Electronic Recording

My first topic is digital court reporting.  I have lots of feelings about this topic and it is one of the hottest topics in this profession.  I won't call it court reporting though.  I will call it ER for electronic recording.  Let's give it its rightful name.  Audio recording has been around for a long time, but it has taken off now more than ever.  Why?  Marketing.  These companies are run by business people, not court reporters.  Businesses do not understand the importance of what our roles are in the judicial system.  They simply care about their bottom line.  Because that bottom line continually grows on the black side of their ledger, their marketing is getting more and more fierce.  Have you ever bought something and then wondered why you bought it?  That's clever marketing.   Ya got sucked in.  That is what is happening in our profession.  Attorneys and government bodies are getting sucked in by it every day.  What these consumers are missing is the VALUE of it.  It is not worth what they are paying for it.  Government entities allowing this equipment to go into these courthouses are not taking into consideration the fact that they will have to maintain, monitor, and update their hardware in a short amount of time because of the fast-changing technology.  In the end, this will cost everyone more, but that ER firm owner will be laughing all the way to the bank.  Is this a problem in your state?  Is ER hurting your business?  What do you think can be done about it?  What are you willing to do to compete with it?  Let's talk!