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

Dedicated to those who have to read my bug reports. In the future, I promise to try to follow my own suggestions.

Recently, a colleague and I had an exchange about frustrating bug reports. We frequently get reports like "The screen is blue." or "I can't type on the page." Since neither of us is telepathic, we don't know what to tell the person to do to fix his or her problem because we don't know what the problem really is.

This frustration isn't uncommon among people providing user support because most people don't report problems well. Fortunately, a good bug report isn't difficult to write. In short, you just need to report

• exactly what you did,
• what happened, and
• what you expected to have happen.

The person on the other end may have additional questions, but this information provides a good starting place. And that's a benefit for the person who reported the bug: a quicker resolution because the problem and how to reproduce it have been clearly identified.

If you are interested in polishing your bug reporting skills further, I recommend How to Report a Bug Effectively, a very worthwhile read. - K

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assertTrue( ) documented an amazing trick: In Firefox, you can make any page editable. Granted, the changes aren't permanent, but with this trick you can make minor changes to a page before taking a screenshot, or you can show someone how edited text should look on the page without copying the page into another program.

All you need to do is copy this code into the address bar and hit enter:

javascript:document.designMode="on";void(0);

Then start editing.

In seconds, I can transform the IllinoisLegalAid.org Form Library from its original form into a shorter, cleaner version for a handout or presentation.

Original Form Library Page

Edited Form Library Page

To turn it off, reload the page (or get fancy with Greasemonkey). - K

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Google and Yahoo! all have keywords that let you find out who is linking to a page or site.

Google
Google uses the keyword link. For example, link:http://www.techno.la returns all of the sites that link to the page at http://www.techno.la.

Google link

 

Yahoo!
Yahoo! uses the keywords link and linkdomain. Use link to find all of the pages that link to another page. For example, link:http://www.techno.la returns all of the pages that link to the page at http://www.techno.la.

Yahoo! link

 

Use linkdomain to find all of the sites that link to a domain. For example, linkdomain:www.techno.la returns all of the pages that link to any page that begins with www.techno.la.

Yahoo! linkdomain

 

linkdomain would return pages that link to http://www.techno.la as well as http://www.techno.la/2009/04/articles/softwareappstools/pbwiki-launches-legal-edition.

In addition to satisfying your curiousity, you can use this tool to evaluate how well your outreach has worked or to find out if an organization thinks your site is helpful.

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The annual ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference will take place next week (May 14-16) in Orlando, FL, and as always there will be lots of innovative technology sessions to choose from. Below are a few sessions that I'll be a panelist on:

Making Recovery From Disasters Easier Through Technology
(Thursday, May 14th 9:45am-11:15am) Presenters: Matthew Burnett, Mike Monahan, Eve Ricaurte and Juliet Choi

The Future Is Here Now: What Emerging Technologies Can Do For Your Mission
(Friday, May 15th 8:45am-10:15am) Presenters: Shirley Williams, Joyce Raby, Matthew Burnett and Liz Keith

50 New Tech Tips To Survive Hard Economic Times
(Friday, May 15th 10:30am-Noon) Presenters: Rachel Medina, David Bonebrake, Glenn Rawdon and Matthew Burnett

Other technology sessions that you should consider attending include:

Not Just A Pretty Interface: A2j Author® Is Changing How We Achieve Justice Through Technology
(Thursday, May 14th 1:30 - 3:30 pm) Presenters: John Mayer, Rachel R. Medina, Eve Ricaurte, Ronald W. Staudt

Creative Uses of Technology in Addressing the Foreclosure Crisis
(Friday, May 15th 2 pm-3:30 pm) Presenters: David Bonebrake, Jason Vail and Liz Keith

Statewide Websites: A Showcase Of Outstanding Client, Pro Bono And Advocate Features
(Friday, May 15th 2 pm-3:30 pm) Lisa Colpoys, Michael Genz, Vince Morris, Ken Perri, Glenn Rawdon

Technology-Enabled Self Help Centers
(Friday, May 15th 3:45pm-5:15pm) Presenters: Carol Austin, Michelle Hopkins, Claudia Johnson and Liz Keith

For the full agenda, visit the EJC website. If you plan to attend, be sure to join us for a session or stop by the Pro Bono Net booth in the exhibitor area and say hi! -M

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When you click on a linked "mailto" email address while browsing the web, it will automatically open your default email program (i.e. Outlook or Mail if you're using a Mac). If you want to change your default to GMail or Yahoo! Mail, it's very easy to do in Firefox 3:

• Click on the "Tools" menu, then select "Options"


• Select the "Applications" tab at the top


• Scroll down until you see "mailto" under Content Type and select it


• From the drop down menu to the right of "mailto" select GMail or Yahoo! Mail

For more beginning, intermediate and advanced Firefox tips and tricks, see the Firefox 3 "Tips & Tricks" page on Mozilla's website.  If you want to test your new settings, click here and send us a note (you'll first be taken to the login page if you're not already logged in to GMail or Yahoo! Mail) -M

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This wonderful two-page Google Cheat Sheet (PDF) lists Google services, query structures, tools, advanced search structures, special web searches and background information on Google. Each of the sections is color coded based on skill level. [Note that this cheat sheet was last updated in October 2006, but much of the information remains relevant and useful.] -M

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If you use short links (URLs) when sending emails, instant messaging or microblogging, you can create them in seconds from your browser by adding TinyURL to your browser's toolbar.  -M

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Earlier, I pointed out how to link to a specific page in a PDF document. Recently, Chris Brogan pointed out a similar trick for linking to a specific point in a YouTube video. You just add #t=xmys to the URL, where x is the minute and y is the second that you want to link to. For example, if you wanted to link directly to where Jennifer Baum, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society, is talking about her client's case in 2008 Legal Aid Clients, the URL would be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbjG6wPmT8#t=3m9s. - K

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Yesterday, I mentioned that some clients have asked advocates to contact them by text message rather than by phone. Since not every advocate has a work cell and most advocates don't want to text clients from their personal number, I thought that I'd pass along an article from LifeHacker on how to send text messages with e-mail. And for those of you who need to brush up on common abbreviations so that you can decode the messages that your clients send back, check out this list. - K

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I print . . . a lot, so I'm not about to chastise anyone else for printing. But I do want to encourage you to be smarter about it. I, for example, have set my printer to automatically print on both sides of the paper and often print two pages on each side. I'm also trying to be good about recycling and reusing paper instead of throwing it out.

If you don't know how to set your printer to print on both sides of the paper, check out the TechSoup.org article on duplexing. Another neat resource is the Environmental Defense Fund's Paper Calculator, which can help you determine how much of an environmental impact different types of paper have. - K

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Recently, I came across the Wired How-To Wiki, which gives instructions on how to do just about anything related to technology. A few posts that Technola readers might be interested in: Take a Killer Portrait, Fight Splogs, Reclaim Your Site from Domain Squatters, and Delete Files Forever. - K

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On occasion, I need to direct people to a specific page in a PDF. This often happens when I'm e-mailing someone a link to a PDF that's been posted online. Because I don't always remember how to do it, I take the lazy way out, and recipients often get an e-mail that says, "Hey read the great article on page 157." They are then forced to page through to page 157.

However, the other day, Pam Weisz, Pro Bono Net's Director of Corporate Sponsorship, asked me if this could be done. I did a quick search to find the answer for her. For the rest of you who may not know and for the sanity of my e-mail recipients, I thought that I'd document it here.

To link to a specific page in a PDF document, add #page=n, where n is the page number, to the URL. For example, the URL to link someone to the third page of the USCIS I-9 form would be http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf#page=3. - K

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Each month Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) posts a set of excellent technology tips for advocates. While some of these tips are only relevant to advocates using ILAO websites, most of them are not Illinois-specific. Examples from the October 2008 tips include using Box.net for file storage (1GB is free), using Amazon's S3 service for backing up files, and using Screencast-O-Matic, a free web-based screencasting application. -M

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I frequently close tabs in Firefox before I'm done with them. Until recently, I would either live with it or go hunting for the URL. However, last week I found a handy "Recently Closed Tabs" feature that lets you view and re-open recently closed tabs. To use, you just go History > Recently Closed Tabs. It's pretty simple, but if you need this to be even more accessible, you can download the Undo Closed Tabs Button add-on so that it's right on your toolbar. - K

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