Bloglines has added a new drag and drop feature making it much easier to manage your feeds. Following is the news item from Bloglines on the new features.
Bloglines | News: "Drag 'n' Drop - Just in Time for Spring Cleaning
If you are like most Bloglines users, you've found that it's too easy to subscribe to a ton of feeds but way too hard to keep them organized. While modern medicine has yet to invent a pill to cure Bloglines addiction, the feed management improvements we released yesterday will at least help you, our users, cope with the symptoms.
Feed Management
The features previously separated in Edit and Reorder/Sort modes are now consolidated into a single Edit mode found at the top of My Feeds and Clippings.
1. Create a new Folder by clicking on the New Folder icon.
2. Rename inline. Click once to select the item and click a second time to edit the name.
3. Double click on any item to edit details for feeds, folders and clippings.
4. Unsubscribe or delete a folder by dragging it to the trash can. (Tip: To cancel a drag, tap the Esc key.)
5. To manually sort, simply drag and drop into place; use the arrow keys or mouse wheel to scroll.
6. To sort automatically, make your selection and then choose from the dropdown menu. You can sort alphabetically, reverse alpha, by oldest or newest first, or by the number of unread items.
7. If you use Bloglines Mobile, you may want to exclude feeds from your mobile view to avoid wasting valuable minutes downloading feeds you don't need.
8. Do you have a handful of feeds that you read more often than others? Turn off the Notifier for the other feeds so that little 'ding-dong' only interrupts you when it's important.
9. Maybe you're a tattoo artist and don't want to share your Blogroll for fear your clients will find out you read knitting blogs. Have no fear, you can keep it secret. Just mark them as private and those feeds won't be listed.
10. We've made it easier to choose multiple items. You can now use shift-click to select ranges or ctrl-click (command-click on Mac) for separate items."
Bloglines Adds Drag and Drop Feature
Tuesday, February 28, 2006The Politics of RSS in West Virginia
Monday, February 27, 2006How powerful is RSS? Powerful enough to overcome traditional political boundaries in West Virginia. Although many readers of Phil Kabler's Febuary 20, 2006, edition of the Statehouse Beat likely skimmed over the item below, it was quite interesting to those fascinated by the growth and power of RSS technology.
West Virginia has a Democratic controlled executive and legislative branch and is well known nationally as being a Democratic state. However, the current Democratic administration is using a largely Republican owned and controlled media group, West Virginia Media Holdings owned by Bray Cary, to distribute news via the states official website at "wv.gov." The reason? RSS technology and the fact that only one media group in West Virginia has incorporated RSS technology.
I suspect that the Charleston Gazette, the states Democratic focused newspaper, took note of this item in Mr. Kabler's column and will begin incorporating RSS technology news feeds. The Gazette staff has been experimenting over the last year with a number of blogs in its entertainment section called The Gazz, however, most of the blogs don't have easily accessible RSS feeds allowing easy syndication and reading via an RSS reader.
Below is the excerpt from Mr. Kabler's Statehouse Beat column:
A reader notes that if Internet users click on the “WV News” icon on the homepage of wv.gov, the official Internet portal for the state of West Virginia, it takes them to news updates broken down by regions of the state — all from Bray Cary’s West Virginia Media affiliates.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said that’s not because of any arrangement between the state and West Virginia Media, but because the news sites are the only ones in the state using RSS XML technology.
While it was beyond her ability to explain, and mine to comprehend, that technology apparently allows the news feeds to be updated on the site automatically.
BlogHer Survey Says?
Should you include personal items on your professional blog? What about including business items on your personal blog? What are others doing? If you are a blogger and interested in these questions take a few moments to share your thoughts at the BlogHer survey mentioned by Denise Howell at Between Lawyers.
WVHCA Statistics on Health Care Cost Shifting in West Virginia
The West Virginia Health Care Authority has posted interesting charts showing the cost shifting of heath care costs in West Virginia. The presentation was given by the Chair of the Health Care Authority, Sonia Chambers, to the West Virginia House of Delegates Health and Human Resources Committee on February 14th, 2005.
The charts show a reasons why West Virginia needs to work hard to attract more businesses to West Virginia. As the non-governmental payor pool shrinks those left will take on a greater burden of the cost shift. At some point the breaking point will occur where business will no longer be able to make up the difference and West Virginia hospitals will no longer be able to cover the cost of health care based on the rates paid by governmental payors.
Check out the following charts:
Law Firm Strategy
Sunday, February 26, 2006Adam Smith, Esq. looks at the interesting concept of having a law firm Chief Strategy Officer. I've watched the explosive growth of Reed Smith from its days when I graduated from law school. At that time Reed Smith was basically a Pittsburgh based law firm. Under the leadership of Greg Jordan (a fellow Bethany College grad) the law firm moved into the upper ranks of the AmLaw 100.
To create a vision for your company or law firm you have to have a strategy and work toward reaching goals everyday. So often law firms and other businesses are too concerned with the present to think about the future, developing a strategy and doing something everyday to implement the strategy. The same applies to successful hospitals and health care providers.
How's Your HIPAA?
The HIPAA Blog has a summary of the winter 2005-2006 quarterly survey sponsored by Phoenix Health Systems and HIMSS on HIPAA compliance by health care providers. Be sure the check out the survey to see where your hospital, physician office, health insurance payor or other health facility ranks.
Something Everyone Should Consider: The Opportunity Wedge
Friday, February 24, 2006
Consider the Opportunity Wedge and the great catch phrases posted by Tom Collins, law blogger at morepartnerincome. Great advice for everyone -- not just law firm associates.
Blawg Review and Grand Rounds
Wednesday, February 22, 2006Don't forget to check out this weeks edition of Blawg Review and Grand Rounds. Patrick Lamb hosts Blawg Review #45 at In Search of Perfect Client Service and Dr. Andy hosts a great edition of Grand Rounds 2:22.
I Heart Tech: A New Legal Technology Tips & Tricks Blog
Sunday, February 19, 2006I'm constantly trying to improve technology skills to make my law practice more efficient and effective for my clients. Ask my staff and you will find that I am constantly trying to teach them tips and tricks to save them time and effort in the everyday world of a law practice.
A big proponent of the practical use of technology and software, I was glad to run across a new blog called I Heart Tech hosted by Adriana Linares. Can't recall where I first saw her new blog announced but it now has been added to my RSS Bloglines reader. It was probably through inter alia's Blawg of the Day posts -- a great resource of new legal blogs. Although we haven't met I look forward to watching Adriana's posts.