Calling the IT Department! Oh Wait . . . That's Me!

As mentioned in my last post, I spent last week transitioning from my five year old PC to the new laptop I bought.  Doing this in the midst of a research and drafting project for a client posed additional challenges, but I'm happy with the result.  And it gives rise to a brief discussion of my home office, what I need and use, the software I like, etc.  So here goes.

First, a quick synopsis of the discussion I have with my Mac loving family and friends (and there are many).  The Mac lovers in my life mount compelling arguments in its favor, but in my own computer choice, the primary criterion is compatibility.  Most law offices operate on Windows PCs; hence, so will my home office.  I can’t afford to have clients complaining about my documents not working properly, and I don’t want to spend time on conversions, etc.  So it was a Windows laptop for me.

I have always been one to economize on hardware.  My family has a long tradition of handing down computers to each other, and getting by with upgrading and coddling along older hardware.  I know many will disagree with this approach, and believe it’s the best business investment to buy the very best (and consequently most expensive) hardware there is, but I believe I have a good grasp of how much computing power I need to adequately run my business, allowing for expected growth.  So, taking into consideration my still fairly meager budget, I purchased an Acer laptop (not the most expensive one), maxed out the RAM memory before taking it home, and called it good. 

Will this laptop still be serving me well five years from now?  Time will tell, but it certainly meets my needs now, and it feels light years faster than my old PC.  Moreover, when I’m working in my office, the larger LCD monitor, contoured keyboard and mouse from my old PC system are connected to it, greatly enhancing my speed and efficiency.

My laptop came loaded with Windows 7 and MS Office 2007 (a trial version, that is).  I immediately fell in love with both.  I won’t expound on all their many cool features; I just find them both very intuitive to use.

What other software do I find essential for my home office?

•    QuickBooks – I use this for all my business accounting.  It was invaluable last month when my taxes were being prepared, and I find it fairly easy to use.  I purchased this software, as the free version isn’t powerful enough for my needs.

•    Easy Time Tracking Pro – I use this for tracking my billable time.  I can create accounts for as many clients as I want, track my time for each client with a timer, and prepare detailed invoices.  There are a number of time tracking programs out there; this one meets my needs and is relatively inexpensive.  (Again, the free version isn’t powerful enough for my needs.)

•    SugarSync – I use this primarily for on-line backup of my most important data.  I have a free account, so I can’t back my entire computer onto it, but I back up everything work related.  I like the automatic nature of it.  Every time I hit “save” the document automatically backs up; there’s nothing I have to manually do.  SugarSync has file sharing capabilities, and I could in theory share documents with clients in this way, but it would require that the client have a SugarSync account as well, so I’m not using that function at this point.  (I know many people recommend DropBox for these same functions.)

•    Google Docs – I obviously didn’t have to download this, but I do use it in my business.  Google Docs allows me to set up folders through which I can share non-confidential documents with clients (I secure them so I’m not sharing them with the world), whether said clients have a Google account or not. 

•    TweetDeck – I like this platform for Twitter, and I view and respond to my LinkedIn and Facebook updates here as well.  I like the “one stop shopping” TweetDeck affords.

•    Skype – my family uses it a lot, and it is also available for use with clients if they choose.

I of course had to download and configure software and drivers for personal use as well, and transfer all my music, photos and files (Windows Easy Transfer really simplified this process, and enabled me to transfer software settings as well as documents).   All quite time consuming, but I am very close to being finished transferring my electronic life from my old PC to my new laptop.  And I managed to do so seamlessly enough that clients didn’t notice.

And now I'm looking forward to a peaceful and efficient work life in my new home office setup!

Sunday Six Word Memoir

While an interesting litigation project for a client took precedent this week, the remainder of my time was completely absorbed by a computer upgrade.  I had been intending to upgrade my computer for quite some time, as my PC was old.  However, frightening “blue screen of death” error messages – which given the age of the computer, I saw no point in trying to trouble-shoot - hastened matters.  So I took the plunge, made the purchase, and spent this week loading software, working through a few installation glitches, and getting my work space reconfigured for my new laptop. 
 
I’m a fairly proficient user of computer technology, but in the law firm, there was always an IT department to perform these kinds of set-up tasks for me.  Doing it all myself posed an interesting challenge, particularly while working to assure that no technological hang-ups prevented me from meeting my client’s deadlines.
 
So here is the next in my series of Six Word Memoirs – a memoir to encapsulate my week:
 

Add “computer geek” to job description!

Got your own Six Word Memoir?  Feel free to share it in the Comments!

Apropos to nothing . . .

Sonoma in Spring is a pretty place.

Saturday Six Word Memoir

This week was characterized by persistent efforts targeted at a number of different fronts.  I’ve been working on an additional project to market my freelance paralegal business and also to solicit more referrals from colleagues, and former co-workers and employers.  I’ve been seeking out more local arenas for meeting attorneys and fellow paralegals with whom I can begin to build relationships.  I’ve embarked on a crash-course education program to learn more about expanding my freelance paralegal business into the virtual world, which has led to making connections with virtual paralegals and virtual assistants from whom I hope to learn, and with whom I hope to exchange ideas.

I’ve also been working on developing a little prototype for the second business I want to develop relating to wine and food pairing.  So I’ve been doing a lot of reading about wine, writing event plans, and brainstorming with friends about my first trial wine event coming up soon.  (Read more about those efforts on my sister blog, Sonoma Sip.)

So here is the next in my series of Six Word Memoirs – a memoir to encapsulate my week:
 

Pushing multiple projects forward at once.

Got your own Six Word Memoir?  Feel free to share it in the Comments!

Technical Note: RSS Feed Subscription Repaired

I repaired my RSS feed Subscription.  It had apparently not been working.  Thanks for reading.

Care and Feeding of Your Whuffie

A)  Kid’s toy?  B) Foreign curse word?  C) Porn name?  What in heaven’s name, you ask, is whuffie?  Well according to Tara Hunt,

Whuffie is the residual outcome – the currency – of your reputation.  You lose or gain it based on positive or negative actions, your contributions to the community, and what people think of you.  The measurement of your whuffie is weighted according to your interactions with communities and individuals. (at 4)

Originally coined by Cory Doctory in his sci-fi novel, “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom,” (free download – very generous, very cool), who envisions “whuffie” as the currency that replaces money and better reflects the “personal capital” money once represented, whuffie is gained – or lost – by the helpfulness of your deeds - or lack thereof.  Quoting Hunt again,

In the gift economy, the more you give away, the more whuffie you gain, which is completely opposite from currency in the market economy, where when you give away money, it’s pretty much gone.  (at 5)

Hunt uses this metaphor to discuss building a business through building relationships with customers and the communities they are part of via digital, social networks (Facebook, Twitter and blogging are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various tools discussed by Hunt for building these relationships).

Hunt focuses primarily on businesses selling products on line, and her book is packed with interesting stuff.  However, reading the book has stimulated thought for me in a somewhat different direction.  After all, we’ve talked about my reticence at embracing social media tools.  Instead, I find myself thinking long and hard about ways I can connect and build relationships in my physical, local, “real” community.  After all, while my adorable town of Sonoma and surrounding environs are certainly not the only - or even primary - markets for my fledgling virtual and freelance paralegal business, they are the likely arenas for that part-time job I’m hunting for and the wine/food business I plan to start soon.  The people I bump into in my travels about the Sonoma valley could well be the ones with whom I will interact in those businesses some day.

So I’ve been making more of an effort to meet folks locally.  Mind you, I’m pretty good at that already – after only seven months here, I’ve made a number of friends due to my penchant for striking up conversations with folks I meet in restaurants, bars and tasting rooms.  Recently though, I’ve taken to wandering into the shops and businesses on and near the Plaza, less to shop than to talk.  I’ve been chatting with the business owners.  Meeting fellow shoppers and guests.  I want to know who they are, how they came to Sonoma, what they enjoy doing, what businesses they are in, what they hope for the future.  I want to find out what we have in common, whether I have information to share, whether there is a way I can help.

And if, in so doing, I manage to increase my “whuffie” within my local community, well, so much the better!

Got your own “whuffie” story?  Feel free to share it in the comments.  And meanwhile, if you see me wandering around the Plaza in Sonoma, be sure to stop me and say hi.

The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business, by Tara Hunt.  New York: Crown Business (2009)

Good Karma

I recently got a phone call from a very pleasant woman who asked if I could help her finalize bankruptcy paperwork for filing.  She had found my number on the internet, on a directory website I don’t use much, but on which I’m now grateful I have a profile.  

Well, the fact of the matter is, I can’t help her finalize her bankruptcy paperwork.  As a freelance paralegal, I am only authorized to work for an attorney, and under his or her supervision; I cannot work for the general public.  Therefore, even if I were a bankruptcy specialist, which I am not, I couldn’t legally help her with her bankruptcy.

So I proceeded to explain to her that in lieu of hiring an attorney, the kind of person who might be able to help was a Legal Document Assistant (LDA).  LDAs are registered with the State (in California, anyway) and are able to help individuals prepare legal documents in many fields such as adoptions, divorces, bankruptcy, etc.  I took down the woman’s name, phone number and email address.  I ran a quick Google search and found three websites where this woman might be able to find a qualified LDA who could look over her bankruptcy papers for her, and I emailed them to her, and wished her well.  It all took about fifteen minutes of my time.

I’ll never make a dime from this.  I don’t even know this woman’s last name or what city she lives in.  I doubt I will ever bump into her, and I don’t expect she will ever be in a position to refer me any business from local attorneys.
 

I just wanted to try and help her out a bit.  Be a good citizen.  Be a contributing member of my local community.  Build my “whuffie” (about which, read more in my upcoming “Whuffie” post.)   I just wanted to be the nice person Mom and Dad raised me to be.

Got any “good karma” stories of your own to share?  Feel free to leave them in the comments!