STENOGRAPH FORUM

Having attended the Stenograph Forum in Savannah, I’d like to share with you some of the interesting information imparted to us from John Wenclawski and Fred Middlebrooks.

Did you know???  Enrollment in court reporting schools has dropped.  There are now 84 court reporting schools in the country, with about 8,700 students.  In the early ‘90s, there were 20,000 students.  Thus, the number of machines sold to schools has also dropped.
Number  of Diamante machines sold:  5,647 Professional models and 1,134 student models.
Number of Miras sold:  14,000
Have you considered replacing your writer?  Diamantes have been on the market for 2-1/2 years.  Over 6,000 have been sold.  All the kinks are out.  Stenograph generally has a seven-year cycle for new machines, so this is a great time to invest in a Diamante.  Stenturas were introduced 19 years ago.  At the end of this year, there will be no more trade-ins for Stenturas.

On the Diamante horizon: more WiFi features, brief it, shorter stroke, 2.0 coming, make J Defines on writer.  They will go to your CAT system and vice versa.  Routers will be replaced with a virtual router which will work with Diamantes and Miras.   WiFi features do drain the battery at a faster pace, so a high capacity battery is now available.
YOUR WRITER IS A PRODUCTIVITY TOOL.  KEEP IT UPDATED, JUST LIKE YOUR SOFTWARE.  Visit www.stenograph.com to update your writer.

The average age of a court reporter is 48 years old.  Yikes!!  This not only affects a company such as Stenograph, who markets to court reporters; but it also affects all of us court reporters out in the field.  We need new court reporters in the profession if our industry is to remain viable.  Stenograph is trying to solve this problem by opening the Prince Institute, which is comprised of three court reporting schools in Westminster, Colorado; Montgomery, Alabama; and Schaumburg, Illinois.  60% of the students at Prince take their classes online.  24 students have graduated from Prince this year.

Case CATalyst Version 12.51 is available, along with the E-Key.  Too many reporters have not yet taken advantage of the E-Key.  All of the STAR attendees in Savannah agreed that the E-Key is great, so get going.  Call Stenograph and get it.  You will now be able to update it automatically, and it can be loaded on three computers; however, you cannot use it simultaneously on more than one computer at a time.  If you get the E-Key, you will be able to keep it, even if you do not continue to update your software on a yearly basis, which I do not recommend, by the way.

Version 13 will be coming out by the end of the year.  Some of the new features are:  New logo, Enhanced Drag/Drop With Steno X-Ray 2 (Diamante/Wave), Export to Exhibit Linker, Integrated Video Training Pane, Email PDF’s without zipping (which is great when you’re emailing a file to an attorney.  Sometimes they have trouble opening up a zipped file. )

CaseViewNet:  Free software product to attorneys – Realtime viewer.  Version 2.6.0.   Starting page number will reflect the starting page number in CaseCATalyst.  CV Net training video clips are available on the Stenograph website.

Will we ever get Case CATalyst on an IPad?  Not in the foreseeable future.  It’s a different operating system.   Is Stenograph still offering new computers with CaseCATalyst loaded?  No.  There was not enough demand, so it is no longer offered.

It is sometimes difficult to get Stenograph to make a recommendation when we are in the process of buying a new computer, but Fred Middlebrooks gave us some advice.  If you are purchasing a new computer, Windows 7 Professional is recommended.  Don’t go to Best Buy for your new computer.  CDW, Computer Discount Warehouse, was mentioned as one possibility.  Fred recommended three computers:   Toshiba Tecra, Sony Vio, and Acer Travel Pro.  The Acer has two different keyboards, so make sure you check into that before buying.

Well, that’s all for now.  I hope some of this information was useful to you.  Thanks to John and Fred for a wonderful presentation!   Please consider coming to the Las Vegas STAR Convention in March.  You’ll never leave without learning something, you’ll meet new friends and business acquaintances, and you can have a great time in Vegas!  There’s gambling, shopping, superb food and great shows; something for everyone.  If you have any questions about STAR membership, please contact me.  I’d love to talk to you.

Jane M. Jones, RMR, CRR
Owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1-800-456-9531

 

STAR

Next STAR Convention is March 15-17, 2012, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Join STAR now!!

Star Membership
A primary reason for the formation of the Society for the Technological Advancement of Reporting was to create an organization through which its members could exchange information, evaluate products, and present their ideas to the manufacturer with a united voice. Today STAR members continue to take an active part in presenting information needed to enhance and improve CAT technology and related products.

Members receive the following benefits from Stenograph:

• $200.00 discount on professional writer (plus published cash back)
• $100.00 discount on professional software
• $50 off the renewal of a software support contract
• $50 off the renewal of a writer maintenance contract (excludes Basic w/o Loaner contract)
• $20 additional discount on software support renewal if done online prior to 30 days before contract expiration (excludes edit contract)
• $100 off the initial purchase of a CaseViewNet license and $20 off the renewal price

Members receive the following benefits from PenGad:

• Pengad will pay STAR dues for anyone who purchases $3,000 or more per year, based on one paid membership per account.  Good for firm owners.
• The sales period year runs from October 1, 2009, through September 30, 2010.
• Sales must be paid within Pengad’s standard terms of 30 days net.

 

Networking
Through networking, members profit from the business and personal experience of over 700 firm owners and professional court reporters throughout the United States, the U.K., Canada, and Australia.
Members receive a comprehensive membership directory which serves as a valuable tool for networking and/or referrals.

Brainstorming
STAR offers a Spring Conference and a Fall Annual Meeting in various parts of the country each year. Seminars and workshops offered at these events include product updates and instruction as well as many helpful training opportunities designed to support members in the successful promotion and operation of their businesses. All STAR educational offerings include major program portions of NCRA-approved continuing education credits.

Technology
In the Exposition Hall at the Fall Conference, members have the opportunity to visit one-on-one with vendors from throughout the country who provide products and services for court reporters. Members receive practical information and solutions to operational challenges by reading the “STAR.STAR”, STAR’s quarterly publication. STAR also includes a wide array of both display and classified advertising. Members are encouraged to submit articles on topics they feel would be of help to other members. In addition to the newsletter, special bulletins are issued as needed to keep members current on STAR activities.

Go to www.staronline.org now and join.

Rates are as follows:

$150.00 – Reporting Member or Agency Member
$75.00   – Associate Member
$40.00   – Student Member

Authored By Jane M. Jones, RMR, CRR
Brown & Jones Reporting