Should young professionals have a MySpace page?
Not long ago, I recommended that law students delete their MySpace page. But I recently read on MyShingle and LexBlog about Anicia M. Ogonosky (pictured left), a young lawyer who uses her myspace page to market herself.
My strongest criticism with law student MySpace pages was with the fact that law students often ignored the fact that potential employers, potential clients, and other attorneys may view their page. I was surprised how many law students posted drunk, sexual, or other questionable photos, which did not market themselves in a professional light.
Ms. Ogonosky’s MySpace page is different from most students’ MySpace pages. She treats her MySpace page more like a law firm website.
I believe marketing on MySpace is a terrific idea if MySpace has the type of people you want as clients. For Ms. Ogonosky’s bankruptcy practice, MySpace could be a beneficial and inexpensive advertising option.
Regarding photos, it’s difficult to know whether a MySpace photo should be formal or more casual, like the photo here. Lawyers traditionally have photos in formal clothes. But that may be too stuffy for MySpace. Maybe business causal is the best attire for a professional MySpace photo.
History will show whether Ms. Ogonosky’s MySpace page was the step of a pioneer in law marketing or merely the method of an amateur.
UPDATE: Real Lawyers Have Blogs says that MySpace helps attorneys get clients.
This is part of a series of articles highlighting Web 2.0 websites for law students.