Web Business Tools Ready for Prime Time

Here’s a collection of tools we use to increase our business networks, business communication and business effectiveness. Sure, many web tools are overhyped, but we actually count upon these tools. Check them out, try them on, and let us know how they work for you.

LinkedIn.com is an online network of more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries. (Think Myspace and Facebook for the Executive Business Crowd). Last month, my “network”, (described as direct contacts, friends of friends, and their friends, all whom I can contact directly) grew by almost 5,000 people. Ann and I are pleased to see that many of our most trusted clients and colleagues are already “LinkedIn”, and we invite you to join us!

CopyTalk.com was made for the busy exec who lives on a Mobile Phone or a BlackBerry. Their Mobile Scribe package (US$59.95/month) gives you unlimited 4-minute dictations. You can make these dictations using any phone and the transcriptions will be converted to text and delivered via email or secure site the same day! During our tryout, Ann and I dictated post-meeting notes, and found that in most cases, and despite using jargon, a remarkably accurate transcript would reach our inbox within 2 hours. While we don’t currently subscribe to this tool, if our volume of meetings and summaries goes up, we’ll be signing up quick!

Update: Our contact at CopyTalk, Chris Clayton, saw this posting and gave us a call. Chris was a great helping us out during our demo period, and will do likewise for our readers. Tell him you saw it at ralstonconsulting.com. Sign up and your second month will be free. Then, for each account you refer, he’ll give you a free month of service. (Ginsu knives not included…)

Skype.com, with over 100 million subscribers and free or cheap chat, voice or video calls to anyone on any phone in the world, may be the fastest-growing technology ever. What really told me Skype.com had become mainstream was when, in the same week, I Skyped with my 83-year-old mother, Ann video-Skyped with a client in Zurich, and my dear techno-challenged colleague Skyped to Africa. Skype is pricing their services to be incredibly disruptive to the usual players: $14.95 / YEAR for unlimited outbound calling to conventional telephones through the US and Canada.

Getting connected is everything: After working with Polycom videoconference products, as well as all the consumer-grade products, such as AOL Video for Instant Messenger, I can tell you that the first hurdle of voice and video calling everywhere is NOT sound or picture quality – it’s getting through all the firewalls to connect in the first place! Here, Skype shines, showing an uncanny ability to connect without complaint wherever I travel. Connection is not perfect, and sound quality ranges from crystal clear to that of a mobile phone, but it really works as a cheap or free conference system that is easy to use. Global travelers are increasingly relying on PDA’s with WIFI and Skype to stay connected reliably and affordably wherever they are.

Now here’s a tip for laptop users: since most laptops have built-in microphones, just use a pair of headphones or a Bluetooth headset to improve sound quality and eliminate echo. Have several users? Use a Skype for Business account to manage them more cost-effectively.

WebEx Weboffice.com is a moderately inexpensive, reasonably reliable cross-platform way to share your computer screen with one or more people, anywhere in the world. For $75 / month, we gain a single virtual conference room, with unlimited use (we pretty much ignore the rest of weboffice – too costly). In our collaboration testing this summer, Webex Weboffice narrowly beat out GotoMeeting.com ($39/month for single account, annual contract, and our recommendation for Windows-only businesses [see update, below!]), Adobe Acrobat Connect, IPXConnect.com, and our old favorite, Timbuktu from Netopia.com. While not necessarily the easiest to set up and manage, WebEx has a good network. The connections are fast, reliable, work on Mac and PC and can scale (if we pay for it) to thousands of participants. That said, seemingly EVERYTHING else about Webex is available cheaper and often better elsewhere. Watch out for their high e-mail, storage and teleconference rates – we use alternate services. Contact Steve Boss at Webex for more info.

UPDATE 2007-9-18: We are now using GatherPlace.net and it’s “premium” package with advanced teleconferencing features. For us, it is better and cheaper than WebEx. While it doesn’t have videoconferencing, as WebEx does, it is cross-platform, reasonably stable, nice and fast, offers remote support, requires no client software other than Java, and has flexible pricing starting at $29 / month, and scaling from 5 to 2,000 guests. I like the fact that I can create custom-named “rooms”. I create one for each client or project – a nice personal touch. We pay $43 per month, 1 concurrent session 5 guests, premium audio. We like it so well, we joined their affiliate program.

UPDATE 2008-5-9: The playing field has changed again. Recently, we have had enough problems with GatherPlace on the Mac that we have discontinued our account. In the meantime, WebEx for Mac has been upgraded, and now seems more stable. It includes point-to-point video for up to six locations, but we get best stability with the video off. In addition, network giant, Cisco, bought the company. We now have two accounts at WebEx. This pattern, of competitors pulling ahead in popularity and market share, only to fall and be lapped by another, is commonplace in the world of IT.

UPDATE 2008-7-23 AGAIN! Citrix GoToMeeting 4.0 now fully supports Mac computers as Hosts and Clients, and has VOIP built-in. The product was simply amazing on the PC for screen sharing when we tested it in 2007. The parent company, Citrix, are past masters at streaming PC screens at amazingly low bandwidth. While GoToMeeting doesn’t have single or multi-point video as WebEx does, GoToMeeting is a real contender at half the cost, with much faster first session setup and an easier-to-learn interface than WebEx. We’ll keep you posted

UPDATE 2009-8-24: We use Webex.com, having left WebOffice behind. STILL too costly on the phone side, but REALLY good Mac client, just updated last week.

So now you have it – tools you can really use to save time and money while accelerating business growth. If you have another good one you can count on, let us know!