Wade with caution into Web 2.0 waters

Although social networking sites have been around for a little while now, when it comes to the dos and don’ts, the benefits and pitfalls of this online world, we’re still pretty much making up the rules as we go. On the one hand, job candidates are frequently advised to take advantage of social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to research, network and prepare for future employment; on the other, they are cautioned that employers are also using these same media to research and evaluate candidates for employment.

While a central premise of networking platforms like Legal OnRamp is that the future of the legal profession lies in Web-based collaboration, a round-up of recent ethics opinions reminds us that the boundaries of the new frontier have yet to be clearly marked. Some of the “unforeseen perils of online communication and participation by judges and lawyers” may be specific to issues of judicial propriety, but other risks face the rest of us as well. Among some of the questions recently posed:

• Is it ethical to Facebook “friend” opposing parties or jury members to obtain information for use in litigation?
• Should seemingly private grumblings on your own profile page be cause for dismissal at work?
• Might casual tweeting subject you to liability for defamation?
• Because “rules to protect privacy have not kept up with technology,” might someone piece together—and steal—your identity from the bits of information you post online?
• How might the information in your profiles be used by the government?

So, a few words of caution for social networkers looking to build their personal brand:

“Before going too far into social media, make sure you scrub your own profile.”

“When you’re doing stuff online, you should behave as if you’re doing it in public—because increasingly, it is.”

- posted by vera