Here’s a current rundown of various Web applications that I’m using. Check out the list, and then tell me what I’m missing.
- Gmail – I’ve been using it for years for personal/blog email. I recently kissed Outlook goodbye and am now using it for all work email. Try Gmail Labs for fun beta options.
- Google Calendar – We’ve been using it for family calendar for the last couple of years. Again, I recently shifted my work calendar as well. That move streamlined scheduling family/ministry life.
- Remember the Milk – This is the app that I use for tracking tasks. It’s fully integrated with Gmail and Google Calendar.
- Google Documents – Whenever possible, I’m trying to shift all my word processing, spreadsheets and presentations to the online option because it makes sharing and collaboration a lot easier with folks inside and outside my ministry team. (When formatting is a bigger deal, I’m still using Microsoft Word at work and Open Office at home.)
- WordPress – It’s how I share daily insights about ministry, leadership and life from my blog.
- Twitter – It’s how I share mini-insights throughout my day.
- YouVersion – I love being able to read, search and study the Bible online. It also adds an entirely new dimension when you can do that in community with others.
- Backpack – Offers a simple way to track and share important lists like family goals and stuff I’d like to blog about.
- Jott – Jott converts voice into text. I use it with Twitter and Remember the Milk when I’m driving and have random thoughts but can’t write them down.
- Xdrive – Provides free online storage when I’m looking to back up important files.
- YouSendIt – It’s a great tool for sending big files to other people.
- FellowshipOne – We use this web-based church management solution to track all the ministry connections at NewSpring.
- EventU – It’s how we manage our ministry calendar at NewSpring including scheduling rooms and resources.
- Mint.com – With Quicken, I’ve started using this app for tracking personal finances.
- Bringo – This site places the telephone call and navigates the phone trees so that you can talk directly to a human.
- Google Analytics – I use it to track stats for my blog.
- Woopra – This site is amazing. I use it to periodically monitor live traffic on my blog.
- Bloglines – I’ve tested Google Reader, but Bloglines is still my prefered RSS feed reader for following other blogs.
- Kwout – I use this tool when I want to grab linkable pictures and quotes from other sites for use on my blog.
- Mogulus – This is my current favorite app for broadcasting live video from my webcam. I’m still waiting on my Qik invite to try broadcasting live from my cell phone (Blackjack).
- Delicious – I use Delicious to track cool churches and tag Web sites for future blog posts.
- Pandora – This is a site that you can use to create your own Internet radio station that plays your favorite genre of music.
- Spiral Frog – You can download over a million songs for free including some of your favorite artists/bands.
- FotoFlexer – This site is an online image editor. Haven’t really tried Adobe Photoshop Express yet to compare it.
- FeedBurner – This is the service I use to track subscribers to my blog.
I really like posts like this. I don’t want to read this stuff every day, but it’s fun to see what other online tools people use to make their life easier. Also, it keeps me in the loop since i’m not in the American web 2.0 loop anymore.
thanks for a GREAT list… always something new to check out.
This post has changed my life!
Gmail, Google Cal, Google Docs, WordPress and Jott… a big YES to those apps! I’ll check out all the rest. Thanks.
Referring to Google Docs / Calendar / Gmail for work stuff: Maybe I’m just a paranoid control freak, but I don’t love the idea of storing my work documents, appointments, and email on a) a system that my company isn’t in charge of / can’t backup, and b) a system that says “Beta” on every logo. I do like them for personal stuff though; sharing Christmas lists with family and the like.
Some of these I use and love, and others look really promising to try!
I’ve got a question though. I so want to use gmail for work, but it comes through the “rivertreechristian.com” domain name for branding, blah blah blah. How do you deal with that? Do you have gmail set up so you can customize which address it goes out from? If so, that sounds like it would be a big pain…is it, or is it simpler than I’m thinking? Thanks!
Keep em coming. Totally been adding stuff into firefox as you post. For mac people, Skitch is a cool screen shot app for quick editing.
Instead of the limited default quotes feed in Gmail Labs “Random Signature” feature, you can use customized quotes
feeds by any tag, author or your personal favorites offered by
http://www.QuotesDaddy.com (see how-to in top right hand corner). Maya
Carey,
There are two options for you. First option is when you are logged in to gmail click on settings, then accounts and there is an option at the top to “Send Mail As”. This will let you customize the address you send from. Below that is “Get Mail From Other Accounts” you can set that up so you could do everything in gmail.
The second option: gmail offers a hosted option for your domain but everyone would need to use it because all domain mail would go to your custom gmail interface but you even have the ability to brand the mail interface with your logo etc. I am using it for my ministrytech.net mail. This option has other features also.
If you have any questions feel free to email me so I don’t take up anymore space here.
Tony,
I’ve found Slacker Radio to be another good online music service. You can’t download music, but you can listen to their stations online, or create your own, all for free.
http://www.slacker.com
Re: Lime…
What made you choose to use this online service, over its competitors (like Yodlee), and as opposed to using only Quicken?
I’m loving Pandora! Thanks for the tip.
LOVE this post! love learning new things that are out there, will definitely link back to this, Tony!
Good list!
I prefer drop.io over YouSendIt.com.
Hi Tony:
Here is a link to a windows based screen capture program:
http://www.jingproject.com/
I have been helped much by your awesome work.
The other great products from 37signals:
1. Basecamp
2. Campfire
3. Highrise
4. [Backpack - which you included]
Our company, Web Success Agency, could not run near as well without these great apps.
These are super suggestions. I’d add toggl.com to help time manage projects.
[...] This is here for my own reference; you might like it too! [...]
[...] Tony Morgan – 25 Web Apps That Make My Life Easier [...]
Excellent suggestions!
Everything that is in your list pertaining to Google, I use too!
I also recently stumbled on YouVersion and really like it a lot. I’ve written a post on my blog about possible uses, some drawbacks, and some ideas for this application of the Bible. Overall, I think it is awesome.
Anyway, with all of those tools you must need some sort of tool to keep it all straight :)
I just started using Remember the Milk and I already like how it seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar (which I just switched to over MS Outlook).
Thanks Tony!
GREAT to see someone else’s list! I shared your with several friends and will link to it in my comments on a similar post on
http://conversationsatintersections.blogspot.com/2008/06/helpful-links-to-free-software.html
[...] 25 Web Apps that Make Life Easier (Tony Morgan) [...]
Great to see ministry moving into the 21st century. I found another couple of services that are great to use. One is qalias. A great personal branding service, that I use to send visitors to. It gives me top search on google, yahoo etc. Just google my name and see for yourself. It also provides the ability to blog etc. I give visitors this site. http://www.zoeinvite.com
Also I use helloworld a web 2 service that allows me to broadcast live and video email. http://www.hitechchurch.com
John Posey
“The Video Preacher”
The list is relly good, I use some of them. Here are some more which I use in ministry
1. facebook (add me as Tankasubedi)
2. skype (add me as Tankasubedi)
3. stickam
4. picasa webalbum
5. Google apps
Thank you tony for sharing with us.
A couple of comments on Gmail and other Google Apps. Be aware that whilst you are signed in, every search you conduct and website you visit through Google is tracked and permanently stored on Google’s servers with no way to ever remove them. When you open a Gmail account there is an “opt out” feature that most do not bother to turn off called “Enable Web History” and while you can later turn that feature off and delete your personal Web History the fine print states that Google will keep a permanent record. If you want to see for yourself just click “Sign In” in the upper right of the main Google search screen (not Gmail but Google since when you open a Gmail account you are actually opening a Google account). Once you have signed in you will see a page that on the left includes your personal information and on the right something called “My Products”. Under “My Products” you will see a link called “Web History” if you did not opt out. Click on it and you will see every page you have ever searched through Google while you were signed on. If you want to delete it click “edit” and follow the instructions. If you want to see what Google does with the info here is their privacy link http://www.google.com/history/intl/en/privacyfaq.html — The story only gets better with the Google tool bar that many have installed, which depending on the type of installation tracks your internet activities in much greater depth resulting in a detailed personal profile.
While Google downplays this keep in mind that their CEO Eric Schmidt has a simple mission statement “Change the World”, ( http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/06/live-blogging-e.html and numerous other links), which is great unless of course his values are not congruent with Christian values, not to mention a point in the future when the years of personal data accumulated on “billions” of individuals may be used in an inappropriate manner. With the various social networks such as Facebook and particularly Youtube the accumulation of data on an individual is staggering.
I use Google and even Gmail and agree that they are wonderful tools, but a word to the wise is to exercise some caution in becoming to dependent on them and allowing them to store your personal data – the recent events between Georgia and Russia demonstrate just how quickly the internet can be shut down ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/technology/13cyber.html ) not to mention programs embedded in some computer products that can seize control of your device – Perhaps not something to worry about today but events and circumstances can change. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/08/11/dlapplephone111.xml
If you are interested here are a few sites that address internet privacy issues etc.
http://www.epic.org
http://www.citizenlab.org
http://www.googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/04/google-web-history.html
http://www.urlfan.com/local/the_evil_side_of_google_exploring_googles_user_data_collection/87864708.html
[...] of the stuff that I’ve found that I like (Tony did much of the research for me. You can view it here. Thanks [...]