Legal Research

Holiday Law Firm Challenge: Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank

Posted on November 18, 2009
A lot of people have been checking this blog for information about the upcoming Daily Bread Food Bank challenge for Toronto law firms. This year's challenge is about to start on Monday! I've just given a full write-up over at Slaw.ca: Holiday Law Firm Challenge: Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank...

Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals: Why I will be voting "Yes" to the SLA name change

Posted on November 12, 2009
I have remained fairly quiet about the proposed name change for the Special Libraries Association until now because I have been giving it some good thought, and watching the various conversations unfold. Change is not always easy, and it has amazed me how seriously people take the names and labels we apply to ourselves...

Women's Law Association of Ontario: 90th Anniversary Gala

Posted on November 11, 2009
I am doing work with the Women's Law Association of Ontario, and helping to spread the word about their upcoming 90th Anniversary Gala at the Royal York Hotel on Thursday, November 26. They have an exciting evening planned, with The Right Honourable Madam Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin giving the keynote talk...

Law Librarian Podcast: Social Media and Law Libraries

Posted on October 02, 2009
Today's episode of the Law Librarian podcast will be recorded at 3 pm ET or 12 noon PT on Blogtalkradio. Our topic today will be social media and law libraries. Join us live (listen via the website --headphones recommended at the office) and call in with questions, or listen to the recording later...

To access blog feed reader register for free. (You will also learn about new ways to read and access the freshest law blogs.)

Adoption of Web 2.0 by Libraries: Pivot Points of Change

Posted on September 13, 2009
It's fine to learn all you can about the new technologies, but the challenge is figuring out how to practically implement them into your work, and how to adapt to the change. I like this presentation by Buffy Hamilton, High School Media Specialist at Creekview High School in Canton, GA she will be giving this week to the Georgia Public Library All-Staff Meeting...

Introducing Canadian Book Review Annual Online

Posted on September 11, 2009
On my Crosby Group blog Connection I have just announced a new client initiative, working with The Dundurn Group to get word out about the newly launched Canadian Book Review Annual Online. I am excited about this project, since this well-respected publication was last published in paper format back in 2006...

The Law Librarian Talk Show: Resources Used in Law Firms

Posted on September 08, 2009
I'm back from a fabulous vacation where I had a chance to recharge my batteries, and am now in the process of catching up. One thing I missed was participating in the latest episode of The Law Librarian talk show/podcast on BlogTalk Radio. The latest episode recorded on Friday--What's Real in the Real World?--focusses on resources used in law firm libraries...

Libraries of the Future

Posted on August 20, 2009
I'm heading out for a couple weeks' vacation. I have *so many things* lined up for this blog, but alas it will have to wait. In the meantime, here is an interesting video (running just over 9 minutes) about what the future of libraries will be, put together by JISC in the UK...

The Best Canadian Law Firm Website

Posted on August 14, 2009
Yes, I have had my head down working. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. So many things to tell you dear readers about! Here is a quick one for now--from Mitch Kowalski at the Financial Post's Legal Post blog:Jordan Furlong, editor of the Canadian Bar Association's magazine, The National, has rounded up a group of writers who focus on innovative legal practices and tasked them with selecting the top websites by a Canadian law firm...

15 Key Observations by Bob Pearson

Posted on July 07, 2009
Tonight I am attending Third Tuesday Toronto with speaker Bob Pearson, President of the Social Media Business Council (formerly Blog Council); also formerly of Dell.http://Twitter.com/bobpearson187515 Key Observations about big business and social media1...

Happy Canada Day & the Story of the Six String Nation Guitar

Posted on July 01, 2009
It's that time of year when we kick back and appreciate how lucky we are to be in Canada.Not quite two weeks ago I was in Kingston, Ontario with friends attending Podcasters Across Borders, an annual conference for (you guessed it) podcasters. Each year we come from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and further afield in Canada, U...

Connie Crosby's Top 6 Ways to Find Out What's Going On

Posted on June 10, 2009
And It's A WrapOriginally uploaded by LexnGerMy friend and colleague Wendy Reynolds recently asked me to write about how I keep up. The answer really comes in three parts:(1) How do I find out about groups and events?(2) What groups do I belong to or meet with?(3) What events are coming up?Let me tackle the first one in this post...

SLA Toronto presents... Best of the Web

Posted on June 02, 2009
I will be moderating the upcoming SLA Toronto session, a tour of four librarians' top research websites. It should be a fun evening--I hope you will join us!SLA Toronto presents ?.Best of the WebJoin friends and colleagues for an interesting and informative evening!Speakers from a variety of special libraries will show the top 10-20 sites in their area of research...

50 Best Blogs for Law Librarians

Posted on May 20, 2009
The folks at Online University Lowdown have put together their listing of the 50 Best Blogs for Law Librarians. Some fantastic blogs! I wanted to point out those of a few friends that have been included:Vancouver Law Librarian Blog by Steve Matthews Strategic Librarian by Nina Plattlaw...

Toronto Events You Should Know About

Posted on May 06, 2009
I run around to a lot of great events. Sometimes I mention them on Twitter or Facebook, but if you don't happen to be following me at the time I post, you probably miss them. There are SO MANY amazing events happening in this great city, it is easy to miss some good ones...

Women?s Law Association of Ontario - Alternative Careers in Law

Posted on April 23, 2009
The Women's Law Association of Ontario (WLAO) and the Law Society of Upper Canada will be presenting a program on alternative careers in law the evening of May 6th. From the program:Not sure if your hard-earned law degree gives you what you need? Ready for a career change or just interested in learning about the hidden opportunities in and outside of law? Join us for our 3rd Annual panel of successful and influential women lawyers who have found their niche...

LegalIT 3.0: Achieving the Paper LESS (TM) Office

Posted on April 20, 2009
Liveblogged at the Legal IT 3.0 conference in Montreal. Any error or omissions are my responsibility, not that of the presenters. Target audience are lawyers in firms and counsel in organizations. Ross L. KodnerMicrolawHis CLE materials are available on the Microlaw website...

LegalIT 3.0: 90+ Legal Tech Tips in 90 Minutes

Posted on April 20, 2009
Liveblogged at Legal IT 3.0 in Montreal. Some of these tips are excellent time-saving tips, others are tongue-in-cheek. I didn't catch all of them! But here are the ones I did--- Ross L. KodnerMetadata removal - Metadata Assistant from Payne GroupGoogle Chrome browserUltimate Gear Management Clothing - carry all of your gadgets! Fill all the pockets before going through airport securityNeatReceipts - scanner plugs into PC $230 US - the software takes the receipt and recognized the information on the receipt, categorizes it, puts it into a spreadsheet that can be exported as a Quickbooks format - extremely accurateRemote-Controlled Golf Ball - fool the people you are golfing withElectronic charging stations for all your gadgetsDisposing of old PC systems - beware packed with confidential client information - how can you eradicate this information - "electronic shredders" delete the data - he recommends the Red Dragon Jet Torch Kits iPhone - he thinks the keyboard has to improve before widespread adoption by lawyersVirtual law practices - onebox...

Legal IT 3.0 Conference - Montreal April 20 & 21, 2009

Posted on March 26, 2009
I will be speaking at the upcoming Legal IT 3.0 conference in Montreal. I will be part of a panel with Steve Matthews and Kevin O?Keefe discussing how lawyers and law firms can go beyond having a website to build a better web presence.For more information, please see my Crosby Group Connection blog post, or better yet visit the Legal IT website directly...

Ada Lovelace Day 2009: Dr. Margaret Ann Wilkinson

Posted on March 24, 2009
I decided to take part in the first Ada Lovelace Day by writing about someone who we rarely (if ever) hear about in the blawgosphere, but who had done work in librarianship, information, intellectual property and technology law and is a fellow Canadian: Dr...

Third Tuesday Toronto: Talk by Mathew Ingram of the Globe & Mail

Posted on March 24, 2009
Third Tuesday Toronto: Mathew Ingram of the Globe & MailMathew Ingram is a former columnist, reporter and blogger. He is @mathewi on Twitter. http://www.mathewingram.com/work. He is now the communities editor for the Globe & Mail.This is a repeat of the session he did at Podcamp Toronto but will give us lots of opportunity to ask questions...

Information Management Fundamentals - March 27, 2009

Posted on March 22, 2009
Great news for those wishing to take some or all of the courses in the Information Management Certificate I just wrote about.To take any of the courses in the Practitioner's Toolkit courses or the Manager's Toolkit Courses, you need to have at least one of the two introductory IM courses as a prerequisite...

Connie Crosby's 7 Reasons for Taking an Information Management Certificate

Posted on March 22, 2009
Last month I wrote about starting on the new Information Management Certificate from the Professional Learning Centre (the PLC) at the iSchool at Toronto. Since that time, I have completed the two introductory courses with Deirdre Grimes and Ivan Welsh, including handing in the assignments, and just finished attending the Information Management Analyses course with Janet de Guzman and have to work on the assignment...

Slaw.ca currently unavailable

Posted on March 04, 2009

Understanding the Facebook Terms of Service from Rocketboom

Posted on February 20, 2009
Long-time readers of this blog know I am a fan of the video show Rocketboom. At Podcamp Halifax in January I had the pleasure of being able to hang out a bit with Rocketboom's creator Andrew Baron. This video exemplifies why I am such a fan--the show is smart, informative, and entertaining at the same time...

Government and Public Policy in a New Collaborative Age

Posted on February 09, 2009
I have been following the conversations around how social media and collaboration are slowly making in-roads into citizens and government working together toward jointly-developed public policy. Not surprisingly, the road to "Government 2.0" is not always an easy one...

New Information Management Certificate at University of Toronto's PLC

Posted on February 09, 2009
As someone who teaches at the Professional Learning Centre at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, I help to spread the word about their various excellent programs. Their new Information Management Certificate has me even more excited than most! A lot of the work I do touches on either information management or knowledgement management (and I am sure there are plenty of overlaps between these areas)...

Wikis as Intranets

Posted on February 09, 2009
Today over on the Slaw post Collaboration Through Wikis: Law Firm Case Study I pull together a presentation and a write-up about a project to implement a wiki platform as an intranet by the Toronto-based law firm Hicks Morley. Heather Colman, Knowledge Management Specialist, spearheaded the project for them and describes in detail how this project was conceived and implemented over on LLRX...

New Dean Starts at University of Toronto's Faculty of Information

Posted on January 21, 2009
I just received the press release below about the new iSchool dean. I have been impressed with the school as of late, all the positive forward-looking changes, and have to admit feeling jealous of the students attending today. They are learning some very interesting things! I find some of the new dean's thoughts interesting, especially the idea of establishing an undergraduate program...

New: Lawyer Addiction Blog

Posted on January 19, 2009
For a change of pace my colleague Steve Matthews, known for hard-core legal information blogs such as LegalPubs.ca, Canadian Law Blogs, Florida Lawyers Blog Watch, and the DUI Lawyer Blog Watch, is now giving back to the legal community by using his skills to create and run the new Lawyer Addiction Blog...

Seen Reading: Torontonians are still reading books

Posted on January 11, 2009
Anyone who rides the Toronto transit knows that people find ways to close themselves off from everyone else, usually either by wearing headphones to listen to music (if you see me with headphones, I'm more likely listening to spoken word in the form of business podcasts) and by reading...

Who is Canada's Most Influential Woman in Social Media?

Posted on December 30, 2008
Well, I've resisted blogging about this up until now, but my excitement has gotten the better of me. A short while ago Canadian marketer Dave Forde started putting together a list of most influential Canadian women in social media. I was nominated to the list (a fantastic honour!) and then Dave opened it up for voting...

2008 Blawggies - Law-related Blogging Awards Announced

Posted on December 22, 2008
I recently told you about the a href="http://www.clawbies.ca/2008-clawbies-coming-soon/"upcoming 2008 Clawbies/a. Well, yesterday a href="http://www.denniskennedy.com/index.aspx"Dennis Kennedy /areleased his a href="http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/2008/12/dennis_kennedys_2008_lawrelated_blogging_awar...

New Facebook Feature: Embed Videos onto Other Sites

Posted on December 10, 2008
Below is a video I recorded with my macbook directly into Facebook. I noticed a new feature that allows the video to be "embedded" (or posted) onto another site, so I am trying it out. Details below the video on how I did it. I took the embed code and put it into the HTML editor here on Blogger...

2008 CLawBies - Nominations Now Open for the Canadian Law Blog Awards

Posted on December 08, 2008
Steve Matthews of Stem Legal is again running his Canadian Law Blog Awards (a.k.a. the CLawBies). He is, however, changing things up by asking us, his readers, to nominate our favourite Canadian law blogs. From his post:2008 Nominations Between now and Friday December 27th, you may nominate a Canadian authored legal blog in one of two possible ways...

Happy Movember!

Posted on December 01, 2008
Only a day late--November was "Movember". The Canadian campaign raised $550,000 in November 2007. Your Canadian donation goes to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada.

JD Supra Launches Facebook App

Posted on November 21, 2008
When I was in California for the Internet Librarian conference in October, I was fortunate to also head to San Francisco and meet with some of the folks from legal documents sharing service JD Supra. They hinted that some new developments were just around the corner, and I'm pleased to announce that they have now released a Facebook application...

Innovation in Tough Economic Times

Posted on November 15, 2008
This Thursday I will be facilitating a roundtable discussion at the next Toronto Girl Geek Dinners. I have been attending meetings of this group for about a year, and have found them to be very collegial. It is a fantastic group of interesting women from a range of industries...

If the Matrix was on Windows

Posted on November 10, 2008
For anyone who is a fan of The Matrix, this one's for you from College Humor. Very well done with some new classic lines--See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.More on Ubuntu.Hat tip to Kevin Lim for the link.

New Business Books - Don Tapscott and Shel Holtz

Posted on November 05, 2008
This week I learned about three new business books that have just been released that you should know about. I have one in my hot little hands, and the others two I have ordered from my favourite business bookstore, Books for Business.Monday night I attended the book launch party for Don Tapscott's latest offering, Grown Up Digital...

Community Divas Episode 6: Adele McAlear on Video

Posted on October 27, 2008
Anyone who saw my presentation about audio & video tools for Internet Librarian 2008, or who has been interested in the discussion via seesmic going on in this blog, will also be interested in the discussion Eden Spodek and I had recently with Adele McAlear of McAlear Marketing...

Internet Librarian 2008 - Closing Keynote with Liz Lawley

Posted on October 23, 2008
I didn't blog Liz Lawley's talk, but she moved through a number of "tangibles" that librarians should be aware of, many of them in the form of new technologies, gadgets, and hands-on tech and craft projects. I grabbed an excerpt of her talk in video for you:Internet Librarian 2008: Liz Lawley closing keynoteTalking about the tangible of today's society.

Internet Librarian 2008 - Connie's Day 2 Wrap-up

Posted on October 22, 2008
In this seesmic video I give a wrap-up of Day 2, talking about my new inspiration to get out and use easy web-based video to tell people's stories.Internet Librarian - Connie's Day 2 Wrap-upConnie talks about being newly inspired at Internet Librarian...

Internet Librarian 2008 - Day 3 Afternoon

Posted on October 22, 2008
I am in one of the last sessions for this year's Internet Librarian conference. I took the opportunity to introduce you to the people I am sitting with waiting for the session by Steven Cohen. I also captured a little video from Steven's talk.This is Steven Cohen on Google Reader...

Internet Librarian 2008: Defining & Measuring Social Media Success

Posted on October 22, 2008
Jeff Wisniewskijeffw@pitt.eduHow do you measure? Is 2 comments a week good, bad?Why be social?marketing yourself without doing traditional marketingGoogle page rank improves the more social you are; critical for librariesmost of the people using social media, vast majority are anxious to interact with you and your organization online...

Ottawa Course - Social Networking Tools: Hands on learning

Posted on October 22, 2008
I am teaching my Social Networking Tools survey course in Ottawa again. The school tells me that the November 17th class is now full, but there are spots remaining in the Tuesday, November 18th class. Please don't wait to sign up!For details about the class and registering, please see the Professional Learning Centre course description...

Internet Librarian 2008 - My Presentation on Instant Audio & Video

Posted on October 21, 2008
I have posted my presentation from this afternoon, Instant Audio & Video: Tools Igniting the Digital World has now been posted to my Crosby Consulting Connection blog. I've also posted some bonus demo videos. Enjoy!If you are looking for presentations by other speakers, many are being collectively posted to the IL2008 event on Slideshare...

Internet Librarian - Stephen Abram on Enterprise Trends

Posted on October 21, 2008
Enterprise Trends: Beyond the Simple IntranetThis presentation will be posted to Stephen Abram's blog http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/.Connie's note: These are notes from Stephen's talk. Any errors or omissions are mine.You need to be ahead of the curve...

Connie Crosby - Upcoming Events

Posted on October 20, 2008
Here is where you can catch me the next few weeks:Internet Librarian - Monterey, CaliforniaMonday, October 20, 20084:15 PM ? 5:00 PMInstant Audio & Video: Tools Igniting the Digital WorldConnie Crosby, Principal, Crosby Consulting GroupNo time to learn how to podcast or make videos? Seesmic, Utterli, ooVoo, BlogTV, Qik, and Talkshoe are just a few of the new audio and video tools letting people create their own instant web content with a small learning curve...

Internet Librarian International 2008 - Can't be there in person?

Posted on October 17, 2008
This year's Internet Librarian International looks, as usual, excellent. I found this perhaps a little late--a widget with rolling photos and tweets (via Twitter) from conference participants to make me feel a little more like I am there:Thanks also to Ĺke Nygren for sharing his presentation on the build-it-yourself social network site Ning, itself built on a Ning site: http://2008ningthings...

Connie Crosby is Now Podcasting - Community Divas

Posted on September 30, 2008
This summer my friend Eden Spodek, a communications specialist known for her blog Bargainista.ca and one of my fellow Podcamp Toronto organizers, and I dared each other to start podcasting. What better way to fulfill that dare than to create that podcast together?!Thus Community Divas was born! Our goal is to interview leaders in a wide range of communities, and talk about issues in building online communities...

Product Recalls and Taking Corporate Responsibility

Posted on September 24, 2008
Wherever I turn today, I am running into news about recalls:news that the horrific tainted milk scandal in China, where almost 53,000 children are sick and 13,000 are currently in hospital, has now led to a second recall in Canada. On Sunday there was a recall of Nissin Cha Cha Dessert and yesterday Ottawa recalled certain types of Mr...

Update: recruiting with social networks & a new law KM online group

Posted on September 17, 2008
Hi folks! Here are a few of my recent blog posts you might be interested in:On my business blog Connection I shared some of the resources I used and some of the websites we looked at during a workshop I taught last week on recruiting using Facebook and other social networks...

Kick-start your Monday with the Hi-Fi Sci-Fi Library

Posted on August 24, 2008
WARNING: this song will get stuck in your head. You are warned!!This video is by Michael Porter and David Lee King, created for Michael's upcoming presentation to the Library and Information Technology Association (or LITA, a branch of the American Library Association)...

Six Random Things

Posted on August 17, 2008
Every once in a while a meme goes around the blogging world, and sometimes I play along while other times I don't. Just depends on the mood I'm in.This weekend I was at a Niagara Podcasting & Social Media Meetup, and saw my podcasting friend Daniele Rossi...

Connie Crosby's Day Off, or How Twitter Decided We Needed a Break

Posted on August 04, 2008
Funny things happen when I go off-line for any length of time. In the case of this weekend, I signed off mid-afternoon Friday to head for a workout and then meet a family member who was arriving in town to visit for the long weekend. While out I tried to send a message to my Twitter followers via my cell phone, but it didn't work as expected so I sent the "tweet" a second time...

Use That iPod! Latest Podcasts with Connie Crosby

Posted on August 01, 2008
Okay, I had the date wrong for the Law Librarians podcast in my last post. As recompense I have put together links to a few other recent podcast episodes that, coincidentally, I have been involved in:Uncontrolled Vocabulary, Episode 52 - Uncontrolled Tech SupportSummary: group phone-in show discussing recent library news...

Law Librarian Podcast - Margie Maes is Next Week's Guest

Posted on August 01, 2008
Law library podcast The Law Librarian is set to continue recording next Friday, August 8th at 3 pm CST. The show is hosted by Richard Leiter and Brian Striman. Today's guest is Margie Maes (some readers may know her as Margie Axtmann), Executive Director of the Legal Information Preservation Alliance, a committee of AALL...

What Does an Earthquake Do to a Library?

Posted on July 30, 2008
Today's news that a moderate earthquake shook California quickly spread through the social networks (well, a 5.8 earthquake isn't moderate in my books!) It was only a matter of time before some video surfaced. I was excited to see that the first footage I saw was of the damage in a library...

Twebinars - Are Webinars Using Twitter Going Too Far?

Posted on July 21, 2008
Anyone who follows my blogging probably knows I'm a bit of a Twitter fanatic. Still, I'm not sure about Twebinars, the new webinar series using Twitter.The current Twebinar series is being sponsored by social media monitoring company Radian6 who, incidentally, are based in Fredericton, New Brunswick (I think that's so cool!)...

Slaw Update

Posted on July 21, 2008
Do you read Slaw, the Canadian co-operative law blog? We're now three years old! I try not to re-post from one blog to the other, but as a result I suspect not everyone reading here knows I post over there as well. I hope to start regularly posting references to Slaw just to help keep track...

Law Library and Legal Vendor Relationships

Posted on July 18, 2008
Over on Slaw today Simon Chester posted excerpts from an article on Law.com by Alvin Podboy called Legal Information Needs a Little Kedging. The subject of library and vendor relations is close to my heart, and I have worked on both TALL and CALL committees over time to help improve relations...

Slaw Post: Viacom Vying for Your YouTube User Records

Posted on July 08, 2008
Yesterday at the Slaw blog I wrote a summary of the Viacom v. Google order that came out, ordering Google to release YouTube user records to Viacom.I'm in the middle of reading Joseph Jaffe's latest book Join the Conversation (disclosure: I have a review copy for the purposes of blogging about the book) and see he anticipated this controversy...

Steve Matthews on Rogers' Canadan iPhone Pricing

Posted on July 08, 2008
I can't help but agree with Steve Matthews' assessment of the pricing situation for the to-be-released iPhone from Rogers.It's frustrating. Since I gave my blackberry back when I left my law firm I'm been holding off getting any sort of PDA or smart phone to see what would happen...

Quickscribe - B.C. Legislation service evaluated in White Paper by Crosby Group

Posted on June 26, 2008
One of my first efforts as Crosby Group has been evaluating the B.C. legislation tracking/research service Quickscribe. An excerpt of the press release is below. I hope you find this report useful, and would love to hear your comments! Feel free to post feedback here or email me at conniecosby@gmail...

Crosby Group Website Up!

Posted on June 26, 2008
I am pleased to announce my new business website for Crosby Group Consulting, http://www.crosbygroup.ca, is now up and running! I also have a new blog called "Connection" at http://www.crosbygroup.ca/blog which will focus on community, social networking tools, and management strategy...

Sabrina Pacifici Wins SLA Innovations in Technology Award

Posted on June 16, 2008
I am currently in Seattle at the SLA conference. SLA awards were handed out last night, and as I reported over at Slaw, my colleague, mentor and good friend Sabrina Pacifici was honoured with the J.J. Kellar Innovations in Technology Award for her long-standing work as creator, founder and sole editor of law and technology blog beSpacific and e-zine LLRX...

Response to Wendy Reynolds on Slaw: Why Librarianship?

Posted on June 01, 2008
If you haven't already seen it, you should read Wendy Reynolds' article on Slaw, Why Librarianship? I am delighted Wendy has joined us on Slaw. You may recall she had a short-lived but brilliant blog on knowledge management a couple years ago. In this recent article, she questions whether librarianship is still a viable career option for those just starting out, whether she would recommend her niece to pursue this avenue...

What's on the Agenda

Posted on June 01, 2008
Howdy! I just recuperated from the CALL conference in Saskatoon, and am now in Ottawa to teach my Social Networking Tools class on Monday. After this I will be gearing up for the SLA conference. I have some content planned including notes and follow-up from the CALL conference which I will be posting in the next few days...

Expand Your Mind, Take Two

Posted on May 24, 2008
At the Mesh conference I met Dave Hyndman who later posted a tweet (a message to Twitter) sharing this video with everyone. It really is mind-blowing: animation created on public walls. The scope of this project is incredible. [Note: for full effect hit the full screen toggle (the four arrows pointing outwards) to view video...

Expand Your Mind

Posted on May 24, 2008
....otherwise known as the conference season!Connie spotted at Mesh08 Afterparty sponsored by Social Media GroupOriginally uploaded by ariehsingerI have to admit, I am one of those strange life forms who actually enjoys attending conferences. It was not always thus...

Mesh conference workshop: Sam Ladner on Reputation Monitoring and Management

Posted on May 22, 2008
Speaker: Sam Ladner of Blast Radiushttp://designresearch.wordpress.comTylenol - cited as key way to address bad incident with product; pulled product off the shelf in 6 days. Today, with word of mouth on the web this would not be fast enough.S. S. Stevens, 1946 "on the Theory of Scales of Measurement" Science,Vol...

Mesh conference session: Building a Brand on the Web

Posted on May 22, 2008
Panel moderated by Mark Evans.Panelists:Michael Garrity - CommunityLendMaggie Fox - Social Media GroupRohit Bhargava - http://www.influentialmarketingblog.com/Q: How is building a brand on the web different than building a brand with traditional methods?MF: It is the same, but things happen faster online...

Want More Mesh Conference Coverage?

Posted on May 22, 2008
I highly recommend Mark Blevis' coverage of the mesh conference also. He has also live-blogged some of the same sessions I have and has managed to capture different thoughts as well as apply his own analysis on the fly. Brilliant! Check out his posts at http://www...

Mesh conference session: Social Media in the Enterprise

Posted on May 22, 2008
Panel - moderated by Michael O'Connor ClarkeChris Reid of Yamaha Motor CanadaNatalie Johnson of General MotorsJenny Bullough of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.Q: Can a corporation be social?NJ: GM is trying to move away from "corporate speak" but it takes time to establish your own voice...

Mesh conference keynote: Garrett Camp talks about StumbleUpon

Posted on May 22, 2008
Mike McDermott interviews Garrett Camp from StumbleUpon. Notes on selected questions below. StumbleUpon was purchased in 2007 by eBay. It has over 3 1/2 million members currently.Q: Why would eBay purchase them?A: eBay doesn't have a recommendation system, but it has a social networking aspect...

Mesh conference keynote: Lane Merrifield on children's virtual world Club Penguin

Posted on May 22, 2008
Stuart MacDonald interviews Lane Merrifield of Club PenguinQ: What do you think Club Penguin is teaching our kids?A:Reading is one - there purposely are no voice overs; they want reading to be a part of it. Newspaper published weekly that also includes user content has to be read...

Mesh conference keynote: Michael Geist on Digital Advocacy in Canada

Posted on May 21, 2008
Michael Geist talking on Digital Advocacy - these are notes from his talks (notable sites he mentioned); below are also notes from an interview with Rob Hyndman that followed his talk.Three stories:(1)Speech from the Throne, the government talked about protecting culture which was a restrictive piece of copyright legislation they were planning to introduce...

Mesh conference keynote: Ethan Kaplan on the Music Industry

Posted on May 21, 2008
I am at the Mesh conference in Toronto today and tomorrow. Last night after a pre-Mesh event I had the opportunity to chat with a few friends. One thing we addressed with how the music industry has changed. Jay Moonah, who is both in marketing related business and is a musician (and who is also one of the smartest people I know in social media), said while the music business is alive, the record business is essentially dead...

Presentation to OALT/ABO: The Wonderful World of Social Networking Tools

Posted on May 20, 2008
Last week I had the privilege of speaking at the annual conference of the Ontario Association of Library Technicians (OALT/ABO). My presentation slides are below, with a few changes I made following our discussion.What these do not capture is the lively discussion of the group, talking about how their children and grandchildren are using the networks, and whether we have a realistic or overly restricted view of the web...

FIS PLC Social Networking Tools Course - Coming Again to Ottawa

Posted on May 20, 2008
I am delighted to announce that, by popular demand, we have added another social networking tools class in Ottawa on June 2nd.This is a hands-on survey course looking at various social networking tools for library and information professionals. The morning is spent learning about RSS and setting up some feeds in Google Reader, setting up a blog with WordPress , setting up a blog with PBWiki, and learning about social bookmarking by using del...

2008 InnovAction Awards - Deadline is June 2nd

Posted on May 19, 2008
June 2 is the deadline for submission of entries for the 2008 InnovAction Awards. From the website:The InnovAction Awards is a worldwide search for lawyers, law firms, and other deliverers of legal services who are currently engaged in some extraordinarily innovative efforts...

Last Chance to Catch My Course!

Posted on May 12, 2008
I am teaching Social Networking Tools: Hands on Learning one last time in Toronto for the next several months this Thursday, May 15th. This course is a chance to try out a blog, a wiki, looking at RSS feeds with Google Reader, bookmarking with del.icio...

Is Twitter Changing the Way We Communicate?

Posted on May 08, 2008
You probably already know I am a prolific Twitter user. But how are others using it? A few discussions that have stood out for me this week:Steve Matthew's post Lawyer Marketing With Twitter over at the Law Firm Web Strategy blog. I have to tell you, even though I have been following a few lawyers on Twitter (for example, Rob Hyndman and Doug Corneluis) I figured these guys were the exception and it would be unlikely to catch on in the legal world...

ooVoo Rocks

Posted on May 07, 2008
Oh hey, remember I told you about participating in ooVoo Day back in February? ooVoo is the new video chat tool that allows up to 6 people to chat at any one time. I just heard from Scott Monty of crayon who were doing the promotion of this tool--they have edited a very cool video of our experience...

How are YOU Rocking the Web?

Posted on May 07, 2008
Enough about me--I am very interested in hearing what tools YOU are exploring or playing with, and what little (or big) projects you have undertaken, whether it be in your professional or personal life:Have you tried out utterz or seesmic?Have you set up a new blog for your organization?Did you help your kids get started with Club Penguin or Webkinz?Are you using Skype to talk with family members? Have you tried the video option?Do you have a new favourite app in Facebook?Did you set up a wiki to organize a family reunion?Have you found a great use for all those digital photos you have been taking?Whatever it is, please share it here! So often we are in our own little corner of the world thinking we are the only ones who haven't tried something...

mesh conference is coming

Posted on May 06, 2008
In 2006 five guys got together and thought up the mesh conference. Their aim was to bring together Canada's internet community and solidify Toronto's presence as a major player in the web industry. They put together the first fantastic conference in 2006 in just 6 short weeks...

Where Do You Find the Time for Social Media?

Posted on April 29, 2008
I often get asked how I find the time to blog (well, when I do blog!), interact on Twitter, keep up with Facebook, learn about podcasting, attend any number of community-based social media group meetups, and read books to boot. My answers have varied over the years, but Clay Shirky, author of the recently released book Here Comes Everybody (which I have yet to read), has the best answer in this video...

Where I've Been, and Where I'm Going

Posted on April 28, 2008
Have you missed me? The best-laid plans sometimes get put aside for real life. I had a fantastic time at the Computers in Libraries conference, took lots of notes but alas had little bandwidth to post at the time. So, no live blogging. I do have photos to still post to Flickr, and notes to post from the sessions I attended...

Connie at Computers in Libraries

Posted on April 07, 2008
I have travelled to Arlington, Virginia to check out the Computers in Libraries conference. I left booking this to the last minute because I was busy, but then realized I would be mad at myself if I didn't attend. Last year I found it incredible: lots of new ideas in sessions, but more importantly so many smart, savvy people who I met...

Using RSS to track new Canadian case law from CanLII - an Instructional Video

Posted on April 07, 2008
I agree with Steve Matthews' assessment over on Slaw: Dominic Jaar has done some nice working creating an instructional screencast to show us how to create an RSS feed from a CanLII search (using Feedity) to track new decisions. It is one thing to have someone tell you about this; it is far more helpful to have someone actually show you.

Bibliography of Online Canadian Federal Government Databases - 4th edition

Posted on April 07, 2008
Great catch by Michel-Adrien Sheppard over at the Library Boy blog:an updated list of the Canadian Federal Government databases available on the Internet, via the Weekly Checklist. They count 488 publicly accessible databases now available. Some require registration...

Alana Taylor asks: Do you know what Flickr and Twitter are?

Posted on April 02, 2008
This video brings home the point that most people are oblivious to the social networking tools I use. In this video, NYU journalism student Alana Taylor took it to the streets asking students and other passersby whether they use Facebook, Flickr and Twitter...

New Canadian Case Law System "BestCase" Launches Today

Posted on April 01, 2008
It may be April Fool's, but this is no joke: Canada's fourth online case law system, BestCase from Canada Law Book, officially launches today.Late last year Canada Law Book met with law librarians across the country to introduce the idea and get feedback...

Bermuda law firm Mello Jones & Martin looking for Information Services Manager

Posted on March 29, 2008
Are you looking for a new law librarian experience? Why not try Bermuda! Danielle Brousseau posted this to the CALL listserv and I asked if I might re-post it to my blog for others. -- Information Services Manager Mello Jones & Martin, located in Hamilton, Bermuda, is looking for an Information Services Manager to add to the Firm?s Management Team...

Social Networking Tools on Friday - Still Room!

Posted on March 25, 2008
I am teaching the Social Networking Tools course at FIS PLC (Professional Learning Centre at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto) on Friday. There are still a few spot lefts if you have been waiting. I've been teaching this introductory survey course on a frequent basis since last August...

Toronto Catastrophe Slam - Free Public Registration Slots Open

Posted on March 25, 2008
Last week I told you about the Toronto Catastrophe Slam taking place on Sunday, March 30, 2008.30 slots have now been opened for free public registration to the Catastrophe Slam, and the full 3 day Digifest event is available for for $25. You can register for digifest here: http://www...

LISTen Podcast - Interview with Joshua Neff on Library Camp Kansas

Posted on March 24, 2008
LISTen host Stephen Kellat asked me for a contribution to this week's podcast. To me the most exciting, positive thing happening last week was Library Camp Kansas which followed closely on the heals of Library Camp Syracuse. So, I asked the organizers of Library Camp Kansas for an interview...

Was I Too Harsh?

Posted on March 22, 2008
I was reading through comments on the LISNews blog last night. There was one post about public libraries being turned into video arcades. Essentially public libraries have been introducing gaming into their libraries to attract a younger crowd, and there has been much criticism from some people about the direction this is taking libraries...

Toronto Catastrophe Slam

Posted on March 22, 2008
This message was sent out via the Torcamp Google Group email list yesterday. If you work in a local public or academic library in particular, this may be of interest to you:THE TORONTO CATASTROPHE SLAM"a day of dialogue over Toronto disaster scenarios"...

Blogger Get Together at AALL 2008

Posted on March 20, 2008
Will you be at the annual conference for the American Association of Law Libraries? If so, Barbara Fullerton told me about this blogger meetup:It's time to mark your calendars for the AALL's Third Annual Bloggers Get Together!Time: 5-6 p.m.Date: Sunday, July 13thPlace: TBAGuest Speaker: TBA (we are inviting bloggers from the Portland area)Come share your ideas and meet the other law librarian bloggers! Open to all bloggers and potential bloggers...

Twitter - What It Is and How I am Using It

Posted on March 20, 2008
Twitter is an interesting social networking tool. It looks deceptively simple--like instant messaging, except that the 140-character messages are sent to a large group of followers. It is a bit like the status line in Facebook, but it is so much more...

A Twitter Word Association Game: Collaboration, Communication, Community

Posted on March 19, 2008
I have been doing some thinking about and writing for my forthcoming business website. The words seemed to be a little too flat, however. I therefore threw a few words out to my friends in my social network on Twitter and asked them to play a word association game...

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Conference - Don't Miss the Early Bird Deadline!

Posted on March 18, 2008
Tomorrow is the early bird deadline for the CALL Conference -- don't miss it!I think this may be the sleeper event of the season. When I went to book a room in one of the conference hotels today, I found it was booked up. That means lots of people have booked! Fortunately they have added a block of rooms at another hotel (I appreciate that they have found more space, and that I don't have to hunt around for it myself)...

Attend the Annual Conference for the International Association of Law Libraries with the IALL Scholarship Programs

Posted on March 18, 2008
Lyonette Louis-Jacques sent this message around the listservs today. Note the deadline is May 15th. I encourage you to apply! More details on this page. I definitely would apply if I qualified. This year's conference is taking place in Puerto Rico...

The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies

Posted on March 17, 2008
Legal technology experts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell are set to release their new book The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together through the American Bar Association.The table of contents (available in PDF form from the description) shows the book covers a wide range of subjects including:collaboration inside and outside the officethe initial implementation process including something they are calling the "collaboration audio", setting priorities and getting buy-inthe various aspects involved in collaborating on documentscollaboration on cases, transactions and other projectsvarious platforms used for collaboration, including email, extranets, intranets, wikis, and a range of other collaboration toolsdeveloping a strategy for collaboratingpractical issues such as ethics, metadata, ownership and control and potential pitfallsscenarios for various types of practices and legal departmentscreating a collaboration cultureresourcesThis looks like a fantastic resource...

Happy St. Paddy's Day To All My Friends!

Posted on March 17, 2008
To those of you raising a pint on this fine day: Sláinte!

Movers and Shakers 2008 announced in the American Library Journal

Posted on March 16, 2008
The March 15, 2008 issue of Library Journal includes this year's Movers and Shakers. Congratulations to those selected!From the 2009 nomination guidelines:emerging leaders in the library world. Our eighth annual Movers & Shakers supplement will profile 50-plus up-and-coming individuals from across the United States and Canada who are innovative, creative, and making a difference...

Talkshoe News: New Facebook Application

Posted on March 12, 2008
As predicted by William Spaetzel (see the comments), Talkshoe has launched a new Facebook application (you will need a free Facebook ID to view this page).According to Greg Schwartz who hosts my favourite show on Talkshoe, Uncontrolled Vocabulary, "this will allow you to listen live to Uncontrolled Vocabulary and participate in the chat room during the live call without ever leaving Facebook...

Friday Roundup (March 7/08) - An REM video duo

Posted on March 07, 2008
Before I was a book and computer geek, I was a music geek and even DJ'ed for a short period on campus radio. To kick off your weekend (March break?) I offer a couple of REM video selections. Have you seen their ninetynights promo? Started January 1st, ninety video clips are being released one a day in HD (available for the one day only)...

Upcoming Courses: Professional Learning Centre, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto

Posted on March 06, 2008
I had a couple of messages today from my friend Eva Kupidura at the FIS PLC at the University of Toronto with an update on courses. There are two new course being introduced, plus space still available in three others for March.One of the classes is my own Social Networking Tools...

Connie Crosby on Podcamp: LISTen Episode #11

Posted on March 03, 2008
In this week's episode of the LISNews.org postcast LISTen, StephenK interviews me about Podcamp and the lessons we can take away for libraries. He throws me a couple of "curve-ball" questions, so you can listen how I handle them.Cheers,Connie

Waiting for News from TalkShoe

Posted on March 03, 2008
I have been using the web show hosting platform TalkShoe a fair bit lately. If you read this blog, you know that I participate in the library show Uncontrolled Vocabulary as much as possible. As well, we used TalkShoe for our last episodes of the Podcamp Toronto Podcast (we recorded Episode #14 last night which should be out soon)...

LinkedIn Has a New Look

Posted on February 28, 2008
Chris Brogan points out that business social network platform LinkedIn has a new look in his blog post LinkedIN Gets Pretty. He says:So the fact that they gave themselves a nice facelift, added personal photos to the site, and have quietly added some new functionality, comes as a pleasant bonus...

JD Supra - Creating Your Profile

Posted on February 28, 2008
Just a clarification on my previous post yesterday about JD Supra: your profile goes live once you start adding documents. This makes complete sense to me--they give promotional space to those who are willing to participate, willing to share. It is a great business model, one which no doubt we will see more of elsewhere...

Uncontrolled Vocabulary - Library Podcast on the Move

Posted on February 28, 2008
The library industry podcast which I have talked about in the past, Uncontrolled Vocabulary created and hosted by Greg Schwartz, has moved! It is now located at the URL http://uncontrolledvocabulary.com . Congratulations, Greg!The show is recorded most Wednesday nights, 10 pm EST using Talkshoe...

Sharing Legal Documents - JD Supra Goes Live

Posted on February 27, 2008
In my presentation about the use of wikis in law firms to Toronto Wiki Tuesdays a couple weeks ago, one of the audience members suggested that it was only a matter of time before firms start sharing precedents in some sort of free web system. It put me in mind of JD Supra which I had previewed last September...

University of Toronto Faculty of Information Studies Professor Participating in New Research Project: Surveillance and Social Sorting

Posted on February 26, 2008
More news from the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto: Professor Andrew Clement is one of eight academic researchers participating in a project that has been awarded a $2.5 million Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant...

Why Podcamp Toronto Will Be Cool

Posted on February 22, 2008
Thanks to Chris Brogan for sharing these memories of Podcamp Toronto from last year. So many of the people pictured I had barely met or were complete strangers, and now I count so many of them as friends. It has been a crazy/strange journey through social media...

Via ooVoo: Pistachio on a Presentation That Rocks MUCH More

Posted on February 22, 2008
Last Friday I talked about My ooVoo Day and trying out this fantastic new video chat tool ooVoo. Well, yesterday I put it to the test by attending a workshop put on by Laura Fitton of Pistachio Consulting (in the land of Twitter, we just call her @pistachio which is kind of fun and gives her lots of street cred I'm sure)...

FIS Announces Eight New Library, Information and Museum Studies Professors and Lecturers - University of Toronto

Posted on February 22, 2008
As alumna of the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto, I like to check in periodically as to what is happening with the program. They have had a standing call for new faculty for quite as while, so I am pleased to see an announcement on the front of the website explaining who have now been brought in...

Toronto Wiki Tuesdays - Photos and Write-up

Posted on February 17, 2008
Thanks to Martin Cleaver for posting photos and another write-up of my presentation last week on his blog.He counted 16 people who showed up in the snow storm. This is a tremendous number for this group. I can only imagine how big we could grow with more focussed discussions and better weather!

A Look at the Free Software and Open Source Movements

Posted on February 17, 2008
Joel Alleyne has just posted his Extreme Tech column for Slaw: Why You Should Take a Look at the Free / Open Source Software Movement. While I support the Open Source movement in principle, I have to admit not being personally involved and not knowing a lot about it...

Podcamp Toronto Podcast Episode #10

Posted on February 15, 2008
Episode #10 has now been posted over at the Podcamp Toronto Blog. This is our second attempt at using Talkshoe to host, and I think we are getting better at it. I had better control of the conversation compared to last time. I may just be getting the hang of this podcasting thing! ;-)Cheers,Connie

Friday Roundup (Feb. 15/08): Five Social Media Sites to Kick Off Your Weekend

Posted on February 15, 2008
One thing I am loving right now is having the time to try out new media tools and better explore some old favourites. Here's what I've been up to lately: Joseph Jaffee on OoVooOriginally uploaded by ConnieC Podcamp Toronto - I've been helping organize this new social media unconference coming up next weekend (February 23 & 24, 2008)...

Do Wikis Belong in Law Firms?

Posted on February 14, 2008
Tuesday night I gave a presentation to Toronto Wiki Tuesdays about the use of wikis in law firms. On Monday, to get some additional ideas, I posted a message to Slaw asking for any new examples of wiki use in law firms since I wanted to present more than just wikis I had a hand in myself...

Venue Change! Toronto Wiki Tuesdays moved to Insomnia Tonight

Posted on February 12, 2008
This last-minute notice from Martin Cleaver:Hi all,Re: Tonight's Toronto Wiki Tuesday (Wikis in Legal Firms)I am really sorry to have to say that I've just discovered Rowers Pub is shut for renovations. We've scrambled and managed to find a place not too far away and have posted a notice at Rowers...

Recording Live - Podcamp Toronto Podcast Episode 10

Posted on February 12, 2008
Just to be confusing, we have changed up the day and time from last week. We are giving Talkshoe another go, and recording Podcamp Podcast Episode #10 at 9 pm tomorrow night, Wednesday February 13, 2008 here on Talkshoe. The phone lines will open up at about 8:45 to get us set up, so join us then...

Should Law Firms Be Using Wikis?

Posted on February 12, 2008
My colleague Ted Tjaden has raised the question about wikis in law firms over at Slaw. If this question interests you, I invite you over to the discussion (see the comments in addition to Ted's post). I respect Ted's opinion, and believe it to be justified for his particular law firm...

Wikis in Law Firms - Toronto Wiki Tuesday

Posted on February 11, 2008
This month's Toronto Wiki Tuesday will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I volunteered to take the lead on the evening's discussion. I want to talk about two subjects:- the acceptance of social media by lawyers and, specifically, the use of wikis in law firms; and- how best to develop a course on wikisI'm hoping that any members of law firms who are using wikis will drop by give some input...

Tonight - Join me Live for Podcamp Toronto Podcast Episode 9

Posted on February 07, 2008
Tonight my co-host Sean McGaughey and I will be trying out the Talkshoe platform to record our podcast. We are looking for Podcamp Toronto attendees to join us in the call and talk about what they are up to and looking forward to with Podcamp.

Research and Morals - What Would You Do?

Posted on February 04, 2008
What do or would you do if you are asked to do research that goes against your personal morals? That question is posed over at the Enquiring Minds Want to Know blog by Jennifer Vass and Davina Gifford. Below is the response I posted in their blog. What would you do?It helps to have thought out what your barriers are in advance and worked out a policy...

Ontario Library Association Superconference 2008 - Blog

Posted on February 04, 2008
Did you miss the OLA Superconference that took place last year? The blog is here. I am reading my way through the posts.The link is courtesy of John Dupuis at Confessions of a Science Librarian. John has included his own presentation, My Job in 10 Years: the Future of Academic Libraries.

ABA Law Practice Management: Is CRM Worth It? and Other Marketing Technology Trends

Posted on February 04, 2008
In the January/February 2008 issue of Law Practice Management, a magazine from the American Bar Association, I was invited to contribute to a panel discussion about Client Relationship Management applications in the Law Practice Case Study: Is CRM Worth It? The Pros and Cons of Client Relationship Management...

University of Toronto, Faculty of Information Studies Grads: Call for Nominations Jubilee 2008 Award

Posted on February 04, 2008
Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto is looking for nominations---Call For Nominations for the 2008 Alumni Jubilee Award -- Deadline March 28, 2008Do you know of an innovator, a leader, a mentor, a researcher, a catalyst, someone who?s made a difference to the profession and is a FIS alumnus/ae? Each year, the Faculty of Information Studies Alumni Association (FISAA) honours a distinguished graduate of the Faculty (or its predecessors) who has made significant contributions in innovation or leadership in libraries or information management, professional organizations, publications/research, or the community at large...

Feeling Deprived? Did You Miss the Superbowl Ads?

Posted on February 03, 2008
Superbowl isn't quite the big event here in Canada that is in the U.S. And I'm not a football fan. At all. Still, it would be nice to know what all these ads they talk about are. The folks at Fox are posting all the commercials over at myspace. Check it out: http://www...

Jordan S. Hatcher - Lawyer, consultant and blogger

Posted on February 03, 2008
I always like discovering blogs that are new to me in areas that show a unique perspective. Jordan S. Hatcher is a lawyer specializing in the IT world, working as a consultant on copyright and content issues. He has at least a couple of interesting blogs:opencontentlawyer...

Jordan Furlong Now Blogging at Law21

Posted on February 02, 2008
If you only look at one new Canadian law blog this year, you should make it Jordan Furlong's Law21. Jordan has been a dedicated fellow contributor to the Slaw blog for some time now, so it is fantastic to see him taking the next step and starting his own blog space...

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #28 - Now Posted

Posted on February 01, 2008
Greg Schwartz has posted Uncontrolled Vocabulary Episode #28 which I guest hosted on Wednesday night. He hasn't created the show notes yet, but since he's been very busy I guess we will let him off the hook this time. Comments about the show can be posted to his blog or emailed to us:greg...

Toronto Tech Week - Town Hall Meeting - January 31, 2008

Posted on January 31, 2008
This morning I attended the town hall meeting for Toronto Tech Week. This event--or series of events--will be held September 22-26, 2008 this year, and will be based at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre. Last year was the first year for this event (it was held in May) and had 3,000 people in the technology industry attending over 20 events...

Catch Connie Crosby Today -- Live!

Posted on January 30, 2008
After two very full days of teaching in Ottawa I now get to "bust out" a little and hang with three different groups in one day. Currently I am holed up in a secret location getting ready for the following events:- 4:00 p.m. Toronto Association of Law Libraries - I am speaking at the "Surf and Learn"--as opposed to "Lunch and Learn"--on the funky topic Social Networking Tools Inside the Law Firm...

Demo Post

Posted on January 30, 2008
I am showing the blog software to a group!

News Flash: Connie Crosby Hosts Uncontrolled Vocabulary - Wed. Jan. 30/08 - 10 pm EST

Posted on January 28, 2008
You have no doubt heard me talk a bit about Uncontrolled Vocabulary, the library industry phone-in show via Talkshoe on the web. Greg Schwartz aka planetneutral, the usual host, is unable to fulfil his usual duties as host this week. As such, he went in search of a guest host and I put up my hand...

Podcamp Toronto 2 - Coming Soon!

Posted on January 27, 2008
Last February I attended my first "unconference" in the form of Podcamp Toronto. I had such a great time, learning so much and meeting so many interesting people, that I put my hand up to help organize this year's Podcamp Toronto.My main focus has been the Podcamp Toronto Blog, and specifically with working on our latest promotional vehicle--you guessed it--the Podcamp Toronto Podcast...

In Ottawa Teaching for the Professional Learning Centre

Posted on January 27, 2008
You know, I take on projects and forget to tell folks about them. Monday and Tuesday this week I will be in the fabulous City of Ottawa teaching my Social Networking Tools: Hands On Learning course. I have just missed Winterlude by a few days unfortunately...

Gung Haggis Fat Choy is Coming Up This Weekend

Posted on January 25, 2008
One of the things I am enjoying about being at home is seeing the CBC News coverage (not to mention the G4 Tech TV coverage). I just turned the news on to see a familiar face--Todd Wong! I had to laugh. Two years ago I blogged about an unique Vancouver cultural happening, Gung Haggis Fat Choy...

Should Other Archival Photograph Collections Move to Flickr Commons?

Posted on January 25, 2008
Last week Agnese Caruso reported that the Library of Congress is running a pilot project with Flickr to make its photographic collections available over the web. According to the Library of Congress Blog, the response has been tremendous:The response to the Library?s pilot project with Flickr has been nothing short of astounding...

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #27 - What's Wrong With Cool?

Posted on January 24, 2008
Whenever I am available 10 pm (EST) on Wednesday evenings, I like to take part in the phone-in show for librarians called Uncontrolled Vocabulary. The show is created and hosted by Greg Schwartz and uses the Talkshoe platform for recording and hosting...

LLRX.com article: Social Networks for Law Librarians and Law Libraries

Posted on January 24, 2008
New on LLRX.com is an article by Debbie Ginsberg and Meg Kribble called Social Networks for Law Librarians and Law Libraries, or How We Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Friending. Great title, and a great article to go with it!I enjoyed their discussion of how law librarians are using social networks to connect with communities and each other...

Lawrence Lessig - Book Free for Download

Posted on January 23, 2008
I was just checking out the 2001 Lawrence Lessig book The Future of Ideas which is his most recent to have been made available for free download under Creative Commons licensing, as mentioned the other day on Slaw. I was impressed that I was not required to fill out any forms or even leave an email address behind in order to download it...

Aggregating Law Blog Feeds - Florida Lawyers Blog Watch

Posted on January 23, 2008
It is no surprise that I have been following Steve Matthews' work. His latest project is a great idea, one that certainly can expand to other jurisdictions: he has created the Florida Lawyers Blog Watch. Florida lawyers are particularly prolific when it comes to blogging...

Good-bye Job, Hello Leisure Girl?

Posted on January 11, 2008
The rumours you may have heard are true--I have now left my position as library manager at my law firm.The decision was not easy. Nor was leaving, which is why I have not blogged about it here up until now. As with anything, there is no one reason why I made this decision...

A Nod from the CLawBies!

Posted on January 01, 2008
I'm very excited--I received a runner-up nod in Steve Matthews' 2007 CLawBies, the Canadian law blog awards. The category is Law Library Blog Award. The winners in this category are very deserving-- Michel-Adrien Sheppard's Library Boy blog and the BC Courthouse Society Law Library What's New Blog ...

My First Podcasting Attempt!

Posted on December 23, 2007
Just a quick note before I head out for a bit of short Christmas break--I have now posted my first podcasting bit over at the Podcamp Toronto blog (Episode #3). Sean McGaughey (ductapeguy) did the difficult bit, recording and editing. I did the show notes and posted it...

Best new cartoon from hugh macleod @ gapingvoid

Posted on December 12, 2007

Cool New Happenings in the Podcast World

Posted on December 09, 2007
I make note of some of the cool new happenings from the podcast world:It is the Canadian Podcast Buffet's 2nd anniversary! Not familiar with the Buffet? It is a regular update of the comings and goings of the Canadian podcaster community hosted by Bob Goyetche and Mark Blevis...

Daily Bread Food Bank - Law Firm Challenge

Posted on December 07, 2007
10000 maniacs:bread & circusesOriginal photograph by visualpanic.Some rights reserved under a Creative Commons licence.Last year I reported on the 2006 Daily Bread Food Bank Law Firm Challenge, and a lot of people have been finding this blog in an effort to locate the page for the 2007 Challenge...

Canadian Law Blogs List by Steve Matthews

Posted on December 07, 2007
My buddy Steve Matthews has done it again! He is always coming up with very focussed, important ideas. He has taken the Canadian Law Blogs List which first saw light of day as a blog post a few years ago, and has given it a brand new home with its own domain...

Professional Learning Centre - New Social Networking Courses?

Posted on December 06, 2007
Hi folks! I regret not having more energy to blog these past several days. One distraction has been my course at the Professional Learning Centre at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto -- Social Networking Tools: Hands on Learning It has been quite popular, to the point where I haven't even really had to promote it here on the blog...

Friday Roundup (Nov. 9/07): You Don't Expect to See Folk You Know

Posted on November 09, 2007
I don't always have time to post every day, so my first attempt writing about things I have been looking at went very well last week. So, I am back to share more! This week I was in Ottawa for a couple of days teaching my Social Networking Tools course for the Professional Learning Centre at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto (here is a link to the Toronto description)...

The Friday Roundup - Are We Living in the Future or What?

Posted on November 02, 2007
So many cool things are happening, it is hard to keep up with them all! Here is what has caught my attention this week:Steve Matthews has put together a sample site pulling together those Canadian legal publisher new title feeds over at legalpubs.ca. For information on how he did it, read the About page...

Comment "Captcha" is Now On

Posted on November 02, 2007
This blog has unfortunately been hit by a spammer or spambot posting every hour to various old posts. I have turned the "captcha" feature on to stop it. I am not in favour of using captcha typically and hope this is just a temporary measure until the spambot goes away...

NE2007: Libraries Without Borders: Presentations Now Posted

Posted on October 31, 2007
Presentations have now been posted to the NE2007: Libraries Without Borders -- Proceedings page. More to come! The audio files created also still need to be posted--we are working on that but didn't want to slow down posting the other content.Thanks to everyone who participated!Cheers,Connie

More Take-Away Thoughts from Law Via the Internet

Posted on October 30, 2007
I put together some of my take-away learnings and thoughts from last week's Law Via the Internet conference over at SLAW.The question which I didn't include was, how can librarians get more involved in making the law accessible to the public? There is the obvious link to law librarians, but I couldn't help but think we also have to consider those librarians who work directly with the public, the public librarians...

A Conversation with Stephen Abram at ACPL

Posted on October 29, 2007
Conversation with Stephen Abram from the Allen County Public Library. Link courtesy Michael Stephens.

PodCamp Boston 2: David Maister

Posted on October 28, 2007
David Maister shared his experiences on business blogging and podcasting, and answered questions from the audience.Switched his blogging model to congenial host - "I have this question and what do the rest of you think?"Blog posting - we all want to be relatively regular with our schedule...

Podcamp Boston 2: Social Media for Business with Isabel Hilborn

Posted on October 28, 2007
Isabel HilbornSocial media: media where the users create the content themselves.People who are not doing this want to know why people would spend time on this.Social Media Motivator: Hosts- cost savings/profit- timeliness- suitability- trust, legitimacy and attention - get more sales if there are bad comments about your comment along with good rather than just good comments - seems more authenticWhat can Social Media address? - professionals - networking, sale,s self-promotion, job search, industry expertise- enterprise internal - KM, project management- enterprise external- marketing

PodCamp Boston 2: PodCamp Retrospective and Prospective

Posted on October 27, 2007
20 podcamps world-wide in the past year. Why has it spread so far and so fast?Current challenges:- what size works best?- does venue or location matter?- wiki is not always user friendly?- scheduling/tracking deadlines- how do you manage volunteer staff?How do you expand it out so that you don't have the same 12 people going to every one like Grateful Dead followers...

PodCamp Boston 2: Smart Plan, Sexy 'Cast with Andrea Mercado

Posted on October 27, 2007
She specializes in library technology planning. Podcasts sessions with authors, interviews, etc. Has a blog LibraryTechtonics- what do people use to subscribe to podcasts?iTunes, Miro (can be used for videos and podcasts)- go and listen to as many podcasts; watch as many vidcasts in your area as you can as research to see what is already being done...

PodCamp Boston 2: Personal Branding - the Power of Conversations with Mitch Joel

Posted on October 27, 2007
PodCamp BostonSaturday, October 27, 2007Mitch JoelBuilding Your Personal Brand: The Power of ConversationsYou need to be passionate about everything you do! How many hours a day do you spend working? Podcasting? Most of us do it to get out of our work...

In Boston for Podcamp!

Posted on October 27, 2007
I am currently in Boston for Podcamp. This is conference 3 of 3 in 1 1/2 weeks!!! I am completely excited to be here. I don't have to organize or speak, just focus on connecting with people and learning. Well, I am always learning. But you know what I mean...

In Montreal at Law Via the Internet

Posted on October 25, 2007
Bonjour. Maintenant je suis a Montreal pour le 8e conférence internationale Internet pour le droit. Hello. I am in Montreal for the 8th International Conference Law Via The Internet.I travelled from Toronto yesterday on the fabulous VIA Rail. I enjoyed the trip, especially having wireless Internet connectivity to allow me to catch up on a few things and stay connected...

Hallowe'en Planning 101: Zombies in Plain English

Posted on October 24, 2007
The folks at the Common Craft show always have the best "how to" videos!

Canadian Intellectual Property Review - New Issue Forthcoming

Posted on October 23, 2007
The last issue of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review (CIPR) published by the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada is Vol. 22, No. 1 dated November 2005. I just contacted them and learned there has not been another issue yet. They are expecting to put out Vol...

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Phishing Scam

Posted on October 23, 2007
This morning I received a supposed update on a employment harrassment complaint regarding one of the associations I have been involved with. The text of the email (with link modified so it does not work):To: Connie Crosby, This is an automated email that confirms the registration of harassment complaint #number : 711-755-7517 filed by Maria Jones on September 29/2007 against [association]...

One Down, Two to Go!

Posted on October 22, 2007
Well, it's all over but the shootin'. I can't believe the Northeast regional conference NE2007: Libraries Without Borders has come and gone! A little anti-climactic now as we pull together the final bits and pieces, making sure we don't miss anyone or anything that needs follow-up...