Google Reader quickly became the most-popular RSS reader for its simple interface and great keyboard shortcuts, but as Avvo’s Sachin Bhatia pointed out in the comments, it is shutting down. You have until July 1st to find something else.
I have already picked my replacement: Fever. If installing software on your own server does not scare you, I think it is the best alternative.
If you would like something easier, check out these alternatives. Just be careful — a lot of them actually require Google Reader for syncing up feeds. Hopefully, some of them will reconfigure to work without Google Reader. In the meantime, here are a few that will still work:
- RSSOwl works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is local software, though, which is less than useful for people who live in the cloud.
- NewsBlur is cloud-based and free for up to 64 feeds.
- FeedDemon is a Windows RSS reader with an ad-supported free version and a Pro upgrade.
There are other alternatives at alternativeTo. I expect we will see a few other options pop up in the next few months, as well. But the fact remains that RSS is losing popularity as people find other methods to follow their favorite websites.
Update: As Niki points out in the comments, it looks like Feedly has been planning for this, and will migrate to their own backend when Google Reader shuts down.
Want to know what your state thinks about cloud computing? Thanks to Nicole Black’s post in the LAB, here is the ABA’s handy reference chart so you can see what your state’s ethics board thinks about cloud computing.
Currently, by the way, lawyers in all 50 states may use the cloud. Ethics boards in 13 states seem to have specifically considered the issue, and all say it’s fine to use the cloud as long as you use “reasonable care” in selecting services — as with pretty much everything else on the business end of law practice.
I don’t really know why lawyers are so freaked out about the cloud. Everyone seems to assume there must be some big ethics issues with using cloud software, even if the security of any reputable cloud-based software is light-years ahead of the security most solo and small firms are capable of.
Nearly 11% of those responding to last weekend’s cloud computing poll said they will not entrust client data to a third party. That leaves me wondering how these lawyers manage to practice law.
Do they make phone calls? Do they use e-mail? Do their clients? How do they back up their files? Do they have cleaning staff? A shredding service? A copier repair service? Do they accept credit cards? Do they store old files outside the office? Do they take client files to court—or anywhere else? Do they practice in federal court?
Because all these things involve (or potentially involve) entrusting third parties with client data.
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Whether your e-mail communications are secure depends on what you mean by security. In general, sending and receiving e-mail is about as secure as using a mobile phone. Listening in is possible, but it is also fairly unlikely.
Of greater concern, given the government’s propensity in recent years to snoop around in everything—without a warrant, if possible—is the ease with which it can obtain information stored on internet servers.
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My co-author, Carolyn Elefant, and I are in the midst of re-writing the last and final draft of our book about social media for lawyers, which will be published by the American Bar Association in just a few months.
When we began, we required an online platform that would allow us to collaborate and create the first draft. Ideally, we wanted a platform that was easily accessible to both of us and would provide a forum to collect all of our discussions and notes, as well as allow us to upload the most recent versions of our work in progress.
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Guest post by Steven Rodin.
E-discovery can quickly get out of hand, sometimes costing millions of dollars. An example was seen in the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, where one single e-discovery request cost taxpayers over $6,000,000.
Thankfully, there are third-party solutions available that can help lower some of the administration and legal costs associated with e-discovery.
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If software as a service (SaaS) is the future of law practice management software, it is good to see another option in the category. LawRD was developed by Portugese SaaS company muchBeta, and is a real contender for top honors—although it must still mature.
Like the competition (Rocket Matter and Clio), LawRD is a matter-based law practice management application that works anywhere you have a web browser (including your phone). You can associate contacts, notes, timekeeping records, and expenses, and use tags to create other relationships between contacts.
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Online services for lawyers are becoming increasingly common. For many lawyers, they are an attractive alternative to the traditional law practice management software installed and maintained on a local server within a law office.
The one thing these various platforms have in common is that the data created and managed by these services are stored offsite, in the “cloud.” The offsite data storage issue has resulted in much speculation among lawyers regarding issues of data security and attorney-client confidentiality.
In my opinion, the data security and confidentiality concerns regarding cloud computing should not prevent lawyers from using these services.
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Rocket Matter is an online, cloud-based practice management suite. I first reviewed Rocket Matter over a year ago. At the time, I called Rocket Matter promising, but pricey. Larry Port recently gave me another tour to show me some new features.
I often begin reviews with the ending: Rocket Matter is very good practice management software, and I want to love it. But, unfortunately, it is incomplete, and I still think the price is too high. For lawyers already using practice management software, Rocket Matter is a possible alternative. But I think the price will probably keep many others from becoming Rocket Matter customers.
Read on for the good, the bad, and the price.
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Like Rocket Matter before it, Clio is a promising online practice management solution. Clio gave me a tour last Friday, so I have seen it in action and had the opportunity to ask the developers all kinds of questions.
For lawyers currently wrestling with Time Matters, Amicus, Abacus, and other clumsy practice management packages, Clio would be a breath of fresh air, and well worth the $49 per month for attorneys and $25 per month for staff. For lawyers like me whose practice management software is based on disparate webapps like Google’s online applications, Freshbooks, and Remember the Milk, Clio has no real advantage.
I like everything about Clio except the price. For me, Clio just does not pass the cost/benefit barrier.
Since first writing this article, I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to do an in-depth test-drive of Clio. While I still think the price is high, I also think it is worth it, especially for growing firms where the cost of equivalent hardware, software, and support would be comparable, if not greater.
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