Getting ready for a presentation, I was reviewing a variety of demonstrative evidence prepared by a friend, Rick Kraemer, whose company Executive Presentations creates graphics, animations and more for attorneys. He works with some of the most successful attorneys in the U.S. and they are not afraid to invest big dollars in his work product. Why? Because it’s wickedly effective at trial as evidenced by the amount of repeat business he gets.
Unlike death and taxes, losing your smartphone or tablet isn’t inevitable, but may be likely. A CLNC consultant may put her device down at a crowded reception full of attorney-prospects or while exhibiting her legal nurse consulting business at a legal conference or it may just fall out of her purse/pocket without her knowing it. Once you survive the initial panic after realizing that it’s gone, the first thing you should do, if it’s a phone, is call it to see if you hear it ringing (or to see if someone answers). The second thing you should do is assume that it’s gone for good. If you subscribe to a service such as “Where the *#$% is my iPhone” try and locate it that way, but remember that every minute you spend searching for that device gives the miscreant who has it a better chance of hacking your life.
None of us like to be away from our smartphones – even in a thunder storm. We’re having an unusually rainy summer here in Houston so here’s a simple Tech Tip developed from my own experience that Certified Legal Nurse Consultants can use in your own personal rain storms (or even when you’re working poolside or at the beach).
For some Certified Legal Nurse Consultants texting is a primary method of communication with CLNC® subcontractors, attorney-clients and friends. Myself, I’m more likely to pick up the phone and call you or send you an email than I am to text you. I think texting is a great way to communicate but when I text there’s nothing I hate more than getting involved with a “last worder.” You know what I’m talking about. Someone to whom you text “thank you” and they immediately text back “No problem.” They always have to have the last word. As you’ve probably discovered, they exist in the email world too. Short of saying “Siri, tell her to STOP IT NOW!” the only way to put an end to their relentless chain of texts and emails is to go “radio silent,” stop engaging and wait for them to text themselves out (or find another victim).
Just about every CLNC® consultant has left a cell phone, MP3 player or other charger behind when checking out of a hotel, friend’s place or party. It’s easy – you pull your device off, drop it in your purse or pocket and leave the charger plugged into the wall.
As much as I love my iPhone®, the autocorrect feature needs improvement. You know what I mean. It changes words we’re typing into words we don’t mean to type. Just the other day I received a text from a good friend that said “Phuket.” Now, you and I know that Phuket is a beach resort in Thailand. But what Siri, Steve Jobs and the Apple Nation doesn’t get is how or why that got into a regular text instead of the word “okay.”
Like most Certified Legal Nurse Consultants, I’ve recycled more than a few older phones – flip phones, handsets and various models of the Blackberry®. I’ve always been a little uncomfortable wondering where exactly the final resting place for those phones is and if they’ve been properly broken down or just ended up in a landfill.
That’s actually a trick question. The real question is whether or not you should use a password on the smartphone or tablet you use in your CLNC® business. What’s that you say? Passwords are too cumbersome and time-consuming? Well, let me ask you, what do you think would be more time-consuming: taking two seconds to type in a 4-digit passcode each time you reach for your device, or untangling your life after someone has stolen your banking information, all of your contacts, possibly your identity, has read and forwarded your email and just wrought havoc with your life because you’ve lost your smartphone and it has fallen into the hands of some villain?
What I’m talking about is the daily life of your smartphone’s battery. Every smartphone has a different anticipated, average and not entirely satisfactory daily life. What that means is how long it will go between charges.
CLNC® consultants know how colds are spread, and thanks to my Tuesday Tech Tips, know that there are more germs on your smart phone than on a toilet seat. But did you know that no matter how clean you keep your legal nurse consulting smartphone, it can still spread viruses? I’m really talking about malware. One of the newest areas of computer insecurity is the smartphone because the miscreants who write malware and Trojan horses are now targeting the growing smartphone market. Phones running on the Android® platform are more susceptible than iPhones®. If you think of the amount of data related to your CLNC® business and your personal life that’s stored on your phone, not to mention passwords for your Facebook and other apps, you should be very afraid of having that data compromised. If you’re using your phone for mobile banking or other micropayments, you definitely need to read this entire Tech Tip.
*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.
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