The folks at Mashable, the “world’s largest social media company,” have a new list of productivity tools. You probably didn’t know that the web has radical new ways to conduct old fashioned tasks like managing your to-do list, taking notes or gathering information.

Barb Dybwad’s article 18 Online Productivity Tools for Your Business has a few buzzwords but some great ideas:

Choosing primarily online tools for your productivity workflow is a great way to address the issue of source agnostic accessibility. It’s also a convenient method to ensure you have a backup of your important day-to-day items and files in case a particular computer or device fails. One other not insignificant factor in selecting cloud-based tools to keep you and your business on track is cost: the online equivalents of once desktop-bound applications are often much cheaper in both raw cost and maintenance cost, as tool upgrades usually happen behind the scenes and don’t require an in-house IT staff to keep up and running.

The high-powered minds at Mashable sometimes need a little translation. Here are a few definitions:

• “source agnostic accessibility” - Ability to use a software system without having to be tied to a particular computer or operating system. This is useful for people who work from the home, office, as well as on the road.
• “cloud-based tools” - Software applications  that instead of being installed on your computer run entirely on the Internet and can typically be used just with a regular web browser. This includes the one on your mobile phone!
• “desktop-bound applications” - Programs that are tied to your own computer and can’t be used if you are not sitting at your desk.

Technology can be a little overwhelming at times, and the target audience for Mashable is probably not your typical office professional. But after a little practice and patience, it will become clear that the most essential aspect of these new services is how they impact your personal workflow. There will always be a need to make lists, take notes, and gather information. Tools and processes can only make these tasks more efficient and more effective.

At Slaughter Development, we help companies to improve productivity by first working to understand their current environment. It might be the case that none of the eighteen tools listed in this article are right for your business, and trying to force a new system is always the wrong idea. If you’re ready to talk about improving productivity with someone ready to listen, contact Slaughter Development. We’re here to understand before we advise.

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