Google’s new Street View Snowmobile!

Just in time for the 2010 Olympics, Google announces their Street View Snowmobile.  I love this idea!  So many years I’ve wished for a more “community-centric” view of the Olympics – more visuals of the snowy peaks and the villages.

This year, we will be able to become even more immersed in the Winter Olympics than in years past!  All the thanks goes to Google’s newest addition to Street View – the Snowmobile!

This is such a great idea, it makes me wonder if they are working to retrofit a BOB with video equipment for the Summer Olympics!

That, too, would be a new perspective!

The BOB - a personal submarine!

Economic hardship has impacted every facet of life – and that is also true for law firms (yes, I know you find that hard to believe, but they are experiencing layoffs as well).  One law firm has stepped up, listened to their clients, and answered a need clients were complaining about.

I read an impressive story that will be published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s latest edition. Foley and Lardner, LLP, raised the bar in client satisfaction, and erased the biggest fear of anyone who is thinking of hiring a lawyer.

That fear is about receiving a bill for more than they expected in legal fees.

Its a universal problem – people don’t hire lawyers even when they should, because they do not believe they can afford to.  It’s not just the initial retainer, it’s the fear that once the attorney is retained for a matter, the bill becomes an unknown quantity – a day to day worry that they may have a second legal issue to deal with when they can’t afford to pay their lawyer.

Foley and Lardner, LLP get an A+ in client care, because they LISTENED to their clients, and answered their concern.

In fact, they may create a World Wide Rave as defined by David Meerman Scott in his book of that title.  They gave up control to the client – Rule 3 of the Rave!!   When it comes to billing and budgeting of legal matters, they have successfully taken away the fear of  that big ulgy surprise when their clients open the envelope containing their legal bill every month.

In response to client concerns (this is a concern of ANYONE who hires a lawer for ANY legal matter),  they developed a proprietary software system, part of which allows clients of all 1000 of the lawyers in the firm to interactively share real-time billing information and keep their legal matter on a budget.  Clients can go online anytime and see trending in the billable hours by their lawyer,  and make contact to discuss options for their case BEFORE they go over budget and have yet another legal matter to deal with.

The full story was reported in the Wall Street Journal on Jan 5, 2010.

To be honest, this system does more than just allow the client to manage their legal bills and budget, and that is why it cost $1 Million to put in place.  However, this is a true investment in the firm.  It serves as a management tool, as a client communication tool and as a marketing tool to attract new business!

Smaller firms will say they can’t afford $1Million investment to do the same thing.  They don’t have to.  Small firms can do the same thing, very easily, using much simpler tools.  The real question has always been:  will they come out from behind the curtain on fees and allow the client control?  Will they allow the client to speak honestly and hold them to a budget the client can afford?  If they are smart, they surely will do that – and reap the rewards of (a) honest communications with their clients; and (b) growth of their law practices.

The bar has been raised – let’s see if a precedent in billing practices has now been set,  and which lawyers and law firms creatively  rise to the occasion!

On February 12, 2009, more than five hundred students came together at Full Sail University in an attempt to create a Guinness World Record.

Imagine the power this group could bring to solving a problem like hunger, rescue efforts in Haiti….Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has!  [Margaret Mead 1901-1978]

I found this fascinating quote today:

In the first half of this post, we showed unlike European Internet traffic which peaks in the early evening and then drops off until the next day’s business hours, US Internet traffic reaches its peak at 11pm EDT and then stays relatively high until 3am in the morning.

The IM graph above shows traffic reaches 80% of peak by 10am and stays above 80% until midnight (with a 5pm EDT peak — perhaps related to millions of users making dinner plans). Interestingly, email exhibits a very different pattern and plummets by more than 30% immediately after 5pm EDT.

Source:  asert.arbornetworks.com, Arbor Networks: Security to the Core, Aug 2009

You should read the whole article:  http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2009/08/the-internet-after-dark-part-ii/