Can every professional staff member of your firm, including yourself, define the term "listserve?"
Here's a description that I found on the Internet. "A listserve is an automatic mailing list server. When an e-mail is addressed to a listserve mailing list, it is automatically sent to everyone who is a member of the listserve."
How about the term "discussion board?" How many of the staff participate in a listserve, a discussion board, or chat group? Can they tell you what makes a good one, or how are they used most effectively?
Your firm is probably no different than many of your clients; the rapid advances in technology have floored many. Take something as simple as music. I can remember records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CDs, and now--MP3s. It's no different with the telephone--from rotary, to push button with memory, to wireless, and now to cell phones with a camera attachment and an Internet connection on which video games can be played and your fortune told.
As more firms focus on knowledge management, I believe they will be focusing on the knowledge base. What is the minimum knowledge required? It's no longer limited to tax or accounting technical information. A key component is a working knowledge of certain aspects of technology. Try going back to rotary telephones for a month and you'll see what I mean.
It's imperative you ensure your professional staff keeps pace with technology tools. Only by doing that can you ensure that technology is being leveraged to your clients' advantage and answer the question for them: What listserve should they join?
