LinkedIn - Power of Groups

Though I've been something of a skeptic about LinkedIn, I have been reevaluating because of what I have seen in LinkedIn "Groups."  I just joined one, the Legal IT Network that looks interesting

Those of you who know me, have heard me speak on Social Networking, or read between the lines on a few of posts here, know that I have not been the biggest fan of LinkedIn.  I've loved the concept since I first saw it several years ago.  The concept seemed so right:  a more professional Facebook focused on networking but it never seemed to live up to its promise.  There just was not much going on in LinkedIn, so my account has been generally dormant in relation to Facebook & Twitter.  What I've been seeing lately, however, is that the Groups function of LinkedIn is getting a lot more active and useful.  As a result, I'm finding LinkedIn a lot more helpful and useful (and interesting and fun) now that I've gotten involved in some Groups and I think that's going to grow as we move forward.

One group I just joined that looked particularly good is the Legal IT Network and they just started a subgroup focused on Solo and Small Law Firms.  Here is how the groups' found Rob Ameerun describes the groups:

IT for small law firms
Big law firms have the advantage of having their own IT department, taking care of all IT problems. Smaller firms have to find smarter ways to cope with this situation. Although there are many service providers out there offering help, people always first try to look around. LinkedIn has a great group for this: “Legal IT for Small Law Firms”. The group, a subgroup of the very popular “Legal IT Network”, focuses on solo practitioners and small law firms and offers a discussion forum to discuss legal IT software and other legal technology matters. Seek advice from other lawyers having similar IT issues, help solicitors who need legal IT advice, and of course, submit your own questions. Joining is very easy, click this link: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=2332565

Another LinkedIn group well worth a look by Solo and Small Law Firm lawyers is Lawyer Marketing | Grow Your Practice the purpose of which is described as:

Differentiating your practice. It is what marketing is all about. With more and more lawyers entering practice every 6 months, you must find a way to distinguish your firm from the pack. This group is a forum for discussing more effective and efficient ways to grow your practice. Our focus will be to provide you with news, articles, and other resources to assist you in making better use of your marketing dollars.

Also on the marketing side is the Marketing the Law Firm group, which is:

A moderated group for lawyers and legal marketing professionals seeking the most effective law firm marketing and business development techniques. Find out about the latest tools and information resources. Discover new biz dev strategies, from building a reputation to building client relationships. Share experiences, compare notes, and discuss new approaches with experts. Topics include branding, communications, client relationship management (CRM), cross-marketing, and Web strategies for firms of any size.

I'd love to hear your experiences on LinkedIn.  Is it working for you?  Is it not?  What works or doesn't work for you?

- Peter H. Berge
 

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