practicehacker

Lawyers are calling it social networking burnout. Law.com reports that corporate America is losing its taste for social networking sites and shutting down access to Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Recent back-to-back studies show a big chunk of corporate America banning Twitter and Facebook from the workplace. The news for the media world is even grimmer. According to an August survey by ScanSafe, 76% of companies block employee use of social networking sites — up 20% from February 2009. And social networking sites have become productivity enemy #1. Indianapolis-based Barnes & Thornburg is seeing companies block Facebook “all the time.” The firm has banned Facebook itself, and Twitter is next. I think what’s happening is social media is starting to simmer and the lawyers, PR teams, HR teams, and marketers are realizing that all these problems can occur, said one associate at Gunster Yoakley & Stewart of West Palm Beach, Florida.

I think what’s happening is social media is starting to simmer and the lawyers, PR teams, HR teams, and marketers are realizing that all these problems can occur, said one associate at Gunster Yoakley & Stewart of West Palm Beach, Florida who focuses on technology and the Internet.

Once more the Old Gray Lady has demonstrated how old and gray she is; this time by publishing this piece about lawyers who post on blogs, Facebook, or Twitter, could risk a reprimand or censure from oversight authorities like the Bar or State Supreme Court.

I know what you’re thinking. Could anyone at the Times actually think this was news?  But be fair. If you lived in a time warp, you too might think that bland observations like this one amount to journalism:

Sean Conway found himself hauled up before the Florida bar, which issued a reprimand and a fine for one of his blog posts. But as an officer of the court lawyers like Conway face special risks. Their freedom to gripe is limited by codes of conduct.

The rest of the article is equally insightful. My theory is that the author swiped every single point in the piece from the blogging policies I developed in 2004. Way to stay cutting edge NY Times.