Tom’s Tuesday Tech Tip: To Tech or Not to Tech – That is the Question
With the NACLNC® Conference Cruise just ahead of us, let’s talk about a serious subject. As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, do you try and go “cold techno-turkey” for your 7-Day Weekend? Or do you bring your tech-toys like your laptop, tablet and smartphone and risk all the international roaming charges and fees associated with not disabling the right settings? I’m not sure what’s riskier – being out of touch or being too much in touch.
I’m bringing my laptop and iPhone® and Vickie’s bringing both her iPhone and iPad®. That means we’re going to have to be vigilant – not just about “airplane mode,” but about how many minutes we intentionally spend online.
Wireless Internet access is available throughout the ship, and therein lies the rub for my CLNC® amigos. You’ll be buying that access literally by-the-minute. If you’re like us, you’ll buy a prepaid wireless plan for anywhere from 32 cents to 65 cents a minute. You’ll need a separate plan for each device (really) so pick wisely. I recommend going for the full 500 minutes – you’ll need them unless you’re taking a 7-Day Weekend from your legal nurse consulting business and not touching base with your attorney-clients. The alternative is to go onshore and instead of enjoying an excursion, spend your day trying to find an Internet café. There’s a lot of risks associated with Internet cafés, so make sure you have VPN installed on your laptop before hitting the Internet in some local shop or Haitian Starbucks®.
For most cell phone providers even such a mundane location like Mexico (it’s next to Texas for crying out loud) is considered “international roaming” and special fees apply. Those photos you email home from your smartphone might cost you dearly, so know before you go and plan accordingly.
At the end of the day, whether you’re posting your Facebook updates or emailing your attorney-clients, it’s easiest to do so from your room or by the pool. Just be careful out there because those 500 Wi-Fi® minutes will go by faster than a ride down the zip-line!
Keep on techin’,
Tom
P.S.Comment and tell me what tech gear, if any, you’re bringing on the NACLNC® Conference Cruise.
2 thoughts on “Tom’s Tuesday Tech Tip: To Tech or Not to Tech – That is the Question”
Although I am unable to come on the 7-Day Weekend NACLNC® Conference Cruise this year, I am a serial cruiser. I have learned (from my tech husband) the best way to conserve my minutes. I have Microsoft® Outlook installed for all of my e-mail accounts. When I log on to the Internet, I let my e-mails download to Outlook. I then log off of the Internet while I review those e-mails and answer them. Then when I log on again later on in the day, those e-mails that are saved in my outbox will then be sent, while the whole process starts again. This way I am not wasting precious minutes answering the e-mails. Like Vickie has said in previous blogs, you don’t get first prize for answering e-mails immediately!
LegalNurse.com is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
The National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®) is the largest and oldest association of legal nurse consultants.
Need tuition assistance? We've partnered with Sallie Mae to provide financing options.
*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.
Keep on techin’,
Although I am unable to come on the 7-Day Weekend NACLNC® Conference Cruise this year, I am a serial cruiser. I have learned (from my tech husband) the best way to conserve my minutes. I have Microsoft® Outlook installed for all of my e-mail accounts. When I log on to the Internet, I let my e-mails download to Outlook. I then log off of the Internet while I review those e-mails and answer them. Then when I log on again later on in the day, those e-mails that are saved in my outbox will then be sent, while the whole process starts again. This way I am not wasting precious minutes answering the e-mails. Like Vickie has said in previous blogs, you don’t get first prize for answering e-mails immediately!
Have fun on the cruise!
We will miss you Shirley.