Why Some Law Schools Discourage Social Media: Student Blogging
Apr 8th, 2009 | By Rex Gradeless | Category: Blogging, Featured, Law School, Lead Article, Social Media, Web 2.0
In light of the fact the US News and World Report law school rankings affects, for better or for worse, how some law schools conduct themselves, controlling a law school’s message and image has become increasingly important.
In order to control this message, some schools have overtly discouraged students form having any online presence. What better way to prevent a student from blogging, who is encumbered by large amounts student loans, than to scare them into believing that if an employer sees something inappropriate the student may not be hired? Some institutions have engaged in this practice.
I argue that if an employer saw you publishing anything inappropriate (a brief, a journal entry, or a post-it note) they may be less likely to hire you. The fact that the publication is online should not be dispositive as to whether a student should blog.
As a contributor to this blog, I am privy to many stories from law students who have had their law school condemn students from having an online presence. One law school, whose name will remain anonymous, once supported a student-run blog. Certain students (usually a member of a student government organization) were able to write about anything they desired. When one student wrote negatively about the law school, the law school deans pulled the plug on the student blog claiming that the posts were inconsistent with the school’s message to future law school applicants. Instead of taking down the post, the blog mysteriously had “technical difficulties” and was never seen again.
Some law schools, whose names will remain anonymous, are spending thousands (if not millions) of dollars on marketing professionals in order market their law school, hone their law school message for recruitment, and game the US News Rankings. Gaming the rankings has been well documented.
If there are hundreds of students blogging about their experiences, how can a law school control their message? Idea! Instead of suppressing student speech, schools should encourage every student to have an online presence and to blog about their experiences. This message says: “our law school is tolerant of debate, new ideas, and encourages transparency”. This type of message would be more impressive to an entering student than having a blog run by a law school marketer. (Applicants, especially those familiar with web 2.0 technologies and blogs, can smell cheese, trust me).
In this web 2.0 world, we should be suspect of any institution without some type of blog. There needs to be more transparency. Students should be encouraged to write more. Furthermore, I would be suspect of any institution whose blog(s) was run under the apparent umbrella of a law school administration.
Some time ago, Justice Brandeis said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” In a web 2.0 world, this principle rings more true today. Law schools should take notice.
Similar Experiences? Share your story below. (You can be “anonymous”).
See also:
What Career Service Office Advisors Should be Telling Students About Social Media [Part 1/2]
What Career Service Office Advisors Should be Telling Students About Social Media [Part 2/2]
Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools (Part 1)
Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools (Part 2)
Related posts:
- Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools – Join the Discussion!
- Calling Law Student Contributors for Social Media Law Student
- Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools – the website
- Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools (Part 2)
- Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools (Part 3)
- Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools (Part 1)
- Social Media Law Student Honored in ABA Journal Blawg 100
- Social Media and Your Summer Job
- Does Top 10 Most Innovative Law School in America Get Social Media?
- Social Media Blogging
[...] Why Some Law Schools Discourage Social Media: Student Blogging [...]
You make a good point about “anything” innappropriate. I, like many others, are learning how to balance transparency, authenticity, and employability. Tough choices.
I wonder though, why do you make such a big deal about protecting the anonymity of the law schools mentioned above. Do you have something to lose by naming them?
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admin
Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 8:24 am
Nothing to lose but nothing to gain. The aforementioned accounts come from students who have relayed this information to me. I can say there are at least four accounts where students have said this was the case at their law school. I’ve read about more.
The schools know who they are and students can identify whether their school is suppressing student blogging. They can call their school out on their blogs. It would probably be more effective if their own students were calling them out rather than us.
Hopefully, we provide students with some motivation to blog. This is the primary goal. Calling out the schools may be appropriate in some situations but others may require a more collaborative effort. Students are better suited to make this determination based on the conditions of their situation at each institution.
Thank you for this very good question.
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