March 3, 2010
Last fall I presented at the Kentucky Bar Association’s CLE, the Kentucky Law Update, on the topic of Social Media. My co-presenter, Stuart Adams, and I did the presentation in a variety of cities throughout the state starting in September and ending in December. By the time we finished we had revamped our original notes, because the September version was out-of-date.
(photo from savethetigerfund.org)
One of the things we discussed was the impact that jurors have on the outcome of cases when they engage in social networking. It seems that the don’t talk about it mantra of olden days didn’t always translate when it came down to discussing, commenting and posting about an ongoing trial in the days of mobile social media use.
And this phenomenon is being addressed in a variety of manners. The latest is the drafted Model Jury Instructions on the Use of Electronic Technology to Conduct Research on or Communicate About a Case (December 2009). This effort combined with individual efforts by bar associations throughout the nation may rein in the misuse and subsequent mistrials of social networking in the judicial process.
The good news is that this Model and the implementation of strategic social media policies within law firms and other judicial system agents is getting in front of the problem. Proactiveness is a much better defense in this game.
Hat tip to the Law Librarian Blog
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Posted by answermaven
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 answermaven
September 17, 2009
As my loyal readers know, I’ve been immersed in Social Media world lately with my Kentucky Law Update presentation. As I gather and peruse information online about the topic I bookmark things I want to spend more time digesting.
This short post on Legal Blog Watch took some time to get back to and despite its brevity makes a significant statement. I advocate a strong strategic approach to using social media in legal practice: solo or multi-national mega firm, strategy allows you to focus your efforts and not drown in the easy information flow in the 2.0 web world.
A policy about recommendations on Linked-In is a far-sighted policy. These easy to use tools almost need to come standard with a fortune-teller and crystal ball so that policies cover the possibilities.
Of course, policies also have to be broad and simple enough to apply easily. If the strategic policy is too complicated or too long no one will remember everything. So some suggested simple strategies that might be of benefit to law practitioners that want to maximize their use of social media are provided here.
- Choose select tools.
- Assign responsibility for posting and monitoring.
- Policies should consider clients, courts, jurors and internal usage.
- A sign-off on the policy should be provided to all employees but should distinguish the personal from the professional clearly
Social media policies are an extension of the Internet Usage agreements that many corporate and law-firm employees are required to follow. I think that social media policies will become a business process that will allow firms to protect their assets. The management of law-firms continues to grow in complexity as e-discovery and social technology tools are employed throughout. Guiding that usage strategically deserves special consideration.
Constance Ard September 16, 2009
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Posted by answermaven
September 15, 2009
Lately, I’ve been immersed in social media and its impact in the legal realm. The Kentucky Law Update is underway and I am co-presenting with attorney Stuart Adams on the topic of Social Media.
As I tell the attendees, the landscape changes as fast as weeds take over a garden in summer. This article from the New York Times yesterday is just one example of landscape changes.
So while I’m busy telling attorneys how to strategically use social media in their law practice for investigation and networking the session immediately after mine reminds attendees of the ethics related to these tools.
Some old advise rings true even in this digital age: “If it feels wrong, it probably is.” However, as the statistics below show, what feel wrong to Boomers and Xers may not feel wrong to Millennials who are much more comfortable online.
86 percent of lawyers ages 25 to 35 are members of social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, as opposed to 66 percent of those over 46.
Ethical boundaries and water cooler venting meet online in today’s connected world. Thus caution and strategy should be the guiding principles of social media users who also happen to be attorneys. I would recommend the venting to be done in a way similar to my expression of road rage…quiet quarreling within the confines of a rolled up windowed car and no horn honking or fist shaking, just vent out loud alone. No damage is done, and your blood vessels don’t burst with pent-up frustration.
I would and do recommend all attorneys to consider their online social media strategy. These tools are here and they can be used to your advantage with careful planning and execution. Just remember to let the “if it feels wrong…” guide help you form your strategy.
Constance Ard September 16, 2009
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Posted by answermaven
July 29, 2009
Many businesses are concerned about Social Media and SEO. Due to the participatory nature of the Internet now, businesses are concerned about findability and reputation tracking.
Companies, organizations and agencies create and use lots of information. I’ve written about information overload in the past. Information users are overwhelmed by the influx of data and frustrated by the inability to easily and quickly find what they need or want.
Good information strategy results in better findabilty.
Findability is important. In order to make information findable creators and publishers must employ strategy. Successful information publication and retrieval requires processes and policy.
Policy must consider a multitude of items. First and foremost is what users really are seeking. Is it news, events or contact info. The review and use of analytics can provide valuable quantitative guidance. Other considerations include:
- Valued Information i.e. research reports, organizational guides
- Information creation sources i.e. speeches, video, PR releases.
- Social Media content i.e. Facebook groups and user comments
With the right policies and processes and the strategic use of analytics, organizations can place the right content in front of their users. This will help recruit and retain users and thus support for the organization no matter what the mission is. Without a well employed information strategy you could lose your users.
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Posted by answermaven
June 13, 2009
I’ve been thinking about requirements a lot lately. For my upcoming birthday I asked for a wheelbarrow. For my business, I’ve been thinking about my on-line presence.
One seems simple and the other seems complicated. However, as I have since learned, nothing about wheelbarrows is simple. I simply want a tool to carry heavy bags of organic potting soil to by 25 square foot garden in my backyard that can be stored in my garage. Easy right? No!
There are collapsible wheelbarrows and wheelbarrows that can be laid on the ground to scoop stuff into and there are big wheelbarrows that can handle 100 foot trees or something ridiculous like that.
Result of pre-shopping? I had to define my requirements. Result of requirements definition? We’ll see next month but I can reasonably expect a manageable wheelbarrow that can stand alone so that items can be taken in and taken out.
In thinking about my on-line presence the requirements may appear to be extremely complicated but the wheelbarrow requirements exercise has caused great focus. Here’s a list of reasonable requirements for Answer Maven.
- Consistent identity across networks
- Easy to find information
- Consistent blog tags that demonstrate my taxonomy ability
- Accurate, current Professional biography
- Clean, simple presence
- Can be found
Those requirements are broad but they will and do guide my inputs into the Internet and my future developments of such things as my website. (I’m about two weeks behind on meeting this deadline–must get busy.)
Many times, we don’t get or have what we need because we were not careful enough to set expectations and define our requirements. When working on a technology project you must know what you want to happen and let the people who can make it happen know. If something you dream is technologically impossible–the tech folks will let you know.
Product people, and this is anyone who is responsible for gizmos and content, must know what they want and communicate. Without definition it’s easy to say you didn’t get what you need. Success doesn’t just mean saying I want a wheelbarrow. It means saying I want a wheelbarrow that can stand up by itself and can handle up to 150 pounds of cargo and can be stored in my garage.
If you are having a problem with your wheelbarrow technology, have you really figured out what you really want?
Constance Ard June 13, 2009
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Posted by answermaven
April 5, 2009
For those of you who attended last week’s KLA KYSLA Joint Spring Conference and specifically those of you who attended my workshop–Thank you!
I was very pleased that attendees paid me the compliment of saying the workshop was a fast 3 hours. My diligence and good preparation paid in spades. We had an interactive workshop that addressed the desires and questions for the attendees.
Translating business plans to the library world requires a new perspective. The workshop provided attendees with a glossary that served to translate business concepts such as sales and point-of-sale into the language of librarians.
Beyond the glossary, we discussed how to define the business concept and the importance of the right metrics used with specified milestones. One thing that was emphasized was the need for a marketing plan, something that is sorely lacking in library strategic plans according to my own research.
This workshop truly provided the foundation for attendees to take ideas and translate them into services in their own institutions. I wish them the best success.
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Posted by answermaven
February 18, 2009
The previous post I authored was POST 100. That’s a pretty big milestone for Answer Maven.
I really hadn’t noticed until I sat down to write this post and the whole planned theme went out the window. I’ve been working on a few project proposals over the last several weeks and realize that Milestones are a critical factor in project management.
Identifying key milestones early keeps projects on schedule. The success of the project is defined by the successful completion of milestone events. The challenge in preparing for a project is recognizing which tasks will end with a completed MILESTONE.
Choosing a project leader is no easy task. Stakeholders must find someone capable of laying out tasks, setting reasonable schedules to accomplish those tasks and identify the key events all while working and delegating work according to plan. The result being a finalized project wit the milestones checked off; success itself.
I continue to revise and edit my business plan as the business continues to grow and evolve. One of the things I need to add into my own plan are Key Events and Milestones. All projects benefit from such endeavors even if the project only has one grunt doing the planning and the execution.
If you have a project of any type I highly recommend taking a few moments to think about the milestones that will allow you to measure your work so that you do not get derailed from your track to success.
Constance Ard Wednesday February 18, 2009
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Posted by answermaven
February 16, 2009
Thanks to Stephen Arnold’s post for alerting me to this ERP Checklist. People who know me well, that I am a pretty practical person. Many of the items in this checklist seem to be common sense considerations for any type of business project.
A few checkpoints are very specific to an Enterprise Resource Project, i.e. module purchase decision.
The practical part me of encourages any project manager who is trying to resolve organizational challenges by using technology, to pay attention to a few key practical steps that translate across projects.
- Focus on the problem you are solving and evaluate potential solutions against their ability to solve the problem.
- Get Organizational Leader Buy-In – without this buy in any solution drowns before the boat is launched.
- Choose your point person carefully. This person is critical to the success of the project and must be able to communicate up and down business lines as well as organizing and managing a complex project in minute detail.
If you can concentrate on those three solutions as you move forward with an ERP solution you will be well on your way to success. Common sense must play an important part in complex business decisions otherwise the complexity overwhelms the larger process.
Constance Ard February 16, 2009
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Posted by answermaven
January 30, 2009
Today’s work has prompted me to wonder what came first the chicken or the egg, or in business terms what’s the most valuable asset for a business?
Is it intellectual capital, financial capital or technology?
I tend to feel that without the right personnel, capital and technology are not necessarily a business advantage.
How do business owners maximize profits without the right investments? Personally, I value my brain trust beyond compare. As useful as technology is, without the right advise at the right time, without the correct connections and the power of my intellect and my intellectual network bad decisions would have been the norm in this new endeavor.
I have had the pleasure of meeting many smart business people who know that without intellectual capital their money would not be a competitive edge. Knowing that people understand the business at hand and think critically allows businesses to make informed decisions.
So why do business get blinded by gadgets and gizmos? Shiny and new does not solve problems. Technology only maximizes the time and knowledge base. Without the right intellectual vetting how can you choose the right content management solution or invest in the most powerful hardware with a long shelf life?
While the chicken is necessary for the egg, the egg needs the chicken just as much. In business, the right people choose the right technology and make the best investments for financial capital. So invest in “key personnel” and get more bang with your assets.
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Posted by answermaven
