Social Media

Focusing on free technology, it is relevant to talk about the use of social media. 

As a so-called "Millennial" I do view the traditional work-life balance as more of a 'work-life blend' meaning that instead of compartmentalizing my personal and professional life as was common practice for generations before me, I tend to view it as more like a blend of  personal and professional experiences. For example, the concept of 'work-life blend' may look like working from home in the morning then taking a couple hours during the day to work out or pick-up kids, then going in to the office for a few hours in the late afternoon or evening.  This work-life blend approach can be tricky when applying to social media for business purposes.

​My top free social media that I use professionally and personally are: 

- LinkedIn: I utilize mainly for professional networking.

- Facebook: Although I've considered deleting this account multiple times, the most value I find is staying connected to friends and family through posts.

- Instagram: I share my pictures socially with friends and family.

- Twitter: I utilize for professional purposes for networking, promoting events and staying up-to-date with industry happenings

It is free to maintain a presence on social networking sites and is great for increasing visibility as an individual or as a company. It can also be a great way to stay in-the-know on events or trends.  Legal implications are high when representing or mentioning your company on social media. There are many examples of professionals losing business opportunity due to personal social media messaging. In the legal industry, there are published rules and ethics standards to abide. For attorneys, there are statues that set the standard for any social media posting. 

Millennials are on track to make up the majority of the workforce in coming years.  With the concept of work-life blend in mind, I encourage social media users to consider professional impact on every post.