Bar steps up its social media outreach.

Last year, The Florida Bar Board of Governors Communications Committee created a subcommittee called Social Media and Communications Technology with one ultimate goal in mind.

"Every single way we can get information to our members, we need to be utilizing it," said John Stewart, chair-elect of the Communications Committee and chair of the subcommittee, which was tasked last year with creating a social media plan and capitalizing on innovative technology to communicate The Florida Bar's messages through a variety of new platforms. The goal was based on the Bar's strategic plan.

Nearly 10 months later, that plan is in full swing.

In mid-February, the Bar hired a full-time social media coordinator at its Tallahassee headquarters. In late March, a unanimous vote by The Florida Bar Board of Governors opened the door for expansion of a limited social media plan.

And today, The Florida Bar's steady stream of information for its 98,000-plus members is now prevalent across six social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest.

"It certainly would not be forward thinking to just utilize Facebook, but all of the platforms going forward. We've gone all the way from Facebook to Pinterest, which is a tremendous, tremendous jump," said Michelle Suskauer, chair of Communications Committee. She was comparing the broad spectrum of social media platforms now offered by the Bar, including the recently established Florida Bar page on Pinterest --an image-based social media site that has been long-known to be heavily populated by women, but has recently become used more by men.

"Given the popularity of social media ... this is how we all communicate," Suskauer said. "It didn't make sense for The Florida Bar to not start utilizing social media and all of its platforms. That's why we've progressed to the point where we've expanded our social media to all the platforms, so we're pushing out information to individuals, and they can receive it in whatever way they feel most comfortable. I think it's incredibly exciting what we've done."

Each medium has a clearly defined purpose, according to The Florida Bar's newly adopted plan.

For instance, Facebook--the first account opened by the Bar last year and easily the most popular social media platform, with more than half a billion users worldwide --serves as a way to deliver all Florida Bar-related information to members and direct them to www.floridabar.org, as well as to...