Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 54 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
This issue also contains links to every article in the March 2009 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Fat Friday: Fred Pharis responds to Mazy Hedayat's recent SmallLaw column Alone Again (Naturally): The Perils of Solo Practice, Bobby Abrams shares his backup/recovery regimen and reviews EasyRecovery, Laplink, Tru Image, and Norton Ghost, Aaren Jackson discusses his firm's predicament with Macs, Edward Poll reviews Fujitsu's ScanSnap S510, and Miriam Jacobson goes back in time and shares her experience using what she deems the very first laptop. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Mark Kleiman reviews Basecamp for collaboration, Bryan Morin reviews PracticeMaster and addresses whether it requires a consultant's expertise, Andrea Cannavina compares Onebox to RingCentral to GrandCentral (now Google Voice), Cynthia Zook shares three tips for saving a WordPerfect document as a Word 2003 file, and Stan Winikoff reviews the Herman Miller Aeron chair (and we suggest an even better chair). Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive Answers to Questions
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Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an Outlook add-in (see article below), an online school for legal bloggers, a business card scanning service, software for privilege logs, and a site that enables you to track content of interest to you. Don't miss the next issue.
Grab More Productivity From Outlook
Facebook and LinkedIn have nothing on Outlook. You may play in the former, but you work in the latter. Unfortunately, Outlook sometimes works you more than you work it — like when you want to add contact information from an email message to your address book. Ten copy and pastes later you're done. If only people used v-cards, you sigh. Well, they don't so stop dwelling on what might have been.
Gwabbit … in One Sentence
Technicopia's Gwabbit is an Outlook add-on that places contact information from email message into your address book with one click.
The Killer Feature
Do you ever wish your computer could better understand your needs? That's what Gwabbit tries to do.
If Gwabbit identifies contact information in an email message that does not exist in your address book, it will alert you in a pop-up window. Just click the Gwabbit button to transform that data into an Outlook contact.
Even better, Gwabbit recognizes changes in contact information and can update existing contacts.
Other Notable Features
Gwabbit doesn't just look for signature blocks. It can piece together contact information from different portions of an email message. Gwabbit can also properly capitalize names, streets, cities, states, etc.
You can control how Gwabbit works. For example, you can turn off automatic scanning of every message and instead use the Gwabbit button on the toolbar to manually scan messages that you select.
If Gwabbit doesn't work properly on a message, you can click the Improve Results button to send the message to Technicopia, which will use your feedback to improve Gwabbit so that it can handle similar situations in the future.
What Else Should You Know?
Gwabbit works with Outlook 2000 and later on Windows 2000 and later. You can try Gwabbit free for 14 days after which a license costs $19.95. Learn more about Gwabbit.
How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Have you ever made a mistake or forgotten about something? If so, it's likely that your firm's manual system for storing and retrieving documents has caused you headaches thanks to misplaced documents, missing documents, misnamed documents, and many other mis-takes so to speak. You may benefit from a document management system (aka enterprise content management system), but where do you start? Earlier this year, legal technology consultant John Heckman penned a 25 page treatise on document management systems (DMS) for law firms. We asked him to distill the key points into two TechnoFeature articles. Today in Part 1, you'll learn about the problems that a DMS addresses. In Part 2 next week, you'll learn how to shop for and implement a DMS.
How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
TechnoScore: 4.5
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
The other day on Twitter someone commented on this video by Lee Rosen of the Rosen Law Firm about whether your posts on Twitter and Facebook can be used against you in a divorce proceeding. Having become an avid fan of Twitter and Facebook I was intrigued.
I have to say I was very impressed. The initial graphic of his law firm's logo, subtle introductory music, and stark black background made this video stand out from most other attorney videos I've seen.
"Can your Facebook, Twitter, and email communications be used against you in a divorce?" he says to start the video. Direct. To the point. Clearly an educational message that his intended audience wants to learn about.
He then does exactly what should be done in an attorney video. He introduces himself. "Hi, I'm Lee Rosen from the Rosen Law Firm." Importantly, he then thanks the viewer for watching. "Thanks for watching." From that point, I expect an answer to the initial question. I'm not disappointed. Rosen starts answering his own question immediately after his introduction. Good move. As a viewer, I'm hooked.
However, I glance over at the scrubber bar, which tells me that this video runs for 4:55. Ugh. I hold off making any judgment about the length of the video until I watch it completely. I then happen to glance at the number of views this video has received and I'm shocked to see more than 89,000 views over the past 6 weeks!
Kudos to Rosen for his educational message. He actually provides information in his video unlike 99% of attorney videos. He's not trying to sell you anything. He's clearly establishing himself as the expert with his educational message, without ever having to say, "Come to me because I'm the expert."
Tip #1: Create a Catchy Headline
Rosen has clearly attracted viewers who use Twitter and Facebook not only to talk about his video (viral buzz) but to click on his video to learn whether the information they post online can later be used against them. I won't give away the punchline in his video message. You should watch it to learn how the title captures your attention and make you want to watch the video to learn the answer. An excellent headline.
Tip #2: Think Different
Rosen's video looks different. How? He uses a totally black background. He's well lit in the front and the stark contrast makes him visually stand apart from most other attorney videos.
Being creative in this case involved nothing more than saying "Let's try a different background. Everyone else uses these light colored backgrounds. Let's create a different look."
Being different is eye catching and creates more intrigue just as you are deciding whether to click play on this video.
Tip #3: Ask and Answer a Realistic Question
Ask a question that is on the minds of your prospective clients. Then, in a simple, straight-forward way, answer the question. Seems simple right? Not exactly. Let's talk about technique first, then content.
Rosen talks right to you — the viewer. He looks at you straight on as if you're in his kitchen and he's giving you the answer in person. I like that style and I like his down to earth reply. Calm, pleasant, and knowledgeable. Many lawyers prefer the interview style in which they pretend they're being interviewed and the camera catches them at an angle. They believe the interview style gives them more credibility because they're viewed as the expert being asked questions.
I will tell you that when I watch a video clip, if I have a burning question I want answered, I like it when the viewer looks me in the eye and gives me an answer.
If you can't decide which style you want in your video, ask yourself this question. "When I'm talking to someone in the office, or at a party, do I prefer when they answer me while looking somewhere else, or when they look directly at me?"
Let's move onto content. Rosen talks the talk. He gives realistic and useful answers. He does not pull punches, and doesn't tease you by saying "I'll give you the answer only if you call me." It's a great educational message and a model for lawyer videos.
Conclusion
An excellent video with excellent content. My hat is off to Lee Rosen. However, as much as I wanted to give him a perfect score, I couldn't get out of my mind the length of his video clip — almost 5 minutes.
Many attorneys love to talk and Rosen is no exception. Even though his message is 100% on target, his video drags on beyond the attention span of many viewers, myself included. For the excess verbiage and his lack of a phone number in his search engine box, I deducted a 1/2 point. Still, a well-deserved high score.
Despite the verbose clip, I was eager to see more of his videos to see what he's done with other topics. I was not disappointed. He is a natural in front of the camera and this attorney video clearly sets him apart from his colleagues in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "Toooooooo Longggggggg! And to add insult to injury, he shamelessly reads from the teleprompter! The information he is providing is actually quite helpful. However, I can't seem to get beyond the dullness of it all. I find myself zoning after 10 seconds. Remember the saying is, "Lights, Camera, Action!" Well, at least Rosen has mastered the first two."
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "Excellent information, but the video runs too long, especially since the background never changes. How about a real life example? I like the moving logo that opens and closes the video. The Max Headroom effect looks interesting, but there's probably a reason TV producers don't use a black background."
About YouLaw
YouTube offers law firms a free advertising platform with tens of millions of potential clients. But a poor video can hurt more than help. In this column, lawyer and online video expert Gerry Oginski reviews and rates the latest law firm videos. A panel of fellow experts (The Back Bench) add to Gerry's reviews with pithy remarks. We link to each new YouLaw column and all other noteworthy law firm marketing articles in our weekly BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
About Gerry Oginski
New York trial lawyer Gerry Oginski has created more than 150 informational online videos for his medical malpractice and personal injury practice. Realizing that most video producers don't have a deep understanding of the practice of law and what potential clients look for, Gerry launched The Lawyers' Video Studio, which provides free tutorials and video production services. If you need help producing a video, please contact Gerry now.
Happy Days was a great show — it always had a happy ending but Fonzie provided an edge. But when the Fonz jumped over a great white shark wearing a bathing suit and leather jacket, I lost interest.
So imagine my disappointment when I realized recently that social networking has jumped the shark in the legal profession. How can I tell? A number of telltale signs exist, but first let's review where we've been.
The Rise and Rise of Social Networks …
Given their potential as tools for collaboration, information dissemination, and the creation of a knowledge-base, social networks should be a natural fit for lawyers; they certainly were for me.
In 2000 I went around advocating intranets, extranets, even online discussion groups, to affect lawyer-to-lawyer collaboration. By 2002 I got tired of taking about the subject and deployed an extranet of my own, increasing throughput ten times over by reaching into client offices.
In 2004 I jumped on the collaboration bandwagon again but once more my recommendations were rejected. The typical complaint: lawyers deal with subjects too sensitive to be discussed online. Besides, went the conventional wisdom, social networking was for kids.
Of course when News Corp. bought MySpace for a princely sum and Facebook's valuation exceeded that of most automobile manufacturers, lawyers across the country were left scratching their heads. What a blow it must have been then, when Twitter burst on the scene and changed the game once again. While Twitter's value remains to be calculated, it recently rejected a $500 million offer from Facebook.
Have social networks become critical tools for lawyers or have they already jumped the shark? A few observations to help you decide:
Feel the Love
Social networks have the potential to create a place in which lawyers can exchange information, ideas, documents, referrals, and other resources. But a check of Facebook, LinkedIn, and the other places where lawyers congregate online reveals the same kind of "you show yours first" behavior that have always plagued collaboration outside of law firms. Remember people: both parties have to contribute before it can be called "sharing." Otherwise it's just "taking," even if you do it online.
It's the Economy Stupid
How the mighty have fallen. I can't go 24 hours without being approached by some Big Law refugee who wants to network. Really? Because I could swear that when times were better these same Ivy League desk-jockeys wouldn't give me the time of day. Now, however, through the magic of social networking, they can become my "friend" without being my friend … if you know what I mean. Isn't technology great?
A Bridge Too Far
In December 2008 I applauded the ABA's experiment in all things Web-based, LegallyMinded.
Indeed, the Web site could have been the first step towards a national conversation among lawyers, especially as firms cut hundreds of associates. However, just a few months after its launch, LegallyMinded could be mistaken for the ghost town known as Second Life. Whatever the fate of the project, the ABA certainly created a national laboratory with this offering. It remains to be seen how the experiment will end.
The Kiss of Death
The final sign that the social networking phenomenon has bitten the dust? Twitter and Facebook are being touted by county and state bar associations as well as by the ABA. In the famous words of a past president at my county bar, "Hey, I'm on Facebook! Now what?"
Hope Springs Eternal …
Although social networking may have jumped the shark as a way for the legal profession to collaborate, internal social networks continue to thrive. As usual Big Law has lead the way, gravitating towards pricey solutions such as Microsoft SharePoint. And predictably, many small firms use the hosted version of SharePoint.
But where does that leave cash-strapped sole practitioners who don't have anyone else at their firm with whom to share ideas and documents? If this need to share really exists, then perhaps I've jumped the gun. Maybe the legal-specific social networks will improve and gain critical mass. And maybe lawyers can learn how to properly use the big three — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Maybe, just maybe, social networks haven't jumped the shark after all. Aaay!
How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 47 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
This issue also contains links to every article in the March 2009 issue of Law Practice. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Fat Friday: David Hudgens reviews 3M's Micro Professional Projector MPro110, Camden Hall reviews ProLaw for practice management, Tom Caruso discusses three cost considerations when switching to a Mac, Jerry Perrella provides some sound advice for law firms needing to reformat server disks, and Jeff Scott Olson shares his recent experience with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 and Windows Vista 64. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Jeffrey Brown reviews SplitView with a 24 inch Monitor, Robin Stickney reviews the Ergotron LX Dual Desk Mount Arm for multiple monitors, Ross Kodner explains how to use Paste Special, David Estes defends hiring technology consultants but laments being unable to find one to help his firm, and Mike Tryon reviews Time59 for time-billing. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
