DM2 provides several Windows enhancements that I’m finding pretty handy. It gives you four virtual desktops, custom Open/Save dialog folder locations (which is so incredibly useful it’s worth the download for that alone), and the ability to minimize any window to the system tray. Also, right-click the minimize button to send any window to a floating, transparent icon that stays on top but doesn’t crowd your taskbar.
Download it for free here.
I was taking a break in my favorite coffee shop and thought I would do another test post with YoMoBlog on my Treo 650. This really will be a handy Web based tool.
According to webpronews.com, “only 2% of todays internet users use RSS.” For that matter I have wondered if they even know what it is. This will increase over time. For example IE 7 ships next year with its own RSS aggregator.
What does this have to do with lawyers and blogging you might ask. Larry Bodine says “its not too late to start blogging (but it will be soon). Bull!!
Kevin O’Keefe of lexBlog provides some insight into why lawyers should not be afraid to blog now. He also mentions that while it would be good for business to scare lawyers into doing a blog now, it really will not be too late if you don’t start now.
Here are some quick facts from Kevin:
• The majority of lawyers will be publishing to a blog at some point in the near future.
• Lawyers, whether starting a blog now or in a couple years, will be using the blog as a business development tool when meeting with new clients or in pitching for new work with existing clients.
• Internet users, who will be as familiar with RSS as they are now with email, will subscribe to hundreds of sources of feeds. If a lawyer has good content, they’ll pick up subscribers.
• Journalists, heavy users of blogs via keyword/key phrase RSS feeds from Technorati or NewsGator, will get a lawyer’s blog feeds whether from a blog started now or later.
• Same point was made with websites. We were told in ’97 that there’s an immigration law website so it’s too late for another.
• Microsoft will bring to market in the next year the tools to make it easy for the public to use blogs and RSS. We’ll then see a much greater growth in blog publishing.
Consider for a moment only one point of Kevin’s post. “[i]nternet users, who will be as familiar with RSS as they are now with email, will subscribe to hundreds of sources of feeds. If a lawyer has good content, they’ll pick up subscribers.” And with that consider that only 2% of Internet users know what RSS is and use it.
Are there continued opportunities for lawyers and blogging? Well, 98% of the internet users are your possible readers. Not bad if you ask me. “The opportunities will still be there in the years ahead.” However, why wait?
Sometime back I did a POST about being too connected. It would seem some executives may feel the same.
“According to a recent survey of 2,300 global executives conducted by Korn/Ferry International, 77 percent of respondents believe that mobile communications devices (phone, handheld, laptop or pager) primarily enhance their work/life balance, rather than impede it.
However, when these same people were asked whether they believe they spend too much time using their communications devices, 38 percent strongly agreed.
A large majority (81 percent) of the executives surveyed said they are connected to work through some form of mobile device at all times.”
There is even talk now about some companies being sued for causing information and communication addiction. Unfreaking believable.
Source for post: Brighthand
This article reminds us that some City Hall’s are not as happy about home based business as others. For those of us that have a business or professional office in our home, we would not dream of moving to the downtown.
However, we should all be aware of any requirements we might have to make City Hall happy. I have been thinking about putting up a nice sign on the side of my front porch. Just to be safe, I will check with “big brother” to make sure it is OK.
People have this thing for PowerPoint presentations; they feel a need to do them for just about anything. I personally don’t have much need for PowerPoint, but I understand how they can come in handy.
the problem is that PowerPoint invariably involves lugging around a laptop and, more often than not, a digital projector. I came across a really cool tip from Steve Rubel that discussed a software product called iPresent It. This software, which is available for the Mac and PC, lets you upload and run PowerPoint and PDF presentations from your iPod using a video cable attached to the digital projector.
A really nifty side benefit of having your presentations on your iPod is that you can easily practice them while you travel. And for those of us who use video presentations for our clients to explain how bankruptcy works, imagine the impact of giving your client an iPod in the waiting area.
Sorry, nano users – it won’t work for you.
I outsource my e-mail server, keeping it on a third-party’s system. Some people may not understand why, thinking that it somehow it exposes me to possible breaches of security. To those people, I say Bah, humbug! In fact, outsourcing my e-mail lets me sleep better.
Make no mistake – I’m not talking about using Gmail, Hotmail or some other service for my business communications. For a variety of reasons, I don’t think that’s a great idea. We’ll chat about that sometime soon, but it’s a conversation for another day.
No, I’m talking about my regular “jay [at] fclcny.com” business e-mail address. My domain, my control. Someone else’s hardware, someone else’s headache. I don’t need to maintain servers, don’t worry if Internet access fails in my office, and can access my e-mail anywhere I choose. As an added bonus, I don’t need to worry about viruses running amok in my e-mail – the service I use takes care of that.
Finally, and most importantly, is the fact that I will never lose my e-mails. Ever. If I were to host my e-mail on a server in my office then I could lose the messages if my server dies or gets hit by lightning. If the building burns down, my e-mails would be lost forever.
By using a separate service and outsourcing my e-mail servers I know that there are back-ups put in place to keep my information available to me at all times. If the server’s connection goes down I can rest assured that it will be be picked up by another connection. I rely on the server’s anti-virus and anti-spam capabilities. I know someone is monitoring my service 24/7/365, and I never need to maintain it on my own. Something goes wrong at 2am on a Saturday? Not my problem!
There are a number of e-mail hosting services, but most of them offer POP only; I prefer IMAP (again, another conversation – but soon), so I chose FuseMail. For $24.99 per month I get all the e-mail functionality I could possibly need and then some.
I have the start of a list to the left called Home Office Lawyer Blogs and Websites. It is way toooo short. I know there are others out there and I want them. Drop me an email at gdgrifflaw@mac.com or a comment to this post with your information. I will check your site out and add a link in my list.
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When I'm not working with other lawyers, I'm out there helping people in the fields of consumer bankruptcy, debt collection abuse, and credit reporting errors. [Read More …]
