Social media is an amazing thing except when it isn\u2019t. It\u2019s a great way to share information about your business, start relationships, and expand your network. I remarked to the current Dean of my old law school that despite the terrible employment situation of newly admitted attorneys, I would have loved the opportunity to be a law student now since I could build a practice and a network that I couldn\u2019t do 18 years ago.<\/p>\n
There are certainly downsides to social media and I\u2019ve been a part of it here and there, but I\u2019ve learned to avoid getting into any type of disagreement with someone online. The difference between conversations with people and any post or email is that communication that isn\u2019t verbal doesn\u2019t have a tone. When you speak with someone, you know when they\u2019re yelling at you, when they\u2019re sarcastic, or when they\u2019re downright hostile. Emails don\u2019t have that luxury because it doesn\u2019t have the tone so you may post something online that you think is calm and someone thinks that you\u2019re trying to attack them. So when someone reads a post f yours that maybe different from their view, there are some people who may think it\u2019s an attack when it\u2019s not,<\/p>\n
A few weeks back, I had a conversation online on Facebook about some allegations against Donald Trump. While I didn\u2019t support Mr. Trump, I thought one of these accusations made against him through some sort of lawsuit was false because the mainstream media didn\u2019t want to touch it and there were no substantiated claims other than the filing of a lawsuit. The plaintiff couldn\u2019t produce herself for interviews and no one including Hillary Clinton wanted to touch the case with a ten foot pole. Them the lawsuit was drop amid allegations that threats were made, so I thought the lawsuit was without merit. So I get attacked by another attorney who claims to be a litigator and he said that I don\u2019t know anything about the law and I don\u2019t know anything about Federal Civil Procedure because no attorney would risk sanctions by bringing a frivolous case like that into Federal Court. I know he was an attorney because he put ESQ. in his profile name, he assumed that I wasn\u2019t because I didn\u2019t (more on that). So he was asking me whether I was admitted to Federal Court (I\u2019m not) and I just don\u2019t told him that it didn\u2019t matter because in his mind, I wasn\u2019t a lawyer. I then said that one should never assume someone is not a lawyer and that I have enough appreciation for the Ethical Rules not to disparage someone who might be an attorney about their lack of legal knowledge. I also cited that while it\u2019s proper to address another attorney as ESQ., it is a faux pas for an attorney to use ESQ. for himself. Let\u2019s just say, I made my point and didn\u2019t hear from him again.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve really stayed clear of most of the community groups in my area on Facebook. I\u2019m still there looking, but I don\u2019t post because you\u2019re dealing with a lot of people who have a difficult time of dealing with people that have a different opinion that they have.<\/p>\n
Your reputation in business is probably the most important thing you have and you don\u2019t need something like a LinkedIn or Facebook fight to sully it. I\u2019ve seen too many careers destroyed because someone said something that they shouldn\u2019t have. Look at someone like Al Campanis. Al Campanis was a friend of the great Jackie Robinson and he\u2019ll be remembered for making some unfortunate comments on why there wasn\u2019t enough African-American managers in Major League Baseball on Nightline. He lost his job and his reputation, 20 years as Dodgers general manager with 4 pennants and a World Series title didn\u2019t mean anything when he lost his job. Let\u2019s not forget about Anthony Weiner, who may go to his prison for social media after losing his job, reputation, and wife.<\/p>\n
There is nothing wrong with conversing with people on social media, just don\u2019t lose your cool. if they lose their cool, don\u2019t roll in the gutter with them. Take the higher road because your reputation is certainly more important than anyone who takes different opinions as some sort of personal vendetta they need to carry.<\/p>\n
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