Opening Credits: Small Business Job Creation Bill Introduced

December 29, 2009

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship has introduced a bill to increase SBA loan limits, decrease fees and provide more government guarantees according to a December 28, Findlaw Free Enterprise post.

The House has introduced similar legislation. And according to this Findlaw Free Enterprise post, the Jobs for Main Street Act also includes some provisions related to the SBA.

The bill even gets into the local economic stimulation efforts by allowing for an SBA website directory of local lenders.

Constance Ard December 29, 2009.

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Posted by Answer Maven

Google: Are you becoming the new information repository?

December 21, 2009

Over the weekend I spent considerable effort searching.  I used both commercial (LexisNexis) and Open Source (Google) search products.  Why?  I like free first if it’s good and I like to check against my free resources in a highly sophisticated and precise search environment to make sure I got it all.

What I discovered during the weekend is that Google is becoming more and more like a conglomerate commercial database.  Now I know that I’m not the first to make this comparison.  What I do know is that many long-time researchers may, like me, be slow in seeing the parallel universes.

As Google Books expands and moves forward, it will just add another “collection” to the Google Source options.  With News, Video, Images, Google Scholar, Patents, Google Local and more you have similar collections to news, corporate,  and legal sources.

Is the precision and depth available that you have through Factiva, LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters?  No.  Is Google a viable source to be considered when conducting in-depth research?   Absolutely.  Will you need to employ your information resource validation skills, most certainly.

Google will continue to develop their collections of information.  Their partnerships will add content in ways that commercial providers probably will not be able to keep up with.  Advocates who want to protect open content have an ally with Google.  Traditional information aggregators have a new competitor that must be taken into consideration.  Researchers have an entirely new level of possible sources.

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Posted by Answer Maven

Shh! Want to Hear the Secret to Success? I’ve got the Answer

December 16, 2009

Now that I’ve caught your attention the secret to success is recognition.  Yep that’s it.  You’re probably saying – “Yeah Right!”  Really – stop and think.

Recognition is really the key.  Below are a few things that we should recognize in order to succeed.

  1. What you want to succeed at.
  2. How to start the work to get you where you want to be.
  3. Who can help you.
  4. What you can’t do yourself.
  5. What you don’t want to do yourself.
  6. Recognize publicly and personally the people who help you do what you do.

Today I had a meeting with two very talented young women who have skills and knowledge that I do not have.  I want to do something that will require those very same skills and knowledge.  I recognize that working with these folks will allow the project to succeed.

So, I’ve asked for their help.  They have graciously agreed to do the work and they will most definitely be given the recognition they earn while accomplishing the implementation of an idea that I dreamed up.

Short and simple:  I recognize that there are people who are much more talented than I  who are willing to help accomplish the plans I have made.

Another example of recognition that I have recently encountered is the gathering of a pool of talented people to work on a multi-faceted project.  The project leader gathered a team of professionals together who each had unique skills, backgrounds and knowledge bases that met the challenges presented with this project. The project is a success because of the ability to recognize the individual contributions that meet complex problems.

Understanding the strengths of the people you work with and maximizing those strengths to solve a problem, implement a service or make changes that strengthen your business is the secret to success.

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Posted by Answer Maven

Social Networking and Judicial Ethics: Another Restriction on the Books

December 13, 2009

In Florida a recent Ethics opinion limits social networking site communication and interaction with judges and attorneys.

It seems that the law is starting to catch up with the possibilities of social media.  This latest development offers up some debate about whether or not it went to far.

In the age of enhancing and maintaining and even renewing friendships online do the ethical obligations of officers of the law preclude their ability to use social networking in a manner similar to the general population?

Perhaps, perhaps not but certainly the interactions will be subject to intense scrutiny if even the hint of favoritism or inappropriateness existed.  So while courtrooms work to ban jurors from electronic communication an ethics opinion relating to the interaction of judges and attorneys doesn’t seem out of line.  The rules and regulations will not be perfect in these early days but action does seem appropriate.

Constance Ard December 13, 2009

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Social Media Best Practices: A Perspective After 6 Months of Research and 3 Months of Presentations

December 6, 2009

On Friday I concluded my 2009 Kentucky Law Update presentations with Stuart Adams on Social Media in the Law.  I spent the 3 days prior to the presentation updating the work done for the first presentation delivered  in early September.    As I told each of the audiences in 9 cities, social media changes constantly and rapidly.

Since I began this “project” new developments have emerged.  Some key items include:

  • GA case where Federal Judge ruled that Rule 53 prohibited tweeting in the courtroom.
  • Several mistrials have occurred due to juror activities in the social media landscape. (See some coverage here.)
  • Microsoft Bing, Yahoo! and Google have announced plans to make social media content searchable.  Google is developing their search application in the Google Labs currently. (See a discussion here on the Google and Bing drawdown.)

In Friday’s presentation I told the audience that the opportunities abound but that they must be strategic and employ best practices when using Social Media.  This begged the question of what are the best practices.

That depends upon your purpose in participating in the social media landscape.

  • Is it purely investigative?
  • Are you marketing services?
  • Are you advising clients about how they should govern or participate in this new media?

Once you have determined what you want to accomplish it is then time to set your strategy.

For me the best practice overall it to formulate your strategic social media plan.  All else will follow.

Constance Ard December 6, 2009

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Strategic Social Media in Action with the SLA Legal Division

December 1, 2009

I am currently working on setting my goals and objectives for my term as Chair of the SLA Legal Division.  I’m very lucky to be following the footsteps of our current chair, Martha Foote who takes organization and procedures to new heights and makes my work ahead much easier.

One of the key things that I want to accomplish is the more frequent and broader communication with our members and potential members.  This requires a lot of strategy because Social Media will play an important role.  Our current methods are the foundation of our communication and I want to use social networking to build upon that foundation.

I will apply the skills and talents of many of our members along the way to help make this a successful building project.  I have learned many things as I advise my clients about using Social Media to promote their core product and I will apply that same advice to my work with the Legal Division.

The Division was founded in 1993 and our website, looks like it might have been created at that inception.  Priority number 1 is to execute a plan to update our website.  The goal is to make it so that the people responsible for content such as officer and committee reports could upload the data themselves.  Of course control is a necessity for this work too.  All of the necessary parameters are floating through my head as I weigh pros and cons against dreams and necessities.

Now, you may wonder why I’m telling you about my work for the Legal Division.  The truth is, that I know that I will need to practice what I preach in my work as Chair.   I will need to employ strategy about what tools we should use.  We will need to be clear and concise about what we will allow and what is not allowed.  I will need to  relate goals, objectives and actions to our Executive Board along with a balanced view of what will work and what I recommend so that they can consider carefully the options being offered.  In short, I must be strategic across the board in this work.

Social Media work can not be done in a vacuum.  It takes the knowledge and skills of many.  I am confident that the many people I will be working with will ensure that this goal of improved and more frequent communications will be a success.

Note:  For more reading about Strategic Use of Social Media check here.

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Posted by Answer Maven

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