TechnoLawyer

Scratch a blog and you'll find an RSS feed (a.k.a. XML feed). An RSS feed enables you to monitor a blog or other RSS-enabled source without having to visit the Web site. Currently, most RSS feeds consist of raw text and links so when you use them, you miss out on the site's Web design.

Hence, my prediction — Web design will eventually find its way into RSS feeds, especially those of commercial publications. Many RSS purists don't like this idea, arguing that RSS should consist solely of content. To which I say: Isn't design an integral component of content? If design didn't matter, we wouldn't bother hiring Web designers, but we do. We all want to control the look and feel of our Web sites so why not our feeds as well? Shouldn't feed reading provide the same experience as Web browsing?

Just as the purists of an earlier era could not stop the commercialization of the Web or HTML in e-mail, they will not be able to stop what some call "CSS in RSS" (CSS stands for "cascading style sheets," which provide instructions to Web browsers about the design of a Web page).

If you would like a glimpse of the future, copy and paste the RSS feed for MarketingVox (an excellent online marketing news blog) into Thunderbird (select "Account Settings" under the Tools menu, and then add a new "RSS News & Blogs" account to get started). See below for a screenshot. Also, check out this Joi Ito blog post and the ensuing discussion.

What do you think about CSS in RSS?

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear here in TechnoLawyer Blog and also in our TechnoGuide newsletter, but they appear in TechnoGuide first. TechnoGuide also contains exclusive content.

Coming May 6, 2005 to Fat Friday: David Hirsch and Patti Wall respond to recent reviews of DepPrep (David created DepPrep, and also co-authors the ABA Journal's In Re Technology column). Also in this issue, Terry Goss, Robert Hughes, and Douglas Herdman offer their two cents on the brewing controversy over the ease of use of legal software, and the importance of training. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 2, 2005 to TechnoGuide:

The Next Big Thing in Blogs; Maximize Your Google Searches; Much More
In this issue of TechnoGuide, Neil Squillante discusses the next big thing in blogs, and explains how to maximize your Google searches. This issue also contains Quips about the Department of Homeland Security, KKL Software's eZClean metadata removal utility, and uninterruptible power supplies. This issue's Questions from Your Peers seek advice on bates stamping, laser printers, PDA synchronization, Rainmaker, real estate software, and VoIP. All that plus the Question of the Week.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Mondays, TechnoGuide is a biweekly newsletter that features Quips, TechnoEditorials, Industry News, Real-Life Questions submitted by your peers in the legal profession, and the Question of the Week. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.

Coming May 5, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Randall Jacobs provides a comprehensive review of the Dell 1600n MFP printer/scanner after one month of use, Lance McKinney reviews the Olympus DS330, a digital recorder for dictation, Enrico Scahefer reviews GoToMyPC, a remote access service, George Allen reviews the Brother MFC 8840 DN printer/copier/scanner/fax, and Neil Johnson provides a tip for troubleshooting SQL/ODBC errors in Time Matters Enterprise. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 4, 2005 to TechnoLawyer NewsWire: In this issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about a hot new legal-oriented PDF utility for creating, editing, compiling, securing, and adding comments to PDF files, a free image-viewing and editing application, a free contact and calendar program (PIM) that rivals its more costly competitors, a business-oriented blog service that could give TypePad a run for the money, and a service for conducting Web surveys.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 2, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Jason Havens reviews the Panasonic KXT-G4000B 4-line cordless telephone system after two months of use in his law office, Ken Laska points to a resource other than TechnoLawyer for unbiased reviews of scanners and other law office equipment, Dianna Reynolds discusses Amicus Attorney's integration with GroupWise, Stephen Donovan reviews Dell's 1600n MFP printer/scanner, Linscott Hanson reviews an outliner that you can use on your PC and your PDA, and Mary Allen reviews a consultancy that specializes in creating WordPerfect macros for law firms. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 3, 2005 to TechnoFeature: In this article Clint Pullin offers seven invaluable tips to improve the functionality of Microsoft Office in your law firm. For example, one of his tips explains how to use dialog boxes to increase your earnings. Another tip explains how to create chronological document indexes. In providing these tips, Clint hopes to encourage you to think specifically about your needs for legal data management using software you currently own. With Clint's tips, you can design a legal data management system that fits the personality of your law firm, reduces job stress, and enhances your professional success.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante participated in MarketingProfs' Thought Leaders Summit on E-Mail Marketing on April 18, 2005. Among the topics Neil addressed: the hidden gotchas of the CAN-SPAM Act, the CAN-SPAM Act's multi-list suppression loophole, the difference between a mediocre e-mail campaign and a remarkable one, his top three most effective e-mail marketing tactics, and the impact of RSS on e-mail marketing.

The other participants in this roundtable discussion included Chris Baggott of ExactTarget, Eric Kirby of DoubleClick, Rok Hrastnik of Studio Moderna, Chris Price of Permission Marketing, Jim Sterne of Target Marketing, and Shar VanBoskirk of Forrester Research. Stephan Spencer of NetConcepts moderated the event, and will soon publish an article summarizing the discussion.

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, listened in and commented as follows in her weekly column:

"[On April 18th], I participated in the third MarketingProfs Thought Leaders Summit, and... well, WOW....

"My role in the summit was limited — in fact, I was there only to introduce moderator Stephan Spencer. But I found myself hanging around to listen to the discussion, completely awed by the panelists' level of knowledge.

"The concept behind our Thought Leaders Summit is this: several such leaders (in this case, seven of them) gather virtually to discuss an issue in roundtable format. Yesterday, leaders from organizations like Forrester and DoubleClick, along with those with names familiar to the MarketingProfs audience (Jim Sterne, Rok Hrastnik and Neil Squillante) debated the current and future state of email marketing.

"I had no idea what to expect from the Thought Leaders Summit. But these panelists knew their stuff, and their discussion was rich.... The transcript will be available in our Premium library soon.

Interested in E-Mail Marketing?
If you're a lawyer or law firm marketing manager, check out MarketingProfs. If you're a legal vendor, do the same and also download a copy of our Media Kit. TechnoLawyer pioneered permission e-mail marketing in the legal market, and remains the leader today.

About Member News
TechnoLawyer members are among the most gifted and prominent in the legal profession. In the Member News section of TechnoLawyer Blog, we report on their latest accomplishments and success stories — everything from court victories to articles and books to new partner announcements — and much more. If you're a newsmaker, but not yet a member, join TechnoLawyer now, and then contact our newsdesk.

TechnoLawyer member Arnie Herz has a number of upcoming seminars, including two at the Rhode Island Bar Annual Meeting on June 10th.

Arnie, quite the legal renaissance man, keeps busy as "a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author, and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution, client counseling, and improving the quality of life for attorneys."

At the Rhode Island Bar Annual Meeting, he will present Legal Sanity: Don't Be a Victim of Your Own Career and Lawyering in Balance: Rethinking Service Delivery to Optimize Your Career. You can find a complete list of Arnie's upcoming seminars for lawyers on his site. Make sure you also check out his blog, Legal Sanity.

About Member News
TechnoLawyer members are among the most gifted and prominent in the legal profession. In the Member News section of TechnoLawyer Blog, we report on their latest accomplishments and success stories — everything from court victories to articles and books to new partner announcements — and much more. If you're a newsmaker, but not yet a member, join TechnoLawyer now. .

Author Carole A. Bruno has named TechnoLawyer members Grace Carter, Celia C. Elwell, and Dwayne Krager as among the 15 most successful paralegals in the country.

Bruno's forthcoming book, Lessons from the Top Paralegal Experts: The 15 Most Successful Paralegals in America and What You Can Learn from Them, will feature words of wisdom from Celia, Dwayne, Grace, and 12 other successful paralegals, including the "techniques, tools, ideas, and methods that have helped them become the best of the best in their profession."

The criteria for determining the 15 finalists included "achievements that contribute[d] to [the] expansion of the paralegal profession and improve[d] the efficiency of performing paralegal duties." Congratulations to Celia, Dwayne, and Grace!

About Member News
TechnoLawyer members are among the most gifted and prominent in the legal profession. In the Member News section of TechnoLawyer Blog, we report on their latest accomplishments and success stories — everything from court victories to articles and books to new partner announcements — and much more. If you're a newsmaker, but not yet a member, join TechnoLawyer now. .