Little did I know that TECHSHOW has quite an after-conference schedule filled with informal gatherings centered around food and drink. Or just drink, a lot of drink. Somehow the hotel bed felt much more comfortable last night and I nearly slept through the first session today.
I spent a few hours in the Advanced I.T. sessions today and quickly realized that I am not advanced I.T. but did get some really good tips. One of the sessions dealt with using group policies to manage domain user and machine accounts in Windows Server. Still awake? It was actually an interesting and, thanks to the presenters, entertaining. I already have a list of tweaks for our system when I return home.
Two of the more popular tracks of the day were Cloud Computing and Paperless. Anytime you discuss the paperless office, backup is a top priority. Mozy was mentioned as a good choice for business use. As for cloud computing, Join.me was mentioned as a site that allows screen sharing with up to 250 people, and it’s free.
Larry Smith and Ernest Svenson showed us how to effectively use PDF software. Ernie likened using keyboard shortcuts to playing a musical instrument. I agree with his view that the keyboard shortcuts are important to learn and that the more you “play” them the more natural they become.
The last session of the day was 60 Tips in 60 Minutes which featured fast-paced advice on useful products, websites and practices. A few of the tips included emailing links to documents instead of attaching the file for messages sent to in-network users, mailing certified mail using certifiedpro.net, and getting an electronic check deposit machine to eliminate having to go to the bank to make deposits.
One tip that drew a lot of applause was the binder clip cord management hack. I did not know what to think about a crowd of tech-savvy people who were so impressed by such a low-tech tip. I guess it goes to show that some of the best ideas are very simple but effective.
I was able to attend another Taste of TECHSHOW dinner, this time hosted by Reid Trautz and Dan Pinnington. I handed out a few cards I prepared for this blog which featured my logo and a QR code. An attorney from Boston also had a QR code on his card. Only a few of the rest of the group had even heard of this new technology but seemed impressed when we demonstrated how they work.
Afterwards part of the group went to a party put on by the good people from Clio. While there, I spent some time talking to Carey Ransom, the CEO of RealPractice, about marketing and social media and the way his company uses the web to generate new clients for lawyers.
