guide to the vexed

Copyright 2008 by PresenTense Consulting

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from PresenTenseConsulting, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. PresenTenseConsulting does not endorse any of these products or assume responsibility for their proper function.

Guide to the Vexed: A Practical Guide to Online Tools and Resources by PresenTense Consulting

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Guide to the Vexed A Practical Guide to online tools and resources offered by Web 2.0

A Practical Guide to online tools and resources offered by Web 2.0

Introduction....................................................................................................................3I. The 5 Minute Website............................................................................................4II. Conferencing, Presenting, Sketching Online..............................................5III. Project Management............................................................................................7IV. Wiki and Wiki Like Software............................................................................9V. Time Tracking and Invoicing............................................................................10VI. Contracts................................................................................................................11VII. Billing and Invoicing.........................................................................................12VIII. Customer Relationship Management.......................................................13

Mobile Blogging:.....................................................................................................15XI. Content Management Publishing Systems...............................................17XII. Build a Social Network....................................................................................18XIII. Everything Video..............................................................................................19

Video Hosting...........................................................................................................20Online Video Editing.............................................................................................21Video Search............................................................................................................21Analyzing Other Sites’ Traffic:..........................................................................26


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Introduction

Welcome to the first edition of the Guide for the Vexed focusing on Web 2.0. If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how the latest developments in online technologies can help you and your organizations reach out to old and new constituents, develop relationship with the broader public, and attract attention for your efforts. Not to mention plan and execute projects, manage donor databases, and create multimedia presentations of your organization’s effectiveness.

The quick and easy solutions contained in this guide seek to maximize your effectiveness and efficiency, using cutting-edge tools that require little to no technical knowledge. As Michael Negroponte once said, “the digital revolution is now over”—and thanks to user-friendly, what you see is what you get user interfaces, having access to online tools can markedly maximize the potential of every organization.

The guide will be regularly published to help keep organizations and entrepreneurs stay updated about new tools and services provided by technological pioneers – and PresenTense Consulting can provide additional aid in the form of consulting should you or your organization desire training or seek to dig deeper into the tools.

I. The 5 Minute WebsiteThere are few things an organization needs more in the information age than a clear, attractive website. The first thing most people do when hearing of an organization is search for their website – and if the site does not clearly present the information they were looking for, moving on is only a click away. In recognizing the importance of specialized, personalized websites, a crop of new services has grown to help the non-techie create, update and publicize an online calling card.

Weebly: http://www.weebly.com

Weebly is a quick and easy way to get up a website with relatively complete front-end functionality, including the ability to display video (YouTube), stream podcasts, and feature photos. Featuring blogging capabilities, automatic rss feeds, contact forms and a large selection of skins and designs, Weebly can help your organization develop a useful website in less time than it would take to contact a web designer and as for a quote.

Other useful tools:

Jimdo: http://www.jimdo.com

Great for a more static site, Jimdo allows full customization.

Google Page Creator: http://pages.google.com

Tied to the rest of the online Google suite, Google’s Pages is a quick and easy way to get up a website to serve as a calling card for your organization.


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http://www.jimdo.com/

II. Conferencing, Presenting, Sketching OnlineSometimes a website is not the best way to present ideas in a compelling narrative – and during those times, online presentations can step in to guide the visitor through the latest ideas and news coming out of your organization. Online presentation technology can increase an organization’s collaboration and ideamining, raise quality through additional eyes on the same document, and ensure the ultimate in plug-in-play, so that every member of the organization has the opportunity to display the most updated presentation when duty calls.

Google Presentations: http://docs.google.com

A great powerpoint replacement tool online, and part of the Google Online Office Suite included in Google Docs. Upload slideshows, edit collaboratively, and share online.

Other Useful Tools:

Zoho Show: http://show.zoho.com

Arguably better than Google Slideshows, Zoho Show has the ability to include forms and lines, as well as more complex functions.

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net


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http://www.slideshare.net/

http://show.zoho.com/

http://docs.google.com/

A great site for uploading powerpoint documents and sharing them on the web. Includes a download tool, and an embed tool that allows others to embed the show in their websites. In addition, and most importantly, one can use Slideshare to create a Slidecast – a voice-guided presentation that can lead a viewer through the slides and increase chances of presentation success.

Imagination Cubed: www.imaginationcubed.com

Great site for online collaborative sketching – an online whiteboard environment.

Dimdim: http://www.dimdim.com

Full service meeting platform including presentation capabilities, video, audio, chat. Currently in beta.

Yugma: http://www.yugma.com

Full service “webinar,” geographically dispersed collaboration, and web meeting platform.


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http://www.yugma.com/

http://www.dimdim.com/

http://www.imaginationcubed.com/

III. Project Management

As organizations are learning to open themselves to large-scale collaboration and team-work, efficient solutions for task-management and project management have taken the web by storm. Using a project management system, project leaders can draw upon a vast network of activists and volunteers and assign, review and follow-up on tasks that lead to milestone completion.

Central Desktop: http://www.centraldesktop.com

Full service project management tool for groups that syncs with Outlook, enables a full collaboration environment, and enables integration of online conferencing and store files with version tracking to ensure that all members of a venture are on the same page.

Other Useful tools:

Basecamp: http://www.basecamphq.com

Popular and inexpensive project management tool the enables the addition of unlimited users, and classes of projects.


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http://www.basecamphq.com/

http://www.centraldesktop.com/

Itensil: http://www.itensil.com

Wiki based process management application.

Daptiv: http://www.daptiv.com

Project management, resource management, and collaboration.


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http://www.daptiv.com/

http://www.itensil.com/

IV. Wiki and Wiki Like Software

The term Wiki comes from Hawaii, indicating a process that can be completed ‘quickly,’ and has grown into a term that is nearly synonymous with collaboration. As in Wikipedia, Wikis enable organizations to store, manage, correlate and fact-check knowledge in a quick, easy and effectively editable way. An organization can use wikis to post and update bylaws, prepare guidebooks, and prepare materials for internal and external consumption.

PBWiki: http://pbwiki.com

Widely used wiki creation application that is free and easy for nonprofits, and includes various widgets and services to integrate and update processes.

Other useful tools:

Social Text: http://www.socialtext.com

Allows for public wikis and intranet wikis with a variety of time-saving tools and mobility-enhancing updating opportunities.


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http://www.socialtext.com/

http://pbwiki.com/

V. Time Tracking and Auto-Invoicing

In working with consultants, lay-members or even volunteers, time-tracking can help to correctly asses the time and effort put into a project, enabling a manager to plan effectively for the future. In addition, easy and automatic invoicing can help organizations small and large deliver and track contracts, so that no bill will go unpaid.

Cashboard: www.cashboard.com

Includes time tracking, estimate delivery, and invoicing.

Slimtimer: www.slimtimer.com

A fully web based tracking system.

Harvest: http://www.getharvest.com

A popular time tracking application that can be integrated through the basecamp API.

TimeXchange: www.timexchange.netTrack time, record expenses, works for teams.


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http://www.timexchange.net/

http://www.cashboard.com/

VI. Contracts

Often the contract-signing stage in negotiations is the most tedious and time-consuming part of the agreement – and a number of online services have stepped in to help solve the problems associated with this space. Using online contract signing services, organizations can move from workplan to work-agreement in a few easy steps.

Echosign: http://www.echosign.com

Online contract tool used by businesses and individuals to shorten the time between deal making and acquisition.

Other Useful Tools:

Sertifi: www.sertifi.com

Online contract and esignature software, oriented towards sales.


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http://www.sertifi.com/

http://www.echosign.com/

VII. Billing and Invoicing

Increasing effectiveness of accounts receivable can be the difference between an organization’s being in the red, and safely riding in the black. Using online invoice tracking software, an organization can increase its financial transparency and thereby increase a sense of ownership among key staff and volunteers.

Blinksale: http://www.blinksale.com

Invoice creation and delivery that includes templates, revenue tracking, and tagging for increased ease of data management.

Other Useful Tools:

Freshbooks: http://www.freshbooks.com


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http://www.freshbooks.com/

http://www.blinksale.com/

VIII. Customer and Donor Relationship Management

Salesforce: http://www.salesforce.com

The industry leader, Salesforce is a platform that includes a multitude of customizable mini-programs, known as widgets, to enable increased functionality. Thanks to the Salesforce foundation, it also has a nonprofit version.

Other Useful Tools:

Pipeline Deals: http://www.pipelinedeals.com

Business focused CRM that focuses on deal-flow.Big Contacts: http://www.bigcontacts.com

Full-Service web-based CRM that includes task management and assignment, and easy import and export.

Wild Apricot: http://www.wildapricot.com/


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http://www.bigcontacts.com/

http://www.pipelinedeals.com/

http://www.salesforce.com/

A leading nonprofit donor and member management system, which can help administrators track, update and coordinate volunteers and members.


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IX. Blogging Resources

In many ways, blogging has defined the first wave of Web 2.0. Blogging’s ease and effectiveness enables anyone, in any position in an organization or outside of it, to share their opinions and update the public on news. Due to the way internet search works, blogging also can raise the profile of an organization, ensuring that content about an organization or initiative rises to the top of search results—and therefore informs the interested public. For this reason alone, blogging is critical to the successful public relations of an organization.

Wordpress: www.wordpress.com

An excellent blogging platform, that can be either remotely hosted for free, or downloaded and run off of an organization’s own server. For themes see http://themes.wordpress.net.

Other Useful Tools:

Vox: www.vox.com

Includes high level controls over content visibility. Movable Type: www.movabletype.com

One of the original blogging platforms, Moveable type is HTML based and highly flexible.


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http://themes.wordpress.net/

http://www.wordpress.com/

Short-form and Mobile Blogging:

Tumbler: http://www.tumblr.com

A quick and easy way to blog on the fly, Tumbleblogs are an easy way to update a website and aggregate like content.

Twitter: www.twitter.com

Considered one of the hottest start-ups of Web 2.0, Twitter enables individuals to update their social circle on their status—and thereby share potentially useful information on context.

IMified: www.imified.com

Useful for blogging from an im client. Can also be used to operate basecamp, google calendar and other technologies.


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http://www.imified.com/

http://www.twitter.com/

X. Internet TelephonyCall for free or cheap.

The internet enables individuals to transfer more than just written data – voice can be just as easily transferred as anything else. Thanks to the global nature of the net, long-distance and even international calls can now be made for less than a local call only five years ago.

Skype: http://www.skype.comThe industry leader in computer-to-computer calls, Skype can also be used as a call-router, enabling people to dial a local number from anywhere in the world and reach the phone of your choice, and as a computer-to-phone connection, enabling users to call from their computer to other’s phones.

Jajah: http://jajah.com/

As a phone-to-phone service, jajah lets members connect through the online service for free or very low cost, with telephone-clean quality.


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http://jajah.com/

XI. Content Management Publishing SystemsOrganizing and managing content online is at the core of any successful rich online presence. Whereas a quick website can serve as a greeting card and organizing element, a website managed on a content management system can develop different sections of content, provide ever deeper levels of information, and organizing institutional information in an easy-to-change framework.

Drupal: http://www.drupal.com

An award winning Content Management System, Drupal has an engineering community that has developed a plethora of additions for increased functionality including task management, customer and donor management (groundswell is one such program), and magazine publishing.

Other Sites:

Symphony21: http://www.symphony21.com

To manage multiple blogs and points of data.

Wordpress: http://www.wordpress.com

Although primarily a simple and straightforward blogging system, Wordpress can also be used as a CMS.


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http://www.wordpress.com/

http://www.drupal.com/

XII. Build a Social Network

Social Networks have been the defining element of Web 2.0, bringing together members and interested parties in a tightly-knit community for social and organizational means. While people generally gravitate towards open-ended social networks such as Facebook and MySpace due to the potential to mold different parts of life into one interface, organization can successfully deploy social networks if their community of practice seeks to more deeply dig into news and events in a communal space.

Ning: www.ning.com

Ning is an easy to develop and deploy social network building site, already hosting over 100K specialized social networks.

Other Useful Tools:

Kickapps: http://www.kickapps.com

Snapville (formerly www.me.com): www.snapville.com

Crowdvine: http://www.crowdvine.com


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http://www.crowdvine.com/

http://www.snapville.com/

http://www.kickapps.com/

http://www.ning.com/

XIII. Everything Video

As the ultimate in multimedia, information conveyed by video is usually much more effective than that conveyed in any single medium alone: with video you not only hear it and read it, you see it and generally believe it. Luckily, online video applications have gotten ever more popular and accessible in recent years – enabling everything from posting, sharing to editing online.

Video Sharing

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com

The largest, most popular video sharing site, owned by google.

Other sites:

Veoh: http://www.veoh.com

BlipTV: http://www.blip.tv

Video Conversion

Zamzar: http://www.zamzar.com

Converts files to many different formats, including video formats.


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http://www.zamzar.com/

http://www.blip.tv/

Video Hosting

Tinypic: http://www.tinypic.com

Host and link to videos online.

Dropshots: http://www.dropshots.com

Upload photos and videos and then use the code to embed them in any website.

Online Video Editing

Jumpcut: http://www.jumpcut.com

Publish and edit videos online in a yahoo-linked service that enables tight cuts, text-overs, and additional effects.

Eyespot: http://www.eyespot.com

Publish videos.

Video SearchFind the videos you need across the web

Blinkx: http://www.blinkx.com

The largest video search database on the internet.


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http://www.blinkx.com/

http://www.jumpcut.com/

http://www.dropshots.com/

http://www.tinypic.com/

XIV. MetricsThe number of hits, visitors, uniques or pageviews a wesite gets is an analogue to the number of people who show up to events – for the most part, more is more. However, since the Internet is inherently a more individuated plaace, in order to know how well your organization, or the organizations of your peers and competitors, are doing, one need refer to trackers who can do the checking for you.

Analyzing Your own traffic:

Google Analytics: http://analytics.google.com

Google’s entry in the tracking category, Google Analytics has excellent technology for analyzing traffic breakdown on your website—and can keep those statistics private, or bring together detailed reports for stakeholders or advertisers.

Other sites:

Clicktale: http://www.clicktale.com

Records visitors’ every action as they browse through your website. Watch movies of user clicks.

Fireclick: http://www.fireclick.com

Ties in with affiliate programs, paid search engines, and other services to give a complete picture of web traffic.

CrazyEgg: http://www.comscore.com


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http://www.comscore.com/

http://www.fireclick.com/

http://www.clicktale.com/

Illuminating visualizations of your web traffic.

VisitorVille: http://www.visitorville.com

Displays your web traffic through video game like visualizations

Analyzing Other Sites’ Traffic:

Compete: http://www.compete.com

Although never perfectly accurate, compete can provide a basic understanding of traffic trends affecting websites that are not your own.

Other Useful Tools:

Quantcast: http://www.quantcast.com

A competitor to compete, knowing the score of a website on two sites is definitely better than just relying on one.

Hitwise: http://www.hitwise.com

Driven by marketing considerations, good for the organization that has identified competitors in the field.


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http://www.hitwise.com/

http://www.quantcast.com/

http://www.visitorville.com/

guide to the vexed

Documents

online tools

online google suite

online presentations

useful website

google online office

online calling card

google slideshows

google presentations