Another roundup of the Week in Social Media News–a summary of social media news from around the web. As always, the focus of these stories is social media legal news (as opposed to the tens of thousands of stories on social media in general). Having culled through the hundreds of articles I review each week, here are some of the social media discussions I have found to be interesting and (hopefully) applicable (and I promise that more original content is on its way–but you all know how it goes right before Christmas; everyone is trying to get everything filed so they can take 2-3 weeks off between December 20th and January 10th):

• Socially Aware: The Social Media Law Update – Morrison Foerster - Morrison & Foerster Social Media Newsletter. Vol. 3, Issue 5 December 2012. Socially Aware: TheSocial Media Law Update. In this issue of Socially Aware, our …

• Don’t Twitter away your social media accounts | Employment Law … - While social networking has fast become a powerful marketing tool for companies, it’s proven equally valuable to employees as a vehicle for professional.

• Update: Social Media Regulations May Soon Become Law in New …
  New Jersey is one step closer to enacting legislation that would prohibit New Jersey employers from using social media to screen applicants.

• Twitter Followers Held Hostage? The Legal Risks Of Outsourcing Social Media - That means things are bound to go wrong — and disputes between companies and thesocial media marketing agencies they hire are all but certain to arise. But in such a fledgling field, the laws haven’t necessarily caught up with technology.

• Social-media ownership still a gray area - Scott Horton is a partner in Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP and the firm’s resident expert onsocial media law. While he agrees that it’s critical to have sound policies in place, he still sees many employers that haven’t addressed the specific …

• No new ethics laws eyed for social media following Frederick Facebook posting - The executive director of the State Ethics Commission said this week there is no plan to consider any new laws governing the conduct of elected officials and government employees using Facebook or other social media, but one local state lawmaker …

• Legal Guidelines For CEOs On Social Media – Avoid The Netflix … - In July, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted on Facebook that viewing on his company’s site “exceeded 1…

• Why Social Media Matters to Lawyers – Reason #3 – The New Legal … - In the previous two installments, I’ve discussed two reasons that social media matter to lawyers in private practice: personal-effort efficiency and out-of-pocket …

• Social Media: The “New” Courthouse? | Law Technology Today -  Let’s forget, for a moment, the magical marketing benefits of social mediaand talk about law …

• Keeping social media legal - Expert Social Media -  In a world where everything is legal and illegal, you want to make sure you are doing everything in your power to stay legal. By being extra careful, you can …

Here is your weekly roundup of the Week in Social Media News–a summary of social media news from around the web. As always, the focus of these stories is social media legal news (as opposed to the tens of thousands of stories on social media in general). Having culled through the hundreds of articles I review each week, here are some of the social media discussions I have found to be interesting and (hopefully) applicable:

• Twitter in legal spat over data clampdown - Twitter Inc’s steadily tightening grip over the 140-character messages on its network has set off a spirited debate in Silicon Valley over whether asocial media company should or should not lay claim over its user-generated content…

• Social Media Savvy for General Counsel - Social media has complicated the management of employees and their relationships with co-workers, raising a host of legal issues for in-house counsel. The array of ways in which employees can communicate electronically has increased geometrically…

• Avoid Vague Social Media Policies - An NLRB administrative law judge held that the employee’s social media posting about the BMW event was protected concerted activity under the NLRA because his criticisms of the food were shared by co-workers, and there was a possibility that their…

• More Employers Creating Social Media Policies for the Workplace - As social media use continues to overlap more fluidly between the personal sphere and the business world, more employers are writing dedicated social media polices, and many are also monitoring employee use of social media sites at work, according to a …

• Legal Professionals Increasing Use of Social Media | Tennessee …
  Attorneys are increasingly utilizing Facebook and other social media sites to gain evidence for their cases due to the ease of obtaining publically accessible …

• More States Pass Laws to Protect Students’ Social Media Rights -  “This bill is a win for the personal privacy rights of students,” Shear said in an email to the Los Angeles Times, after the social media privacy law was passed the Delaware legislature. “Since schools generally do not have a duty to monitor their …

• Social Media in Law Practice - This is the final slide deck from my Social Media in Law Practice course for the Univ. of Dayton School of Law Digital Lawyering Program. Covering time …

• Optimising Your Social Media Profiles for Legal Professions - Being in a legal profession is a profession where standards are very important, so do your social media profiles reflect this trait? Here are some simple tips to …

• Employer Best Practices For Social Media Use On And Off The Job - Editor: We see that this is the second annual report on social media use in the workplace from Proskauer’s International Labor & Employment Law Group. What prompted a second survey? Ornstein: Proskauer conducted a second survey on social media use …

• Reinforcing the Social Media Wall – Protecting Online Privacy - With the rapid evolution of technology and the integration of social media in everyday life, more and more of a person’s life is lived and documented on social …

Here is your weekly roundup of the Week in Social Media News–a summary of social media news from around the web. As always, the focus of these stories is social media legal news (as opposed to the tens of thousands of stories on social media in general). Having culled through the hundreds of articles I review each week, here are some of the social media discussions I have found to be interesting and (hopefully) applicable:

• Does social media make you a smarter law firm leader? Though we chatted a few more minutes, I couldn’t help but feel that this law firm leader was proud of the fact that he couldn’t be bothered with social media – that …

• Lawyers acting for Lord McAlpine draw up list of Twitter users for potential - The legal actions could help to more clearly define the relationship between social media and defamation laws, reversing the growing trend of “Trial by Twitter” by emphasising the fact that users of the instant messaging website are not immune from …

• Tweets from the courtroom should be allowed in all provinces say legal experts - A group of legal experts representing the Canadian Centre for Court Technology has proposed a national guideline for the use of social media in court unless specifically prohibited for one reason or another. Ontario Superior Court Justice Frances …

• Legal Response to Newcomers’ Concerns in Launching Social … Legal Response to Newcomers’ Concerns in Launching Social Media Campaigns. by kbhilfer on November 12, 2012. October, 2012 was a busy month for …

• More companies are tracking workers’ tweets, report finds - Although the number of companies that feel favorably about social media is growing, more employers are monitoring employees on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, according to a new report onsocial media practices in the workplace from the global law …

• Comments on social media could get you fired - Some employers and colleges across the country have even gone as far as asking their employees or potential students for their social media passwords. California recently passed a law making that practice illegal. As for Fisher, she is raising four …

• Ask the Lawyer: New laws beef up protections for employee social media accounts - Q: I hear the California Legislature passed a law to restrict employers’ access to the social mediaaccounts of employees. Can you tell me more about this? – G.Z., Westchester. Answer: Actually, the California Legislature passed two new laws, both …

• It’s Not Social Media, It’s Content Marketing – There is a small number of people who, when they talk about social media, you must listen. One is Chris Brogan, and here’s what he said in a recent post called …

• Large law firms lack social media strategy, finds TR report - A new study has revealed that many large law firms in Australia are not providing social mediatraining for staff. A Thomson Reuters study of more than 100 senior legal practitioners across Australian firms during October found that a lack of clear …

• Third state bars access to staff Facebook passwords - California last month became the third state to enact a law that prohibits employers from asking applicants or employees for their passwords to social media sites. Illinois and Maryland had passed similar laws earlier this year. The California bill …

• Social Media Dos and Don’ts for Lawyers - When it comes to social media, the censor strengths for certain users might be turned down a bit too low. Sure, if you’re a teenager posting pictures of yourself in …

Some very interesting stories this week, particularly the one about law firms lacking a social media strategy and a reiteration of the common dos and don’t for lawyers and social media.

It is always good to stay apprised of recent news surrounding social media, particularly how lawyers, attorneys, and other legal professionals are using social media as well as what they are saying. I hope you find this weekly installment of the previous week’s news related to social media and the law to be helpful, informative, and, in certain cases, entertaining.

My thanks to Google News, Bing News, and other news outlets for helping me find and share these stories.