(Part 1, Part 2)

All the sites I talked about in previous posts are relatively open. You can at least freely read their content, even if you can’t contribute. Legal OnRamp is a closed community. According its website, it’s a “Collaboration system for in-house counsel and invited outside lawyers and third party service providers.” You can request an invitation, which give you access to members’ blogs, a pretty active forum, a member directory, and other features common to many other online communities. The barrier to entry in the form of the invitation requirement apparently weeds out frauds, spammers, and other nuisances. I got my invitation as a law student. Legal OnRamp is especially interesting if you like following the debates on the future of the legal profession.

Don’t forget: some of these sites mostly target lawyers, while others address the general public. Take this into account when you are coming up with an online marketing strategy. Sites like Legal OnRamp let you network, outreach, and hopefully get referrals from other lawyers. Even some legal blogs reach mostly members of the legal profession. Other blogs such as Law is Cool or forums like AdviceScene attract readers from all walks of life. Many visitors to these sites look for legal information or advice. Of course, how you talk to potential clients is different from how you talk to fellow lawyers. A good online strategy takes this into account.

If you are an absolute neophyte in the world of online communications and social media, hopefully you benefitted from this introduction. You learned what social media means, how it works, and where it plays out. You also know now a few websites that target the legal profession or its clients. There are many opportunities to get your name out there in a professional and consistent way, so your image and reputation online reflect the quality of your work in the real world.