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Two things popped out first thing this morning.

First, over on Google+, Misty Sheffield posted a link from Allison Shield’s newsletter to an interesting white paper/infographic from Lexis Nexis on social media use in the legal sector. It starts with Fortune 500 companies social media use as a benchmark, and then breaks down its legal sector survey data. Second, over on Small Firm Innovation, Nicole Black asks if Twitter really enables lawyers to improve their craft.

Judging from the survey stats, Twitter ranks a distant third for both “Law firms using social media in 2011″ and “Individual attorneys using social media for professional purposes in 2011.” Twitter sits at 7% and 6% respectively, compared to LinkedIn, which sits at 37% for law firms and 62% for individual attorneys. That isn’t too surprising since LinkedIn is a sizable networking platform that the survey shows is useful in finding and vetting outside counsel.

Twitter remains in the top three social media services law firms, of all sizes, plan to use in their marketing programs, according to the survey. Seeing as you can hook Twitter to blogs and LinkedIn profiles, the other two main social media services cited for use in marketing programs, this again is not surprising. What is interesting, though, is how law firms plan to measure the success of social media programs. The overall answer is increased web traffic, but if you look at law firms with 1-5 attorneys, the main measurement is lead generation.

Lead generation is often done through networking. And networking, as Black points out in her post, is not the same as “honing your craft.”

But as social media continues to evolve, from a “fad” to a marketing necessity, will it one day, too, become a way for lawyers to hone their craft? As Kevin O’Keefe points out in his post, “Twitter is a gift that keeps on giving when it comes to learning, camaraderie, and growing your network — all roads that lead to you being a better lawyer.”

Perhaps social media in the legal sector has more evolution ahead.

Last week, we took a closer look at desktop applications being used in law offices. This week, we’re taking a closer look at cloud-based applications. Here are the responses from 2010:

• Basecamp (5.95%)
• Clio (9.73%)
• Freshbooks (2.16%)
• Google Apps (30.45%)
• HoudiniEsq (1.26%)
• Rocket Matter (4.5%)
• QuickBooks Online (7.39%)
• Other (38.56%)

Cloud-based applications weren’t quite the popular options we seem to think of them today. Granted, we don’t know what counts as “Other” but you’ll notice a number of applications missing. Applications that seemed to be all the rage in 2011 at conferences and on blogs. So here’s the list from 2011:

• iCloud (15.18%)
• Box.net (now just Box) (4.34%)
• Dropbox (26.28%)
• Basecamp (1.30%)
• Clio (21.94%)
• Freshbooks (0.95%)
• Google Apps (15.78%)
• HoudiniEsq (0.26%)
• Rocket Matter (1.21%)
• Microsoft Office 365 (0.95%)
• QuickBooks Online (3.73%)
• Xero (0.17%)
• Other (7.89%)

The obvious thing is the growth of the list. Eight were given in 2010. 2011 saw that blossom into 14. There are still some usual suspects, like Basecamp, Google Apps and Freshbooks. Usage of all three fell in 2011, though, which is interesting. Perhaps the introduction and apparent quick adoption of Dropbox, and to a lesser extent Box, has done away with the need for collaboration and document sharing via Google Apps and Basecamp.

Cloud-based accounting applications seems to be a growing trend as well. QuickBooks Online snagged a larger share of respondents than Freshbooks, with Xero making an introduction.

And while it isn’t surprising that Dropbox is the clear winner, it is interesting that iCloud is already being used in law offices. More so than Box, which is interesting. iCloud hasn’t been around for very long, but it seems clear lawyers are finding it beneficial.

As cloud-based applications continue to mature and proliferate, it will be very interesting to see what happens in 2012. Will Dropbox remain the dominant cloud-based application and further push out Google Apps and Basecamp, or will there be more even distribution?

Despite the prevalence of cloud computing applications, there are still apps that reside on the desktop, though quite a few now sync with their cloud computing counterparts. Here’s the list from 2010:

• Billings (5.11%)
• Daylite (4.8%)
• iWork (18.89%)
• Lawstream (0.94%)
• Microsoft Office (37.06%)
• OpenOffice (5.95%)
• Parallels (11.27%)
• VMWare Fusion (7.31%)
• Other (8.66%)

The big winner was, predictably, Microsoft Office. It remains the word processor work horse of the legal profession. iWork ran a close second, Parallels squeaked by for third and all but Lawstream fighting for what’s left. Not too suprising.

Fast forward one year, to 2011:

• Billings (3.78%)
• Evernote (14.08%)
• Daylite (2.10%)
• iWork (14.92%)
• Lawstream (0.53%)
• Microsoft Office (37.61%)
• OpenOffice (7.04%)
• Parallels (9.03%)
• VMWare Fusion (4.94%)
• Other (5.99%)

Microsoft Office still dominates. Again, not surprising. What is surprising is that use of most of the others went down while OpenOffice use went up, and Evernote entered the picture.

Evernote has grown in popularity among lawyers, and though most of us think of it primarily as a web-based or cloud computing application, its desktop application clearly has made an impression. Jay Fleischman wrote a blog post on nine productivity tips for lawyers who use Evernote, Tom Mighell wrote using Evernote as part of research workflow and there is even an ebook out: Evernote for Lawyers: A Guide to Getting Organized & Increasing Productivity.

The increase in the use of OpenOffice is also notable. Open source applications grabbed some attention in 2011, even warranting a session at ABA TECHSHOW: The Open Source Law Firm. It remains to be seen if open source applications take root and expand in law practices in 2012.

Next week we’ll take a look at cloud-based application survey results.

Last week were were exhibiting at Association of American Law Schools annual conference, and we noticed quite a few iPhone and iPad users. Going back to 2010′s Macs in Law Offices Survey, we learned that more than half of law students use Macs instead of PCs and planned to use Macs in their office when they graduated. The exact figure, in 2010, was 63.41%. In 2011, that number jumped to 76.47%.

In 2010, we noted this to be surprising due to the fact that most law schools partner with third parties to administer exams, which usually requires a Windows-based machines running Internet Explorer. So we offered an interpretation, mainly brand recognition and loyalty:

Law students fresh from undergrad may still use their Macs, and thus take them with to law school. Doing so may introduce non-Mac law students to Mac computers, and the ease of use they might already associate with iPhones, iPads and iPods.

This year, the reason for the jump isn’t clear, but we’re willing to bet it has to do with the ubiquitous iPhone and, perhaps more importantly, the release of the iPad2. There’s no denying the iPad has been a boon to educators and students alike, and that it’s gradually been adopted by the legal profession. From going paperless for depositions, to using it in meetings to Tablet Legal, a blog devoted to all things iPad and lawyerly, the iPad is proving to be a valuable, useful tool for lawyers. So it stands to reason that law students would also find it useful and valuable, which may account for the rise in those looking to use Macs in their offices when they graduate.

There are certainly other factors at work, so what do you think?