By Dan Kittay
Owner, Kittay New Media

If you read the interview with Bruce Butterfield elsewhere in this issue, you now know that a lot of technologies you've spent time and money adapting may not have you set up to deal effectively with the next generation of prospective members heading your way. Welcome to the wacky world of hi-tech.

It's not that you won't need a Web site or e-mail newsletter; Butterfield and others say that people who've grown up communicating by sending Instant Messages on the their cell phones won't see the value in joining an organization that sends them a load of material once a month, or even posts it on a Web site.

Does that mean you should abandon everything you're doing and spend untold thousands of dollars on getting the latest and greatest technologies? Well, the geek in me says "Sure, why not?" But the practical business owner says that, just like with any program or service you offer, a reasoned approach based on research, planning and testing is the best way to go.

For one thing, the next generation of lawyers that Butterfield is talking about isn't here yet. The Millennial Generation he refers to will start graduating from law school around 2008. Of course, if you want to get them interested while they're still in law school, the time to start is soon.

So, how do you decide what to do, and when? One way is to make sure someone in your association is paying attention to new technologies and trends emerging in the marketplace. This can mean going outside the usual circle of advisors and those you ask for feedback. In many associations, the volunteer powers-that-be are veteran attorneys who've worked their way up the ranks and are reaping the just rewards for their efforts. The drawback is that many (not all) of them are not exactly on the cutting edge of technology adopters. They've got e-mail, and can read the Word documents you send them, but that's about it.

If you want to know what technologies tomorrow's lawyers are using, you've got to find a way to ask them. Visit law schools, tap your young lawyers section, check out listservs devoted to technology. Or even read the mainstream media.

There's a lot of talk about blogs these days. Short for Web Logs, these are at their core online journals, that allow people to record their thoughts for others to see, and in many cases for others to comment on and add to. Besides influencing presidential elections, they can serve a useful purpose for your association as a conduit for information you want your members to know. For example, instead of just listing an upcoming CLE seminar, you could have a short note from the instructor talking about the program and how it could be helpful to the attorney.

You also may have heard of, or used, RSS feeds. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a method of sending out "headlines" of the information that's available on your Web site. People who have RSS readers built in to their Web browsers or as stand-alone applications can query your site to see what headlines you're offering, and then click on what interests them to read more. Kind of like an e-mail newsletter that offers links to your site, with the important difference being that people come to you when they want the information, instead of being hit with yet another piece of e-mail.

Someday you'll send IMs to your members' cell phones reminding them of the CLE seminar they've registered for. Until that day, there are technologies you can explore and adapt today, as you do your due diligence on what's coming tomorrow. Your lawyers-to-be know all about them; shouldn't you?