Here’s my video interview with Deb Ng of the Freelance Writing Jobs Network. Deb has been writing freelance since 2000. You may have seen her byline on About.com, iParenting Media, and the BlogWorld and New Media Expo, but she also writes for clients. She’s a former newspaper columnist, and currently provides professional blogging and social media consulting services, as well as working with the Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas, coordinating speakers and sessions.

Here’s my short video interview with Scott Stratten of Un-marketing.com.

Statten’s an expert in viral and social marketing, which he calls “Un-Marketing.” He has a lot of followers on Twitter (45,000 plus), and also does a mean karaoke performance (photo here to prove it).

Stay tuned for more video interviews from SXSW.

What is your favorite web app so far this year?

For the GigaOM network’s complete SXSW coverage, check out this round-up.

Dictionary.com does the job in a very straightforward way, as does using a “define: term” search in Google, but I always felt something was missing, and it wasn’t clear what that was until I recently stumbled upon Wordnik. With the simple but boastful tagline “All the words” I was understandably expecting a lot from the new dictionary web application. What more could I really expect from a dictionary, though, and what more could Wordnik possibly deliver?

A Dictionary With Social Features

You don’t have to, but with Wordnik, the option is there to sign up and become a registered member. Doing so allows you access to additional features, ones that resemble the features of social networking sites. You can create and curate word lists, comment on definitions, tag words with relevant terms, record your own pronunciations and track your search history. Also, you can use Facebook Connect to sign in, so you don’t even need to create a new profile.

Registering also allows to you to edit your profile, which you can make publicly visible. So far, there’s not much info you can share via the profile, but it is an interesting way to find out about other users, especially if they actually take the time to curate lists and assign words as favorites.

You can also comment on the profiles of people. It seems like this would be useful for having word-related back and forth conversations, especially since there’s built-in custom code for linking to words and to the comments pages of words.

The People’s Dictionary

Clicking on “Zeitgeist” at the top of the Wordnik interface takes you to a page that tracks the latest activity on the site, and its here that you can see how the app is more than just another dictionary web site. You can tell what terms have been recently added to lists, check out open lists (which can be edited by any user), view comments and check out user-recorded pronunciations, and see some interesting statistics about the past week’s activity.

Of course, as with every site with user-generated content, not everything people add to Wordnik is useful. There’s some spam, some flaming — and some questionable words and definitions. That said, it’s a far more accurate representation of the living language than is Dictionary.com, or other more traditional dictionary web sites.

Statistics, tags, examples, constantly updated Twitter and Flickr streams, and an ongoing, on-site conversation about words, their usage and their meaning provide not only a comprehensive look at how we define things, but about how fluid that definition is. Whether you’re a copy editor or a linguistics student, there’s something on Wordnik for you.

A Better Word

If you’re trying to find la mot juste, you can depend on your old paper sources, or the online versions of those traditional tomes. On the other hand, Wordnik is an interesting alternative that not only provides you with up-to-the minute definitions and usages, but also makes you complicit in language making in a very real and immediate sense.

While the social aspect may not lead to the most efficient work process, it is a welcome and truly useful distraction. Language is not created in a vacuum, nor does it exist in one, and Wordnik is the first dictionary site I’ve see that not only acknowledges but embraces that. There’s still more potential in web technologies regarding dictionaries, but for now, if words are important to your work, you should make a habit of frequenting this site.

What other features would you like to see on a dictionary site?

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WorkingPoint Highlights

WorkingPoint is like a user-friendly version of QuickBooks, without the unneeded trappings that make it complicated for the lone worker or small business. The slick and well-designed interface guides you through the invoicing and billing process without standing in your way. WorkingPoint gives you your own secure login URL, and serves up a home page displaying an easy-to-use and customizable dashboard.

You can import contacts from your email address book. If you have your products or services details in a spreadsheet, you can import that as well. The service can handle the popular Outlook CSV and vCard formats, and contacts from Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Apple Address Book. One aspect of the Conatcts feature that needs work is that it’s tedious to delete many contacts, and I didn’t notice the “Find” feature to search contacts until WorkingPoint posted a blog entry explaining how it worked.

It only takes a few minutes to create your first invoice and add new bills. Like QuickBooks, you can add clients and vendors while you do the invoice or bill. If the client already appears in your Contacts list, just enter the customer or company name and WorkingPoint will find it. The intuitive interface doesn’t require you to jump around to create a single invoice, like some other applications tend to do. Just about any new user can get right to work with WorkingPoint with little frustration in trying to figure out how to make something happen.

WorkingPoint lets you create a company profile with a public listing in its directory, a feature not seen in other invoicing apps. You can limit profile viewing to your company or other people using WorkingPoint. The profile can integrate your latest blog entries, reviews from Yelp! and Twitter tweets, but if you already have a site it’s probably not that useful.

VerticalResponse Integration

The service has teamed up with VerticalResponse to integrate email communications with your WorkingPoint account. But really, the two act as separate applications. The only real benefits from the partnership are the ability to move back and forth without leaving the site and the 200 email credits you get with the Basic WorkingPoint account (500 for an upgraded account).

If you think in terms of email newsletters, those credits won’t last long. But the companies envision the email service integration as a way to help WorkingPoint customers connect with their own clients. Despite the integration, you still need to register to use VerticalResponse and it doesn’t grab email addresses from WorkingPoint, nor does it let you select a contact in WorkingPoint to send an email through VerticalResponse.

VerticalResponse also offers postcards, surveys and mailing lists. Not all of these features are free and the service doesn’t explain the costs before you dive in. The surveys do require a subscription after taking a free test drive. The WorkingPoint and VerticalResponse partnership is new, so more features may come down the pike to help these two apps work in harmony.

Costs and Final Thoughts

The service offers one free plan, and three paid plans ranging from $10 per month up to $80 per month. The basic plan allows one user to access the account. Paid services add statement of cash flow, customizable chart of accounts and branded emails plus others depending on the plan. The paid services will come with banking integration and e-commerce integration in the future, which could be important for some folks.

WorkingPoint has the tools to do the job of invoicing and managing bills. Those who want time tracking included in their invoicing app won’t find that here. Instead, you can count on the web-based app to let you do your billing tasks without frustration.

Have you tried WorkingPoint? Let us know what you think of the app in the comments.

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At first glance, using the press demo supplied, it appears to be a very nicely put together web app. The UI is clean and pleasant, with a typical shades-of-gray-with-soft-edges Web 2.0 color scheme, and a blog-style navigation tree under the header. If I have to be making up invoices, at least I don’t have to be doing it via an ugly interface.

Dashboard

The dashboard is a dashboard in the true sense of the word. It presents the vast majority of important information you’d need on any given day in a very readable, intuitively laid-out style, while at the same time making sure that frivolous or infrequently used features don’t clutter up the space. Only recent invoices, clients and projects are visible via the dashboard, but convenient links under each subsection will direct you to your full lists.
You can also quickly create new clients, projects or invoices with the click of a button, and a handful of helpful navigational links in the right sidebar give you access to more actions, and account and team information. Across the top, you get a quick breakdown of hours worked, unbilled hours, and your total invoices for the month.

Function and Features

Your client list can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like it to be. Personally, I prefer to keep things light for invoicing purposes, so I just enter an organization name and I’m through. If you want, though, you can enter detailed billing information, and additional profile information. This is probably very handy if you’re in a multi-user environment or could potentially be handing over your records to an employee.

Each client can optionally be invited to login and view project and invoice details pertaining only to them, so that they can track what you’re invoicing live, instead of just receiving an end-of-month bill. It’s a nice feature, but one I have a feeling most of my clients wouldn’t ever bother taking advantage of.

Projects and invoices offer similar customization options, with the option of tying projects to a client, though it isn’t required when setting them up. I appreciate that, because I do a lot of quick, one-off projects that don’t merit the time associated with setting up a new client profile. You can also select between a flat or hourly project rate, and edit the default currency, which is a great feature for web workers, who often work with international clients. When you’re invoicing, you just type basic client info directly into your form, saving time in the long run. On your invoice, you can customize everything you need to, including tax rates, issue and due date, invoice number, etc.

Extras

Ronin offers some very nice extra features that should appeal to web workers working alone or as part of a larger organization. You can easily add members to your staff, and Ronin takes care of all the administrative details, like setting up passwords and sending emails. You can also create recurring invoices and prepare estimates using the app, so it really is an end-to-end billing solution. The only thing I missed with Ronin was any kind of automated reports generation, which I would like to see to show client invoicing history.

Finally, you can optionally set up PayPal or Authorize.net integration, so that customers can pay their invoices directly using Ronin. This is a very nice plus for simplifying the billing process.

Cost and Conclusion

While Ronin does offer a free version, it’s a greatly hampered one. You can only have a maximum of two clients at any time, with one contact per client, and only a single staff user. PayPal and Authorize.net payment options also aren’t available on the free version. Paid plans range from $12 to $48 per month, and offer a lot more clients, contacts and staff users than the base plan. You’ll have to pay at least $24 per month for PayPal/Authorize.net features, which is entirely reasonable given that it probably appeals mostly to established businesses, anyway.

Overall, Ronin is a very capable online invoicing app, and the free version could be a great option for independent freelancers who just need something that gets the job done quickly and easily, and can be accessed remotely from any computer. FreshBooks is still probably a more attractive option for most, but Ronin offers another option worthy of consideration, at the very least.

Have you tried Ronin? Let us know what you think of the app in the comments.

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In the meantime, I still need to use databases on occasion. When I do, I generally turn to the inelegant and probably inappropriate solution that is Microsoft Excel. I’ve even been known to use tables created in Word. What can I say, I have a deep-seated mistrust of numbers and their attendant programs. As I do to solve most problems, I turned to the web for a better answer. That’s where I ran into Grubba.

Besides having a moniker that sounds like an Aussie nickname for something or other, and a disarmingly eccentric front-end layout, Grubba offers online database services and is meant to operate as a viable alternative to desktop-based solutions like Access. It offers a number of support services for people like me who aren’t necessarily database experts to begin with, too, which is what made it such an appealing choice to begin with. Those services include a selection of one-minute tutorials, a quick start guide, and even a form design service (which incurs a fee, of course).

Using Templates

For me, since I’m too cheap to pay someone to design a form for me, and not experienced enough to know how to create one from scratch, the best way to put Grubba to use was to dive into the ready-made templates offered by the site. It was easy for me to figure out how to get started with a template thanks to the one-minute screencast tutorial provided on the subject. Best of all, I didn’t have to worry about any audio instructions, a pet peeve of mine when dealing with online web app tutuorials.

Grubba doesn’t offer a huge selection of templates, so don’t go expecting anywhere near the depth of choice available in many desktop apps. But those on offer will suit the needs of most casual/light web working end users, especially as each template is fully customizable once created, so you can use one to get started, then change things around as needed.

Form Designer

I set up a recipe book, because I want to keep one for personal use, and because friends of mine are thinking about opening up a bakery/confectioner’s business via our local flea market and the web, and could use a database storage tool for recipes. Using the form designer, you can customize each field by changing its name, making it searchable, changing the input type, deciding whether Grubba should check the input on exit for a specific format, and making it required or not. You can also set row color and add help text, which is great if you’re creating a database for use by others.

During the database creation process, you can preview entry fields or your final database entry form at any time, and the results are impressive. Even users with absolutely no prior form creation experience in any medium should have very little trouble creating completely customized entry forms with very little ramp-up time. And for end-users, the little “i” boxes provide a fairly intuitive way to deliver helpful tips without having to leave the page or open a new window.

Additional Features

For users who are already working with other database programs, and who don’t want to start again from scratch when trying out Grubba, the site offers a data import tool. The tool uses industry standard .csv formatted information to import your data, and you can preview the output before completing the operation. Any major database software supports .csv exporting, so transitioning should be relatively easy. Importantly, you can also export your database as a .csv file if you want to transfer it somewhere else, so it’s not stuck inside Grubba.

You can create new users, and set their access level, although it doesn’t seem as though you can customize user level abilities. You just get read-only, read/write and administrator options, but that really should cover all your needs for basic database applications. There’s also a shared to-do list app built-in, which gives you some basic Getting Things Done (GTD) features you can use in combination with your Grubba databases.

Final Thoughts

If you want a simple and lightweight app to help you create and manage databases, and you aren’t keen on installing yet another system-resource eating standalone app, Grubba is an excellent choice. Not only is it user-friendly and well-designed, it also has a free version that supports most conceivable uses. The free version supports unlimited users, but limits you to a maximum of three forms and 10,000 records. If you need more than that, for $7.95/month you get eight forms maximum, and 25,000 records, plus improved support.

Have you tried Grubba? How does it compare to Access for lightweight database applications?

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Zen also uses a lot of other buzzwords with which those well-educated in PM practices with which will no doubt be familiar. It claims to be a “lean” PM solution, and talks about the service being able to replace a manual kanban board and spreadsheet. I was expecting to see the ghost of Six Sigma also raise its ugly head somewhere in the promotional materials, but luckily, no such specter appeared.

I was especially interested in the claim that Zen works on a “board” rather than a “list” basis, and to see what effect that would have on my actual project management habits.

Interface

Zen looks like you’d expect a standard, current-generation web app to look like. It has simple, clean lines, a minimalist palette, and uses a tabbed menu interface for navigation. I like the inclusion of a hint bar across the bottom of the screen, which is often just wasted space in an app like this. I don’t need the full window to use Zen effectively, and the hints significantly reduce ramp-up time for new users.

What Zen reminds me most of is a blog theme, which is not a bad thing. I’m used to reading and navigating blogs, as are most of you. Like the hints panel, the blog-style layout also adds to Zen’s pick-up-and-playability.

Color choices, typography and graphics are all a little too bland for my taste, but at least they don’t intrude on the actual usage of the app. Most project managers would probably opt for function over fashion anyway, so count this one in Zen’s favor.

Features

The basic unit of Zen’s system is the “Story,” which is like a task, assignment or sub-project. You add a story by entering a description (up to 1,000 characters), details, size and tags. Once it’s been added, you can reassign it to different team members, mark it as ready, and then drag it into either the “Working” or “Complete” columns depending on its status. The drag-and-drop interface is a very nice touch, but the system might feel a little inadequate for people who are used to setting more detailed tasks.

If you don’t like the column view, switching to the “Work” tab will give you a list-style overview of all the Stories in progress. This table gives you an easy way to filter projects according to completion status, owner, phase and size, and is probably most useful if you have a lot of simultaneous tasks on the go.

“Performance” and “People” offer macro-level overviews of your in-progress tasks, and provide pretty impressive visual feedback that allows you to quickly and easily keep tabs on everything that’s going on. Graphs and charts are automatically generated using Flash to show you things like lead time and efficiency, while the “People” pane shows you your whole team and their role breakdowns (which are customizable) at a glance.

Finally, the “Process” pane allows you to fully customize the stages involved in your project workflow. For example, I added an “On Hold” category for projects that had been started, but will be delayed for whatever reason. Each phase has a fully customizable name and description, and an optional limit that will restrict the amount of stories that can occupy that phase concurrently.

Pricing & Options

For people who need very little in the way of options and flexibility, Zen is free. But that’ll only get you one ongoing project (albeit with multiple Stories), and zero collaborators (so you’re on your own). For $9 per month, small organizations can get three ongoing projects and three collaborators, and a built-in IM client. From there, plans range from $29 to $99, and offer significantly more in the way of user and project limits.

Zen lives up to its name in many ways, since it reduces clutter and focuses on the core components of project management, but it may not be deep enough for PMs with a detail-oriented style. Those who prefer macro-management, and tend to be more visual or tactile in nature, however, will find it the perfect online PM solution.

Has Zen reduced your PM stress levels?

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If I believed the hype from all of these scheduling services, I’d have to assume that we were all just careening around haphazardly, making and breaking so many appointments and meetings that we lose all sense of time and date. In practice, I think that most of the time the most scheduling software I need is my iPhone and its built-in Calendar application. That said, there are definitely times when scheduling using Google Calendar, which I already use for group-related activities, would make more sense.

Using ScheduleOnce’s Google Calendar Firefox Add-on, that’s exactly what you can do. Just install the add-on via the ScheduleOnce web site, restart your browser, and then log into your Google Calendar to get started. From there, you can use the ScheduleOnce control panel in your sidebar to pick Tentative Availability times which are then optionally connected back to your Google Calendar. Once you’ve chosen your available times, ScheduleOnce generates a link that you can email to other potential attendees so that they can choose from the times you suggest.

Once invitees reply, you’ll be notified in the ScheduleOnce sidebar window. You’ll also receive a notification email from the web app with a direct link to allow you to view what times your invitee has chosen. When you click on it, you’ll be presented with a view of which times overlap, as indicated by a green block on ScheduleOnce’s daily agenda display. Connecting to your Google Calendar, selecting a time, and clicking “Schedule Meeting” will confirm the chosen slot and send a notification to all attendees. It’ll also add the event to your Google Calendar and those of your fellow attendees, so long as you all have the ScheduleOnce add-on installed.

It doesn’t sound complicated, and it isn’t in theory, but in practice I had to do a whole lot more reloading and reauthorizing than I should’ve probably been required to do. Whether this is a problem with the way ScheduleOnce is written, or with the Google Calendar developer API, I couldn’t say. All I know is that I found myself thinking somewhat wistfully back to the days of When is Good, when times were simpler. But if you absolutely abhor manually entering things into your Google Calendar, give ScheduleOnce a try. It is free, which definitely helps make up for its little quirks.

Do you use scheduling software, or, like me, do you prefer to do things manually?

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Like most free polling services, ProProfs lets you create and share the polls online, but it includes features not found in every polling service that might make it the right one for you.

Features

Here’s an overview of ProProfs key features.

• Works with Google Maps: Visually shows where votes come from on a map.
• Add images: Grab pictures from flickr or your hard drive.
• Block repeat votes: No “American Idol” vote fraud here.
• Filter votes: View votes by country or city.
• Share poll with widget: Post your poll on your web site or social network page.
• Search other polls: Browse for ideas or see the results of other polls.

Creating a Poll

Fill out a short registration form for a free account and you’re on your way. You similarly start a new poll just by filling out a form. To add images or videos, just tap the “Media” item next to the items where you want them.

You can adjust your poll’s settings (for security, comments, etc.) as needed. Once done, you have your poll. You can immediately share it with social networks with just one click.

You can send the poll by email, but it doesn’t work well. The email the service sends is so generic and looks like spam that the recipient will likely ignore it:

You can customize the poll by choosing one of six color options and from three different sizes.

Viewing the Poll

Everything you need to check your poll’s progress appears in a well-organized interface with tabs. The tabs show the poll and information for sharing and embedding, poll results and poll analysis.

The whole process of signing up and sharing the poll takes less than 10 minutes. Other quick polling tools often only let you create the poll and see a graphic, nothing more. ProProfs Polls gives users the ability to create a fast poll with easy and helpful tools for doing analysis. Just don’t touch the email feature.

Which polling tools do you use?

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Step 1: Alert the People You Trust

If you’re worried about the feasibility of your goals, bouncing them off of your closest friends and relatives is a sure way of getting some invaluable early feedback. You probably have some good friends who aren’t afraid to make you look foolish (and, in fact, might relish the opportunity), so you don’t have to worry that they’ll pull punches to spare your feelings. Conversely, if you have a good idea, they won’t summarily cut you down, like some of your more trollish online contacts might.

Your inner circle of real-life peers and confidants will also have a better idea of what you’re realistically capable of. In fact, they might be more aware of your own limitations than you yourself are. Most Internet connections, as familiar with your work as they might be, will likely judge based on the apparent difficulty of the goal in a general sense, without specific reflection on your level of talent, dedication or ability.

Step 2: Keep Your Twitter/Facebook Friends in the Loop

Once your plan has passed muster with those you trust, you can broaden the audience using Twitter and Facebook status updates. Don’t make a huge deal out of it, but do post things like “Starting work on my ABC certification today, wish me luck!” At the very least you should secure some words of encouragement.

Most likely, depending on the size and nature of your networks, there will be others among your friends and contacts who’ve tried to achieve the same or similar goals. They’ll be able to offer advice, helpful links, and possibly even prep materials or information sources, depending on what it is you want to accomplish.

Mining your social networks for support is great, but be prepared for challenges, too. Anything from doubt concerning the merits of your chosen goals, to flamebait and personal attacks is possible, but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, particularly if you’re thick-skinned. Hopefully, you’ve already applied the golden rule of the Internet: Never take anything personally, unless it makes you look good.

Step 3: Broadcast Beyond Your Network

While making the people you know and interact with on a regular basis aware of what you intend to do is the best way to get yourself to stick to your guns, it might not be the most effective method of garnering feedback.

Reaching out to strangers might give you a fresh perspective on what you’re doing, and how to go about doing it. It may also help when your goals are off the beaten track, and therefore less likely to be shared by other individuals in your social circles. To some degree, Twitter will broadcast your plans out to the ether if people are searching for keywords that occur in your tweets, but other alternatives are much more targeted.

MySomeday is a new web app in public beta that is designed specifically to help you share your goals with others in a community setting that will help you garner constructive criticism and words of encouragement. The concept is simple: You post a plan, and other members of the community comment on what you want to do and how you want to do it. You set up steps towards achieving your goal, and then you rate each step in terms of importance and check them off as they’re accomplished. Checking off tasks updates your progress bar, which displays the completion percentage of your overall goal.

Step 4: Stick to It

Just talking about your goals is a sure way to not accomplish what you want to do. Action is the only real solution, but sometimes the key to spurring yourself to act rests outside of yourself. Regardless of whether you draw your inspiration from yourself or others, though, the only way to achieve your goals is to persevere in your pursuit of them. Especially for web workers, using the Internet to garner encouragement might just be the extra push you need to keep your nose to the grindstone.

Does sharing your goals with your network spur you into action?

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