Since the social networking boom in 2007, hundreds of new networks have sprung up. Some are general, like Facebook, while others focus on a specific community or interest. How do you know which one to choose? Here's a rundown of the top three social networks and what they're best for.
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Copyright licenses have received a lot of attention recently. The internet has created a space that allows anyone to share content across national boundaries and without incurring high costs. With copyright infringement becoming a greater concern, this new environment has caused people to rethink how copyright does – and should – work. Here is a breakdown of the three categories that copyright can fall into, and how each one works.
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Speaking about social-media-related legal issues is a curious experience for me. I find that the people I speak to about these issues have some idea about them when we start our conversation, but it slowly dawns on them just how complex many of these issues can (and do) become. They also realise how much they still don't know and aren't catering for in their daily activities.
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Firstly, no bank nor the Receiver of Revenue will ever send you an e-mail requesting you to amend/update your banking details or "test" your account. Be suspect of any e-mail that asks you to log on and enter your user name and/or password on a link in an e-mail or asks you to open an attachment.
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12 Steps to ensuring good evidential quality of email |
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In today's litigious and regulatory environment organisations must be able to efficiently and effectively discover, manage and produce their electronically stored information (ESI) to meet the demands of legal and regulatory information disclosure requirements. Organisations that archive email in a "fractured" environment risk losing control and may struggle to produce evidential-quality email evidence.Click here to view the white paper offered by Mimecast.
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In order to address client issues promptly and to stay ahead of the competition, you need tools that make your firm more efficient and more productive. Winscribe Dictation enables employees to organize their time more effectively and to work in more flexible and productive ways.
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Microsoft has now launched the new Microsoft Office 2010, which is now available from all major retail outlets as well as the online computer stores. We thought it might be a good idea to gather the pricing from these stores and compare them in a price comparative table while offering some tips on the most efficient way to buy the new Office suite.
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Document assembly conjures up thoughts of expensive software that often becomes shelfware once lawyers realize that they cannot figure it out without professional help. Document assembly consultant Seth Rowland has helped many firms that decided to invest in professional help. But in this TechnoFeature article, Seth reviews XpressDox, a new document assembly program that sells for $150 and promises ease of use regardless of your skill level. Who better to test this claim than Seth? Read his review to see what this expert thinks of this new expert system.
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E-Discovery Application Matrix |
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The E-Discovery Application Matrix is a non - commercial, independent site built to provide a fast and easy way to find software applications that contain specific E-Discovery related features. The site was created to help untangle the large number of providers, features and the sheer complexity of the application selection process. Read more... |
Last week I touched on what social media and social networking were about and gave a few examples. This week I want to try and focus on a few social media tools that I think will benefit attorneys in creating new and sustainable business.
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For lawyers is the world really all about Google rankings? |
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I love Google. Google's given us access to more information from more people than we could have ever dreamed of only a few years ago. I was struck when over 220 lawyers from 30 states gathered in Seattle for Avvo's Internet marketing conference that the lion's share of the discussion was all about getting to the top of the search results at Google. Little on how to be a better lawyer or how to help more people as a lawyer.

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Yes, I am assuming that you have joined the realms of the modernised and are, in fact, sending out a newsletter to your clients. If you have yet to jump on this particular band wagon, you have some catching up to do. Please do not panic if you have never sent a newsletter in your entire career - it is never too late to embrace those technological advances.
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This is important information for all cellular phone users who have 3G cards/modems or even those that use their cell-phones for simply accessing/browsing the internet. If you are on a contract, please ensure that you have put a limit or "cap" on your monthly data (internet) usage - 500Mb is usually a safe "cap". This is very, very important.
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Save 35% of your toner costs with Preton |
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PretonSaver saves as much as 35% on your printing costs without a drop in quality, this is done by using the unique patent-pending Pixel OptimizerTM technology. PretonSaver is easy to install and operate, all you have to do is install the software and print. The system identifies the printing and can instruct printers on how to save ink without sacrificing the quality. Both ink-jet printers and laser printers are supported either directly connected to the computer or through a network. For more information on the product contact Osborn Lindsay at 011 728-1344 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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The much anticipated promise of business people being able to work from anywhere as seamlessly and affordably as if they were in the office is finally a reality. This follows the introduction to South Africa of a telephony device that can make any location an extension of the company's switchboard.
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LTNY: “Removing Paper from the Office” |
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I have been asked recently by several attorneys how my firm is able to maintain a paperless (or at least an almost paperless) office. It may seem far-fetched to some, but we do, keeping paper only when necessary.
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THE PROBLEM - Instant communicability has created an unprecedented expectation for all professionals to provide such instantaneous service, that it often seems that consumer-based desire for instant service gratification has reached "drive-through" proportions. A high quality typed document is often the final product representing the expertise and effort of most professionals. The rate limiting step in the provision a successful professional service, always depends on the constant availability and accessibility of reliable, experienced and highly skilled professional typists.
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The Why: Don't fool yourself. Seeking feedback from clients is important. It's the most direct route to finding out what it is you're doing wrong. Finding the most effective way to obtain this information may depend on the kind of business you have and the nature of the particular client.
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I have often wondered what the correct solution and method would be to clean a notebook screen. The notebook screen is not like the old CRT 14" monitors where we used to clean the them with Windolene and a cloth. The LCD screens are extremely sensitive and need to be handled with care.
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If you're like many other law firms out there, you probably aren't too worried about losing your information. But, according to DataPreserve, an online backup vendor overseas, "Nineteen out of twenty firms that lose their data due to a hard drive crash, tape malfunction, fire or other data disaster, will file for bankruptcy."
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Nuance Communications is the leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world, incorporating Dragon NaturallySpeaking, OmniPage, PDF and PaperPort applications.
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Buying or replacing computers for staff can be an expensive exercise. We have found that it is more cost effective to give new employees that need computer equipment, a fringe benefit of taking out a 3G contract that includes a notebook computer for a fixed monthly cost.
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You can use the Internet and email, to legally send invoices to your clients. The purpose of this article is to explain what SA law requires when invoicing your client electronically.
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Beware of Social Engineered Attacks |
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In light of the upcoming "capture-the-flag type" type contest at DEF CON, this is as good a time as any to talk about social engineering. There is no technical solution to this issue. Humans cannot be patched (I am paraphrasing from a t-shirt that I saw at a conference). So, we need to help people recognize a scam when they see one.
In a CSO Online article they talk about the favorite ‘pick-up' lines of social engineers. These and some stories shared by the publication's readers are pretty instructive, so I will mention a few of them here for everybody's benefit. Read more...
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Divorce Lawyers: Facebook Tops in Online Evidence |
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Forgot to de-friend your wife on Facebook while posting vacation shots of your mistress? Her divorce lawyer will be thrilled. Oversharing on social networks has led to an overabundance of evidence in divorce cases. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81 percent of its members have used or faced evidence plucked from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn. Read more...
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With all the modern technology available today, one wonders why it has taken so long for developers to come up with fool proof security systems which will protect your computer. This week, a good friend forwarded me a URL of a site that specialises in protecting your computer.
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Over the past 2 years I have experienced quite a few PC problems where the PC doesn't boot up or nothing displays on the screen. So far, I have managed to get the PC up and running again every time - without the need to send it in for repair. Of course, if your PC is under warranty you shouldn't work on it yourself, or you might void your guarantee. So what's the secret?
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We have left the survey in the legal market for as long as we could without making the survey stale! The information gathered is like gold, be careful how you use it and don't let it drop onto your foot! Once you complete the information form (click through to the "read more" area below), the PDF document will be emailed to you - so make sure you use the correct email address.
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As many know by now, I am a passionate advocate for business development through social media platforms. I find huge merit in building your business (and brand), creating an awareness about critical issues and thereafter inviting comment on them. Blogs are a great way of achieving this and as I have said so many times before, lawyers in South Africa need to start to embrace this technology in order to help their businesses thrive. Posted by Shamaa Sheik on www.Law24.com. Read more.....
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There is a short discussion on social networking in the Tech4Law forum and while typing my response I realised that it would be a good idea to write an article on social networking, maybe to educate everyone to begin with and then at a later stage to report on some practical applications. (smiley face in social media communications)
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Improve Email Billing Efficiency with MonetaMail |
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Although there are many great reasons to adopt flat fees and skip the billable hour here, sometimes you will have no choice. I have to admit that, as much as I love flat fees, a significant portion of my work is still billed by the hour. I also have to keep track in certain contingency fee cases. So, I'm always on the look out for ways to capture time with less pain.

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Training Lawyers in Project Management |
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When a law firm agrees to handle a matter for a flat fee, it must find a way to meet the client's needs within that fixed budget. Assuming the client is satisfied, the less a firm spends, the more money it will make. But, as the CFO of a firm with more than 1,500 lawyers explained in a survey I conducted recently on alternative fees, most lawyers have worked their entire careers under the billable hour model, in which "the more hours that got charged, the more money [they] made.
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Is Digital Court the Wave of the Future? |
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Google is working on an experimental fiber optic network that promises ultra fast internet speeds, more than 100 times faster than what most Americans currently have access to. As both court administration and attorneys rely more on the internet, will digital court become a reality?
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How often have you been in MS Word (2003 upwards) and wanted to add, multiply, divide, subtract or add a column of numbers? You would normally either load the "Accessories Calculator" or whip out your trusty big button calculator and type in the results - right! Word has a build in Calculator!! Here is how you can find it.
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A Case for Operating in the Cloud |
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A 27.5 percent drop in revenue will get your attention. It did mine in April 2009 when I reviewed my firm's financial results for the first quarter of the year. I was shocked, and worried whether my practice could stay open. I knew some of my competitors had gone out of business and I was afraid I was next.

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Opening Up to Open Source |
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Budgetary concerns have forced lawyers to take a hard look at software costs. That's brought Open Source software onto their radar screens. The price - free - is obviously attractive....

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Telephony continues to remain the dominant form of communication in business today. However, traditional telephony is now being joined by IP-based telephony options to reduce the cost of telecommunications and to increase communications options. In fact, the purchases of IP communications platforms in 2006 exceeded legacy phone systems for the first time in history and according to Synergy Research Group and InfoTech, IP platforms will comprise over 90% of all enterprise telephony purchases by 2010. Additionally, the small and medium-sized business (SMBs) market is expected to grow at a faster rate than the large enterprise market and is projected to represent 43% of total IP telephony shipments by the end of 2010.
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Since the introduction of USB ports in 1996, we have seen the introduction of just about any device one can imagine being offered with a USB port connection. Since then as most of us know, you should right click on the USB icon and select "Safely remove hardware" before removing the device.. Do we need to do this?
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Should your firm ban Facebook? |
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Facebook can be an enormous drain on your attention, but it can also be used as a marketing tool for both individuals and your firm. Banning Facebook altogether will create unneeded tension between management and attorneys, and is unlikely to create a boom in productivity.
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Can social media kill your law practice? |
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Lawyers can spend a ton of time using social media and not bring in new legal work. Lots of activity doesn't necessarily equate to progress.
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