Social Media Tips for Court Reporters

Have you ever wanted to rant about a client or post juicy gossip about a witness you just met? It’s happened to a lot of us but we recommend resisting the urge to share confidential or otherwise negative information online. When it comes to social media tips for court reporters, we recommend calling a trusted colleague, sharing with a spouse, or keeping it to yourself. Don’t risk the wrong person seeing an update that compromises your professional reputation or worse sharing something you might regret later.

We caution you to think strategically when it comes to your presence on social media whether that’s personal or professional. Some things are better left unsaid or discussed privately among close friends and family.

• Facebook – Keep a separate personal profile and professional page. It’s a lot easier to remember you post pictures of your grandchildren to your own profile and share industry information on the professional page. There will come a time when clients or colleagues send a friend request. Decline the request and instead send them a link to your professional page. Then you don’t have to remember to maintain lists on your personal page or unfriend colleagues that you no longer associate with.
• Twitter – During this time of political debates and campaigns it is tempting to throw out comments. We urge you to refrain from any political chatter especially on Twitter where hashtags and retweets get information shared at a fast pace. The last thing you want is your client to see a snarky comment you made or take something you tweeted out of context. Follow us @DepoInt and industry experts like @NCRA and avoid anything that could be construed as controversial.
• LinkedIn – This is THE place for professionals to network with each other. Whether you’re connecting with individuals and private messaging or utilize groups, you can meet other court reporters, professionals in other industries, prospective clients, and freelancers. Follow the Depo International LinkedIn page for the latest in industry news and trends and get connected!

Social media isn’t bad and doesn’t need to be avoided. You just need a strategy for how to use it.

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