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Archive for the 'Productivity' Category

Doodle + Facebook = easy scheduling

Published by Margaret on December 24, 2008
Categories: Communication, Productivity and polls 0 Comments

We’ve used the Doodle scheduling application for quite some time now. It’s an elegant and easy solution to negotiating the best time for anything from board meetings, to happy hours, to camping trips. Doodle cuts down on all the emails and phone calls it might take to see everyone’s availability, especially for people who don’t share a calendaring system. The polls are easy to set up, and you don’t have to create an account to set up a poll or participate in one. And now you can use Doodle within Facebook. While you can already invite people to events in Facebook, it’s nice to be able to poll people for the best meeting times, as you can with Doodle.

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iPhone/iTouch Mania! - Bring on the free apps!

Published by Michael on October 14, 2008
Categories: Mobile, Photo, Productivity and Reviews 4 Comments

This week I want to showcase some of my favorite apps for the iPhone/iTouch. All but one of them are free, I really don’t like having to pay for apps unless they are super special so have only made a few exceptions so far (2 games and 1 noted below).

Twitterific - Microblogging at its finest. It’s easy to set up Twitter to post your tweets via text message, but why waste a text message when you already have a data plan? Install Twitterific and post your tweets for free, plus view your feed from your friends!

Facebook -Keep up with your Facebook social goings-on, a major update was recently released so this mobile version uses a lot of functionality of the “new” Facebook. Very intuitive so far.

IM+ - Instant messaging on the iPhone is a mixed bag. Unlike other smartphones and the like, the iPhone only runs one application at a time along with system functions (phone, text messages, calendar, alarm, etc.) that will run in the background. This means that if you download AIM, Google Chat, Yahoo Chat, etc. you will only be able to use one at a time. Lame! So far, IM+ is the only free IM software to handle multiple account logins at the same time. My only gripe isn’t against IM+ but against the iPhone in general, because the app closes and your connections go offline when the device goes into sleep mode, you go back to the home screen, or open another application.

Klick - The iPhone has a decent camera (don’t throw out your cybershot, folks!) but there is not a built-in app to share these photos with online services such as Flickr. Why should I have to download the photos to my computer and then upload to Flickr when this phone supposedly has this great data connectivity? Enter Klick. Other similar apps are not free or require you take the photo from within their program originally, NOT using the iPhone “Camera” application which leaves you with photos in two locations. Klick can access the native photo directory directly and very easily upload to Flickr. I love this app!

iWant - I used this app to its purpose just last weekend. I was in an unfamiliar part of town with a friend and went to a concert. After the concert we thought it’d be fun to grab a beer in the area at a local bar or pub and chat about the concert. Then we realized that we would have to just start driving around and hope for the best when I remembered iWant. I opened the app, chose the category for bar/pub/tavern and had it show me businesses within 1 mile of my current location. Ta-da! 3 establishments popped up complete with ratings and reviews. We were very happy with our choice, C-Bar, for those of you who live in the Portland, Oregon area.

MySpace - Like Facebook, a iPhone version of the popular social networking site. Many functions are available in this tidy little app, I’ve found it’s actually faster to check my messages here than going to MySpace on my computer!

Pandora - Most of you are probably familiar with this Internet radio site. This freebie app connects you to the exact same site and services. You must have a Pandora account, but the neato thing is that it uses your preferences/lists/etc. from your regular web account, so aside from signing in, there is no tedious setup.

AirSharing - With the exception of music, video, and applications, the iDevices really do not provide a nice way to transport other files on that 8- or 16-GB hard drive. I finally came across this great application, AirSharing which essentially sets up your iDevice as a network drive that you can drag/drop files to/from. Easy to set up and simple to use! Now you can drag around those necessary PDFs, DOCs, XLSs, PPTs, etc. - $6.99 and well worth it.

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zenbe - be zen

Published by Michael on September 17, 2008
Categories: Communication, E-mail and Productivity 4 Comments

Short and sweet this week. This tool, Zenbe (Zen Be), does a lot of neat things, all in one handy package. I’m not yet convinced that this is something I’ll fully try out, but it’s fun to think about.

Zenbe’s primary feature is the ability to combine e-mail from multiple accounts. That’s right, you could compare it to aggregating news feeds, but now, it’s your e-mail. It also has a contact manager, a calendar (that can be shared/collaborated with other Zenbe and non-Zenbe users). There’s also a hybrid feature called Zen Pages–webpages that allow dynamic content pulled into one: calendar, e-mails, files, etc. for multiple people to collaborate. Sounds neat, will have to try it soon.

So far, the only feature that I’ve really explored and enjoy greatly is Zenbe Lists. I *love* to-do lists. Usually I’ll e-mail a list to myself and then look at it on my iPhone throughout the day. That’s okay when lists are short, but sometimes they’re long. I was starting a grocery list a few days ago and it got a little crazy, so I searched around and found Zenbe. It has a native iPhone app for its list function and will sync lists between the iPhone and the web interface. I was able to “check off” my list items as I marched up and down the aisles, it worked perfectly. And best of all, it’s free.

Speaking of iPhone, any iPhone users out there interested in some iPhone-centric reviews? If there’s enough of an interest, it could be fun to share those. I know lately I try out a LOT more of those tools than regular web tools.

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spreed - speed read feeds!

Published by Michael on August 26, 2008
Categories: Productivity 6 Comments

I can’t quite get over the name of this one: Spreed. My mind keeps interpreting it as the fictitious past tense of the verb spree. Argh.

Spreed essentially takes a feed of text, chops it up into bitty 2-5 word bits and flashes them at you at a variable speed. It is supposed to support speed reading and make this feed reading business a much faster ordeal. I’m not entirely sure I buy it. However, the tool IS kind of cool looking. All you do is choose a story from their site or text document you’ve uploaded, it opens in the player which tells you the length of time to play based on the current speed. You can choose to play or alter the speed it plays the story. Anything more than 800 WPM and I lose it.

I noticed that since the text flashes so quickly, I have to focus to read every word. Usually when I read, I meander and pause and become distracted. Maybe Spreed really does have something…

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SlideRocket - slick shared presentations

Published by Margaret on July 23, 2008
Categories: Productivity, Video and presentation 1 Comment

For those of us who have been waiting for a fully functional Web 2.0 slide show software, there is SlideRocket. In the few days since I got my invitation, I’ve been happily trying it out. SlideRocket combines some of the cool features found in Keynote and PowerPoint with lots of Web 2.0 goodness. You can create presentations in SlideRocket and export them to Powerpoint, or import your existing Powerpoint presentations into SlideRocket. In addition to text, charts and tables, you can easily search for and insert images, video and sound. Build your slides with custom effects and animations. Choose slide transitions reminiscent of Keynote (oh, the beautiful Rubiks-cube transition). Invite others to view, edit, co-create, or embed your presentation. Play your slideshow on the web in full-screen mode, or download a bit of software to show your slides offline.

Take a tour of SlideRocket to see all these features in action.

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Is that site downforeveryoneorjustme?

Published by Kate on July 18, 2008
Categories: Communication and Productivity 3 Comments

We’ve all been there. You head for a favorite website all ready to get some work done and…well…nothing happens. “Huh”, you wonder, “is it down for everyone, or is it just me?”

Some sites find ways to let us know. Barring this, the old-school way to figure out if it was just you was to prairie-dog your cube neighbor and ask her to try and pull the site up too. But what about those poor souls without a colleague nearby? Thankfully they can consult downforeveryoneorjustme.com, the site designed to help you answer that burning question on your own.

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Writeboard: an online whiteboard and more

Published by Jane on June 26, 2008
Categories: Productivity and Web 0 Comments

This week several of us are off to ALA Annual which means committee work, programs and lots of walking between hotels. Oh and hopefully some summery drinks, too!

Committee work usually involves collaboration and one of the committees I’m on is using Writeboard to store information and for for a group writing project.

Writeboard might seem familiar because it comes from 37signals, the same folks who brought us Basecamp and Backpack, both of which I hope to look at soon.

So far I have found Writeboard easy to use. I like how one person can input content and others can easily add their content. Editing has a wiki feel to it because you use codes to make text bold or italicized. If more than one person edits simultaneously you will get notified.

Another way to add content is by adding comments. Of course this can be used to discuss the content as well.

Once your document is complete you can export it as a text or an html file.

So how does this compare to Google Docs? It’s similar in concept, but significantly pared down in features. Fancy formatting is limited to the basics noted above. To share the writeboard each participant is emailed the same url and password, nice for folks who don’t want another personal account to track.

For those looking for a quick and easy way to collaborate, give this a try!

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Huddle Around Group Projects

Published by Hannah on April 28, 2008
Categories: Communication and Productivity 0 Comments

Heard the term “project management” often enough lately to make you feel like you should actually do something like, say manage your projects? If so, you may want to give the free version of Huddle a try. Huddle is an online project management system that allows you to share (and edit - they recently claimed that you may “never need buy software again” as you can just use Doc and Excel files from within Huddle) documents, create online teams, use a virtual whiteboard, and receive updates to changes within your group’s site via RSS.

They of course, have somewhat snazzier versions for a fee, which include the ability to store more data (it comes with 1 GB for free), more work spaces for different projects (3 work spaces for free) and a higher level of security. However, if you haven’t started using something like Google Docs for group work, or just want a more sophisticated experience (better task lists, sense of community, improved file sharing) you may want to give Huddle a try.

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pando - relieving attachment bloat

Published by Margaret on April 23, 2008
Categories: E-mail, Productivity, Publishing and Video 1 Comment

Lately I’ve been sending a rather large, ugly spreadsheet around to several very nice people, after which all of us would get messages from our e-mail system administrators telling us that our accounts were over the limit. One of these very nice people told me about pando, P2P software for sharing enormous files (up to 1 GB) without requiring anyone to ftp, zip, unzip or lose access to their e-mail because of overly large attachments.

After downloading the pando client, I was able to transfer files and folders (packages) directly to another person’s computer via e-mail. That person then gets an e-mail from my address, telling them there is a package for them and directing them to download pando if they don’t have it yet. Encrypted copies of packages are stored temporarily on pando’s servers; there is an expiration date for the file to to downloaded by the recipient - 7 days for the free version and 14 days for the pro version.

Pando has been around awhile and has won a bunch of awards. In addition to it’s utility for dealing with bloated spreadsheets, it’s really great for sharing media files and works with IM or the web as well as with e-mail.

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Office Apps: Organized

Published by Jane on March 27, 2008
Categories: Productivity 2 Comments

Options abound! Well, options for web based software are plentiful. With so many desktop applications, it won’t surprise you to learn that you can peruse many in one place, the Office 2.0 Database. The database brings together applications that can be used for much of our day to day work and play worlds. Many you may already know and use, others are new additions.

Browsing the categories, almost everything is offered, from word processing, spreadsheet and database to feed readers, drawing, polls, and sound mixers. Other categories with office applications that surprised me are voicemail, printer, fax and command prompt. The last are surprising because their internet aspects are new to me (outside of voip/skype).

With such a great range of applications to choose from, the possibility of moving away from expensive office software increases for individuals and institutions. Many institutions might choose to drop their proprietary desktop software in favor of open software for the cost benefits. Others may focus on the benefits of easily collaborating. This Educause article on 7 things you should know about Google Applications does a good job of explaining how these applications can impact teaching and learning (thanks to ilibrarian).

I really like that these are pulled into one place so I can come back to see what’s new and for when I’m ready to switch over.

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stickK to it!

Published by Jane on March 6, 2008
Categories: Personal and Productivity 0 Comments

Ever need a little help sticking to and meeting a goal? stickK.com is here to help. You may have heard of this site since it has gotten plenty of press lately. Essentially the site walks you through setting up a contract with yourself or a friend to meet a goal. For example, I might commit to exercising 3x per week for the next 12 weeks. Sounds easy enough, but why would I need a website to help me? Let’s say I sweeten the deal and bet someone to whom I would feel beholden if I lost a bet. Now we’re talking, right? Much harder once some greenbacks enter the picture.

The role the site plays is to create the contract, set up the relationship between me and my partner with whom I bet and to arrange check-ins and payments (via PayPal).

Honestly, I didn’t take this last part that seriously until I hit the PayPal screen–wow, that really is a commitment! Another indication of how seriously this can get is that you can notify folks who you want to be your supporters and you can establish a referee. You can also go with the honor system which is what I did.

The site includes a social aspect where I can watch other people’s commitments and their progress. Seems like it could be helpful-supportive or competitive. Users can also write notes to each other so stickK has the potential to be quite a source of community.

I’m not sure what I think about the underlying premise, but for some people it might be just the trick to reach a goal.

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Google Sites - the glue for Google Apps

Published by Margaret on March 5, 2008
Categories: Productivity and Web 2 Comments

Google Sites launched last week, and I was hoping someone would come along and explain it to me. What I understand of it so far is that it is the missing piece of Google Apps. Organizations, small businesses and schools can sign up for Google Apps for group access to Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar and Google Docs. With Google Sites, Google Apps users can build websites that glue all the applications together so that everyone in the group can collaborate and contribute to the site

I’m involved with a small non-profit organization - if I set up a Google Apps account, we can then build a Google Site that incorporates an event calendar, a blog, meeting minutes on Google docs, financial reports on Google Spreadsheets, and Picasa photos uploaded from the last volunteer training event. And I could get email accounts for all the volunteers.

To get a Google Apps group account, you need ownership of a domain name. There’s a bit of set up before you can begin activating the applications and start building websites with Google Sites. But if your organization needs these applications and a way to make a team website where people can quickly gather a variety of information in one place, Google Sites looks really interesting.

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Archive for the 'Productivity' Category

Doodle + Facebook = easy scheduling

iPhone/iTouch Mania! - Bring on the free apps!

zenbe - be zen

spreed - speed read feeds!

SlideRocket - slick shared presentations

Is that site downforeveryoneorjustme?

Writeboard: an online whiteboard and more

Huddle Around Group Projects

pando - relieving attachment bloat

Office Apps: Organized

stickK to it!

Google Sites - the glue for Google Apps

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