Top 4 Products That Make a Blogger’s Life Easier
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I thought today's article could be about a few of my favorite products that make my life as a blogger easier to manage. It's just a few, but to make your life easier, you also need to remember to keep things simple. You may have heard of a couple, but hopefully something new will catch your eye and help you out as well!
DropBox - this is my new favorite software! As a blogger, I really need access to my articles and/or WordPress user/passwords wherever I am, on whatever computer I happen to be on. I tend to use flash drives to access data on any of my 3 computers, but if I lost one of those little suckers, I would be in trouble! For free and for 2Gb of space, DropBox lets me have access to my files on the computers I own or that aren't public. If the computer I am using is connected to the internet, I have access to the most current file! If not, once I do connect to the internet, the file is updated in my DropBox folder online, and on my other computers also! No more flash drives because DropBox lets me have my data where and when I want it! Check it out here to find out how you can get a free copy.
Moleskine Notebook - If you ask most people what they use to write down little notes or reminders, they will almost always pull out their iPhone or other smart phone and show you the little notepad application. But I much prefer to write down my thoughts and ideas in my Moleskine ruled notebook. It's a handy little notebook: it fits in my pocket and has a strap so I can put loose items in it without worrying about losing them. If I get an idea about a product I would like to review or an idea that I want to share, I use my Moleskine to hold that information for later. The Moleskine is also a conversation starter because people just are not used to seeing someone open up a notebook and start writing in it. It's like an alien species or something! It's a fairly expensive notebook (160 or so pages for around $12), but it does the job, and I like the quality of paper. Moleskine notebooks come in a variety of colors, and sizes, but the basic black works for me. If you don't want to spend $12 on a notebook, try the Moleskine Volant. You can get 3 of these smaller versions for around $6-7. I use those for my "8 to 5" work, and they are just as handy!
BaseCamp - Having 23 websites can be a chore to manage, especially in regards to the different "To Do" list I have for each website, or even new projects that I want to try. So, I use the project management tool BaseCamp from 37 Signals to help me keep track of the items I need to do with their handy To Do lists that I create, and milestone objective calendar. I can also collaborate with other people who help me with my websites by allowing those people access and to give them assignments on the To Do lists.
Plus, since these are informative websites, we write a good bit (tons!) and BaseCampHQ.com has a Writeboard for collaborating on new articles. The Writeboard allows multiple people to edit or make suggestions on an article, which is very nice! BaseCamp at first glance does not appear to be free, but there is a small link on the signup page where you can get a free BaseCamp account to carry one project. So, if you want to try it, that's a great way to start!
Gmail - this one you probably all know. I don't really have to explain Google's free email, except to say that I really like Gmail because the spam filter is a far better quality than anything else I've ever used. Plus, my 23 sites each have a different email address, so I push all mail from those accounts through my Gmail account which cleans it for spam! It's a very nice and free utility from Google, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. It also does a very good job of allowing me to filter certain emails into separate folders to keep my main email folder clean and neat. So, Gmail is a good all around email client for a blogger like me. If you aren't using it, I strongly recommend you do, especially if you are still on Hotmail or, God forbid, Yahoo's Mail client!
How about you? Do you have a tool, a piece of software, or some product that makes your life easier? You don't have to be a blogger to participate. Sharing is fun! So tell me what you have below!
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B. Daniels is the lead review expert with Find Cheap Bargains. B. was more than likely the person responsible for the hands-on review of every product on the site. He also spends time searching for sale bargains when not conducting and writing the reviews.
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