Altitude on Small Business Tools

And google did it again, this time, it is like have it all, so you probably don’t need twitterfeed.

All your blog posts, can be automatically posted or tweeted to your

twitter account automatically, using Google Feedburner.

Refer to screenshot below:

The new Feedburner option is called “Socialize” and can be found on the “Publicize” tab. To set it up, simply add your Twitter account (you can add more than 1) and then click the “Activate” button.

It uses the new Google short url: goog.gl and has quite a few advanced options, such as the ability to extract the post categories and post them as Twitter #hashtags, use inline hastags, only select the items from a certain category or based on a keyword and the options you have seen in services like Twitterfeed, such as adding text to the beginning or end of a twit, post only the title, tile and body or body, and so on.

I must say, the timing couldn’t be better as Twitterfeed has been experimenting huge delays for the last 3-4 days, with most of the content ending up as not being posted at all.

Part of this post is courtesy of Webp8

drop.io – it is really an awesome tool..

A new tool for collabarating and sharing information.

No registration required.

Easy and very easy to use,everything happens on realtime.
All you have to do..
is create a drop..Upload files,and share the URL provided to you with others,and you are good to go..
You can share images, videos, and many others..

Check it out here 

Fast Company, a wonderfully insightful and innovative magazine for business, has developed it’s list of the most innovative Web 2.0 companies.

You can view the list here: http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_09/lists/the-most-innovative-companies-in-web-2.html

Did your favorite Web 2.0 company make the list?

Toodledo may be the answer to your organization and productivity problems. It seems we can’t get enough of organizing tools. With all the substantive and equally mundane projects and tasks we have to complete on a regular basis, one shouldn’t be surprised. The truth is we need help getting where we need to be and doing what we need to do, on schedule and on time. And there is technology to help us.

Toodledo is like most organizers in terms of its purpose: help people organize and become more productive. In a nutshell it is a web-based “to-do” list. We want bore you with all its features and functionality: add tasks, create folders, schedule meetings and appointments, set reminders, and get your information via email, RSS feeder or phone, etc.

What we will share are some simple, interesting things we think make Toodledo worth looking at:

For Procrastinators – Toodledo has a feature that will help prioritize your time and tasks for you. Not sure what task you should be focusing on or feeling kind of lazy? Toodledo has a special tool that analyzes dates, priorities, time estimates, and other characteristics. Just tell Toodledo what kind of time you have and it’ll create a customized schedule of the best use of your time. Boy, we’re loving this feature!

Want to Get Started Right Away? – Sign up for Toodledo and you’re instantly in your portal ready to work. Unlike most online tools where you have to wait for a confirmation, click a link and confirm that yes, you really do want to become organized, Toodledo makes you feel like they really understand how urgently you need to get your life together.

Already Trying to Organize? If you’re already using a task manager, you won’t have to retype everything — like that’s going to help you get organized right? Toodledo imports tasks from other sources including your Palm OS PDA, Microsoft Outlook, Apple’s iCal, and other online todo lists.

A Bit on the Techie Side? According to the website . . . and we quote: “We use all the fancy technologies (XML, RSS, AJAX, REST API…) that people have come to expect with innovative websites”.

Listen, what are you waiting for, you need to get organized. Surely this is enough information to inspire you to go take a look.

Tired of having to rely on your web designer to make changes to your website? Try WebAppToGo. Powered with easy-to-use Content Management System (CMS), WebAppToGo allows you to edit and manage the site yourself. Packages include basic, e-commerce, professional, and enterprise.

Appointy.com is a robust calendar and scheduler that allows you to manage client appointments online. With Appointy, you can organize your appointment book and that of your staff. The service is free and allows you to set up your calendar online. The difference is, it’s not accessible just to you. You can invite clients and allow others to view your calendar and set appointments directly within the system. No phone calls are necessary. No assistant or receptionist needed. No stopping what you’re doing to check your calendar, make appointments, or cancel them. Ideally, if everything works the way it should, you can just check your online calendar, verify the appointment (Appointy offers a verification process with the purchase of credits), and you’re well on your way to business management, freeing up both time and financial resources.

Here’s how it works:
You set up your account and then invite your clients to schedule appointments with you. Meanwhile you’re listed in the Appointy database so those in your area can learn more about you and your services. Both existing and new clients can then go in and look at your daily, weekly, or monthly calendar and schedule an appointment. Depending on the type of service and how you set up your account, they can even pay you ahead of time.

Forewarning: When you set up your account, give yourself at least 30 minutes, depending on whether you have staff or not. The 10 step process is a bit comprehensive and takes far longer than the 10 minutes they suggest if you have a bevy of services or more than two or three staff members. And unfortunately there is no skip and return feature that allows you to come back to various sections. So once you’re there you’re kind of stuck. Another drawback is the system doesn’t allow you to skip ahead to sections either. This was a bit frustrating.

On the surface Appointy.com seems like a great way to organize and schedule clients for services and could potentially send a few clients your way, but like all new tools, you have to get in, use it and see if it does what it says it does.

Are you using Appointy.com to schedule clients? Has it been effective for you? What advantages and disadvantages have you experienced with the system?

Good processes and procedures back every sound and good business structure, but for small businesses the thought of processes and workflow systems may feel too corporate and are often overlooked and thus, underutilized. The truth is good processes go hand and hand with good business and better management. But developing and designing processes can be a complex, time intensive task that too many business owners would soon neglect. But when it comes to collaboration and team management, good processes can take you a long way, particularly with teams that are not based in the same location. Previous solutions have looked to answer the question of how to become more efficient and productive, keep teams on the same page, and have good project clarity from the top, down. Further strategies would ultimately seek for online solutions. The effort to maintain consistent, progressive work patterns is the key to documenting solutions, keeping teams focused and on-task, and for tracking results.WorkFlowPerfect seems destined to help small businesses get themselves in order. Whether work processes are designed for a team of one or more, the ability to systematically create the processes, outcomes, and track results is now available via this new online medium.What is WorkflowPerfect? According to their website: WorkflowPerfect is a FREE web-based business process tool that enables you to enforce your business process, track the status of work items and collaborate work among team members through electronic form routing and the concept of workflow — all from the convenience of your web browser.Users can set up and manage business workflows, create and manage forms, and assign work items to individuals and groups. It’s the organized business owner’s dream, for others, possibly a nightmare. Why? Because the system forces you to think about your business, regular tasks that are performed and the individual steps for implementation. As you begin to configure your workflow, even the system warns (disguised as tips) that configuring your workflow can be time consuming, you may need to save your work and come back to finish, and you should have given this some thought before starting. Oh yeah, and a flowchart might be nice. If nothing else, it’s somewhat intimidating.For the standard project manager, it’s probably a breeze, but for the average small business owner, it’ll take some getting used to. Some time should be set aside to create your workflows and understand the software.All in all, Workflowperfect, looks to be just the right tool for creating next to perfect workflow.

Who says people don’t share anymore? In the online world of social networks, it’s all about sharing. Just take a look at Utterli, whose slogan, Create. Connect. Share. Anywhere. pretty much sums up the site. In the world of Web 2.0 it’s all about creating, connecting, sharing, and doing it from anywhere and Utterli seems to get that. Taking a spin from other popular social networks, YouTube and MySpace, for example, Utterli gives it’s members the opportunity to do what they want to do most —- share, share, share, whatever they want — videos, audios, pictures — whenever, wherever.Ready to get started? Just establish an account and start posting your utters (photos, videos, audios, or text) and instantly share with family, friends and/or colleagues as you answer the increasingly standard question, “What are you doing?” made so popular by Twitter. Like other social networking sites, you can follow others or have them follow you, join groups, or create your own.What’s different about Utterli? Who knows, but here’s what you can do if you opt to establish an account: Share and discuss your news instantly and mobile post to your blog, twitter, facebook or page or other websites instantly, anytime right from your cell phone. So what are you waiting on: Go create, connect, share, from anywhere.

Web Conferencing is a popular tool that’s great for hosting meetings, working with clients nationally, and connecting with colleagues and associates without being in the same room. There are a number of useful services out there, but deciding on the best one and finding the best price isn’t as easy. The trick is finding the right service that offers the features you need for the types of meetings you plan on hosting.Dimdim is a free web conferencing service that allows you to share your desktop, show slides, collaborate, chat, talk and broadcast via webcam with no downloading required to host or attend meetings. That’s one of the great things about the software, you don’t have to add yet another piece of software to your hard drive. In addition to that, Dimdim has built-in VoIP, which provides free calling to and from any computer with a microphone and an Internet connection. And they offer a free teleconference service, as well.The really neat thing about DimDim is that you can show pictures, share PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, and screen shots from your computer and video all from one spot. You can record your meetings and then receive a copy by email when it’s ready for viewing, on average, 5 or 6 minutes later.The software proves to be pretty simple to use. Like most web 2.0 tools, you start out by registering and establishing your free account and you’re instantly able to schedule your first meeting. For free you can host up to 20 people in your conference and for $99, not a month, but for a year, you can add customization and branding options.The internal portal is user-friendly with various options for chatting, accessing websites, loading documents, and setting Webcam quality.Looking for a place to host a web conference, that has the features you need —- website and desktop sharing, recording, and chat? And of course you want it at a great price, right? How about for free? You should check out DimDim.com

Small business owners with limited advertising dollars have always been challenged with how to get good products and services literally into the hands of their targeted market — the cost of traditional print, radio and television advertising usually exceeding the small business budget. Then along comes YouTube, the self-described leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience, an inexpensive advertising alternative.For the small business owner, YouTube has become the new advertising medium, allowing entrepreneurs and small companies an opportunity to voice opinions, offer information, and develop product and service videos to reach their targeted market, all at no cost.YouTube allows users to set up free accounts and upload videos that can be shared with friends and others.Why It’s Effective for Business OwnersOnce upon a time YouTube was mostly for music lovers, with the bulk of it’s audience posting and listening to music videos. Now YouTube has become a primary resource for business owners, politicians, companies and others to spread their message and reach untapped markets they might never have reachedIt’s the CodingThe great thing about YouTube is they’ve streamlined the process for getting the word out. Create a video, use great tags and watch people find you. But not only can videos be found on a company’s YouTube channel, users also have access to code that can be embedded on webpages so even the most non-technical individual can load a video.With the right message, content and exposure, a little known business can create a massive awareness campaign that can literally reach millions.Question:Are you using YouTube to market and advertise your business?If so, how effective have you found it to be?