Twitterers send 140 character mini-blogs/status updates called “tweets” to followers. If any of this doesn’t make sense, check out what Common Craft has to say about it. If you think Twitter is a fad that’s going to disappear, think again. Law schools are twittering; Congresspeople are twittering. Some judges now allow journalists to twitter during court. The ease of mass communication and web access via mobile devices has raised new legal concerns as jurors send tweets about trials and conduct outside research on the Internet—both potential grounds for a mistrial.
This is just a small sample of how web 2.0 is affecting the legal profession. I’m excited to see what will happen next.
@closedstacks
There are few topics that librarians like to discuss more than web 2.0. Other than book banning and maybe the state of information literacy skills, I can think of few subjects that send librarians into such a frenzy.
But we are not the only profession with web 2.0 fever. Laywers, professors, law students, and others in the legal field have been blogging, tweeting, and social networking, and thereby changing the legal profession in their own way. As a law librarian, I try to keep up with how the web affects my users—law students and professors—and the legal profession. Even if you don’t work regularly with lawyers, learning how non-librarians use web 2.0 for marketing, communicating, or building online communities can lead to new possibilities for using these tools in our libraries. Here are some highlights from the legal world:
Blogging: Lawyers *heart* blogs just as much as you and me! Law blogs are known as blawgs and are popular for both practicing lawyers and professors. You can find blawgs on almost any legal subject. There are blogs about art law, the Supreme Court, DUI law, and there is even a blog called Real Lawyers Have Blogs. Lawyers use individual or firm-sponsored blawgs to market themselves to prospective clients and professors use blawgs to write about current issues much faster than they could publish in a traditional journal. One of the most entertaining and popular blawgs is the “legal tabloid” Above the Law.
Social Networking: Many lawyers use sites like LinkedIn, Myspace, Facebook, or other sites to connect with those in the field and meet prospective clients. Some lawyers are more agressive than others in this regard. If you only click on one link in this post, please check out the Myspace page of Mark Meisinger, an attorney who is “Representing those who mess with Texas” for one end of the spectrum [H/T to Above the Law]. At the same time, law firms, students, and others struggle with how to juggle the personal and the professional, with law firms blocking access to sites and many others, including lawyers and students, defending and promoting social/professional networking.
Twittering: Everybody in the blogosphere (and blawgosphere) is talking about Twitter and nearly 1 in 5 adults aged 18-34 have used it. Twitterers send 140 character mini-blogs/status updates called “tweets” to followers. If any of this doesn’t make sense, check out what Common Craft has to say about it. If you think Twitter is a fad that’s going to disappear, think again. Law schools are twittering; Congresspeople are twittering. Some judges now allow journalists to twitter during court. The ease of mass communication and web access via mobile devices has raised new legal concerns as jurors send tweets about trials and conduct outside research on the Internet—both potential grounds for a mistrial.
This is just a small sample of how web 2.0 is affecting the legal profession. I’m excited to see what will happen next.
@closedstacks
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