ZiefBrief

Minding Your Online Presence

The National Law Journal profiles Drake University law professor Melissa Weresh this week, who is working to raise awareness among law students of the potential professional pitfalls of social networking for aspiring attorneys.  Among Professor Weresh's tips:

• Always use proper grammar and avoid using acronyms when you text or email faculty members.
• Remember that Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter content might be used by state bar officials to ascertain your fitness to practice law.

Shunning Social Networking

The Washington Post has an article today about 18 to 34-year-olds who refuse to sign up for social networking sites, much to the chagrin of their friends and significant others.  How odd is this?  According to the article, about 84 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds check a social networking site, such as Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter, at least once a week.  The fastest-growing group of new Facebook users?  According to Inside Facebook, it's women over 55.

Wikipedia Unveiled on Volokh Conspiracy

Guest blogger and attorney Ira Matetsky has a series of interesting and informative posts on Wikipedia on the Volokh Conspiracy this week. You can access the first post here -- links to  all of Ira's Wikipedia posts throughout the week can be found at the bottom of the first post.  If you tend to turn to Wikipedia regularly as a research resource, you owe it to yourself to read these posts to understand how Wikipedia works and what its strengths and weaknesses are. 

Whitehouse.gov Gets a Makeover

President Obama's communications staff have been busy!  Whitehouse.gov got quite the Web 2.0 makeover and now boasts a blog with RSS feed.  All of the President's executive orders and proclamations will be made available on The Briefing Room page.  Also, the administration promises to "publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it."  Well done!  Now if we can just spread the innovation to the hundreds of other federal government websites that are stuck in the dark ages!!