Tools of the Trade
Here’s a short list of some of the tools I use (in writing and in working) and why. They are in no particular order.
Pen and Paper: Seriously. Although I love my electronic tools and depend on my computer, I still use longhand every day for creative, business, and personal writing. My quota before WYMJ came along was 140 pages a month. Although I compose the bulk of what I write on the keyboard, I still manage to meet and exceed this quota on a consistent basis. it is more than a tool…the physical act of writing is required for my sanity.
Live Writer: I finally got it downloaded on both tower and laptop. It works great and saves a few steps in posting to the blog.
Zotero (Firefox add-on): Zotero is an incredible tool that allows me to save snapshots of web pages, enter notes on them, and save bibiographic data. I can sort these web resources into files (writing anecdotes, journaling hints/tips, getting published, how the brain works, etc). When I’m writing an article and remember a tidbit I read, I can open Zotero, find the source, and quote it accurately.
Scribefire (Firefox add-on): Scribefire opens up a window that allows me to compose a blog post from wherever I happen to be on the web. I can cut and paste into this box as needed. Scribefire gives me the option to publish a post from the window or save it as a draft so I can go to my blog and clean it up for publication later. I don’t use Scribefire as much as I should. It’s a handy little gadget to have.
Wordpress: My blog is fueled by Wordpress. I like the dashboard interface and the connection to the larger Wordpress community. We recently installed Wordpress 2.6.2 and so far, I’m loving it.
Firefox and Add-ons: Firefox has become my main browser because I use the nifty little add-ons quite a bit.
Clipmarks (Firefox Add-on): This little tool is so much fun to use! It lives at the top of my Firefox browser and allows me to “clip” small segments of a web page for public sharing or clip large sections for a private file. It doesn’t have the organizational savvy of Zotero, but it’s a great way to share information. The actual “clip” and the original URL are included in the file you share with others.
Twitter: I confess I am not a Twitter Maven. I use Twitter primarily to feed my Clipmarks to a wider audience. I’m looking forward to using this tool in different ways in the future.
Zoho: An online word processer similar to Google Docs, Zoho is the program articles are saved to so they can feed to the web page. It’s a little more powerful than Google Docs and more accessible to my webmaster.
Google Reader: My feeds and daily internet reading download to Google Reader, which allows me to sort them by category. When time is running short, I can hit the important categories and leave the rest for later. Because I am on Gmail continuously, Google Reader works best for me as it is a click away from my email page.
Google Documents: We use Google Documents to post drafts, share information, and occasionally as a small scale backup utility. One click from my email page brings it up, so it is a convenient way to save information to share with others in the company.
DeskAway: We use DeskAway for all our project planning. You can have up to five projects hosted at DeskAway for free. Milestones, task lists, and responsibility assignments are available to everyone on the project, including notes, time spent, a project blog, a graphic bar that shows overall progress, and file sharing.
LinkedIn: I am a member of Linked In and monitor the feeds related to writing.
Uber: While my company blog is powered by WordPress along with a couple different side ventures, my “personal” blog is on Uber. I don’t like the interface as well, but enjoy the creative control I have over the site’s appearance. My blog was recently featured at the Uber Index. The ability to create a smaller community within the larger Uber community is in the back of my mind for the future.
PHP Forums: Our forums are .php and have a clean layout that is easy on the eyes. I haven’t changed the heading yet, which I really need to get done at some point. The forum is easy to use and though the colors are what Men With Pens calls “DC Lite,” I find them easy on the eyes and easy to work with.
Freemind: Nice little mind mapping tool I use for branching writing projects and even my business plan. It is a free download
Do you have great little gadgets that help you with your writing or running your business? I’d love to hear about them!
