How-to: Online Social Networking & Ethics

Heard of MySpace and Facebook? How about LinkedIn? These are web sites you can use for professional social networking. Finding and meeting colleagues no longer has physical boundaries. Even if you haven't heard of these avenues for building professional ties, you can be sure many of the newbies you are hiring has and they may be utilizing these online services.

While this networking environment can definitely extend professional opportunities for you, especially in light of the realities of rural Wyoming and the oft-times impossibility of getting away from the office, some ethical implications must be considered. A Law.com Legal Technology article, Mind the Ethics of Online Networking by C. C. Holland, runs through some of these ethics.

According to Holland, there are three main areas covered by state ethics regulations regarding online networking: communications, solicitations and advertisements. Of course, the ethics rules for each state will differ. And when considering rules that govern advertising, there are likely state business laws to consider as well. Additionally, there is the tricky problem of jurisdiction. Since the Internet's audience is not limited to an attorney's home state, which regulation governs?

Holland brings up a point by Kevin O'Keefe, founder of LexBlog. Some of these same issues were brought up when the telephone was invented. Some chose not to use the telephone because of possible ethical issues. Others decided it was worth the risk as a tool for communication. Holland's advice? Proceed with caution while adhering to your state's ethics rules as closely as possible.