Paul Jacobson, a new media lawyer and blogger from Jacobson Attorneys, explores new media and technology law and the effects of this on your marketing deployment.

When it comes to new media: don't panic! There are legal issues to bear in mind, so it's about balancing risks and benefits.



Four things to consider in this space:

Freedom of expression
this covers blogging, twittering, posting videos, podcasting

Content licensing
the options, the implications, copyright vs creative commons (a range of six free licenses that permit a range of uses of content licensed under them)

Privacy
have you published your name or phone number or other personal details on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more? Did you read each site's terms and conditions and privacy policy and consider them carefully? If you don't want to take your chances at the next site you join/contribute to, read the fine print! Draw lines in the sand and be consistent. Decide what you want to publish and more importantly what you want to keep private (your ID number is a good example).

Unlawful competition

Bottom line: social media has a lot to offer business, but you have to accept that there are risks and tackle them head on.