Web Sites Worth a Visit
By Jim Calloway, Director, OBA Management Assistance Program

Each year at ABA TECHSHOW one of the most popular programs is “60 Sites in 60 Minutes.” After days spent absorbing great information about technology, visiting with vendors about their products and, hopefully, taking in a few of the sites of Chicago, most attendees are ready for a chance to have a few laughs as well as learn about valuable Internet resources. For this law office management and technology theme issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal, it seemed appropriate to include a brief taste of a “60 Sites” presentation.

You Send It

If you have ever tried to send a very large file attachment to someone by e-mail, it may have bounced because the recipient’s e-mail provider did not allow such large attachments. This service allows you to send file attachments of up to 100 MB in size without clogging your recipient’s inbox. The recipient receives a link to click on to download the file.

PCWorld.com

This redesigned site from the publishers of the magazine is a treasure trove of info, including years of back issues online. There is so much here that you may find yourself feeling guilty and subscribing to the print version.

GMail and GMail Tips

I really like the Web-based e-mail service GMail, but using the GMail tips really makes it even more powerful.

Tiny URL

Make long Web addresses (like Google searches or MapQuest maps) into short ones that that will not break in e-mail postings and you can say over the phone.

LifeHacker

“The productivity and software guide. With ideas, applications and tips that actually improve your life.” This is a favorite blog for many. It covers technology but is not limited to technology tips.

Name Voyager

Just take my word for it, sorting through common first names over the decades and seeing the graphical display makes for an entertaining diversion.

I Want a Freeware Utility to...

This resource includes links to 450 plus freeware utilities organized under the headings of what you want to do with them. This is pretty useful when you are having a hard time articulating exactly what you want to do.

Technorati’s Top 100 Blogs

This is a nice look at diversity within the blogosphere. I bet you haven’t heard of all of these great blogs.

Law Practice Today

Great free Webzine from the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section. Published monthly. Subscribe to be notified of new issues.

Resident agent info.com

This is a resource with links to the sites for registered agent information. This information is free in 47 of the 50 U.S. states.

GO2Web20.Net

This Web 2.0 Directory was just released in September 2006. Its attractive interface provides links to a vast group of Web 2.0 sites and services. Filter the view by tags to make it more useable. There are so many new Web 2.0 services rolling out these days that it is hard to keep track of them.

TechCrunch

TechCRunch tries to keep up with the parade of new Web 2.0 services as well. But it is not alone. At eConsultant.com there is a nice Web 2.0 directory (www.econsultant.com). You can also peruse a Web 2.0 awards page at www.seomoz.org/web2.0/ (If you don’t know what Web 2.0 means, you can read my Jan. 14, 2006, Oklahoma Bar Journal article “The ‘Next Generation’ of the Internet? — Web 2.0” 77 O.B.J. 170 or online.

GetHuman

If you really hate being put on hold when you call into a company or navigating through a series of menus by pressing phone buttons, this site’s information on how to shortcut and get directly to a live person at major corporations may be just for you.

Photonhead

Visiting this site is just like enrolling in that class in photography you never had time to take.

Cooking

For lots of information and food and cooking, visit GourmetSleuth (www.gourmetsleuth.com) or Epicurious (www.epicurious.com).

Flickr

This site still reigns supreme for sharing photos on the Internet. If you want people to see your photos, post them here and give them a lot of tags so that searchers will locate them.

Patently Silly

Patently Silly shares the details of numerous patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office that are… well, you guessed it… silly.

10X10

Ten by Ten features 100 pictures that are supposed to represent the news of the hour. You can click on the thumbnail pictures for a brief synopsis of what they represent.

Well, as with a live “60 Sites” presentation, all good things must come to an end. But don’t feel cheated if you have noted that we haven’t quite made it to 60. Because every year after we complete a presentation at ABA TECHSHOW, we not only post all of the sites to the Web, but we include any additional sites that didn’t fit within the presentation time frame. So if you’re committed, you will now have a lot more than 60 Web sites to visit. Here’s the link to visit the “60 Sites” collection for ABA TECHSHOW 2006: www.abanet.org/techshow/60sitesHOF/index.html

You might want to mark your calendar for ABA TECHSHOW 2007. It is scheduled March 22 - 24, 2007 at the Chicago Sheraton. OBA members can save $100 when registering for ABA TECHSHOW by using Program Promoter’s Code PP704. And, speaking of meetings, if you are attending the OBA Annual Meeting this month in Tulsa, stop by the Management Assistance Program booth and say hello.

Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal Nov. 4, 2006 - Vol. 77; No.30