��Ʒ����������ҹ����

“We comfortably operate different personae for our personal and professional lives – and with good reason. However, the boundaries between our personal and professional selves can become blurred when we use social media” (Martin Molony, ‘Social and Personal’, August/September Gazette, p28).

Social media is the web-based mobile technology that transforms communication into active dialogue. The intention of this draft social media policy is to provide a template for solicitors to deal with issues that may arise from the use of social media in a context of the workplace and professional duties.

The policy acknowledges the key characteristics of social media:

• Social media is published and widely available,
• Social media information exists long after its creation, and there are very limited mechanisms to redact or remove material once published,
• There is a lack of data control and reduced options for security within social media materials,
• There are no enforceable assurances of privacy or storage location.

The key to best use of social media is a combination of a professional approach and sound judgment.

Whether social media is being used in a personal capacity or is being used for professional purposes, solicitors must take account of the key principles relating to their professional conduct. These include issues of identity, confidentiality, client care, advertising and publicity, relationships with third parties, and the sensitivity of subject matter and information. At all times, regard must be had to the available security settings in the different social media channels and the arrangements for archiving and deletion of material.

The checklist on social media policy can be found on the committee‘s ‘Resources’ tab at .