Establishing an online identity was not something that professors talked about in undergrad or in law school, but one of the first questions I received upon my entering my first job as an attorney was what I wanted in my website profile along with when my picture was to be taken. I was entirely unprepared for establishing or maintaining an online presence as a professional and the last seven years have been quite a learning experience as a result. In that time, I have quickly realized that being consistent and having something of substance to say are good, but having a great picture and knowing what sites to include in one's repertoire is also significant. I've recently incorporated Facebook (both personally and through our firm’s page) and other social networking platforms to stay in touch with colleagues and family alike. In short, the journey has been a learning experience overall and one that is continuing and ever evolving.
In 2006, I decided to go back to school and experienced online learning again. It hasn't been that long since I was in school, but all of my classes in undergrad and all but one in law school were in person. It is interesting to note that I took the first online class that my law school attempted. I am also pleased to report that my law school now has entire courses of study online, but that is a story for another day. At present, I am taking a class on integrating technology into the classroom (EME5050), which is the one of the required classes for my Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Since I'm not teaching in a classroom at the moment, I've had to utilize my imagination during the majority of the class, which has been an adventure. I have been particularly intrigued with how much technology has changed since I was in high school, not so long ago. A notable example appears on page 189 of our textbook, referenced below, which talks about the use of blogs within the classroom.
However, Module 6, which deals with establishing a professional online identity, is something I've actually had some experience with! The Florida Bar both requires and allows attorneys to provide information to the general public via their website—by that I mean there are elements of one’s profile that are required and those that are voluntary.
You can see my profile here: http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/0/277C344355A3B3F185256CBF005B8A45?OpenDocument.
Ironically enough, since so much information is already readily available to the public as a whole because of my profession, this has helped me be more comfortable with allowing personal information to be available online in general. My more recent experiences with Facebook and blogging have led me to be more cautious and I make a habit of Googling myself regularly to see what is available in the "cloud" under my name. As Daniel Solove, in his book The Future of Reputation, Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet, clearly illustrates, the Internet is a quickly changing environment. This double edged sword can result in reputations made and also destroyed with rapid and devastating consequences. With this in mind, my firm, The Marks Law Firm, P.A., (http://www.markslawfla.com/) has made a point of publishing the goods news about what we’re all up to through electronic newsletters, regular Facebook postings, and our website.
It seems to me, at this point in my journey, the best defense is a good offense. I plan to keep up with the blogging, newsletters, updates to the website, and whatever else we dream up next.
Citations:
Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 5th Ed., Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2008). ISBN: 1423911806.
Solove, D. (2007). The Future of Reputation, Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
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