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METAFORIX MAIL Volume 1, Issue 43 June 7, 2001 Sites and insights for the Information Age Listen to
my conversation with Thomas J. Leonard, coach and entrepreneur extraordinaire,
about your business and the Internet. It's at www.RealInterviews.com.
Thanks for reading! CONTENTS AT A GLANCE: ON
MY MIND: Information-Age Lawyering ON MY MIND [From the Editor] "Notcoms": An Interview with Attorney Nina Kaufman Nina Kaufman and her partner, Ron Paltrowitz, started their New York law practice five years ago. Their target market was the "entrepreneur community." From the start, they realized that the Internet -- and e-mail, in particular -- would need to be an integral part of their practice.Because lawyers have long been used to online research, the Internet was "not totally alien" to Nina or to Ron. Previously, at another law firm, Nina had experience with an extranet developed exclusively to serve the needs of one large client, an insurance company. So it was natural that Paltrowitz and Kaufman have a Web presence from the outset. Their current "Virtual Counsellors" site is a "second incarnation" whose purpose is to serve as a "24-hour brochure for marketing and branding" and to be a "resource center for clients." The individuals and businesses listed as resources have been drawn from Nina and Ron's own network, so they feel confident in making referrals. Nina and Ron have also included an array of "Tips and Tools" ranging from the decipherable (a plain-English legal glossary) to the delectable (favorite New York restaurants for those undecided about "Where to Schmooze" with business associates). An updated site is currently under consideration. Nina thinks of the firm's clients as "notcoms," as opposed to "dotcoms." For her, the distinction turns not on technology, but on the entrepreneur's ultimate goals for the business, especially the exit strategy he or she foresees. "Dotcoms aim for a quick turnaround - a sale or an IPO," says Nina. Notcom entrepreneurs, on the other hand, "take a longer-range point of view. They see their business as a reflection of themselves and their personal ambitions. They may have a desire to implement great technologically-based ideas, to create something that reflects their values, or to leave a legacy." Notcoms or dot, start-up entrepreneurs working on a shoestring rarely have support staff. They often find themselves "conducting business at 2:00 a.m.," says Nina. In addition, like everyone else, small businesspeople have been affected by the "shifting attitude toward information. People have limited time, need quick answers, and do a lot of multitasking." Given these circumstances, e-mail is often the ideal way for attorneys to communicate with clients. Particularly when someone is trying to finish a project amid numerous interruptions, e-mail is "less distracting than the phone, but provides an almost immediate response." During business hours, that is. Nina does find that some folks have not yet incorporated the "ethics and sensibility" required to do business over the Internet. As a result, "they expect others to read and respond to e-mail messages as fast as they are sent." But most clients don't harbor such unrealistic expectations, and most appreciate the convenience of exchanging documents and information electronically. Has the Paltrowitz and Kaufman web site actually brought clients to the firm? Not so far as Nina knows. She is aware, however, that some potential clients check to see that the firm has a web site before scheduling an initial consultation. Why? More and more, "people view the Web as a normal part of doing business." Nina and Ron are meeting that expectation on a daily basis.
Cordially, Lois C.
Ambash, Editor
INFORMATICON INFORMATICON:
Post-Its and Postmodernism MEDIA e-Books: The Big Leagues and the Fine Print The National Book Foundation announced last week that, starting with the current award cycle, e-books "will now be considered for the National Book Award, our nation's most prestigious literary prize." No, NBF has not added a separate category for electronic publications. E-books will be considered on an equal basis with print publications in the four existing categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young people's literature.I read the press release with mixed emotions: surprise, delight, and suspicion. Could this possibly mean that self-published e-books by undiscovered authors would receive full and fair consideration? After reading the release twice through, I found nothing to indicate that submissions must be made under the auspices of a recognized publisher. A careful reading of the Entry Rules and Guidelines, however, justified my suspicion and tempered my delight. The first clause of the press release -- "Acknowledging the presence of electronic publishing within the trade book industry" -- should have clued me in. Buried in Item L (for "last") of the criteria for "Eligible Books & E-Books" was the stipulation that "Self-published books and e-books are eligible, provided that the author/publisher also publishes titles by other authors." Proof of multiple publications may be required, although no such proof requirement seems to burden traditional entries. So much for equal consideration. But it's certainly a start.
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A Modern Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone, discovered in Egypt in 1799, was an Egyptian proclamation inscribed in 196 B.C. The proclamation was stated not only in hieroglyphics, but also in three translations. The ancient Greek translation became the key to deciphering the hieroglyphic text, whose meaning had long been lost.Using the Rosetta stone as a model, the Long Now Foundation of San Francisco has embarked on a project to preserve as many contemporary languages as possible in a form that will be useful to scholars in the distant future. The first three chapters of the Book of Genesis are being inscribed in a thousand languages in microscopic text on glass-encased nickel balls designed to withstand at least a thousand years of environmental hazards,, up to and including nuclear radiation. A thousand copies are being produced for distribution to libraries and museums worldwide. Despite some controversy about their religious provenance, the Genesis verses were chosen on practical grounds. The Bible is the most widely translated text in the world. Its thousand versions dwarfing the 300 translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its nearest competitor. The Rosetta Project assumes that current technologies for storing and preserving knowledge -- from paper to electronic media to library buildings -- are susceptible to many kinds of destruction and decay. As a result, the only technology future scholars will need to decipher the disks is a 1000-power magnifying lens. The project has spawned a wide variety of collaborative linguistic preservation projects, as evidenced by the rich resources of its web site, www.rosettaproject.org. The expansion of the global village means that every ten days or so, the world loses one of its 6,000 to 7,000 living languages. The language becomes "moribund," meaning that it is no longer taught to children. Linguists project that some ninety percent of the world's languages will become moribund or extinct within the next hundred years. While the Rosetta Project cannot hope to arrest these cultural losses, the Rosetta Disks and associated activities will do much to preserve the rich diversity of our cultural histories for the distant future. Source: "Rosetta Disk Attempts to Safeguard Against the Extinction of Languages," by David Bank. The Wall Street Journal, 6/5/01
Game Show with a Message Hoover's Online UK strikes a blow for clear writing and speaking with its animated online game show, "Death by Jargon."The visitor is shown a cartoon gallery of five business types, each with a mini-bio and favorite motto. Click on a character to see a multiple-choice selection of business phrases relevant to the character's job. Choose the plain-English choice to "save" the character. Pick a jargon alternative if you'd prefer to consign the character to a mildly amusing horrible fate. You can also "humiliate a colleague" by submitting the name and photo of your favorite "jargon junkie" or nominate the egregious corporate offender of your choice. Visitors who submit jargon the editors deem truly outrageous are awarded a "fabulous Hoover's Europe Online backpack!" Ordinarily, this kind of humor is not my cup of tea, in Britain or anywhere else. But stamping out jargon is as English as George Orwell. Would that it were as American as apple pie! To play "Death by Jargon, go to: www.deathbyjargon.com
Guest Columnists and Interviewees Wanted! Metaforix
Mail seeks your opinions on how information technologies are (or are not)
changing your world of work.
Please note that the links contained in Metaforix Mail are current as of the time of publication. Some of them may no longer be operative at the time you access past issues.
To
Volume 1, Issue 42 May 29, 2001
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