In the last article, I discussed the must-have services that every busy person needs in their “online organizer” (my own term, loosely defined as a collection of web-based services used nearly every day to keep one organized, on-track, and sane - the electronic version of the physical binder-type devices that everyone once carried).
Today, in this last article, I'm presenting a list of other great web services that, while not “essential” to everyone, are highly recommended and many people will find extremely useful in their own online organizers:
Payment Processor
While not an absolute “essential”, payment processors are great for just about anyone because it can be used for so many different purposes. From paying a friend back for a split dinner to collecting credit card and EFT payments from sales of your home business's products, a good payment processor is easy, secure, and can be used by anyone. Of course, the number one payment service that comes to mind (and my personal favorite) is PayPal but there other great services out there that serve the same purpose.
A few that you might want to check out are Obopay, Neteller, BidPay, and TextPayMe). Of course, always use common sense and be sure to read all of the terms and conditions before using any online payment option. Project Planner
Especially for business folks, a good online project planner should be easy-to-use, a cinch to read and understand, and support multiple projects and multiple ways of viewing timelines and tasks on those projects. They should rival more traditional software such as Microsoft Project and Primavera. Though I don't personally use a project planner very much, some of the really impressive ones I've seen include ViewPath, BaseCamp, and AceProject. Quick Reference
Everyone needs a quick answer to something once in a while. If you find yourself wondering “who is…”, “what is…”, or “where is…”, you need a good source to go to for quick, accurate answers. My favorites are Wikipedia, and Google. Often with either of these services, just typing in what you want to know instantly brings back exactly the information you need. Notebook/Web Clipper
Sometimes, while we're surfing the web, we come across a piece of information that's just too valuable to let sit. Or maybe we don't have time to look at an article now, but we'd like to later. A good web clipping service will let you do just that. Just select the article, right click, and viola! The entire article or information (images and all) is saved to your online web clipper, which you can organize, prioritize, edit, and read at your leisure. And, even if the information changes or is removed on the website that you clipped it from, the data in your web clipper/notebook never changes.
A good web clipper is also a notebook, allowing you to store your ideas, notes, recipes, drafts, or anything else that you need to keep in electronic form. A few good ones are Google Notebook, Clipmarks, and Zoho Notebook. Reminders
Sometimes, you just need a reminder without cluttering up your calendar with all the reminders you've set. The web abounds with these services, but my favorite is Jott, because it lets you simply call a phone number and speak (yes, speak) your reminder - the Jott system automatically translates it and will send you both a text message and e-mail with the reminder at the set time. This is awesome, especially for on-the-go people who may not be in front of a computer at all times. Other choices for reminders can be found by simply Googling “reminders”. Online Bookmark Service
You have a computer at home and at work. You have a computer in the bedroom and your laptop is in the living room. How do you keep all of your bookmarks and favorite sites synced on all of these devices? Simple: you don't, you let an online bookmark service do the work. These services allow you to store all of your favorite site on their server that can be called up from any web browser and used just like the favorites on your computer. This way, there's only one set of favorite sites to keep up with.
My personal favorite in this category is Spurl because of the handy add-on for your browser that puts your bookmarks in a separate pane to the left of your screen. However, there are many other great bookmarking services out there: del.icio.us, Backflip , and BookmarkAll are just a few. Google “online bookmarks” for more possibilities. Virtual Assistant
No matter how helpful they are, however, none of the services above can do what a person can (at least not yet): interact with other humans or make reasoned decisions. Sometimes, you just need another human to help you stay organized. Having a personal assistant used to mean big dollars and was only for big executives with six-and-seven-figure incomes. No more. Now, having your own human “virtual” assistant is more affordable than ever.
For example, Sunday will, for just $29 a month, allow you to have a personal assistant perform up to 30 tasks on your behalf per month. “Schedule an oil change for me”, “Find a supplier for that new Elmo doll that has them in stock, place the order on my Visa and have it shipped overnight to me”, and “Find the number for customer support at XYZ company. Please call and when you finally get a live person on the line, transfer the call to me so that I can speak to them” are all tasks you can have your personal assistant do.
Other companies that provide these same services (at varying rates) are GetFriday, DoMyStuff) - actually more of a "task auction" site, and TasksEveryDay. I found my personal assistant, Jill, at DoMyStuff and she has helped me loads already by taking away mundane tasks, organizing data, and leaving me more time to do what I love to do - write (you can use the link to check out her DoMyStuff profile - she has great rates and fast turnaround).
There you have it: my recommendations for your online life. Not every suggestion will be appropriate for everyone, but once you find that perfect mix of web services to save you time and keep you organized, you'll feel much more in control than you did before.
You probably have a few services yourself that I didn't mention that you use everyday to save you time and organize your life. You're welcome to give your personal recommendations in the comments section below.
