February 2009 Archives

I'm not the first name on the routing list for Information Today.  That's a shame because it's worth the price of admission just for Barbara Quint and Steven Cohen's columns. January was a good month.  Steven Cohen wrote about Jureeka, a wonderful little add-in for Firefox that identifies legal citations on a web page, any web page, and hyperlinks them to a free source for the full text. 

In know, I know, there aren't very many firms that suport the use of Firefox.  And that's a real shame, because Jureeka is a very handy little utility, and you can only get this kind of functionality in Firefox.  In this time of cost-cutting, what could be better than an easy way to retrieve case law at no charge?

One reason Firefox may not be acceptable in your firm is because the Intranet is likely optimized for Internet Explorer.  But Firefox can channel Internet Explorer, so it's not impossible to get by with Firefox in a Microsoft shop.....if you can stay under the IT radar...

This isn't just a goal, it's an online program that seems to fit the bill for an inexpensive Sharepoint session specifically for those of us who don't have rights to touch the server and/or Sharepoint Designer.  I must say, I'm intrigued.  I've subscribed to the RSS feed to keep on eye on the associated blog, End User SharePoint.  If anyone is familiar with the types of online programs presented by this company, please let us know.

Suddenly it seems that everyone is getting Sharepoint.  I've been working with it for a couple of months now and have found it to be very powerful but sometimes very frustrating.  Some of my frustrations might be mitigated if I was thoroughly trained rather than learning as I go.

So I've been watching for possible training opportunities and there are many to choose from. Just type "SharePoint training" into Google, and you'll find literally hundreds of companies that would love to provide you with training. But let's get real....in this economy thousands of dollars for a class and/or webinar just isn't going to happen.  Though I have to admit, this one just about had me salivating. 

The topic of SharePoint training came up recently on SLA's KM mailing list; the answers are listed on their KM Wiki. (Membership required.)  Nina Platt recommended Sharepoint Solutions, but there's that pesky money issue.  She also pointed out a webinar done by Factiva called "Taxonomy & Sharepoint: A Powerful Combination."  Anything on the subject of SharePoint and taxonomies is going on my to-do list!

Microsoft offers some online training as well as webcasts and podcasts, and the price is right. (free)

I don't have to remind you that there are always tons books out there related to any major software program.  Quite naturally, I'm a big fan of books, and I've been poring over a borrowed copy (thanks, Lisa!) of Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft) and it's not bad.  But there's a Murphy's Law of software-related handbooks.  They tend to include a lot of good information, but never have the answer to YOUR particular question. Google often does a better job on the question answering front. 

The other problem with books for these kinds of topics is that many of them concentrate more on technical aspects such as server configuration, something many of us have nothing to do with, so it's important to find one that's geared towards your particular use of the product.

Below is a quick poll on SharePoint Training.  If you've found a good book, website or seminar, please share by clicking on the "comments" link above.

This is my first post on LawLibTech's new platform!  While I realize you probably don't care what platform this blog is run on, I'm excited, as MT 4.2 has some new community features that can encourage more interactivity, such as discussion groups.  The folks at MT are also actively adding more social networking options practically as we speak, so there's some great potential here.  Let me know if you have any thoughts on the kind of content you'd find useful. 

The biggest downside to moving LawLIbTech is the fact that all the URLs for articles/entries have changed.  So if you've linked directly to any content, you'll need to update your links.  Just know that everything is still here, and it's readily accessisble by browsing the categories or simply searching. 

Oh, and also, if you spot any little oddities with the site, be sure to let me know.  Moves of any kind rarely happen without a few glitches here and there.