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Twitter Me & Connect: OntBizAttorney & LinkedIn
  
Though I’m an old fart, over 400 in dog-years, I enjoy adopting the best of technology innovations to make my work more efficient, organized and accessible. I’ve been on the net since about 94 via my Mac LC475 – remember the Alta Vista search engine? I remember when Netscape was just introduced, and I tried, but failed, to get in on their public offering of shares. Remember the What’s New and Interesting site that we all went to first thing? All those live cam sites were fascinating – for awhile.
I’ve had this dynamic (ie, I update it quite often) website since early 2000, and it’s amazing to me how the quantity and quality of contacts made to me from it have dramatically improved over the decade. At first, the contacts from the website were tentative/flakey, and rarely resulted in solid work. The last five years or so, I’ve been fortunate to receive much interesting and valuable new work, and many new economy clients (my largest industry sector, by far, is software development and IT consulting). Of course, my experience mirrors what has been happening in the Canadian economy – young, smart new-economy entrepreneurs – often new Canadians as well – are driving growth and wealth creation in the service sector, while manufacturing and other old economy sectors (eg, mining in Canada) have much declined.
I’m not a habitual early-adopter though, I’d rather wait til the innovation proves itself to me. Some new things just don’t make life any easier at all, and I question if people really monitor the actual results vs. the ballyhooed benefits – Windows 7 is one example, so is Google Chrome, where the cost/benefit analysis yields mixed results.
The last year or so, I’ve had some fun on Twitter, tweeting my gratuitous views on various non-legal areas – politics, economics, stocks, health, social networking. At first, the ability to disseminate my jaundiced opinions to the world was thrilling, and I was hooked. But as time went on, the shine was scuffed up a bit because I didn’t have any real focus or agenda. Besides, who else really gives a shit about my opinions on monetary policy or type 2 diabetes? Soon, I realized my pronouncements were unlikely to improve the world, my world or anyone else’s world. I wasn’t using Twitter as it was intended, as a social media tool, so my experience was predictable, in hindsight.
Many marketing commentators for the legal profession have been touting FaceBook as THE social media vehicle to use, yet I continue to see it mainly as a big time waster in an age of severe information overload & time over-commitments. I refrained from getting into either social or business oriented FaceBook, and I’m still content with that – there are just so many demands on what we lawyers call “non-billable” time – such as keeping up with legal & practice developments and firm administration/accounting, and of course, personal marketing and relationship building.
Over the last few months, I’ve invested some time in LinkedIn, the big business networking thingy, and I’m moderately positive about its potential to build mutually valuable connections for my practice and betterment of my clientele. I belong to a few Groups, like Silicon Halton (an excellent IT group), Osgoode Hall Alumni, Mustang Enthusiasts, Entrepreneurs, and my main beef has been business consultants/marketing people using Group memberships to shill for their latest-greatest selling/branding/eco-whatever thingy. I think LinkedIn should prohibit members from using any Group’s membership list for selling anything not directly pertaining to the affinity of the Group. For example, don’t try to sell me your website design services as a member of the Mustang Enthusiast Group. I’ve flagged a few people who have done this, but I don’t know if it will slow them down.
So, by all means look me up on LinkedIn and maybe we can become connected – if you want to be. I try to use LinkedIn to reach people from past business, school or social experiences, or where willing, people in like or complimentary pursuits, such as business lawyers in other places – as a way of having contacts for clients in such places if and when needed, rather than making cold calls.
As to Twitter, I have begun an account called OntBizAttorney, from which I try to offer short, practical tips and views of pratical interest to Ontario business owners and service providers. Follow me and I’ll likely follow you back if there is any commonality of interest or history.
I’m striving to make my LinkedIn Updates relevant and worthwhile reading as Twitter tweets, but I have no misconception that any of my social media efforts will or should replace the personal solicitor and client relationships that I work hard to maintain with, most importantly, my existing clients and other high-valued added service providers, mainly accountants, tax advisors, corporate finance and transactional intermediaries.
I especially welcome your thoughts and feedback on my Twitter and LinkedIn activities and views. The rapidly changing world doesn’t trouble me in the least – it’s extremely stimulating and exciting. If you’re not moving ahead, you’re falling behind.
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