The Best Project Management and Team Collaboration Tool: Moving from Basecamp to activeCollab
July 16, 2011
Can I start with these words…”I am in love!” I have been a huge Basecamp fan for several years now but I just had a fling with a sweet app called activeCollab® and I have been wooed into switching systems. This transition doesn’t come lightly and I have contemplated for months whether I would stay with Basecamp or upgrade to the next level because I was getting very close to my project limit. I decided that since I had to make a stronger commitment to Basecamp, I would first check to see what other tools were out there. I have reviewed tons of applications. I actually signed up for the trial accounts to get a true feel of the app. I needed to be sure that a new system would really be better than Basecamp before making the switch from a tool I had grown to love.
If you are interested in do similar research, here is a list of system I reviewed that just didn’t meet my needs or expectations. For others these tools may be the perfect solution, but I was looking for a tool that gave me greater control over roles and permissions while also including time tracking and invoicing. Another key feature I needed was the ability to track changes and revisions to my documents. I have to say that ProofHub.com was a strong contender but in the end, activeCollab® was the one who stole my heart.
Here is the review list:
- http://teambox.com/
- http://deskaway.com
- http://wrike.com/
- http://copperhq.com/
- http://proofhub.com
- http://huddle.net/
- http://activecollab.com
So Why the Switch to activeCollab®?
It’s self hosted. Rather than pay a monthly fee, users can purchase a one time license of $249 for SmallBiz or $499 for the Corporate version. With moving to the next level of service with Basecamp, at $49 per month I would have paid for the cost of the corporate version in 11 months. Don’t let the fact that activeCollab® is self-hosted scare you. Setup takes let than 10 minutes and there are a whole community of experts who can help you get setup in no time if you aren’t the techie type. Also there is a cool Probe.php app you can install on your webserver to verify if your server meets the system requirements. I am hosting my applications on 1and1.com and I have already tested that their linux plans are compatible with activeCollab.
Support tickets. I love the fact that this system allows my clients to submit support tickets. The ticket system is simple but effective. Whoo Hoo!
Built on PHP and MySQL technology. This tool has a plugin architecture and an API that allows users to extend its functionality. Finding a PHP and MySQL developer to write scripts and code to extend the functionality is a easy as posting a project on Freelancer.com.
Integration of Checklists. I love the fact that I can create global checklists that can be added to projects. This saves a ton of time when getting a new client project setup on the system.
Time Tracking. activeCollab® lets your team track how much time they are spending on each project and task. This data can be used to bill your clients, see how the time is spent and learn more about the projets you are working on.
Email Integration. activeCollab® keeps you and your associates in the loop by sending email notifications about new tickets, comments, file versions and more.
I hope you have found this post helpful. If you did, I’d love to hear from you so please post your comments below.
Using Tungle.me as Your Ultimate Meeting Planning and Calendar Scheduling Tool
July 3, 2011
Tungle.me is a scheduling application that syncs with your existing calendar.
- Eliminate double-bookings, time zone mishaps and the back-and-forth of finding a time to meet
- Easily schedule meetings, inside or outside your organization
- Invite others to schedule with you, without having to sign up
Inbound Scheduling
Others can visit your Tungle.me page and send you meeting invitations proposing multiple times without signing up. You pick the final time and it’s booked! You control the times shown as available and control who you share your page link with.
Outbound Scheduling
Send invitations proposing multiple times to one or many people. Tungle handles replies, automatically adjusts for different time zones, and prevents double bookings. Once booked,it’s automatically added to your calendar and all invitees receive email confirmations.
Syncs with your existing calendar:
- Microsoft Outlook (with or without exchange)
- Apple iCal and Entourage
- Google Calendar
- Lotus Notes
- BlackBerry
I love using this tool and have included the widget on my Facebook business page. I have also integrated it in my email signature and on my website. Click here to see my Tungle.me landing page.
Webinar Software Review
January 31, 2010
So you want to host a webinar. You have your content, you have your clients but haven’t yet figured out the tool you’ll use to pull it all together? This post will review several tools that will help you deliver a smooth and powerful webinar. Consider the following factors when selecting the tool that is right for you:
- The number of people you will invite to the meeting.
- Will you need to record the meeting?
- Will you need to offer a replay of the webinar?
- Do ad papera on the site and does this matter to you when considering your audience?
- What features will you need for people to interact and participate?
- What is your monthly budget?
These are some of my favorite webinar tools:
DimDim.com is a browser-based web 2.0 webinar service that makes it easy for anyone to deliver synchronized live presentations, whiteboards and web pages and share their voice and video over the Internet - with no download required. Users can share their desktop, show slides, chat and broadcast via webcam. There is a free version and the Pro version costs $25 per month.
Vyew.com is a cool browser based webinar tool that is FREE forever. Users pay for special features. The free version does have ads but they are not obtrusive. The webinar is persistent (always on) and the user has great flexibility and control over the webinar experience.
FuzeMeeting.com is a web conferencing tool that lets you share everything on your screen in high resolution with anyone, anywhere, on any device. It is a nice tool in that it allows HD content to be shared and they offer a “Meetings by the Day” price of $9.99 for up to 15 attendees. Fuze also offers a low priced monthly plan.
GoToMeeting.com is a Web conferencing tool that allows you to meet online rather than in a conference room. They are one of the key leaders in the industry and offer a high quality solution.
Skype.com is often thought of as a phone, chat and video sharing solution but did you know you can also share your screen for FREE? This solution may work for a webinar depending on how many people you are trying to connect with.
The tools I happen to use the most are Vyew, Skype and Dim Dim. If you have a tool you love to use that wasn’t included in this review, post your comment below and share it with me. If you use any of the tools above and have had a good experience, please share that with our community as well.
Free Lifetime Backup for GMail, Facebook & Twitter
January 7, 2010
If you are like many internet users, you use a lot of social networking sites, photo sharing sites, blog sites and cloud services. You probably backup the data on your computer regularly but what would happen to you or your business if all of a sudden you lost access to one or several of your online accounts? Could you still do business or communicate with the people you work with?
We have content and connections spread out all over the web and while many of the services we use have their own backup in place, it would reduce a lot of stress to know that all of your information from your Facebook friends list to your WordPress blog posts and comments were safely backed up in a lifestream cloud.
Backupify is a lifestream cloud backup service and what is exciting is that until January 31, 2010 they are offering FREE lifetime backup for your cloud content.
I recently lost my email data and it took my email hosting company three weeks to get my mailbox back working again. It was painful and frustrating not being able to do business as usual. It would have been helpful working with a company that specializes in backups when I was faced with this crisis.
Backupify works to backup all your online account data in one place and allows you to connect it with all of your online accounts so your backups are created automatically.
Here are the services Backupify currently supports:
- Flickr
- Delicious
- Zoho
- Google Docs
- Photobucket
- WordPress
- Basecamp (beta)
- Gmail (beta)
- Facebook (beta)
- FriendFeed (beta)
- Blogger (beta)
- Hotmail (beta)
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and post your thoughts in the comment section below.
Need a Social Media Diet? Try Facebook Lite
September 29, 2009
If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the many features of Facebook, you just might want to go on a diet and try Facebook Lite which was recently released to users in the U.S. and Canada. This new version is a light weight, stripped down version of Facebook. The jury is still out on whether this new version is a winner but some users say they love the cleaner, simpler interface while others express disappointment with missing key features they have grown to love. At any rate, we can be sure these changes will impact businesses who use Facebook to reach new fans and customers. The key to surviving this shift is to optimize your Facebook Fan Page so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Facebook Lite keeps things very simple by only allowing for status updates, uploading and viewing of photo and videos, birthdays and wall messages. Even the sidebar has undergone a makeover. Ads are much less noticeable and interestingly the “People You May Know” feature remains.
Key differences between Facebook and Facebook Lite:
- Can’t Update Your Status - With Facebook Lite, you can view your pages and profile but you are not able to make updates.
- The Layout is Simple & Clean - You will notice that many of the items in the sidebar and header are stripped down to bare bone information. There are not as many distractions in Facebook Lite.
- Share and Like - Users still have the ability to ‘comment’ on posted items as well as ‘like’ posted items. Unfortunately users are not able to ’share’ posted items from their friend’s profile or their fanned pages.
- No Application Support - Users who use applications such as Mafia Wars and Farmville to enrich their Facebook experience or engage with their friends will find Facebook Lite a bit disappointing. Though there is no support for applications at this time, this does mean users don’t have to worry about viruses that are commonly spread via applications.
- No Chat - When logged into Facebook Lite, users don’t have access to the chat feature. Facebook developer are still debating whether to add this feature so only time will tell if it makes it into a future version.
I have found the new Lite version of Facebook to be a bit buggy in that sometimes I can’t get a profile to display. I guess this is to be expected when the app is still in beta. Overall the interface is simple to use and makes it easy to make quick posts and quickly catch up on your friend’s activities. Try Facebook Lite and let me know what you think by posting a comment below.
Search Engine Usage Statistics for 2009
August 13, 2009
Search engine usage reported for June 2009.
My personal branding and social media consulting clients often ask the breakdown of search engine usage. I did some research and decided to post the findings on my blog. When developing your personal branding and social media marketing strategy, it is important to understand search engine usage and the various ways potential clients will find you online. When getting started with keyword research i recommend Google’s Keyword Tool. This free tool allows you to analyze the search volume and competition related to your potential keywords. Based on the recent findings below by The Nielsen Company, Google is the clear search engine winner.
The Nielsen Company reported search engine usage for June 2009. Here are their findings.
| Search Engine | Percentage |
| 66.1% | |
| Yahoo | 16.2% |
| Bing | 8.8% |
| AOL | 3.0% |
Do You ooVoo?
August 23, 2008
ooVoo is a free video chat and video conferencing tool that allows you to stay connected with loved ones, friends, colleagues and customers. ooVoo is the next evolution in online communication — a remarkably easy way to have a face-to-face video with anyone no matter where they are in the world.
The quality is good and is improved even further when you select the High Resolution Video option.
This tool has many great features — from video calls with up to six people in the upgraded version and three people in the FREE version. This tool eve has video messaging, chat and file transfer capabilities.
I love ooVoo Video Chat because it is remarkably easy to use. Simply download to install then you are ready to ooVoo someone and best of all it’s FREE! My mastermind group consists of people from 4 different states and we meet every two weeks for 3 hours. About 3 moths ago our mastermind started using ooVoo and we have benefited in three key ways:
- Improved communcaiton. There is no more guessing whether the other team members get what you are saying. You can see their facial expressions and body language which helps to check for understanding. You communicate more effectively because body language makes up 55% of the meaning in communication messages.
- Engagement. Team members are more activly engaged in the discussion and remail alert and focused during the 3 hour call.
- Show and Tell. There have been times when it has been very helpful during our calls for someone to hold up a relevant item such as a book, product or gadget being discussed. For example, one of our mastermind members was able to show the exact headset she uses so others learn more about it and explore its design.
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