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><channel><title>AppVita &#187; Be Social</title> <atom:link href="http://www.appvita.com/category/be-social/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.appvita.com</link> <description>Discovering web-based applications that just make life better</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:30:52 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <item><title>iMeet – Show Your Face</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/23/imeet-show-your-face/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/23/imeet-show-your-face/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:30:15 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[meeting rooms]]></category> <category><![CDATA[personal meetings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[screencast]]></category> <category><![CDATA[team collaboration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[video chat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[webcast]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8366</guid> <description><![CDATA[iMeet is a tool that virtually eliminates the need for businesses to maintain office space and book conference rooms for important meetings. With iMeet, companies of all sizes can host their own personal meetings, where up to 15 colleagues can speak face-to-face using a mishmash of computers, mobile phones, and landlines. If you’re currently hosting [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-iMeet.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8372" title="ss-iMeet" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-iMeet.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>iMeet is a tool that virtually eliminates the need for businesses to maintain office space and book conference rooms for important meetings. With iMeet, companies of all sizes can host their own personal meetings, where up to 15 colleagues can speak face-to-face using a mishmash of computers, mobile phones, and landlines.<span id="more-8366"></span></p><p>If you’re currently hosting weekly conference meetings through Skype of a similar application, then iMeet will blow everything you’re used to out of the water. The first step in setting up a new meeting with iMeet is deciding where to meet. Instead of choosing between Conference Room A and Conference Room B, you can choose a theme and transport yourself virtually anywhere in the world—your conference can be held at a castle, the beach, or on a vista overlooking the city, all depending on which room theme you choose. When you’ve chosen a theme, give your room a name and invite colleagues to join in. For an even more direct approach, you can instruct everyone to turn on their webcams to chat face-to-face. When you look at a conference room screen, you’ll see up to 15 faces staring back at you—each contained in its own virtual cube. Click on a colleague’s cube to find a description of the person, any photos he or she has uploaded, and links to the person’s social networking accounts. iMeet also offers a discreet chat feature that people can use to type messages to each other during the course of the meeting. To share an important file or presentation with the group, just email the document straight to the room. Everyone else’s cubes will disappear except for the person making the presentation, providing plenty of room on the screen for visual charts, diagrams, photos, and videos to display.</p><p>The features that iMeet offers are incredible on their own—and the web-app’s mobile tools are especially useful for professionals who travel frequently for work—however it’s the application’s streamlined look that really makes it unique. Unlike competing conferencing applications, iMeet’s virtual conference rooms are organized in a way that just makes sense. Multiple people can collaborate in meetings without feeling like they’re talking over one another, which is something that can’t always be accomplished even in the real world.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Host your next weekly conference meeting online</li><li>See the faces of your colleagues living across the globe</li><li>Share presentations and slideshows with freelancers who work from home</li><li>Save time by letting people attend quarterly meetings without coming into the office</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>iMeet works with almost every type of webcam</li><li>People in meetings can invite other colleagues to join in with the click of a button</li><li>Documents can be emailed directly to a conference room for quick sharing</li><li>iMeet offers both an iPad and iPhone app</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>Conference rooms are set up so that every person’s face is visible at once</li><li>The discreet chat feature lets people chat with each other without interrupting the group conversation</li><li>Personal cubes glow when a person is speaking</li><li>People can actually host meetings through the iPhone app</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>People who host meetings are only allowed to invite up to 15 guests at a time</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>GoToMeeting – <a href="http://www.gotomeeting.com">http://www.gotomeeting.com</a></li><li>Microsoft Lync – <a href="http://lync.microsoft.com">http://lync.microsoft.com</a></li><li>Skype – <a href="http://www.skype.com">http://www.skype.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: January 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia</li><li>Founded by: PGi</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://www.imeet.com">http://www.imeet.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>$39/month, plus calls at 2.9 cents per minute</li><li>$69/month, with unlimited phone calls</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/28/hipchat-a-cooler-way-to-collaborate/" rel="bookmark">HipChat – A Cooler Way to Collaborate</a> - Say goodbye to kitschy usernames and distracting ads. HipChat is an instant messaging application that does away with many of the features that make apps ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/29/groupzap-creative-brainstorming/" rel="bookmark">GroupZap – Creative Brainstorming</a> - &nbsp; GroupZap is a web-based tool that groups of teammates and colleagues can use to host real-time brainstorming sessions. The difference between a meeting that’s ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/24/vcita-engage-your-online-visitors/" rel="bookmark">vCita – Engage Your Online Visitors</a> - Custom websites are great for promoting businesses and offering information to potential clients, but that doesn’t always correlate with increased sales. VCita is a tool ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/11/29/lessmeeting-make-meetings-more-efficient/" rel="bookmark">LessMeeting – Make Meetings More Efficient</a> - Disorganized meetings tend to run long and waste time. LessMeeting is a tool that busy professionals can use to expedite their work meetings and make ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/06/24/meetings-scheduling-platform/" rel="bookmark">Meetin.gs – The Effortless Scheduling System</a> - Meetin.gs is a web application that can help people schedule and manage their meetings with ease. Not only can users invite colleagues and clients to ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/23/imeet-show-your-face/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>The Wisdom of Others – Create Inspirational Memories</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/21/the-wisdom-of-others-create-inspirational-memories/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/21/the-wisdom-of-others-create-inspirational-memories/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:30:55 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[books]]></category> <category><![CDATA[digital to physical]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fun]]></category> <category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[memories]]></category> <category><![CDATA[quotations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Quotes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[wisdom]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8368</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Wisdom of Others is an online tool that people can use to save and publish their favorite family quotes, sayings, and pieces of advice. In as little as four basic steps, a person who uses The Wisdom of Others can create, write, and order a hardbound book filled with inspirational messages from his friends, [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-wisdomofothers.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8370" title="ss-wisdomofothers" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-wisdomofothers.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>The Wisdom of Others is an online tool that people can use to save and publish their favorite family quotes, sayings, and pieces of advice. In as little as four basic steps, a person who uses The Wisdom of Others can create, write, and order a hardbound book filled with inspirational messages from his friends, family members, and other loved ones.<span id="more-8368"></span></p><p>If you’ve got notebooks filled with recipes from your mom or funny jokes from your grandfather, then you’re exactly the type of person that The Wisdom of Others is looking for. Sign up for an account by entering your email address and you can get to work creating a book from scratch. To set up your book, you’ll need type in who the book is for—maybe a child or a grandmother, for example—decide which question to ask, and pick a theme or design. Next up, you’ll need to start gathering quotes. The Wisdom of Others makes it easy to invited collaborators to contribute to your book via Facebook, Twitter, or by sending an email with the URL. Collaborators who visit The Wisdom of Others site can input the invitation code you’ve sent them to contribute to the book you’ve started. The minimum number of contributions that The Wisdom of Others requires for a new book is 25, and the maximum number is 200, however people with large extended families can make their books longer by contacting The Wisdom of Others for special help.</p><p>When everyone is done collaborating and you’ve edited the book to make it look and sound just how you imagined, you can place an order through The Wisdom of Others site. Order your creation as a hardbound book, an electronic publication, or a PDF. The Wisdom of Others will mail your purchase to your home in very little time. Any of your contributors can order additional copies if they wish, as well.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Create a book filled with your family and friends&#8217; favorite quotes and sayings</li><li>Give a book full of life advice and wisdom to a high school or college graduate </li><li>Share the secrets of having a happy marriage with a bride and groom</li><li>Make a book for someone battling an illness that&#8217;s filled with quotes of encouragement and hope</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Book creators can edit or delete contributions from their friends</li><li>Contributors can preview only the first five contributions made to the book</li><li>Creators can invite contributors through The Wisdom of Others site</li><li>Invitation codes can be personalized, but must contain at least six characters</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>The Wisdom of Others creates heirloom-quality hardcover books</li><li>Family members can pass these hardcover books down through the generations</li><li>People who prefer digital documents can publish their books as PDFs</li><li>Contributors can purchase the books they contributed to</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Book creators can’t re-order the contributions from their families</li><li>Contributors have to sign up for The Wisdom of Others to contribute to someone else’s book</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Yearbound – <a href="http://yearbound.net">http://yearbound.net</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: September 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington</li><li>Founded by: Ryan Beieler</li><li>Web site: <a href="https://www.thewisdomofothers.com">https://www.thewisdomofothers.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Hardcover books range from $29.95 to $49.95</li><li>PDFs are $9.95</li><li>ePubs are $14.95</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/10/28/any-new-books-never-miss-a-new-release/" rel="bookmark">Any New Books? – Never Miss a New Release</a> - For avid book lovers everywhere, Any New Books? is an application that shouldn’t be missed. The notification service lets users know when new books are ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/03/28/yournextread-intelligent-book-recommendations/" rel="bookmark">YourNextRead – Intelligent Book Recommendations</a> - Finding the perfect book is a tricky proposition. When local bookstores stocked just a few hundred new releases at a time, deciding on a book ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2008/07/28/blurb-be-your-own-publisher/" rel="bookmark">Blurb &#8211; Be Your Own Publisher</a> - A little more than a few years ago, contemplating the idea of publishing your own book would have seemed far-fetched, at best.  Now with the ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2008/09/19/goodreads-read-with-friends/" rel="bookmark">GoodReads &#8211; Read With Friends</a> - GoodReads gives you the chance to get together online with people who are reading the same books you are. It’s social networking for book lovers. ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2008/09/19/librarything-online-book/" rel="bookmark">LibraryThing &#8211; Your Online Book Catalog</a> - LibraryThing is a great site for anyone who loves books. It takes just seconds to sign up and start adding books to your own personal ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/21/the-wisdom-of-others-create-inspirational-memories/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>UserFlux – Instant Chat Without the Barriers</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/19/userflux-instant-chat-without-the-barriers/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/19/userflux-instant-chat-without-the-barriers/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:30:26 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[chat sessions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[chat widget]]></category> <category><![CDATA[customer care]]></category> <category><![CDATA[customer support]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Instant]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online chatting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online support]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Widgets]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8376</guid> <description><![CDATA[People who want quick answers from their friends and colleagues will typically fire off instant messages rather than taking the time to send emails or pick up the phone to call. Now, customers are demanding the same type of real-time responses from the businesses they visit online. UserFlux is a web-app that businesses can use [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-userflux.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8377" title="ss-userflux" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-userflux.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>People who want quick answers from their friends and colleagues will typically fire off instant messages rather than taking the time to send emails or pick up the phone to call. Now, customers are demanding the same type of real-time responses from the businesses they visit online. UserFlux is a web-app that businesses can use to appease customers by integrating a live chat widget into their websites.<span id="more-8376"></span></p><p>Quicker response times equal happier customers, and happier customers always boost the bottom line. Before you can start increasing online sales at your own company, you’ll need take UserFlux for a test drive. Pick a plan based on the size of your company and copy/paste a few lines of code to integrate UserFlux’s widget into your site. When you’re all set up, visitors who click onto your site will see a smartly designed “Live Help” widget in the bottom right corner on every page. Clicking on the widget brings up a Gchat-style chat box that shows the name of the representative on your end of the line. Customers are prompted to type in their question and press ‘enter’ for a fast, friendly response from an employee at your company. In addition to the customer’s question, you’ll also see the customer’s location, operating system, browser, and information about what brought him or her to your website. With UserFlux, you can respond to the customer’s query right away, even if you’re not at your computer. Assuming you’ve already plugged in your GTalk or Jabber account, you can reply to customers with a mobile phone or tablet PC. To expedite the process, UserFlux puts specific tools like special coupon codes and page links right at your fingertips.</p><p>When you get back in the office on Monday, you may want to sign onto your UserFlux dashboard to see what you missed over the weekend. On one screen, you can see the number of chats conducted and the average time a customer waited before getting a response. You can also review archived chat transcripts to see if there’s any room for improvement in your employees’ sales skills.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Answer questions for a customer who is lingering on a product page</li><li>Give coupon codes to nudge shoppers into making a purchase</li><li>Quickly respond to website complaints or concerns from customers</li><li>Direct customers to the page on your site that they’re looking for</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>UserFlux integrates with GTalk and Jabber</li><li>Widgets can be customized to reflect a brand or aesthetic</li><li>Users can push updates to their site through UserFlux</li><li>All chats are saved and archived</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>The Live Help widget is visible on every page of a company’s site</li><li>Businesses can capitalize on current events by pushing updates and information to their sites</li><li>Employers can search for chats in the archive by keyword</li><li>Users with upgraded plans get CSS customization</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Nothing</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>IMified – <a href="http://www.imified.com">http://www.imified.com</a></li><li>Olark – <a href="http://www.olark.com/portal">http://www.olark.com/portal</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: September 2011 (Beta)</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: New York, New York</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://userflux.com">http://userflux.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Solo plan is $19/month</li><li>Basic plan is $39/month</li><li>Studio plan is $99/month</li><li>Agency plan is $149/month</li><li>Corporate plan is $299/month</li><li>Enterprise plan with variable pricing</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/07/05/tringify-click-to-call-for-your-website/" rel="bookmark">Tringify – Chat Up Your Online Customers</a> - If the hits on your website aren't matching up with the sales in your store, then that means you're losing potential customers somewhere along the ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/04/24/olark-instantly-chat-with-your-website-visitors/" rel="bookmark">Olark – Instantly Chat with Your Website Visitors</a> - Olark is an application that can help any business improve its online sales by introducing the one key element of in-store shopping that’s missing from ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/02/28/supportbreeze-organize-respond-to-customer-queries/" rel="bookmark">Supportbreeze – Organize &#038; Respond to Customer Queries</a> - Supportbreeze is a web-app aimed at helping web publishers and other online business owners who struggle keeping up with incoming support requests. When customers are ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/09/04/uservoice-let-customers-voice-their-opinions/" rel="bookmark">UserVoice – Let Customers Voice Their Opinions</a> - UserVoice is an application that makes it easier for businesses to find out what their customers have to say. By letting customers voice their opinions ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/24/vcita-engage-your-online-visitors/" rel="bookmark">vCita – Engage Your Online Visitors</a> - Custom websites are great for promoting businesses and offering information to potential clients, but that doesn’t always correlate with increased sales. VCita is a tool ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/19/userflux-instant-chat-without-the-barriers/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>LaunchRock – Notice Of Your Impending Arrival</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/09/launchrock-notice-of-your-impending-arrival/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/09/launchrock-notice-of-your-impending-arrival/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:30:46 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beta]]></category> <category><![CDATA[launch]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[startups]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Testing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[viral marketing]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8406</guid> <description><![CDATA[Building excitement is a key aspect of launching a successful online company these days, and LaunchRock is a tool that people can use to get that ball rolling. The easy-to-use web-application helps people create customized landing pages that promote upcoming site launches and collect important visitor data that can be used in future marketing efforts. [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-launchrock.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8407" title="ss-launchrock" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-launchrock.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Building excitement is a key aspect of launching a successful online company these days, and LaunchRock is a tool that people can use to get that ball rolling. The easy-to-use web-application helps people create customized landing pages that promote upcoming site launches and collect important visitor data that can be used in future marketing efforts.<span id="more-8406"></span></p><p>Promote the upcoming launch of your own business by heading to the LaunchRock site, typing in your email address, and clicking “Go.” You’ll immediately be directed to the LaunchRock Site Builder, where you can create a “coming soon” page that reflects the aesthetics and purpose of your upcoming site. Choose a theme, a background image, and the text you’d like to display. Next up is the Sharing Page, where you’ll select widgets for all the social networking platforms you’d like visitors to use to spread information about your site. All users who visit your LaunchRock page will be prompted to input their email addresses to find out when your site officially opens for business, so you’ll want to create an automated message that goes out to confirm when people have signed up to receive those notifications. After putting all the final details into the system – like a Google Analytics ID and tags, for example – you’ll want to decide whether to use LaunchRock as a hosted landing page or a widget that integrates into a site you’ve already built. Preview your creation and then hit “Launch!”</p><p>Unlike the basic “coming soon” pages you’re used to seeing before new websites have gone live, the landing pages created by LaunchRock do much more than just serve as placeholders. By using LaunchRock, you can build an email list for marketing and advertising, provide incentives for visitors to share information about your new site with their friends, and get to know certain demographic information about your visitors before your site has even gone live.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Create a landing page that people will see before your site launches</li><li>Collect email addresses from people who find your landing page online</li><li>Encourage visitors to share information about your site with their friends</li><li>Email visitors to let them know when your site has officially launched</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Users can collect demographic data and traffic information from their LaunchRock sites</li><li>Add a Google Analytics ID to the back-end of LaunchRock to track even more data</li><li>Create various incentives to encourage people to share information about your site</li><li>New sites are featured on LaunchRock’s “discovery network”</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>Anyone can build a professional looking landing page with LaunchRock</li><li>People who’ve already developed their own landing pages can use the LaunchRock widget to collect visitor information</li><li>Site updates and announcements can be shared on the LaunchRock status bar</li><li>LaunchRock automatically sends confirmations to people who enter their email addresses</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Because there is no email verification system, some of the email addresses companies collect could end up being spam</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Capturely – <a href="http://www.capturely.com">http://www.capturely.com</a></li><li>LaunchSoon – <a href="http://launchsoon.com">http://launchsoon.com</a></li><li>Unbounce – <a href="http://unbounce.com">http://unbounce.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: November 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: San Francisco, California</li><li>Founded by: Jameson Detweiler, Zachary Melamed, Stephen Gill, and Thomas Knoll</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://launchrock.com">http://launchrock.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/18/kickofflabs-boost-signups-with-viral-marketing/" rel="bookmark">KickoffLabs – Boost Signups With Viral Marketing</a> - Most web developers working on new startups are so focused on making their applications as impressive as possible that they forget to spend time cultivating ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/02/03/capturely-get-ready-for-your-debut/" rel="bookmark">Capturely – Get Ready For Your Debut</a> - Capturely is a web-app that does one thing, and does it well. Rather than helping people make robust websites full of photos, graphics, and text, ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/10/07/unbounce-make-your-own-landing-page/" rel="bookmark">Unbounce – Make Your Own Landing Page</a> - When you’re an online marketer, time is of the essence. In a digital age where trends and fads can come and go within a matter ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/25/gaug-es-web-stats-without-delay/" rel="bookmark">Gaug.es – Web Stats Without Delay</a> - When you can’t wait hours to find out what’s going on with your website analytics and traffic stats, you need Gaug.es to handle the job. ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/19/onepager-diy-landing-pages-for-businesses/" rel="bookmark">Onepager – DIY Landing Pages for Businesses</a> - Business owners know that a professional website is necessary if they want to promote their companies and attract an online audience. The problem, for many, ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2012/01/09/launchrock-notice-of-your-impending-arrival/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Zwiggo – Where Groups Get to Work</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/28/zwiggo-where-groups-get-to-work/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/28/zwiggo-where-groups-get-to-work/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:30:02 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[calendars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[groups]]></category> <category><![CDATA[performance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[privacy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Scheduling]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spaces]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teams]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8413</guid> <description><![CDATA[Zwiggo is a tool that groups of people can use to work efficiently online. Just as suitable for business teams as it is for social clubs, Zwiggo lets people customize their spaces and choose the specific work applications that their own teams need to complete tasks and finish projects in an online environment. Sign up [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-zwiggo.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8414" title="ss-zwiggo" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-zwiggo.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Zwiggo is a tool that groups of people can use to work efficiently online. Just as suitable for business teams as it is for social clubs, Zwiggo lets people customize their spaces and choose the specific work applications that their own teams need to complete tasks and finish projects in an online environment.<span id="more-8413"></span></p><p>Sign up for an account with Zwiggo, then upload a photo of yourself and add personal information – like your location, age, gender, and a tagline – to your profile page. Search through your email contacts and Zwiggo will automatically invite the people you select to join up with your team and create a Zwiggo account. To set up a space with friends, coworkers, teammates, or family members, click “Create New Space” and select which people can join, view, and contribute. You can drag and drop specific friends into a space, and then wait for those friends accept your invites one by one. In addition to choosing a name and a description, you need to choose the apps that you plan to add. The specific apps that you use will depend on what the space is being used for. If you’re planning a spring break trip with buddies, then you might want to add the Chat and Photos apps. To work on a big project with colleagues, meanwhile, you’ll probably want to add the FileBox and Todo apps. Instant reminders are posted to your dashboard each time someone contributes to one of your spaces, making it easy to know when there’s something new to check out.</p><p>One of the coolest apps that Zwiggo offers is the Date Planner, which groups of people can use to select the best date for upcoming meetings or trips. Zwiggo also offers an API that developers can use to create their own apps for the collaboration application. For teams and groups that need customizable, multi-functional spaces to get work done online, Zwiggo is an excellent solution.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Complete an important work assignment with colleagues</li><li>Plan an upcoming spring break trip with your friends</li><li>Get to work assigning tasks for a school project you’re working on with classmates</li><li>Decide on the best date and time for an upcoming conference call with clients</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Developers can use the API to create new apps for Zwiggo</li><li>The dashboard shows automatic notifications when updates are made to your spaces</li><li>Users can install as many apps in their space as they like</li><li>Drag and drop friends’ avatars to invite them to join a space you created</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>The Date Planning app is a great tool for scheduling meetings, calls, and trips</li><li>People can choose to add whichever apps they want to their spaces</li><li>Zwiggo makes it easy for colleagues to share files and photos</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>People who belong to too many spaces may quickly find their dashboard pages inundated with updates each time they sign on</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Facebook Groups – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups">https://www.facebook.com/groups</a></li><li>Groupsite – <a href="http://www.groupsite.com">http://www.groupsite.com</a></li><li>Orchestra – <a href="http://www.orchestra.com">http://www.orchestra.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: November 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: Amsterdam, The Netherlands</li><li>Founded by: Maurice Sykkink</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://www.zwiggo.com">http://www.zwiggo.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/13/podio-social-networks-for-companies/" rel="bookmark">Podio – Social Networks for Companies</a> - Podio is a tool that professionals can use to work collaboratively with colleagues within a virtual environment that is both safe and secure. Similar to ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/20/asana-helping-teams-stay-in-sync/" rel="bookmark">Asana – Helping Teams Stay in Sync</a> - Asana is a task management tool that groups of coworkers and teammates can use to stay on top of the latest developments within the projects ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/05/15/socialwok-total-sharing-for-businesses-and-groups/" rel="bookmark">SocialWok – Total Sharing For Businesses &amp; Groups</a> - SocialWok is a project management and collaboration system that harnesses the power of various Google Apps and social networking tools to create a singular platform ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/04/14/convore-group-instant-messaging/" rel="bookmark">Convore – Group Instant Messaging</a> - Conference calls are so 2010. Today’s modern meetings are all about utilizing technology to get more done in less time, which is where Convore comes ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/07/13/memonic-collaborate-with-classmates-or-coworkers/" rel="bookmark">Memonic – Collaborate With Classmates or Coworkers</a> - Now that more people are working from home offices and remote workspaces, collaboration among coworkers is becoming increasingly difficult. Memonic is an application that can ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/28/zwiggo-where-groups-get-to-work/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>WorkSimple – Get More From Your Work</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/24/worksimple-%e2%80%93-get-more-from-your-work/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/24/worksimple-%e2%80%93-get-more-from-your-work/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:30:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[communicate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[history]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rewards]]></category> <category><![CDATA[support]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[transparency]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8424</guid> <description><![CDATA[Researchers have shown that people are more productive when they work as a team and feel supported by their peers. WorkSimple is an innovative workplace management application that aims to capitalize on that by offering tools that make it easy for colleagues to communicate, manage tasks, and provide support in an online environment. What makes [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-worksimple.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8425" title="ss-worksimple" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ss-worksimple.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Researchers have shown that people are more productive when they work as a team and feel supported by their peers. WorkSimple is an innovative workplace management application that aims to capitalize on that by offering tools that make it easy for colleagues to communicate, manage tasks, and provide support in an online environment. What makes WorkSimple different from competing management applications is its emphasis on rewarding accomplishments and praising employees in a highly visible environment.<span id="more-8424"></span></p><p>Once your team has signed up for WorkSimple, you’ll want to get started by creating your first goal. Social Goals are tasks that can realistically be accomplished within the next 30 to 60 days, and creating a goal can be done in just a few simple steps. Type in a description of whatever it is that you’d like to accomplish, a date when you’d like to accomplish it by, and add some tags to help coworkers find goals related to specific departments or areas of interest. When your goal is active, you’ll want to share it with coworkers using the “Share Goal” button. The colleagues you’ve selected will be notified about your latest plans, and they can then show support by giving you helpful feedback and becoming “Goal Supporters.” Let coworkers track your progress by updating the status of your goals and adding quick notes whenever you take steps forward, and mark your goal as “Accomplished” as soon as all of your tasks are complete. Before signing off, you’ll want to review your work and thank all the people who supported you through the process.</p><p>When groups of people use WorkSimple, they can create robust team pages that show everything their members have worked on and accomplished since they began using the site. Over time, these team pages will become more useful as individual departments within larger companies compete to see who can accomplish the most goals and HR managers gauge which employees are the most and least expendable given their productivity levels over the past years.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Help a coworker who’s struggling to finish a major project</li><li>Set mini-milestones in finishing the thesis you’ve been working on</li><li>Managers can compare employees and see which team members are most valuable</li><li>Compare the success of your department to another department at your company</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Goal Support Scores measure how many of a user’s goals are supported</li><li>Individual goals can be tagged for easy sorting</li><li>Managers can comment on their employees’ goals</li><li>Goal history pages chart the progress of competing teams</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>WorkSimple gives people badges and rewards for accomplishing goals</li><li>People can track the work they’ve accomplished since starting a new position</li><li>Users can post their accomplishments on LinkedIn through their WorkSimple accounts</li><li>Various departments can use team pages to work together on group projects</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Larger businesses may have trouble getting their employees to sign on and use the system on a regular basis</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Rypple – <a href="http://rypple.com">http://rypple.com</a></li><li>SuccessFactors – <a href="http://www.successfactors.com">http://www.successfactors.com</a></li><li>Taleo – <a href="http://www.taleo.com">http://www.taleo.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: 2010</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: San Francisco, California</li><li>Founded by: Morgan Norman and Ben Moore</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://getworksimple.com">http://getworksimple.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Individual plan is free</li><li>Team plan is $5 per coworker, per month</li><li>Company plan is $9 per coworker, per month</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/04/13/createsmartgoals-set-goals-for-employees/" rel="bookmark">CreateSmartGoals – Set Goals for Employees</a> - Whether you run a boutique, a barbershop, or a Fortune 500 company, there’s a good chance you wish your employees could accomplish more in less ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/06/30/goalscape-define-and-reach-your-goals/" rel="bookmark">Goalscape – Visualize Your Goals</a> - Goalscape is a web-app that people can use to identify their goals and work toward achieving them. The difference between creating a visual chart with ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/11/28/day-zero-move-forward-in-life/" rel="bookmark">Day Zero – Move Forward In Life</a> - Life goes by in an instant, and if you’re not careful you could let years pass without making progress toward accomplishing your dreams and goals. ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2009/01/16/lifetick-manage-your-tasks-and-life-goals/" rel="bookmark">Lifetick &#8211; Manage Your Tasks and Life Goals</a> - Lifetick is a great way to set long term goals and short term achievements. When you complete the quick signup process, you are asked to ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2009/12/30/peago-%e2%80%93-drag-and-drop-to-get-work-done/" rel="bookmark">Peago – Drag and Drop to Get Work Done</a> - Peago is a Flash-based project management system that lets groups of users work together on projects and tasks. Thanks to its drag and drop technology, ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/24/worksimple-%e2%80%93-get-more-from-your-work/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Reelr.tv – Listen In, Share With Friends</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/19/reelr-tv-listen-in-share-with-friends/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/19/reelr-tv-listen-in-share-with-friends/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:30:18 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[music]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sharing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tunes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[videos]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8233</guid> <description><![CDATA[What’s the point in discovering new tunes and listening to them obsessively if you can’t share your best finds with your friends online? Reelr.tv is an app that can make that happen. The music video discovery tool actually plays music video online based on the tweets that its users send out. Although you’ll want to [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-reelr.tv_.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8235" title="ss-reelr.tv" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-reelr.tv_.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>What’s the point in discovering new tunes and listening to them obsessively if you can’t share your best finds with your friends online? Reelr.tv is an app that can make that happen. The music video discovery tool actually plays music video online based on the tweets that its users send out.<br /> <span id="more-8233"></span><br /> Although you’ll want to sign up for an account with Reelr.tv eventually, you can create a music video playlist without actually clicking onto the site. Just login to Twitter and send a tweet with the title of the song you’re thinking of, plus the #nowPlaying hashtag. In an instant, Reelr.tv will match up the song title you tweeted with the associated music video on YouTube and add it to your queue on the site. Head back over to the Reelr.tv site and you can manage and sort your music video queue in any number of ways. Once you’ve gotten the videos in your queue into the order that makes sense to you, share the new playlist with your followers on Twitter or embed the videos on your blog or Facebook page. Friends, fans, and online compatriots can check out your broadcasts by typing in reelr.tv/ plus your Twitter username.</p><p>Reelr.tv is fun to play with if you know what music you want to listen to, of course, but it’s even more fun to play with if you’re into checking out the playlists that other users have put together. Click on the name of a city to see what music videos are being played by users in that area, or check out the playlists that other Reelr.tv users have cultivated over time. When you find a music video you love, click “Save Playlist” and you can return to it whenever you wish. For music lovers, Reelr.tv is a fun app to play around with.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Show off your musical tastes by creating a broadcast that your friends can follow</li><li>Find out about new the music that people in your town are loving</li><li>Share your favorite music with friends on Twitter</li><li>Embed new music videos on your blog or Facebook page</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Change preferences to select a unique hashtag to use, rather than #nowPlaying</li><li>Users can find videos by keyword or by browsing genre categories</li><li>Head to the ‘Settings’ section to change the look of your Reelr.tv channel</li><li>Any type of YouTube video can be played in a user’s Reelr.tv channel</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>Browsing the playlists created by “TweeJs” is a great way to find new music</li><li>Playlists can be shared on Twitter with one click</li><li>Reelr.tv works really quickly, so you can tweet the name of a song and listen to it on your channel almost instantly</li><li>People without Twitter accounts can still listen to music and create playlists</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>People who don’t have Twitter accounts are limited in the ways they can use Reelr.tv</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Chill – <a href="http://chill.com">http://chill.com</a></li><li>turntable.fm – <a href="http://turntable.fm">http://turntable.fm</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: December 2010</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: Hollywood, Florida</li><li>Founded by: Ruben Mariña, David Linke, Manuel Berrizbeitia, and Eduardo Hauser</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://www.reelr.tv">http://www.reelr.tv</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/04/01/grooveshark-search-stream-and-upload-tunes-for-free/" rel="bookmark">Grooveshark – Search, Stream, and Upload Tunes for Free</a> - Grooveshark is a web-based music search engine that lets you find the songs you like, add them to a playlist, and listen to them instantly—all ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/06/09/audiobox-fm-%e2%80%93-keep-your-music-in-the-clouds/" rel="bookmark">Audiobox.fm – Keep Your Music in the Clouds</a> - Losing files during a computer crash can be painful—especially when those files contain your favorite songs and media clips. If you use a cloud-based storage ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/02/21/radiotuna-track-down-your-favorite-tunes/" rel="bookmark">RadioTuna – Track Down Your Favorite Tunes</a> - If you’re tired of listening to that same Britney Spears track 20 times a day, then it might be time to branch out and discover ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/01/31/thesixtyone-let-the-listeners-decide/" rel="bookmark">thesixtyone – Let the Listeners Decide</a> - Record executives and radio DJs may have controlled what made it onto record store shelves in the past, but a web-app called thesixtyone is helping ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/03/17/brite-revolution-the-next-level-in-music-discovery/" rel="bookmark">Brite Revolution – The Next Level in Music Discovery</a> - Musicians want to make music, fans want to hear it, and Brite Revolution is a subscription-based music download site that brings it all together. For ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/19/reelr-tv-listen-in-share-with-friends/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Podio – Social Networks for Companies</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/13/podio-social-networks-for-companies/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/13/podio-social-networks-for-companies/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:30:48 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online sharing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[virtual group]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8272</guid> <description><![CDATA[Podio is a tool that professionals can use to work collaboratively with colleagues within a virtual environment that is both safe and secure. Similar to a social network, but without all the fluff, Podio can be customized to help people connect with their coworkers, clients, contractors, and vendors online in a way that makes sense [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-podio.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8273" title="ss-podio" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-podio.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Podio is a tool that professionals can use to work collaboratively with colleagues within a virtual environment that is both safe and secure. Similar to a social network, but without all the fluff, Podio can be customized to help people connect with their coworkers, clients, contractors, and vendors online in a way that makes sense given each company’s unique limitations.<span id="more-8272"></span></p><p>Enter your work email address to begin using Podio. Once you’ve logged on, you’ll be linked up with others who’ve joined Podio using your same company email system. The way that Podio is set up will depend on which work apps your company has selected. Podio offers apps that manage projects, facilitate collaboration, organize sales leads, and more. Possibly the most useful of the apps is the social intranet, which you can use to share thoughts and ideas with colleagues online. The intranet includes a shared calendar that you can use to stay on top of upcoming events, as well as a digital bulletin board where you can post everything from roommate searches to fundraiser information. Organize meetings through the web-app’s project management system, and let people know whether you will or will not be attending an upcoming meeting by typing in your personal plans. You can set up separate work spaces for communicating with colleagues and clients. This allows you to make sure that private conversations remain secure while still sharing milestones and other important project information with the people whose opinions matter most.</p><p>People who use Podio can manage everything from sales leads to product development timelines, and no two companies will use Podio in exactly the same way. Even more importantly, Podio offers a fully functional mobile application that allows people to check-in, report on their progress, and add insight to team conversations from any iPhone or Android device.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Keep a client up-to-date on the status of his project</li><li>Gather business ideas from colleagues who work remotely</li><li>Organize a company picnic</li><li>Stay on track with deadlines and product rollout dates</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>People with the same company email addresses can join employee networks</li><li>Users can limit what their clients and vendors can see when they visit Podio</li><li>The API allows people to build their own applications</li><li>Podio supports multiple languages, for international companies</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>Podio can be customized based on the way each company works</li><li>People can invite their clients to access certain areas of their networks</li><li>Anyone who can use Facebook should be able to understand how to use Podio</li><li>Users can build their own apps if they aren’t happy with the current selection</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Podio’s pricing structure makes it an expensive option for larger organizations</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Convofy – <a href="http://www.convofy.com">http://www.convofy.com</a></li><li>Socialcast – <a href="http://www.socialcast.com">http://www.socialcast.com</a></li><li>Yammer – <a href="https://www.yammer.com">https://www.yammer.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: March 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark</li><li>Founded by: Anders Pollas, Kasper Hulthin, and Jon Froda</li><li>Web site: <a href="https://podio.com">https://podio.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free plan for up to 10 employees</li><li>$8 per employee, per month</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/06/29/convofy-social-communications-for-business/" rel="bookmark">Convofy – A Social Network For Businesses</a> - Convofy is a social network that businesses can use to keep employees in the loop and engaged. Teams of remote workers and in-office managers can ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2009/12/29/remindo-%e2%80%93-create-a-company-intranet/" rel="bookmark">Remindo – Create a Company Intranet</a> - Big businesses run more efficiently with the help of company-wide intranets, and now thanks to an application called Remindo, yours can too. Remindo is a ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/05/15/socialwok-total-sharing-for-businesses-and-groups/" rel="bookmark">SocialWok – Total Sharing For Businesses &amp; Groups</a> - SocialWok is a project management and collaboration system that harnesses the power of various Google Apps and social networking tools to create a singular platform ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/28/zwiggo-where-groups-get-to-work/" rel="bookmark">Zwiggo – Where Groups Get to Work</a> - Zwiggo is a tool that groups of people can use to work efficiently online. Just as suitable for business teams as it is for social ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/06/13/socialcast-%e2%80%93-social-networking-in-the-workplace/" rel="bookmark">Socialcast – Social Networking in the Workplace</a> - Socialcast is a collaboration platform that gives businesses of all sizes a better way to disseminate information amongst employees. With the use of activity streams, ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/13/podio-social-networks-for-companies/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>NumberFire – Win Your Office Football Pool</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/11/numberfire-win-your-office-football-pool/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/11/numberfire-win-your-office-football-pool/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:30:08 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fantasy football]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8269</guid> <description><![CDATA[Looking for ways to beat the competition in your fantasy football league this season? NumberFire might just be the answer. The web-app can help people involved in fantasy football leagues make decisions about which players to start each week based on an analysis of real-time statistics and historical results, rather than emotion. If you’re in [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-numberfire.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8270" title="ss-numberfire" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-numberfire.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Looking for ways to beat the competition in your fantasy football league this season? NumberFire might just be the answer. The web-app can help people involved in fantasy football leagues make decisions about which players to start each week based on an analysis of real-time statistics and historical results, rather than emotion.<span id="more-8269"></span></p><p>If you’re in it to win it, then you’ll want to check out NumberFire for some additional insight before selecting your players each week. Create an account, and then get started browsing through the players on your roster. If you’ve already drafted players in your own fantasy football pool, then you’ll want to “follow” each of the players on your team. NumberFire will deliver predictions for each player that you decide to follow based on a proprietary algorithm that takes into account current statistics, player characteristics, and historical records. Before each game, you can check out NumberFire to get a more detailed look at how each of your players is expected to stack up against their upcoming opponents in a head-to-head situation. Using all the information on hand, NumberFire is able to come up with definitive projections that you can use to decide who to play and who to trade before each game.</p><p>In addition to its useful projection tools, NumberFire also has a handful of user forums where fantasy football aficionados can trade information and a daily poll where people can vote on any number of football-related topics. For people who love playing in fantasy football leagues and hate to lose at anything, NumberFire is a smart investment.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Pick your fantasy football team based on strategic data and historical records</li><li>Get recommendations on which players to start each week</li><li>Share insider information with online friends through the NumberFire forums</li><li>Find out when to make a trade, or when to bench a specific player for the week</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>NumberFire bases predictions on a special algorithm using proprietary technology</li><li>The data used to make projections is based on public record</li><li>NumberFire offers integration with Yahoo! Fantasy Football</li><li>Third and fourth string players don’t always have predictions each week</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>People who use NumberFire are more likely to win their fantasy football pools</li><li>NumberFire makes it easy for people to decide which players to start each week</li><li>Users can “follow” as many players as they want</li><li>People can get help managing their teams from other users in the forums</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Basing decisions purely on statistics and data takes away some of the fun of a group football pool</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>Nothing</li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: September 2010</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: New York, New York</li><li>Founded by: Nik Bonaddio</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://www.numberfire.com">http://www.numberfire.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free accounts</li><li>Premium level features range from $5 to $100 per season</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2008/09/12/weplay-kids-and-athletes/" rel="bookmark">WePlay – Kids and Athletes Connecting</a> - MySpace and Facebook have become cluttered with ads, applications, and millions of users. While these social networking sites might be good places for friends who ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/10/30/konkuri-%e2%80%93-organize-a-tournament/" rel="bookmark">Konkuri – Organize a Tournament</a> - You’ve played in hundreds of sports tournaments organized by other people, so why not take a leap and put on your own? With Konkuri, creating ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2008/07/25/sudokular-sudoku-on-a-new-level/" rel="bookmark">Sudokular &#8211; Sudoku on a New Level</a> - Sudoku is a puzzle game in which the player fills out a 9×9 grid with the digits 1 through 9, using each number only once ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/10/25/yupool-branded-sports-pools/" rel="bookmark">Yupool – Branded Sports Pools</a> - Company-wide sports pools have become commonplace in all types of work environments – not just during March Madness or the NFL playoffs, but all throughout the year. ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/12/11/fanvibe-for-the-sports-obsessed/" rel="bookmark">Fanvibe – For the Sports Obsessed</a> - Sports fans, unite. Fanvibe is an interactive app that gives users countless ways to stay connected and in the game—no matter what that game may ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/11/numberfire-win-your-office-football-pool/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Top10 – The Best of the Best</title><link>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/10/top10-the-best-of-the-best/</link> <comments>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/10/top10-the-best-of-the-best/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:30:36 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Stephanie Miles</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Be Social]]></category> <category><![CDATA[create lists]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online sharing]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.appvita.com/?p=8266</guid> <description><![CDATA[Top10 is a web-app that people can use to share and discover the best of practically anything. In mere seconds, a person using Top10 can find out about the best restaurants in New York City, the spiciest dishes ever invented, and the coolest female characters in British video games. In addition to that, people with [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-Top10.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8267" title="ss-Top10" src="http://www.appvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ss-Top10.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="344" /></a></p><p>Top10 is a web-app that people can use to share and discover the best of practically anything. In mere seconds, a person using Top10 can find out about the best restaurants in New York City, the spiciest dishes ever invented, and the coolest female characters in British video games. In addition to that, people with knowledge to share can create their own best-of lists around whatever topics interest them most.<span id="more-8266"></span></p><p>Create an account with Top10 and verify your email address to begin. Before you start curating lists on the site, you may want to check out what’s already available. Type in any topic or keyword and a list of previously created lists will appear. Click on a list that looks interesting or useful, and you’ll find a top 10 list with photos and descriptions of each item. At the top of each list you’ll see icons for each user who has contributed. To add your own 2 cents, click the “Start your version” button and get to work. You can remix the current list by add items that other contributors have already suggested, or add a few new items and descriptions of your own. The results of a list are aggregated based on all the users who’ve contributed. Add tags to your list to help it get discovered by other people on the site, and share the shortened URL with friends on Facebook and Twitter. If you find a user whose opinion seems to mirror your own, you can click on that person’s icon to see all the lists that he or she has created.</p><p>As time goes on and you find more users whose opinions you agree with, you’ll want to start “following” more and more people on the site, just as you would on Twitter. Once you’ve built up a following of friends, you’ll want to invite some of those friends to contribute to lists where you think their opinions would be valuable. Overall, Top10 is a fun app that’s easy to get lost in and useful when planning trips or deciding which TV shows to watch on a Tuesday night.</p><p><strong>Practical Uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Curate a list of the best ’80s pop songs</li><li>Get ideas on where to stay when visiting New York City on vacation</li><li>Find out which slasher flicks people recommend watching</li><li>See what video games are popular with teenagers right now</li></ul><p><strong>Insider Tips:</strong></p><ul><li>Follow users whose opinions you agree with</li><li>Sign up for email notifications when your friends create new lists</li><li>Share lists with your followers on Twitter by using the provided URL</li><li>Users can create their own profile pages with information about themselves and an image</li></ul><p><strong>What we liked:</strong></p><ul><li>People who use Top10 have already created lists about thousands of subjects</li><li>Users can contribute to lists that have already been developed</li><li>Top10 can be a great way to find fun activities in new cities while on trips</li><li>People who can’t decide which movies to watch or songs to download can get recommendations from users on Top10</li></ul><p><strong>What we didn’t like:</strong></p><ul><li>Although Top10 lists are collaborative, most lists only have one contributor so far</li></ul><p><strong>Alternatives:</strong></p><ul><li>ListAfterList – <a href="http://www.listafterlist.com">http://www.listafterlist.com</a></li><li>Snagsta – <a href="http://snagsta.com">http://snagsta.com</a></li><li>Worst3 – <a href="http://worst3.com">http://worst3.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Company Info:</strong></p><ul><li>Launched: September 2011</li><li>Privately Held</li><li>Headquarters: London, England</li><li>Founded by: Alex Buttle, Tom Leathes, and Harry Jones</li><li>Web site: <a href="http://top10.com">http://top10.com</a></li></ul><p><strong>Costs:</strong></p><ul><li>Free</li></ul><div id="seo_alrp_related"><h3>More to Read</h3><ul><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/01/19/listiki-list-what-you-like/" rel="bookmark">Listiki – List What You Like</a> - Listiki is an application that allows users to do one thing – make lists. The types of lists that users make, and the way that ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2009/07/10/itumz-creating-and-sharing-lists-online/" rel="bookmark">Itumz &#8211; Creating and Sharing Lists Online</a> - The premise of Itumz is that you’re probably, like most people, in need of some organization. So if you’re running around everyday stressed out to ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2010/03/18/pro-con-lists-%e2%80%93-weigh-your-toughest-decisions/" rel="bookmark">Pro-Con Lists – Weigh Your Toughest Decisions</a> - Should you go to Harvard or Yale, play World of Warcraft or Guild Wars, move back home or live with a friend? You could think ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2009/10/14/wishpot-manage-your-wishlist-in-one-spot/" rel="bookmark">Wishpot &#8211; Manage Your Wishlist In One Spot</a> - If you’ve ever bemoaned the need to have a different wishlist on each of your favorite shopping sites, then Wishpot is for you. This online ...</p></div></li><li><div class="seo_alrp_rl_content"><p><a href="http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/16/ziplist-creating-smarter-shopping-lists/" rel="bookmark">ZipList – Creating Smarter Shopping Lists</a> - Grocery shopping is about to get high-tech, at least for people who are using ZipList. The online tool aims to simplify people’s lives by automatically ...</p></div></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.appvita.com/2011/12/10/top10-the-best-of-the-best/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
