Technola : Public Interest Law & Technology Updates & Commentary : Matthew Burnett & Kate Bladow : Tech Advice for the Non-Profit Legal Sector

Kate and I will be participating in a few sessions at the Equal Justice Conference in Minneapolis next week. If you're planning to attend, we'd love to have you join us.

• Tuesday, May 6th
  Distance services/technology (2:30pm-3:30pm; Presentation at Self Represented Litigants Pre-Conference)
  Presenters: Katrina Zabinski, Glenn Rawdon, Judy Meadows and Kate Bladow
• Thursday, May 8th
  Using Technology to Advance Your Mission: Challenges and Opportunities for the Up-to-Date Legal Aid Law Firm (2:00pm-3:30pm)
  Presenters: Kate Bladow, Kathleen Brockel, Rachel Medina and Alison Paul
  
  Using Technology to Provide Technical Legal Assistance at the State and National Level (3:45pm-5:15pm)
  Presenters: Matthew Burnett and Michael Monahan

There are a number of other great sessions on statewide websites, document assembly and legal aid technology initiatives, so be sure to check out the full agenda. If you won't be at EJC, just tune in to technola next week, where Kate and I will be blogging from the conference. -M

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Last Saturday I spent the afternoon at PodCamp NYC, a gathering of podcasters and new media enthusiasts that took place in New York's finest borough (yes, Brooklyn), to pick up a few tips and tricks. Here's a quick recap:

The most valuable session that I attended was an introductory overview of audio production lead by Matthew Ebel (available here). Matthew provided a lot of great tips on producing podcasts, including a couple of mic recommendations that are worth sharing: the Blue Snowball, a professional USB condenser mic with both cardioid and omni polar patterns, and the RØDE Podcaster, a broadcast quality USB mic with a cardioid polar pattern (see the presentation for more on why these distinctions matter). For those interested in a more portable mic, there's the Snowflake, a compact USB mic that's also by Blue. All of these mics are both Mac and PC compatible.

Another session I attended, on RSS, wasn't particularly noteworthy except that the speaker didn't show up. About ten minutes after the session was supposed to begin the group rallied together and someone volunteered to lead the session with help from the audience. It was great to see folks come together and press on, a testament to the "BarCamp" or "unconference" user generated conference model.

I also attended a session on new media marketing with Chris Penn, who hosts the Financial Aid Podcast, co-hosts the Marketing Over Coffee podcast and blogs here. I don't know much about Chris, but he struck me as a guy who has a lot of practical information to share based on his own experiences with new media, something I'm beginning to appreciate more and more as I struggle to find the right tools and approaches to developing, delivering and marketing new media content with limited resources. -M

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That's right, it's Free Friday, a new technola feature that highlights free - as in free beer - tech tools and resources. This week, a few free web-based project management tools to help keep those milestones in check:

• Project2Manage - A free, web-based project management solution that offers multiple levels of permissions for different clients & users, unlimited projects and the ability to post messages, manage tasks, develop to-do lists and create milestones.
• Google Sites - Google Sites is another great free project management option, particularly given its seamless integration with other Google apps, like Google Calendar and Google Docs. Here's an example (from Google) of a project management site using Google Sites.
• CentralDesktop - While only a limited version of CentralDesktop is free, this may be a good choice if you want to get your feet wet with a web-based project management solution with a lot of bells and whistles. The free version is limited to 2 workspaces, 5 users per workspace and 25MB of total storage space.
• ZOHO Projects - Like CentralDesktop, only a limited version of ZOHO Projects is free. Compared to CentralDesktop, you get more storage (100MB) and more users (unlimited), but less projects (only one). -M

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MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn make building an online community seem easy. But those of us who have had to moderate an online e-mail list know differently. Getting people to subscribe and contribute takes a lot of effort until you've got enough interested and invested people to keep the conversation going.

For those of you who are building an online community with an e-mail list, you might be interested in the resources highlighted during a recent discussion on the NTEN Discussion e-mail list.

• Tips for Facilitating an Environmental Email List (ONE/Northwest)
• Publishing Your Own eNewsletter Or Running Your Own eNetwork (Kabissa)
• Building Electronic Communities and Network (Information Management Resource Kit) - K

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• An article by Larry Bodine for Law Technology News, "Is the Party Over for Social Networking?", which reports that according to an ongoing ABA Young Lawyer survey, "only 8 percent [of survey participants] said it was "very important" to network with legal colleagues via online social networking."


• A recent post on Care2's frogloop blog, "51% of Donors 'Not At All Interested' in Social Networks," which lit up the Progressive Exchange listserv today, reports that "a majority of donors, 51%, were "not at all interested" in following organizations that they care about through blogs, social networks, and RSS." -M

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Yesterday, I introduced you to Andy Goodman. Today, I want to direct you specifically to his April 2008 newsletter - Why Do You Do What You Do? While there have been several topics that have caught might attention - How High Is My Eye-Q?; Like This, Only Better; Click. Damn. Click. Damn. Click. Goodbye! - and briefly made me think, the April newsletter has stayed with me for a while.

Why do I do what I do? I definitely didn't have an answer when I opened the envelope. I know that I don't do it for the money. I don't do it because it is easy to leave the work at the office. My husband's answer, "For God and Country. Well . . . at least Country." wasn't very helpful. And copying from someone else on the WDYDWYD website seems wrong. For right now, I guess, I do what I do because I've asked to be given work where I could do the most good, and this is where I've ended up.

Through the process, I've realized that having an answer is important. It doesn't necessarily have to be the "right" answer, but on the days when everything goes wrong, you get yelled at and criticized, and your clients are calling repeatedly just to tell you that you're dirt, don't you need to know why you put up with it all?

So, why do you do what you? - K

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Today Robert Ambrogi wrote an interesting post about a new ethics opinion from the New York County Lawyers' Association that concludes that mining metadata in documents from opposing counsel is unethical (siding with the New York State Bar and conflicting with a 2006 ABA Ethics Committee opinion).

For more on metadata and other areas where technology intersects with legal ethics, check out the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center's Technology and Ethics Overview and LegalEthics.com, a blog that focuses on the ethical issues associated with the use of technology by legal professionals. -M

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From the title, you might be hoping for a guide to online romance in the legal aid and pro bono community. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. This is not that article. (Maybe you want to head over and check out the networking opportunities at the ABA Equal Justice Conference?)

This article is really an ode to Andy Goodman and the resources that he and his colleagues produce to help progressive businesses and public interest groups "reach people more effectively." Usually, that means getting them tell their stories better. I stumbled upon Andy Goodman accidentally. I was looking for marketing and outreach best practices and picked up The Communications Toolkit from Cause Communications. Andy Goodman's name seemed to be everywhere, so I looked him up online to see what else he might know. My online research ended with me signing up to receive two books - Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes - and his newsletter, Free-Range Thinking. It took me a while to pick up the books, and I regret not reading them earlier. They look dense but are quick reads with lots of useful images and valuable information.

• Bad Presentations is a simple discussion of what works and how to give a great presentation. It should be a necessary read for everyone advocating for good causes. At the very least, if you use PowerPoint, for your audience's sake, please read Chapter 4.

• Bad Ads is also a great resource. While this book concentrates on creating big, glossy ads with great design, the principles that Andy lays out aren't just about those big glossy ads. Getting people's attention and having them remember your message is just as important if you are creating simple fliers that promote your website or a fundraising event.

The newsletter is just as impressive. In this day of e-newsletters, it refreshing to have a small four page newsletter arrive by snail mail each month. It covers a wide variety of topics related to advocacy and communications. And true to his message, Andy tells stories to involve the reader. You can sign up for several of Andy's workshops on his site. However, if you want to hear how he presents for free, you can check out a recording at the Social Innovation Conversations' website. - K

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The editorial team of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law's Clearinghouse Review is hosting an online discussion about the future of affirmative advocacy and leadership development in legal aid. Ross Dolloff and the Leadership Institute Fellows from the Center for Legal Aid Education will moderate the discussion centering on articles they have written for the March-April 2008 issue of Clearinghouse Review. -M

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The ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, which focuses on increasing access-to-justice for moderate-income people, is holding hearings on technology and delivery of legal services. They will look at who is providing services using technology, how these services have benefited or harmed recipients, what technologies are being used, and what policies and rules exist.

The Committee is looking for people who want to testify or submit materials. If you are one of those people, check out the Committee's announcement for more information. - K

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Rachel Medina, the A2J Author Project Manager at the Center for Access to Justice and Technology, has started a new blog for A2J Author developers. She's promised to post training dates, tips and hints, and other A2J Author goodness. - K

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The week before last I spent some time at the 2008 Virtual Worlds and Virtual Law Conference here in New York. (A warm thanks to Ben Duranske, author of the Virtually Blind blog and a new book on virtual law, for making it possible.) I attended a few different sessions, ranging from an interesting discussion on intellectual property issues (yes, you can trademark your avatar, complete with "TM" bling) to a panel on bringing your organization into virtual worlds, which provided tips on getting started (know your virtual audience) and prompted a candid discussion of ROI (stickiness is a big metric).

It was really interesting to see the range of audiences that are being targeted, from the preschool set to older adults, as well as the range of companies that are making the jump. And while the driving force behind virtual worlds seems very entertainment focused, there is also a good deal of energy being put into creating virtual worlds (or projects within virtual worlds) that focus on more worthy pursuits, like education and advocacy.

In fact, one project that should be of interest to our community is the work that former statewide website coordinator Gene Koo (blog) is doing with the Berkman Center and CALI to create virtual environments that facilitate legal instruction and collaboration among law school professors. For more on the intersection of law and virtual worlds, check out the excellent book, The State of Play: Law, Games and Virtual Worlds, and the State of Play conference website, which includes podcasts and webcasts of past conferences (also available on iTunes U). -M

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If you want to get your daily dose of technola, but don't always have time to read the posts, check out the technola del.icio.us tag. We tag all of the tools and resources that we feature in our posts, so that you can have instant, unmediated access to the goods. You'll find the del.icio.us RSS feed here, and while your at it why not subscribe to technola's full RSS feed? If you're new to RSS, or just want a refresher, check out these resources:

• All About RSS
• Beth's Blog: RSS Beginners Guide and Video
• What is RSS? -M

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Last Thursday, Marketplace highlighted The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children | Boston (MLPC). MLPC works to address legal problems that have caused or exacerbated health problems in children. (Examples include a food stamp denial that causes a child to end up underfed or a mold-infested apartment that causes a child to have repeated asthma attacks.) To fix these problems, it takes the work of both a doctor and an attorney -- a doctor to diagnose the medical issue and recognize when legal intervention might help and a lawyer to follow up with the patient's family and resolve the legal problem. it's a great program that improves clients' health and well-being as well as saves health care facilities and the public money. You can check out the transcript or listen to the podcast on the Marketplace site. - K

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Some time ago, I had picked up by Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design from the Tactical Technology Collective. It turns out that the information wasn't what I was looking for, but it has an amazing list of open source tools that you can use to help convey information and design graphics. They are

• OpenOffice - an office productivity suite that has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program. (Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X under X11)
• NeoOffice - an office productivity suite that has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program. (Mac OS X)
• Ajax13 - a web-based office productivity suite that has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation management, sketch tool, and media player.
• InkScape - a vector graphics editor that is similar to Illustrator, Freehand, or CorelDraw. (Windows, Linux, and Mac)
• PDFCreator - a tool to create PDF files. I use this tool regularly and have been pretty satisfied. I would recommend using this along with PDFBlender, which allows you to combine PDF files easily. (Windows)
• Scribus - a desktop publisher that has similar functionality to Microsoft Publisher. (Windows, Linux, and Mac)
• The GIMP - my favorite image and graphics editor. It is incredibly powerful, but people often complain that it isn't as user-friendly as Photoshop. I was too cheap to buy Photoshop, so the GIMP seemed like the right option for me. (Windows, Linux, and Mac)
• GIMPShop - a version of GIMP for people who want something that looks more like Photoshop. (Windows and Mac)

After finding that list, I can't wait for their next publication, Quick 'n' Easy Guide to Mapping for Advocacy, which should be available soon. I hope that it has a similar list of tools. - K

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Good news! LawHelp.org earned a Webby nomination again this year. Webby awards are bestowed upon the best of the Net as determined by both the public and a panel of judges. Last year, LawHelp.org won the Webby Award for the Best Law Site in 2007 and came in close behind the winner of the People's Voice award.

An inside source told me that the Pro Bono Net team is pretty excited to be up for a Webby a second time. And they need your help. Help them capture the People's Voice award this year at the People's Voice website. In the famous words from Chicago: "Vote early - and often." And vote here. - K

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Do you work with a great law librarian? Well, take a few minutes to recognize him or her. The Spirit of Law Librarianship Award Committee is looking for law librarians who have made a meaningful contribution to a social or charitable cause or concern. The award will be presented at the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting. Nominations are due by June 1. - K

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You may have noticed that Matthew was pretty quiet last week. Fear not. He's still as dedicated to blogging as ever. His day job was just a bit busier than normal--the Immigration Advocates Network web site launched.

The launch of this site is a huge step toward building a national network of service providers, advocates, and organizers who work on behalf of immigrants' rights. The web site allows members to connect with each other, receive up-to-date information and trainings, and share resources with others. This site will help each organization serve its members and will also help to strengthen the overall immigrants' rights movement. And Matthew's been a key person in getting this site off the ground. Yea, Matthew! - K

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TexasFreeFile.org is a new website launched just in time to file those tax returns before April 15th. TexasFreeFile.org works with I-CAN E-File to provide on-line tools that allow most Texans to file federal income taxes online. The online filing is free and is designed to be simple using a question and answer format to prepare the return. The website allows persons to prepare returns in either English or Spanish. The need for many Texans to employ costly tax preparation services is avoided. Working Texans will and retirees will appreciate the fact that the online service is designed to simplify claiming tax refunds for families that are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit.

View the full press release here. -M

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The Center for Access to Justice & Technology, in partnership with the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, has released version 2.0 of A2J Author. With A2J Author, non-techies can create user-friendly interfaces that help self-represented litigants fill out court forms or other legal documents. A great example of A2J in action can be seen on the New York City Housing Court and Civil Court websites. A2J Author 2.0 has several new enhancements.

• Developers can move between development screens more easily.
• Audio files can be deleted with one button click instead of deleting the files one at a time.
• The courthouse graphic can be switched out for an alternative graphic.

You can download A2J Author 2.0 from the A2J Author community website. A2J Author is free for noncommercial use. - K

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The NTEN blog and e-newsletter feature an article by Lisa Stansky: Technology's Role In Rebuilding New Orleans. Lisa is the Web Site Content Coordinator for LawHelp.org/LA and is located at the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation. - K

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So you've been put in charge of a web site design project, but you don't know a PNG from a GIF image, and your mother still tells you that your outfits don't match. Where do you turn? If you are looking for a quick read, I would recommend Jason Beaird's book, The Principles of Beautiful Web Design.

I happened upon this book while scanning the list of authors giving technical book readings at South by Southwest Interactive. Since I was looking for a book on "good" design and figured that someone willing to get up and give a book reading in front of techies must have something pretty interesting to say, I ordered it from trusty Amazon.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my purchase. Jason gives a quick overview of web design principles without assuming that the reader has a lot of technical knowledge. In five short chapters, he quickly covers the basics - layout and composition, color, texture, typography, and imagery. And along the way, he develops a simple example to show the reader how to put it all together. For me, this book had two highlights. First of all, the chapter on imagery was amazing. I've played around with Photoshop and GIMP, but I've never gone much beyond the basic tools. Jason's examples have encouraged me to stretch beyond my comfort zone and have given me enough information so that I should be able to replicate some of his techniques. The second nugget was when Jason pointed out two free web tools: the WellStyled Color Scheme Generator, which helps pick out color palettes, and the Colour Contrast Check, which checks to see if foreground and background colors provide enough of a contrast.

Before you run out and buy/borrow this book, a couple words of caution:

• This book is for beginning designers. If you have been exposed to a lot of color theory or have done a lot of graphic design or page layout, much of this book will be a review.
• This book won't teach you HTML or CSS.

So now, budding web designers, go, read, and learn. - K

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