Today's post takes a bit of a different turn than usual. I'm not going to talk about human rights law but, instead, I wanted to mention other ways that we can get to know one another.
In addition to writing this blog, which is my primary vehicle for engaging with people who might be interested in what I have to say (and, go figure, to that!), I'm also out and about the world-wide web in other ways too. In addition to human rights law and its impact on the workplace, one of my other great interests is technology and its impact on the legal profession and the practice of law. Particularly, I am intrigued about how web 2.0 or the recent trend of using the web for information sharing, collaboration and the creation of communities (social networking sites like Facebook, or professional networking sites like LinkedIn) will change how lawyers interact with their clients or potential clients now and into the future. Always wanting to stay ahead of the curve (or at least be on it!), I've decided to jump on the web 2.0 bandwagon and learn first-hand what it's all about.
So, in keeping with this, I thought I would share with you some of the other ways we can connect, engage with and learn about and learn from eachother:
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Twitter: this is a micro-blogging and connecting tool. I use it as an easy way to share information and have informal discussions with people (you have to sign up to follow people) because you are limited to 140 characters. It also works in real time so the minute I see something I think is of interest to those who follow me, I can do a quick note on it and send out a link and they can access it right away. Sometimes what I'm reading doesn't merit a full blog post so I'll do a 'tweet' about the topic instead. Other times, what I'm finding of interest has nothing to do with workplace human rights and so I'll go to Twitter to share it instead. In still other cases I'm just sharing water cooler-type conversation with others. I will admit that Twitter takes some getting used to. Here's a video from Common Craft that explains Twitter simply. Twitter has been described as 'networking on steroids' and, from my experience, that's pretty darned accurate.
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LinkedIn: This is a business oriented social networking site. Really, it allows people in business to connect with other people in business. Here's my profile. Membership is free and it's easy to join and create your own profile. Then, please let me know if you'd like to be a part of my professional network. Send me an invitation and I'll accept.
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Facebook. This is a more informal way of networking and is the social networking tool I think most people have heard about. I'm on there too and would invite you to connect.
Have a great weekend!
