Law Technology Today From the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center
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Now that you’ve learned how Legally Speaking got started, and the learning curve of Google+ Hangouts on Air, you’re asking yourself: what law practice goals are there for Hangouts on Air?
The hope, of course, is that our potential clients will eventually find our Hangouts on Air, via YouTube, and then call either myself for Florida or Georgia personal injury cases, or Stephan Futeral for his practice areas of criminal, family and personal injury in South Carolina. We hope to also help our guests get more exposure, both on G+ and on later YouTube searches. We have no idea whether that has happened yet. I have not had any prospective clients mention the hangouts. So, for now, we are both assuming that we have a new time-consuming hobby, which may or may not eventually matter in terms of client development.
The Usefulness Of Hangouts Limited Only By Your Imagination
On the upside, I believe hangouts have increased our visibility to both lawyers and non-lawyers on Google Plus, which general visibility also may or may not ever actually matter to Google (SEO experts seem to disagree on that point). I also have become so comfortable with the hangout format that I have my first attorney-client consultation scheduled this week using private hangouts, which are live but not recorded, and only broadcast to those who receive an invitation. So there are definitely many benefits to G+ hangouts, beyond those afforded by hangouts on air.
Dipping Your Foot Into The Hangout Water, For Lawyers
If you have never even thought about Google Plus, I highly recommend that you spend a few hours learning the platform. Following active attorney users for a few weeks will teach you the ropes by osmosis. G+ can be a tad confusing at first. But all of the features of the platform are so far superior to other social media that I think anyone not exploring G+ is seriously missing what might be a golden opportunity.
Learning To Hangout
If you want to learn more about hangouts specifically, you could start by either watching one of the many available hangouts on air, mostly conducted by non-lawyers, as a live audience member. You can find them by searching on Google Plus or looking down my profile page to see our previous show links.
Participating first as an audience member, as I did, gives you the ability to comment and ask questions, which the show hosts and guests will sometimes answer live, as well as meeting new “friends” in the form of fellow audience members. Additionally, nothing will bite you if you play around with the hangout feature privately, with a family member or friend. Once you get the hang of Hangouts, you may find yourself with a seriously time-draining new hobby, at which point we can hangout live and commiserate.
If you would like to appear as a guest and have a show idea that you think would interest both lawyers and non-lawyers, please contact me on G+ or give me a call.
Happy Plussing!
Featured image: “Children imagination concept with cast shadows on a gravel” from Shutterstock.
