Yesterday was the 2nd annual CLM Women’s Forum. Held at the Walter Reade Theatre in Lincoln Center, the event drew more than 200 women from the fields of law, risk management and insurance. One of the engaging panel discussions was on the topic of social media and social networking. Leading this discussion was Holly Maust, president of Interactive Swim, a social media strategy company. Holly shared with us her wisdom on the topic, including:

• Companies should harness the power of LinkedIn and Twitter — something not all companies have done, and those that do use these platforms usually aren’t using them to the best of their ability.

• LinkedIn is the most important social media platform out there, but companies and entrepreneurs must learn to market themselves on LinkedIn without being “spammy.”

• LinkedIn “recommendations” are the new job references. Embrace them.

• Leverage yourself as a leader with your brand using Twitter, following three steps:

1. Listen — where are people talking about your product?
2. Engage — social media is a two-way conversation.
3. Learn — stay agile and flexible by staying on top of new social media.

• Do it the right way and do it ethically.

On the (somewhat) other side of the spectrum, Lori Seidenberg, vice president of enterprise risk management at Centerline Capital Group, sounded off against the use of social media in the workplace, saying her employer has considered restricting access to social media sites. And however much it hurts to hear, she has a few good points, including:

• Social media hurts workplace productivity.
• Engaging in social media and the various quizzes, games, applications, etc., that come along with some sites, breeds spam, some of which passes through a company’s server potentially causing cyber risks.
• If you have something on your screen that another employee finds offensive, they can file a lawsuit.

In closing, Seidenberg stated that social media litigation is the next big wave.

Scary, and, unfortunately, true.