This is not meant to be a scare tactic. It’s just pointing out that web publishing tools have made it very easy to be a publisher. That’s great from an information perspective because it’s so much easier to find relevant information. The problem is that the ease of publishing and finding information has nothing to … Read more »
Category: Social Networking and Web 2.0
The Death of Martindale Connected
When Lexis backed a social networking platform for lawyers, I paid attention. I didn’t think a platform for lawyers would be interesting, but if it connected to some of Lexis’s massive collection of legal content it could at least be informative. That never came to the Martindale Connected platform. The platform has remained boring and … Read more »
Charges Brought in Social Media Scam
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged an Illinois-based investment adviser with offering to sell fictitious securities on LinkedIn. The SEC also issued two alerts to highlight the risks investors and advisory firms face when using social media. The SEC’s Division of Enforcement alleges that Anthony Fields of Lyons, Illinois offered more than $500 billion in … Read more »
FTC, Bloggers, and Disclosure
The Federal Trade Commission is continuing to pursue bloggers who fail to disclose that they received incentives to discuss a company’s products. Back in December, the Federal Trade Commission released new guidelines that specifically required bloggers to disclose any material connections to a product or company they are writing about. The FTC is focusing its … Read more »
More from FINRA on Social Media and Mobile Devices
In January 2010, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 10-06 in an attempt to provide guidance on the application of FINRA rules governing communications with the public to social media sites. The guidance did not provide much that was new. Largely, FINRA pointed out that the existing communication and record-keeping rules applied. Too bad that the site … Read more »
Report on Investment Adviser’s Use of Social Media in Massachusetts
There is a growing trend in the financial services industry to use social media sites for outreach to existing as well as potential customers. Noticing this trend, the Securities Division of The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth surveyed investment advisers registered and doing business within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The purpose of the … Read more »
Twitter Fail and Compliance
FINRA has long regulated and limited the ability of broker/dealers to communicate with the public. One of their missions is to protect the investing public from unscrupulous securities brokers. Twitter is a communications tools and any messages posted to Twitter will need to be in compliance. It was inevitable that we would see a FINRA … Read more »
Compliance and Google+
Over the past few weeks, Google+ has exploded as a new social web platform. We had friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter. Now there are Circles on Google+. What does this mean from a compliance perspective? Not much for right now. Google+ does not seem to present any new issues that we haven’t already … Read more »
Enterprise 2.0 – Regulatory and Compliance Concerns
I’m once again speaking at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference. Social Media & Social Networking: Some Cautionary Tales (Location: Room 312) Social media (Twitter, LinkedIn) and enterprise social networking solutions (profiles, activity streams, social analytics) can deliver compelling business value. However, benefits do not come without risks. This panel discussion with experts and practitioners will provide … Read more »
Compliance Lessons from Weinergate
In a tearful statement to the media, Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted he posted a lewd picture of his anatomy to Twitter. Not only that, he says he’s engaged in “inappropriate” online communications with at least six other women. It was just a few days ago that I revisited the Fabulous Fab Rule: Don’t write emails … Read more »