The Perils of the Facebook Age

I noticed something the other day that further confirms a sign of the times.  I have a Facebook social networking account (just like I have MySpace and LinkedIn accounts as well).  For those unfamiliar with the mechanism of site, one of the features is the ability to “tag” one’s posted photos with the links to the Facebook sites of the persons in the picture. 

So what was noticeable was not just the sheer numbers of folks who are in their late 20s and early to mid 30s who now have accounts.  What I found really remarkable was that for a lot of posted photos on my account or my friends’ accounts, just about everyone who appeared in photos was “tagged” to their own Facebook accounts.  In other words, a great deal of my friends who I see around (including many fellow YLD Executive Committee members) and are in photos with all are on Facebook.

Of course, the big problem with the digital age is that people can get a little too carefree about what is posted on personal sites without considering the impact.  More and more, potential employers are “Googling” candidates and checking out what’s on their social networking sites.  I have a friend pushing for a new job in the President-elect’s administration, which is using a pretty extensive vetting process.  One of the much-discussed questions is whether a candidate maintains a blog, Facebook, MySpace or other related pages.  Another one of the questions on the 7 page / 63 question long questionnaire that may impact a lot of folks is whether there are any embarrassing emails that exist from the past 10 years.  I think most people I know probably would have something to report for that question.   

Certainly, neither the maintenance of such a site nor the existence of such an e-mail would be an automatic disqualifier.  And it’s hard to imagine staffers perusing every single site.  Still, those of us out there who are young professionals who are interested in government jobs or even seeking other places of employment may be wise to clean up our sites of potentially-embarrassing pictures or posts (and request others to remove certain photos of you from their respective sites as well).  For a more concrete example, see the discomfort that the future White House director of speech writing currently faces for certain photos. . .

Become a fan

It was only a matter of time, really. Yep. The Bar Association is now on Facebook. More specifically, the Bar Association is now on Facebook “Pages”: Philadelphia Bar Association.

In November 2007, Facebook created Pages — a space for businesses and organizations. (Previously, Facebook — unlike MySpace —  allowed only individuals to create profiles.)

The idea behind Pages is to offer organizations an opportunity to promote themselves through a social network, as opposed to, say, a traditional Web page.

An organization’s “Page” works much the same way an individual’s profile works on Facebook — there’s some basic profile information and areas to add news, events, photos, etc.

Rather than creating a network of “friends,” as an individual would do on Facebook, an organization collects “fans.”

The difference is that anyone who has a Facebook account can become a fan of the organization — they don’t need approval, as they do to become a friend of an individual.

The other key difference is that Facebook Pages can be viewed without a Facebook account. (Is there anyone reading this who doesn’t have a Facebook account? Hello? Anyone? Bueller…? Bueller…?)

Okay. So for the three people out there without a Facebook account, get on it, and become a fan of the Bar. Philadelphia Bar Association.

A Lawyer’s Place on MySpace?

I am a 33-year-old attorney who has been practicing law for over eight years. I have been out of college for over eleven years. By most objective standards, I am considered a “grown-up” adult. Yet, I have a MySpace page. Heck, I even have a Facebook account. And I’m certainly not the only lawyer who is on these sites (fellow PhiLAWdelphia bloggers may be on them as well, but I’m certainly not going to “out” anybody).

Friends who are more traditional grown-ups question me on why I am involved with these online social networking websites. It’s certainly a fair question. The generalized view about these sites is that they are only for college students or those looking to date someone they meet through the sites. I don’t fall in either category. And I seriously doubt that there has ever been a recorded event in history of a lawyer securing any new clients through having a presence on MySpace.

So do lawyers, particularly those in their thirties, have any business on MySpace or Facebook? I think the best justification is that these sites help us stay connected to our friends, laymen and lawyers alike, who use them. That reason certainly is valid enough. Additionally, while our jobs take up so much of our time and energy, we really can’t or shouldn’t just focus on our jobs twenty-four hours a day. It’s nice to have a little entertainment and involvement on a website for fun. So while I don’t necessarily think that everyone should rush to sign up on these social networking sites, lawyers already on them or who are thinking of joining them shouldn’t feel out of place. Now excuse me, while I check on the status updates of my Facebook friends. . .

Submitted by John Encarnacion