Web-Tones

Google Apps: Raising the Bar

Link: Google Spreadsheets Adds Gadgets, a Directory of Features. Google Apps just keep getting better and we are ONLY somewhere circa 1982 (in PC historical terms) in the evolution of the "cloud." As a recent convert (to the actual platform as opposed to just the concept) this is exciting stuff! Why? Not because I create or use a ton of spreadsheets. I don't and never have. BUT rather because this is indicative of the platform's maturation and the likely pace at which it will progress. In five years PC's, other than as useful access devices, are going to seem quaint (excepts for a few special purpose apps). Most of what we do from a computing perspective will be "on the wires."

What will this mean for the practice of law? It will be transformative. The seeds are already firmly planted. The early adopters are already well beyond the initial learning curve. Eat lunch or be lunch, the choice is yours!

Social Networking Sites for Business

Link: Online Business Networking: 2 Horse Globalization Race - ReadWriteWeb. I believe that the value of these sites for businesses of all kinds is still underestimated. Sure there is tons of press for what the kids are doing on MySpace and Facebook, and there is no doubt that "the kids" have some disposable income, but there are opportunities for "serious" (and not so serious) business people as well, linking with each other AND linking with the kids. Witness how much press LinkedIn has been getting lately.

I suspect that this business value is already being realized by early adopters of the non-tech sort, who are content to reap the benefits and feel no compulsion (business savvy as they are) to share with their colleagues and competitors. This is an example of what Doc Searls calls the "because of" effect, those that figure how to prosper not by developing the technologies, but because of them.

There are some old school attorneys that have likely begun to crack to code, but this pales in comparison to the next wave (and the one after that) of attorneys that have cut their teeth on digital technologies--I fully expect them to completely alter the way law is practiced. I hope that I can run fast enough to keep pace!

Google Apps Rock!

Why? Because of anywhere/anytime/any device(soon) access to all the necessary basic computing infrastructure that any small to medium size business might need! All the e-Bilities are in place: scalability, reliability & availability. In addition, the apps are highly functional today and are only going to get better as they mature.

The new Google Sites wiki functionality (now part of Google Apps) is amazingly easy to use (i.e. all wsywig). But, what has so far been under reported is that you get Google search functionality as a "built in" part of the deal. Sure, this feature is an obvious one to include, BUT the implications of having world class search functionality as part of your organization's Intranet are more powerful than I anticipated, and I "geek on this stuff."

For example, a law firm could track all matter documents (PDF or otherwise) in one centralized location and have all them "searchable" after a few clicks. Simply create a new site (in minutes) for each matter and you have the "foundational building blocks" for a world class document management system. All of this at a cost of $50/user per year. To say that this is an amazing value is an understatement!

Worried about security? Who isn't? But do you really think that your documents are more secure in that server room down the hall? Just ask 2/3 of the lawyers in New Orleans whether or not they think that is true. When is the last time you verified that your nightly backups were working up to snuff? What would happen if all of a sudden you needed to add three new offices nationwide?

It's the architecture that matters and the "cloud" is unlike anything that has come before it. It looks like it is a two vendor race and if anyone doubts that Google will be a serious competitor in this space (for businesses of ALL sizes) then they simply do NOT get it!

Musings on cloud computing--finding the onramp!

Link: Ericsson predicts demise of hotspots | InfoWorld | News | 2008-03-10 | By Mikael Rickn�s, IDG News Service. Ok, here is where the rubber meets the road. I am in the process of launching a "digital business" of sorts and considering all the usual options for telephony, collaboration suites (including email), front office & back office functionality and other similar "startup issues." Much of the advice that I have pointed to in recent posts is therefore both timely and relevant, personally.

This startup will be have multiple locations from day one, and therefore computing logistics are more complicated, or at least they would have been in the old universe. I have found everything I need on the cloud, competitively priced and from vendors that are proven and around for the long haul.  I considered some "old school" functionality, because some of the offerings I was looking at were arguably more "mature" in this space.

But, I quickly punted on this idea. I want everything (and I mean everything) available on the cloud, accessible anywhere/anytime there is an available internet connection, and as the link above implies, that will soon be everywhere that I happen to be with a laptop or a phone. If I want to add an employee/partner in California, Alaska, Paris, or Argentina, I simply plug them into the existing infrastructure and give them a virtual extension from my VOIP provider, and bingo, they are on board.

I assume that they have a PC, a cell phone and the ability to connect. I don't provide any of that. They are required to use the tools that they already own, sure we will be happy to expense cell phone minutes where the VOIP line is not tactically feasible, but that is the exception rather than the rule. I don't care what their favorite device or OS is. Want to use a Mac, or Linux, that is completely up to you. Want to use a Blackberry, a Treo, or an iPhone--knock yourself out.

I am confident that this is the right way to go? 100%! Will there be some bumps in the road? You bet. But they will be surmountable. The cloud is the future and is only going to get better, and better. The ability to scale the infrastructure, for a fraction of what it would have cost in the old universe, is enough to convince me that this is the only way to go. I want to leverage enabling technologies, but I do not want to manage the speeds, feeds, wires and the rest of what goes along with it. I have been there and done that, and for me that game is over!

More Startup Advice

Link: A Couple of My Rules for Startups - Blog Maverick. Mark Cuban jumps in with more startup advice. Many of these rules apply to all startups, including law firms. The beautiful thing about the Net (at least one of them) is that you can get quality information from people who have been there. This is not "fad advice" but advice from people who either have lived it, or are living it.  Of course, not all of it applies for every startup--these "rules" should not be taken as formulaic--it is simply quality information that you can't find anywhere else, including the b-schools. Why? Because academics often live in a parallel universe--that is, they are often looking at and teaching the past.

How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips)

Link: How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips). Asttorneys thinking about going solo or starting a boutique firm (apparently many are) could benefit from "groking" this list. Keep your burn rate low and more money goes in your pocket, or you have more to spend on things that really matter.

There is no doubt that globalization will not spare the legal industry. There is only so much that can be done vis-a-vis increasing billable hours or hiking rates. If the infrastructure is done correctly (i.e. along the lines outlined in this list) you could theoretically start a national practice on a "song" + an expresso machine--a bit of an overstatement, but not much.

It is all beta, all the time!

Steve Jobs once said (or is given credit for saying) the following: "real artists ship." Now you can read whatever you like into this quote, but for me it says that you have to build something worthwhile and get it out the door. Nowadays that means build it quick and get some feedback so you can iterate again. It is all beta all the time. The marketplace is far too chaotic to think that you can simply engineer your way to a successful launch of anything, despite the fact the some high quality "engineering" might go into the initial release.

That said, it is important to get certain things right during that initial release (and by release I mean a product, service, or other kind of offering) because your are going to have to live with your decision(s) far longer than you might think. Once you commit resources to  something you become attached to it--and the more resources (e.g. money, time, sweat equity, etc.) the more attached you become.

Technology vendors (and others) often call this phenomenon "lock in."  It may cost you plenty to ante up, but it will cost you even more to switch. That is why when you are creating something new or adopting a complex suite of new technologies, it is important to experiment early and often. In other words you must quickly throw as much "crap on the wall" as you can, and see what sticks, before you pay for it or before you ship. This may sound simplistic, but it is how wicked problems are best solved.

However, this model for decision making is not the way things are normally done by "serious people." It makes them uncomfortable. We are accustom to believing that if we study something long enough we will find the "right" answer. The problem is that we often do not understand the "right" questions to ask. The web is the world's largest library and its ability to shed light on most topics is undervalued, IMHO. Those that are attempting to solve "wicked problems" (which is most of us these days) need to become more effective information consumers. Why? So that we can iterate through the decision cycle a lot faster and more effectively than we have in the past.

1000 Fans?

Link: Kevin Kelly -- The Technium. Kevin Kelly is one of my favorite elder statesman of the web and his advice regarding "1000 true fans" is applicable to any aspiring digital entrepreneur (he is specifically referring to artists) IMHO. You accumulate 1000 high quality customers and you have not only a viable, but more likely a thriving, small business on your hands.

The point is that you don't need to hit it out of the park--singles and doubles are good if you can get them consistently, the lonely triples and occasional home runs are simply gravy. The technologies that Kevin talks about (i.e. mostly RSS and blogs) are now mature and easy enough for the most "technophobe"  to master. All it takes is a little diligence, persistence and hard work. If you aren't willing to do the latter than "get a job!"

Feed the network and the network feeds you?

Link: Innovation comes cheap, says Google engineer Kevin Marks | The Social - CNET News.com. Clearly that is Google's vision vis-a-vis improving the ecosystem. Whenever the ecosystem prospers, Google gets a "little" (perhaps not so little) size of the increased pie. Makes sense for Google, but can it work for others whose footprint is not the same?

Can it work in other industries, far removed from the valley, and not necessarily tech centric per se? Well I believe that the answer is yes and no. It can work for other industries perhaps, but they will be tech centric in their own unique ways, creating their own ecosystems...

Here come the boys from Redmond, again!

Link: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Rumor: Microsoft about to unveil web-apps    strategy. Really, no one should be surprised that MS will move aggressively to "cloud." Remember that Ray Ozzie, the father of both Lotus Notes and Groove, understands a thing or two about collaborative computing. Google has yet to prove that it really understands application integration at the kind sophisticated level that users have come to expect from MS Office. It is embrace and extend, yet again. Google has an opportunity, but this game is just getting started and when MS comes to cloud, they are coming strong. Apps is what they do, this is their turf, and they are not going to give up much without a serious fight.

But in many ways, it doesn't really matter. What really matters is that consumers are going to benefit both from the "innovation wars" and from the "price wars." The really interesting "stuff" will be happening elsewhere...