If you’re a regular here, then you already know some of the productivity tools I use. I feel absolutely comfortable recommending these tools to my friends.
If you’re looking for mindmapping software, I can recommend MindManager. That’s the mindmapping software you’ve seen me use a bunch of times to document meeting notes, conduct brainstorming sessions, outline ideas and easily publish interactive downloadable PDFs for visitors and colleagues. You’ve seen it in action in my articles like: Why ROI Means “Return On Influence” (Well, it doesn’t really…); Social Media Strategies and Tactics Are Not the Same; and quite a few others.
A versatile audio/video player for your website. EasyVideoPlayer is Josh Bartlett’s creation; it’s pretty slick. I use it quite a bit to create automatic redirects right after the video ends. That’s right. You can have the video automatically redirect your visitors to another page or website after the video ends. Use it for signup forms or other content that supports your video message. You can also embed signup forms and call-to-action buttons right within the frame of the video, and much more.
A place to host your blog or website. I’ve been using Bluehost.com for a few years now. In addition to the unlimited storage, the easy installation scripts they have for installing popular server-side software like WordPress, Joomla, and others, I also love the fact that they were actually there on a couple of Friday nights — midnight PST — when I called. I was pleasantly surprised that someone actually answered the phone and helped save me from myself!
eMail Marketing and list-building. There are a lot of good email campaign management programs. The bottom line is to choose one you’re comfortable with. But, a platform that also has high deliverability rates (meaning your messages have less of a chance of ending up in a junk box), great analytics and an easy control panel. I’ve been using AWeber because it offers all of that. Also, they’re pretty good about making sure that we respect our subscribers by insisting on a double opt-in system.
Disclosure. I write here about topics that I’m passionate about. I want this blogsite to be a place for learning. Specifically, about how to create content for social learning and social business using online media. And, if I can inspire friends and colleagues along the way to produce and distribute their own online educational content, so much the better. But, I also want you to know that from time to time I’ll link to other resources. Generally, you should assume it’s an affiliate link. It doesn’t mean the resource will cost you more; only that in some cases I get paid a commission. I also hope you’ve come to know me enough to understand that if I promote another resource, it’ll be the case that I truly believe in it. That said, in all cases, my recommendations will only be based on relating my personal experience with that product or service. And, unless I specifically say otherwise, you should consider any additional claims, statistics, quotes or other representations made by the product or service affiliate should be considered separate from my recommendation. Thanks again for reading and following. I truly appreciate you being here.
