Thanks, Victoria, for the link and invitation to readers to register. I urge anyone interested in intelligent discussion and lively debate about ADR to join.

By the way, Victoria and Phil, I corrected the information about the group’s founders in the post. Thanks so much for setting me straight – I want to give credit where credit is due!

Thank you very much for mentioning our Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation LinkedIn Group.

I would like to mention that in addition to Philip J. Loree Jr., this Group was founded and is co-managed by Don Philbin, Karl Bayer, Robert Bear Robert, and Victoria VanBuren. When Karl Bayer and I first discussed forming the Group, we never thought it would become the great forum of ideas that it is now.

We are accepting new members, persons interested in joining the Group can register here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1964382&trk=anet_ug_hm

Thank you again Diane for being such a wonderful neighbor in the ADR blogosphere!

Regards,

Victoria VanBuren
Disputing: Conversations about Dispute Resolution
http://karlbayer.com/blog

I cannot, however, take all the credit for creating the group. The idea was actually Victoria VanBuren’s, who discussed it with me. I thought it would be a good idea to try to drum up as much support for the idea as possible in advance of forming the group, so we discussed it with Karl Bayer, Don Philbin, Robert Bear, Peter Scarpato, and Roger Moak, all of whom were and continue to be very supportive and instrumental in getting the group off the ground and keeping it going. (Had I known you at the time I would have sought out your support, too.)

We were, of course, delighted when you and a number of other well-known ADR experts joined, including law professors, mediators, arbitrators, and attorneys. And we were thrilled that you and a number of others jumped right in and started actively participating and supporting the group, which encouraged others to do the same.

So I credit the group’s success to its members, particularly its active ones. From a social media perspective (and I’m no social media expert) I think that’s exactly how it is supposed to work.

Thanks for all your kind support!

Phil

Thanks for your thoughts – like you, I’ve met people unnecessarily fearful of social media. It’s too bad, since they’re missing out on a great deal. In four years of blogging and using social media, my negative experiences are vastly outweighed by the positive ones, and fortunately most of the people I’ve encountered here on the web have been a pleasure to converse with.

You’ve done a great job with the CIAM Group, Phil. The collegial tone is no doubt due to the example set by its founder!

Another fantastic article offering some helpful advice.

Social media is a wonderful thing, but, as you point out, there is no shortage of people out there who just do not seem to get it. It is amazing how many people there are, particularly lawyers, who seem to think it is a platform for blatant and relentless self-promotion. I do not know if that simply reflects self-absorbtion or is the result of misguided marketing advice, but I have got to believe that the vast majority of people who are subjected to the efforts of the relentless self promoters are as turned off by them as you are. What they do is not only annoying, but an insult to everyone else’s intelligence.

I have spoken with a lot of people who might otherwise have much to contribute, but are reluctant to participate in social media for fear they will be spammed by advertisers and relentless self-promoters. And some of these folks worry that they would also be subjecting themselves to identify theft, hacking and a host of other high-tech ills that are happily rare occurrences when basic security precautions are taken. Sadly, it is difficult to dispel these fears.

Thanks for the complimentary mention and the reference to the Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group! As you know, our group has been very fortunate thus far in that those who participate are respectful of other group members, and generally refrain from blatant self-promotion, which allows us to focus on sharing information and helping each other out.

Phil

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Cheers!