Publish any video content on any mobile device: Thirdpresence

Obviously most videos we share are posted to the internet. However, sometimes it's good to be able to share videos that run on mobile phones. With mobile access becoming a major feature in our business and social lives it is becoming more important that our sharing is linked to mobile technology. The problem is there are all sorts of operating systems - iPhone, Android, Windows, Nokia symbian and so on.

Thirdpresence is a place where you can convert your video file into one which will work on almost any mobile phone. There is a fee for doing this though it starts from a very small amount.

I'm thinking this might become really useful in healthcare where we have instruction videos that staff need to be able to access on mobile tehnology.

Easy Gannt charts & project planning: Tomsplanner.com

So I've found an excellent way to very quickly create a gantt chart without resorting to a clumsy Excel Spreadsheet version or getting lost in the mist of MS Project.

Tomsplanner is an online version which is free. It is also amazingly simple to use, flexible and produces Gantt charts of high quality. It took me 60 seconds to sign up (though I think you can have a go without signing up) and then another 60 seconds to start creating a chart. You can export the file to most programs or store online - nice feature. I liked the symbols you can use of various tasks.

It's in beta and is free to use.

Generating a barcode

There are lots of places on the web where you can generate your own barcode free of charge

http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php Quick and easy, nothing fancy

http://www.barcoding.com/upc/ Choose your symbology and output format

http://www.idautomation.com/java/linearservlet.html for every option possible

I've been brainstorming ways to use unique personal a barcode (other than in retail)

1. When I go to the hospital I don't have to fill out forms - just swipe this

2. At conference registration and for entry to different sessions

3. To figure out who is eating what in the fridge (swipe and link to a database)

4. In case of emergency - it holds my name and a phone number

5. For entry / exit into clubs and cinemas

6. Entry / exit into festivals

7. Using up coupons, vouchers or cumulative things (swipe and count down)

8. On the machines down the gym, swipe and record my progress

Where I use a barcode now (though it is organisation specific rather than unique to me)

1. At the library

2. Supermarket loyalty schemes

3. Hospital forms (though I am still asked for information)

4. Drug matching in hospital

Screen Sharing; why we're using Glance

The annual invoice arrived for paying for our screen-sharing services. In these times of economic hardship we've had to do some testing to check out value for money etc. There are many screen sharing and conferencing tools available that are free. So why are we not using them?

Well, I spent the better part of a morning testing out a number of the freebies.

YUUGUU, Crossloop, Gotomeeting and a few others.

a) All those I looked at required the person accessing the conference to download software. I don't mind downloading it onto my computer. However, most of the businesses we work with have strict controls that do not allow employees to download software. So that was the biggest limiting factor.

b) A couple of the trials ended up with all of us losing the plot. Either the file conflicted with Google Chrome or some other rather minor yet annoying thing that didn't go to plan. I feel that it only takes 1 small irritation to put someone off web conferencing and I would prefer not to put participants though any hassle whatsoever

c) Some tools have more facilities than Glance. For us, the cost of those facilities outweighs the experience. They take longer to load, longer to log on and then everyone needs some degree of acquaintance using them. Unrequired hassle.

So like a really good washing machine - I need only those programs I will use, it needs to do the job I ask for it, and needs to be so blindingly obvious in it use that if I have to refer to a manual then there is something wrong with the design.

So, we'll pay the invoice for Glance now...!

Sharing emails: Moomeo

Well I am not entirely sure this is a good thing...

If you have an email or a series of emails and you want to share it/them then you can email it to post@moomeo.com. You then get a link which you then share (not by email - could have done that in the first place..). What this link enables you to do is to put the email onto social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

I can think of a number of ways this might be useful, especially if you don't have a blog or website you can easily update and then link back to. On the other hand, it could be a nightmare for corporate media and IT managers as emails find their way into a more viral social media system.

Trendmetr: find out frequency of search term in Twitter

I love Trendmetr http://www.trendmetr.com for providing a minute by minute updates on keywords I choose. The frequency shows as bars and you can add as many (it seems) keywords as you like.

This is a real time view on what is being said on Twitter. Useful if you want to know how trends are happening, as they happen, rather than rely on the Twitter "Top Ten".

Convert files online to make icons

If you are a web developer or just someone who wants to make some nice icons to use in your documents then creating these seems simple until you try. Reducing file sizes and creating the right type of file is sometimes difficult.

I've found an easy way which requires no software download and the process is really straightforward

http://www.converticon.com/ is a website dedicated to doing this - simply.

Real time chat translator; babelwith.me

Think MSN across languages..

This systems which is in Alpha (very early stages of release) looks like an instant messaging system. I was unable to test it with many languages as I would then need people speaking those language to have an online conversation with me! However, it seems to manage the translation as you type.

I am thinking this application could be excellent for communication in health care settings where the patient / carer may not speak good English. Using a system like this would enable the health care professional to communicate with the patient, even while sitting face to face in a consultation. If anyone tests it out in this setting do let me know. Currently translators are used which often means appointments are delayed and this is also an expensive process. While this may not replace all of that, this system could go a long way to helping those who just need a bit of language help in the communication.

If you are so inclined (probably not for health care situations) you can share the conversation on Twitter or Facebook very easily using their tools.

Online charting using Chartle

Chartle is a very simple way of creating and publishing and interactive online chart.  Useful foro embedding into your website or blog.

Their sales pitch has a note about how many charts are available in printed publications and then how much less are available online.  Something to think about I guess...

Turn process maps into online wizards: gStepOne

If you have a set of procedures that you would like to take someone through, online, then this application by gStepone http://www.gStepOne.com helps you do this. You are taken through the steps of linking any online information, like documents, videos, photos, form etc in a way that takes someone step by step through the process. For example, this could be for ordering a product, doing an expense claim, booking a meeting.

I'm always on the lookout for innovative ways to change how we do business and especially ways that combine know-what with know-how. Imagine if clinical guidelines could be set up using a system like this, where individual patients could have their treatment customised. Of course this would need to be set up on proprietary systems rather than on the Internet. gStepOne - if you're listening there is a market for this.

In the meantime, for non-proprietary procedures and processes this tool can be very useful.

How to send your RSS feed directly to Twitter

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ is the place to be. It is where people turn to get up-to-date information, breaking news and generally hang out. Twitter search is gaining in strength and popularity http://search.twitter.com/ From Twitter, someone can't subscribe directly to your RSS feed from your website or blog. So how can you set this up so what you write on your blog automatically gets sent to your twitter account?

There are a number of "feed" products online that will do this for you.

I use Twitterfeed http://www.twitterfeed.com/. What I like about this is it is easy to use and I can set up multiple feeds. If you make a mistake or get stuck, the help features are good. I got muddled for a while on exactly where to find the address of the feed I wanted to send to Twitter. This helped me through the process. You can configure how often you want the updates to happen and how many updates at a time.

While Twitterfeed is probably the market leader, there are some new systems coming online all the time. Feednest http://www.feednest.com/ is one. Or you can try Pingvine http://www.pingvine.com/ or Tweetmyfeed http://www.tweetmyfeed.net

Google analytics helps me identify business strategies

Watching how your own website is used can become a bit addictive. I'm interested not in how it is being used right now, or in historical information. Now I've been using it for some months it is clear to me that spotting the trends is important. For example, when the map overlay shows a flurry of interest from one country or city then I can expect to get a call from there, or it may be just the place I need to aim some marketing at. Similarly, finding out which pages are most accessed hints at what value people are placing on different parts of it.

Google Analytics takes only 10 minutes to set up. You do need to be the owner of the webiste (or ask your IT department to help). It is really not complicated http://www.google.com/analytics/

Do you know how your website is being used? Do you know how you would use the information to inform your strategy?

Create charts online, then share

ChartTool offers you a number of types of charts, including meter and bubble which are not on the common "Excel" list of options. You can create your chart online using your own data and then share the results. A useful thing to do is to link these to your website - great if you are keeping track of your improvement efforts and want to find a way to share your results.

http://www.onlinecharttool.com/

Tracking computer use for personal productivity

ManicTime have created a personal time management software application. Dead cool it measures what you are doing on your computer, with what software and over what time (including idle time..). You get all sorts of easy to read and useful graphs.

If you're wondering whether your time on your computer is valuable and if you want to find out what you actually do rather than what you think you do - then try this out http://www.manictime.com/

Using voting buttons in Outlook

OK, so this probably doesn't count as "new stuff" though it is new to me and I've since found it useful.

Outlook has an option where you can send an email with the question in the title and then all the recipients have to do is answer the question by choosing one of the options you give them. They do not need to reply. You can also track the responses.

To set up and use the voting buttons, click on the Options tab which is part of the email msg bar (open a new msg and then usually the bottom row has a bar with Options in it). Click the voting buttons checkbox, select the choices from the list, or make your own list. To make your own list, delete one of the lists available and list your own options, with a semi-colon betwene them. To track the responses, open each reply (that tells Outlook to count the responses). Or you can set outlook to track automatically (Tools - Options - Email options - tracking). To see the results open the original email (usually in your sent folder)

When you create an email with voting buttons, make the subject line the question. In the body of the email write something like "Click on the bar as indicated above to give your response. You do not need to reply to this email".

All this sounds a lot more complicated than it is so try it out.

I use this to test whether I am still required to hold a time / appointment, to ask whether more infomration is required and also who is attending a meeting.

(I use Microsoft Outlook 2003)

No acces to the web? Get a page sent to your email inbox

I'm continually finding staff who have web access denied. While I can understand the fear they may spend half the day on Facebook and eBay, they are also missing out on infomration that is available to them and which may help them in their work.

Nice to see someone has found a way round the problem! If you know the web page you want to view (and yes, you need to know the address so you can't go browing - but it is good if someone has sent you a link you can't access) then send a command in the subject to browse@webinmail.com and the system will send you the webpage you wanted to browse in reply to your mail.

You get the page and if you then want to go deeper into the website, then if you click on the webpage buttons the process can be automatically repeated for you.

A clunky way to view web pages but sometimes it has to be done.

www.webinmail.com for more info