Social media has become the new marketplace.

It’s become the primary form of communication for individuals and businesses alike around the world. And it’s important for users to understand some of the basic ground rules, especially when it’s used for marketing, said globally recognized social media expert Glen Gilmore.

“The adoption of social media has become almost universal and people are pretty well connected all the time,” Gilmore said. “It’s important for people to understand what those ground rules are so that they don’t do something innocently that can create a problem for themselves or for their company.”

Local professionals will take a look at issues like these when The Daily News hosts its second annual Social Media seminar Thursday, Feb. 9. The Daily News and The Memphis News began its Seminar Series last year to provide the local business community insight into the latest trends within certain sectors.

Last year’s social media forum was the most attended of all six seminars.

This year’s seminar is sponsored by Jackson Lewis LLP and will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Auditorium, 1934 Poplar Ave. The discussion, led by Gilmore, will focus on social media legal landmines.

The aim of Gilmore’s speech is to look at the full spectrum of legal and compliance issues relating to social media. Gilmore is principal at Gilmore Business Network in New Jersey, but he’s also a consultant, professor and an attorney.

He has more than 100,000 followers on Twitter but said engagement beats quantity every time.

“For individuals, social media participation can be the thing that lands a person a new job, or loses a person a job,” Gilmore said. “Law and regulations are evolving just as social media is evolving. A lot of it is trying to catch up to the technology and to the massive adoption of social media.”

For instance, the Federal Trade Commission – which identifies itself as America’s consumer protection agency for online marketing – came out in 2009 with a number of rules relating to social media participation, but those rules have largely gone unnoticed by most marketers and most businesses.

“They come with real consequences if they’re violated,” Gilmore said.

But on the other hand, there are protected areas of speech that have in some instances allowed employees to be “pretty vigorous in criticizing their employers.”

“When it’s done in a conservative fashion, it’s recognized by the National Labor Relations Board as being protected speech,” Gilmore said.

Following Gilmore’s keynote, a panel of industry experts will also explore issues relating to highly regulated industries such as health care and financial services. Those panelists are Jim Mulroy, managing partner of Jackson Lewis; Eric Epperson, vice president of corporate culture and communications at Pinnacle Airlines Corp.; and Amy Howell, CEO of Howell Marketing Strategies LLC.

Thursday’s program will last about 90 minutes, with a cocktail reception to follow. The cost is $25. While seating is available, those interested are encouraged to register as soon as possible.

To register, visit www.memphisdailynews.com/seminar. Inquiries can be directed to The Daily News’ marketing manager Donna Waggener, at 528-8122 or dwaggener@memphisdailynews.com.