by dderoeck on August 4, 2010
If you have multiple Google accounts like myself, you most likely found yourself frustrated from the never-ending need to toggle between account by going the long route – logging off of one account and logging onto another. Not only was it inconvenient, it was highly inefficient and time-consuming. I’m a big fan of Google – they have some of the best products and services available, not to mention a superior search engine. But this one had me baffled. Why they did not come up with a solution to this short-coming?
Well, I have some great news today. Google announced that they are releasing their service to allow you to be logged into multiple accounts at once!
Not everyone may have access to this yet since they are rolling it out, but here’s how it works.
Log into your Google Account and look for Personal Settings. If you have Multiple sign-in on your dashboard, you are in!
Simply click Multiple Sign-in and you will be presented with a setting screen. Change the setting to allow multiple Google account log-in. You will also have a number of other options that you may or may not want to check. After you are done, click Save.
That’s it! You will now have the ability to toggle between Google accounts.
by dderoeck on August 4, 2010
If you are a manager or small business owner, you most likely find yourself wearing many hats during the course of a day. And, naturally with those responsibilities, comes the need to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously. People going in different directions with the same end goal in mind. Well, it’s called Project Management and definitely not for the fainthearted! But I have good news for you.
If you are responsible for projects, you need a systematic way to manage the collaboration efforts of your team. I ran across a superb little package called Basecamp, and wanted to share some of the features of the software and encourage you to try the 30 day free trial. After giving it a fair shake, I am confident you will end up using it in your company.
Basecamp is a cloud-based software used by businesses around the world, from the local “Mom and Pop” shop, all the way up to the big corporations including, Kellogg’s, USA Today, Adidas, and even Wall Street Journal. Suffice to say, Basecamp has made a lasting impression on many businesses to help them manage projects smoothly and meet more deadlines.
Pros:
- Cloud-based – as a big proponent of cloud-based computing, having access to anything and everything from an Internet browser is a big plus. Nothing is loaded on your PC. As long as you have Internet access, you can access it anywhere. This is big for me.
- Intuitive – once you get the hang of software inner workings, it is very easy to navigate.
- Integration – plays nicely with your email so you can manage much of the “collaboration” efforts right from your email client. This is handy because it automatically updates the project Messages whenever people respond from email.
- Manage all files under one roof – files, pictures, videos, and more, all available for the team that includes an archiving feature to make sure you have the latest and greatest versions. This is very nice. No more emailing project members files. You simply upload it once for the team and you are done.
- Assign people to projects and tasks.
- Set Milestones for projects.
Cons:
- It does take some time to set up and figure out the inner workings. But once you do, it’s easy peasy.
- The Free version is very limited. Therefore, unless you are a one or two person shop, do yourself a favor and get the paid version out of the gate. But even the Basic (paid) version is relatively inexpensive coming in at only $24/month. And don’t forget that free trial period.
- There are some Addon’s that require you to pay extra – you don’t necessarily need them to get full use of Basecamp however. Some of them do look pretty good, Campfire, Highrise, and Backpack are all more collaboration tools to definitely look into. I will be trying those out and will definitely report on them.
Overall, I am very impressed by this project management, web-based software. My entire team including myself, use Basecamp every day to manage important projects and keep them on track.
Anything to make life easier and make my company run more efficiently, becomes a must-have, Basecamp falls into this category – an elegant online project management and collaboration solution!
I hope you enjoyed my quick review of Basecamp. If you see yourself reading this article and thinking, yeah, I could use something like this, do yourself a favor and go sign up for the 30-day free trial of Basecamp.
by dderoeck on June 21, 2010
Now I realize that I may fall into the minority on this topic, but I’m willing to stick my neck out anyway.
Microsoft products are mediocre and outrageously overpriced.
There I said it! Sorry this may turn into a bit of a rant…
Don’t get me wrong, just like unions, Microsoft had there place in society at one time. During the Personal Computer pioneer days, they were obviously the leader in technology. That same leadership provided a spring board to what we see today – Microsoft became the personal computer de facto standard by which all operating systems were measured.
That was then, this is now.
When money comes into play, abuse of power surfaces. And I feel Microsoft eventually fell prey to this by monopolizing the industry. That same monopoly eventually morphed into taking their own customers hostage which still exists today.
A bit extreme? Not really, just look at their history and what their products have evolved into. Moreover, look at what they offer today, the prices they charge, and the comparative alternatives available that very few even know exist. Now there are at least two aspects to Microsoft’s overpriced mediocrity empire – the actual operating system and the applications the end user see, i.e. Microsoft Office.
In all seriousness, I do feel we need to reevaluate our perception of Microsoft on a whole, and why as a society, we seem content on forking over for products that are over priced. The stability is questionable at best (mainly due to the Operating System), Microsoft OS is a prime target and very susceptible to Malware and Viruses, and the price tags are way out of line compared to other Operating Systems and applications – quite simply, there are better alternatives.
There’s no denying, I am a huge advocate and supporter of Open Source, a model that includes the concept of concurrent yet different agendas and differing approaches in production. Open Source software is simply a consortium or offshoot of the Open Source umbrella, consisting of a community of talented individuals dedicated to providing quality technology to anyone that wants it.
Contrast this to Microsoft which employs a centralized model of development designed solely for profit. Of course this is the clinical definition and open for interpretation.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate and proponent of the free market. But I’m also a realist and pragmatist. I don’t enjoy paying through the nose for a product when I can simply type in “Open Office” into Google and download a full productivity suite that is comparable, if not superior to Microsoft Office… for FREE. Considering Open Source offers free downloads of better products, why not rethink this arbitrage Microsoft has on us? Why not use better alternatives to get things done in “the office?”
Open Source is responsible for delivering great Operating Systems including the tried and true, Linux, the Unix-based operating system that kicks Microsoft’s butt in so many areas including security. Open Office is an application and free alternative to Microsoft Office – one that is superior in so many ways. Other fantastic web applications including Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal and many others are at your disposal. Simply download them and start using!
I would be amiss if I didn’t offer up to you the downside of Open Source operating systems such as Linux. One biggie is a byproduct of my Microsoft hostage theory. That is, because the majority of computers users have Microsoft Windows OS loaded on their PC by default, the development community is much stronger. Therefore, the applications that run on Windows, may not run on the Linux or other Open Source operating systems. This drawback can range from an annoyance to a show-stopper.
In summary, Microsoft has done a lot of truly great things to improve our overall computing experience we see today. But just as unions had there place in the 1930′s when companies took advantage of employees, Microsoft has overrun its welcome with their non-pragmatic approach and overly expensive back-end products. We would be better served to look at other options available today that offer similar features at significant cost savings. Can we become a Microsoft-free computing society? Only time will tell, but I’m betting we’ll make headway.
