IEC Journal

ABA Article: Using RSS Feeds with Internet Explorer

RSS feeds are the best way to keep up with IEC Journal and other websites using sophisticated technology. An ABA Legal Technology Center article explains how to use RSS feeds with the Microsoft web browser, Internet Explorer (IE). Here is a key paragraph:

Finding RSS feeds

In the IE feed reader’s properties, you can set the browser to play a sound when a feed is found for a Web site. Additionally the orange icon in the toolbar will glow. So, as you surf the Web keep an eye, or ear, out for these indicators.  Finding feeds is simple with sites like Technorati, a popular blog search engine.  Some legal RSS feeds to get you started include ABA Site-tation, Law Practice Today  and the ABA Journal . Additionally, Justia offers RSS feeds for federal district court dockets. Simply run a search by party, district, and/or lawsuit type. When the results page loads, click on the RSS icon in the browser toolbar to add the feed to your reader.  Once you begin using feed readers you will see that this is just the tip of the iceberg for this great technology.

via www.americanbar.org

Sig Block with Better Formatting

Our attempt to fit the model signature block into our regular posting space produced terrible results yesterday, as the standard text block size used at this website was too small, resulting in very poor formatting.

To better do justice to Mr. Fisher's conception, we have reproduced the signature block in a separate document.

The Art of the Signature Block

Edited October 14 to incorporate various improvements, including breaking the model signature block out into a separate document, for improved formatting:

A good email signature block can add surprising value to an agency ethics program. Savvy lawyers in private practice may devote considerable attention to ensuring that their signature block sends exactly the right message. Not all government ethics officials take the same level of care. For better or worse, marketing the ethics program is a part of the ethics function.

Jack Fisher, an ethics specialist with the Forest Service, understands this far better than most. His signature block is one of the best we've seen, advancing his agency's program in multiple ways. A careful study of his signature block may suggest numerous options to upgrade your own. A copy is available at this site in MS Word format. Thanks to Mr. Fisher for agreeing to allow us to distribute his work in this way.

Do you have a good signature block that others might find useful? Please follow Mr. Fisher's example and share with your colleagues.

Notes: We edited Mr. Fisher's signature block to reduce exposure to spam, etc. We have reproduced the signature block using a fixed pitch font, to reduce the chance that the spacing will be thrown off in translating it to Web format, but depending on your choice of computer fonts, you may experience some irregularity. We assure you, Mr. Fisher's original is perfect in every detail.

Another Hatch Act E-Mail Case

A June 8 OSC press release describes a new enforcement action: 

OSC’s complaint, filed with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), charges the employee with violating the Hatch Act by sending eight e-mails to numerous recipients that were directed toward the success or failure of candidates in the 2008 Presidential election. The e-mails were sent while the employee was on duty and in the federal workplace. The employee used her government e-mail account to send the messages, each of which featured her official government title. In addition, one of the employee’s e-mails, which she sent to 20 recipients, included a request for financial contributions on behalf of a Presidential campaign. OSC’s investigation showed that the employee knew or should have known about the Hatch Act and its restrictions.

Use of Social Media for Work Purposes Increasing Steadily

An article in Government Executive states that more than half the government's management-level employees use Facebook, and of them, most use it for work.

The 2011 Federal Media and Marketing Study revealed a significant "surge" in the use of social media, with Facebook being the most popular social media tool.

The survey conducted found twenty-six percent of the federal workers who responded said they use Facebook to communicate with colleagues, 17 percent said they use it to communicate with the public, 8 percent said they use it to communicate with other agencies and 4 percent said they use it to recruit.

The article in its entirety can be found at this link: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=47445&oref=todaysnews

Loss of DOJ Torture Memos

Nextgov.com on the missing Department of Justice "torture memos":

As for the torture memos, after a search, Justice Department investigators were "able to locate additional e-mails on backup tapes and a server that were not examined during the course of OPR's investigation," Justice records management chief Jeanette Plante wrote to NARA Feb. 4.

"That said, we have not and cannot determine whether an unauthorized destruction of records occurred," she said.

"In light of the fact that over seven years has passed since Yoo left the department and Philbin left OLC, it is impossible for us to determine whether technical issues caused the loss of the e-mails or whether they were deleted by an individual," Plante wrote.

The disappearance of the memos illustrates an intersection between technology/records management and ethics issues. The absence of the memos created suspicion of unethical behavior, at a minimum.

We have created a new "Category" called "Technology and Ethics" for archiving posts on related topics.