7 Hot Apps That Will Skyrocket Your Productivity At Work

You can't avoid new technology these days, especially from a marketing standpoint. While it can seem intimidating to stay on top of the times, it is emphatically laborious for any marketer to be on top of his game if he is not palpable to new trends.

Here are seven marketing apps that you'll want to get acquainted with sooner rather than later.

1. Jelly

Google does a pretty good job answering all of our questions from "Why is the sky blue?" to more advanced queries like "How can I prove the ROI of inbound marketing to my boss?"

However, sometimes we are troubled by questions that don't translate well into a traditional search engine field. Jelly app is the solution to this predicament.

I'm not talking about fruit preserves here, but rather an innovative social Q&A app derived from the creative mind of Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone.

The crowdsourcing style app allows you to query your social network contacts, and lend them a helping hand when they're in need of an answer. Jelly doesn't rely on just text-based questions, but it actually allows users to use pictures to probe their questions.

Let's say, for example, you see someone in a magazine sporting a jacket you really like. Simply take a picture of the jacket, and post it alongside a question like: "Does anyone know who makes this jacket, or where I can find one like it?"

While Jelly is a promising app, the potential for marketing incorporation appears to be enthralling. Customer service, product marketing, and crowdsourcing are a handful of ways many people are making use of the Jelly app from a business standpoint.

2. Pocket

You just stumbled upon an awesome article on how to increase your conversion rates, but your next meeting starts in 2 minutes. No worries, just put it in your pocket.

Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket is a bookmarking app that makes it easy for users to store articles and videos to queue up at their convenience. The read-later experience doesn't rely on an internet connection, so you can revisit your findings pretty much anywhere. Sounds like a great way to increase your productivity on lengthy plane, train, or automobile rides, huh?

Best of all, Pocket will sync across all of your devices, providing users with a hassle-free way to resume reading on their preferred device.

3. Directr for Business

Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street, what do all of these box office hits have in common? Scorsese.

Behind every great video production is a talented director, and the Directr for Business app is aiming to be just that.

While 71% of consumers feel positively about brands that publish videos, 85% of consumers are more likely to buy after viewing product videos (Source: Inbound Marketing Agents). If bandwidth is holding your business back from producing quality video content, Directr for Business has an entire library of production templates to make it easy for just about anyone to make video content.

The templates are divided into categories that range anywhere from product announcement, to how-to tutorials, to company culture insight. Each template contains a storyboard style shot list that lays out how to approach each shot - for example the first shot in a "how-to" video prompts users to answer the question "who are you and what are you teaching?"

Aside from a prompt, each shot comes complete with directors notes, and visual suggestions that explain how to position the shot. They've pretty much covered it all, all that's left for you to do is look pretty and nail your dialogue.

4. Any.Do Moment / Cal

I don't like to think of Any.do as an app, but rather a morning ritual.

The first stop in any Monday morning grind should be this user-friendly planning tool. On paper, Any.do can best be referred to as a to do list application designed to help you plan out your busy day, but it's really more than that.

Any.do helps you manage your life, both professional and personal, by inputting tasks into it's sleek and simple interface. Users have the option to schedule tasks into 4 categories, (Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, and Someday) making it fun to plan tomorrow's blog post and someday's vacation. Tasks can be sorted into different folders to optimize organization, and notes and contacts can be added for added clarification.

Additionally, Any.Do is highly integrated with the calendar application, Cal. So much so that one might say they're "going steady." You can even sign into Cal using your Any.Do account, and all of your tasks will carry over into its interactive internal calendar. Adding events to the calendar is simple, and it even gives you the option to enter a location name so that Cal can map out a route for you. Any.Do Moment and Cal provides busy marketers with a lens through which they can focus their tasks and interactions.

5. Asana

Asana is a task management tool that makes collaboration on team projects easier than ever.

Created by Facebook co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz, Asana is a free* application that provides real-time interaction through a user-friendly interface. Asana users can create tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, add notes, attach files, create internal checklists, and communicate with others through comments. Once tasks are created, you can group them into projects, and invite team members so that they can brainstorm, assign subtasks, and work toward accomplishing their goals.

The thing that makes Asana the perfect tool for marketers is its ability to present conversations and projects side-by-side, eliminating the hassle of scattered emails and missed messages. No more digging through your inbox to find that file John sent you, and that set of images Bobby wrapped up last week. Asana keeps everything you need neatly in one place.

6. IFTTT

Pronounced like gift without the 'G', IFTTT is a innovative new app that stands for "if this than that."

IFTTT provides users with a tool to mix up custom "recipes" that trigger a particular action. Sound confusing? It's not.

The average IFTTT recipe contains the following elements:

Channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Evernote, iOS photos, Weather, Dropbox, Email, Feedly, iOS Reminders, LinkedIn and 70 more.
Triggers: "I upload a photo to Instagram", "I'm tagged in a photo on Facebook", "I set an iOS reminder"
Actions: "Send me a text message", "Add it to my Dropbox", "Post to Facebook"
Let's say you want to keep your branding consistent across the board, and you want your Twitter avatar to match your Facebook profile photo. Simply use this "recipe":

If my Facebook profile pictures changes, then update my Twitter profile picture.

A lot of the time when I am working on a "how-to" blog post I reference screenshots from my phone. Oh, you do too? Use this recipe:

If I take a screenshot on iOS, then save it to my Evernote notebook.

With seemingly endless combinations, IFTTT provides busy marketers with a way to automate simple tasks that save a lot of time.

7. LIfe Graphy

Life Graphy presents users with a totally unique approach to the average productivity app concept.

The colorful app breaks your tasks down into mini pie charts that can contain up to ten segments (1 segment per task). As you complete tasks, the individual sections within the chart begin to fill up. A completed circle is something to smile about.

Life Graphy offers users 3 views: Day, Month, and Year. By switching between the 3 views, you can get a good visual idea of how much you have accomplished.

While the functionality of the app is enough reason to try it out, it's the interface that really does it for me.

Committing to a task-based planning app is easier said than done, but Life Graphy makes you want to keep trucking along because its fun!

New technology isn't going to slow down anytime soon. As the pace for innovation quickens, we can expect that there will be a whole lot of new advances coming our way whether we think we're ready for them or not.

It isn't possible to know everything, but if you equip your team with the right tools, you'll notice how much easier it is for your business to remain relevant and increase productivity.

How to Make A QR Codes In 4 Quick Steps

This post is to help marketers reach more audience using QR codes. Learn how to create your own, and how you can augment the chance of consumers scanning them. These are the 4 quick steps to creating your QR code and a start to reaching more audience

Step 1: Select a QR code generator
There are tons of generators out there, but a few of the popular ones are Kaywa, GOQR.me, Visualead, and QR Stuff. Things to search for when choosing a code generator are whether you can track and analyze performance, if it allows you to design a code that's unique to your brand, and if it is compatible with common QR code readers.

Step 2: Design and link it up
The mesmerizing part of creating QR is customizing the design of the code to your brand. Want your code to look like your logo? Go for it. Want it to reflect your website's design scheme? Choose it.

Let's take an example of a QR code generator and walk you through the steps to creating it. I will recommend GOQR.me. When you launch it, Do these:

1. Select what type of content you want your QR to send the consumer to - you can choose a URL.

2. Insert the content (Embed the URL)

3. Check out the preview, customize as desired, then download and/or embed where needed.

Step 3: Test the QR code
With all the euphoria in creating your first QR, don't forget to check that the code "reads" correctly, and be sure to try more than just one reader. A good place to start is the free tool Google Goggles, which takes a picture and then tells you what link or item it "reads to." Another free tool is QR Code Reader, which automatically takes you to whatever it "reads." Apple's Passbook also offers a built-in code reader on iOS 7, so you should test to make sure your code is readable there, as well.

Step 4: Track and analyze performance
As a marketing ordeal, you should follow up on any campaigns using QR to see whether they're actually working. How much traffic comes from each specific code? Are people scanning your code but not redeeming their offer once they get to the landing page? Or are they not even cajoled to scan your code? Comprehending this will hep troubleshoot and churn your poorly performing QR to viable ensembles. I recommend you include a UTM tracking code on your URL so you can better measure performance - this is particularly important if you are a marketer who needs more in-depth reporting on your campaigns.

QR Code Best Practices: Some Important Do's and Don'ts
Now that you know simple the creation is, let's talk about some best practices that will help increase the precipice of your users scanning it.

QR Code Do's
1. Put codes in places where scanning is easy, and there is enough for the consumer to actually scan the code. While you incessantly see QR codes on billboards and TV commercials, they're not exactly the most user-friendly locations. Think of places and mediums where consumers have the time to scan the code.

2. Is your website optimized for mobile? Consumers will be on their phone when scanning the QR code, so they should be brought to a page with a positive mobile experience.

3. Offer a call-to-action with the code - that is to say, tell people explicitly what they're supposed to do when they see the code, and what they'll receive if they do it.

QR Code Don'ts
1. Don't require a special QR scanner. Your Qr code should be app-agnostic so anyone can scan your code with any reader. Alleviating barrier to entry makes success more likely for you and the user.

2. Don't use a QR code just for the sake of using one. For instance, it's common for marketers to think, "How can I bridge the offline experience with the online experience? " That's not wrong... but it's not always right, either. If you have content that is valuable to a mobile user, then use the QR. It will not only spur new consumers but also create a colossal success for you because most people don't do it.

I hope this has been helpful.

Some Useful Free Software Applications For Your Computer

Sometimes you may need free software for your computer and note book. When you are browsing, you may find some websites which offers free software. However, you should be careful since some of them might be viruses. These viruses have the ability to harm your computer. Because of this reason, you should be careful. Some companies give free software in order to advertise the full versions. The commercial full versions provide more features for the users. For the people who like the free version, you are recommended to get the full versions.

Some free versions are open source projects. They are made and maintained by volunteers. For the people who enjoy these programs, it is possible for you to support the continued development by giving donation to the developer team.

When you are looking for free software, you are recommended to get some program types. Those are including office software, network clients, security tools, and other utilities.

Some programs which you can choose for network clients are including Mozilla Firefox, Opera, NVU, and some other programs. You may consider getting Firefox software. Firefox is highly recommended for your computer since it is better and safer browser than other browsers such as Internet explorer. Another advantage of Firefox is providing the ability for the users to use many free add-ons. You may consider getting Adblock plus, Video DownloadHelper, and No Script. The Video DownloadHelper will help you to save videos from YouTube or Vimeo. No script will allow you to block flash, Java, or Javacript on the website which you visit. The blocking process is done selectively. By installing this program, you will be able to use Mozilla thunderbird icon which can be good replacement for Microsoft Outlook Express and Windows Mail.

Another alternative for Mozilla software is Opera. This program is including email client and other various features. You do not need to worry about the security of opera. It is equipped with security tools. The users can install opera for Microsoft Windows, Macintoch, and other systems.

Another free software program which is recommended for you is OpenOffice program. It will be good replacement for Microsoft Office. OpenOffice has the ability to do almost the same things like Microsoft Office. It can open and save compatible documents such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It also offers the ability to save PDF file.

For the people who like to play video in their computer or notebook, you should get VLC Media Player. This program is able to play various video types. Another benefit of this program is small size and fast operation. You are also recommended to install other utilities such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and Java. By using Java program, you can run Java based programs on your desktop computer. Java also helps some website applications.

Nowadays have knowledge related with computer is so much fun. And its more important because computer would save your time to finish your current job task. There are so much office productivity software that available in as free accounting software directory. All you thing to do, is read a software review, spesification and read documentation after installed it on your computer.

Finding a Better Mouse

Several years ago, I found myself wanting a better mouse. My computer at the time was a Mac Pro provided by my employer, and the aluminum keyboard and Mighty Mouse that came with it were downright awful. The laptop-style, low profile keyboard was terrible to type on and the mouse had a tiny ball for scrolling, which would get gummed up very easily.

At first, I simply traded them in for a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse set which I used for quite some time. It was a basic rubber dome keyboard and standard wireless optical mouse. They were okay. They worked. Ultimately, I wanted something better.

I noticed that my boss would try out other mice, but ultimately return to his old trackball. He explained that it was more ergonomic and he found it easier to use. Unfortunately, the model he used had long been discontinued and regularly sold for over $300 on eBay. Too rich for me. But I figured there must be some modern equivalents.

So I went on a search. My initial requirements were simple. It needed to cost less than $50 and I didn't want to give up my scroll wheel, which seemed to be a commonly missing feature amongst trackball mice.

Logitech M570

My first stop was the trackball mouse everyone seems to go to when they ditch a regular mouse: the Logitech M570. It is a thumb style trackball with 3 buttons, a scroll wheel and a pair of back/forward buttons. The buttons and scroll wheel performed just like the other Logitech mice I had used. That meant the ball was the only thing I would need to get used to.

Unfortunately, this mouse has a relatively small ball that doesn't have much weight to it. Because of this, I had difficulty moving the pointer any distance by spinning the ball. I also had quite a bit of difficulty with accuracy. The pointer seemed to jump around a bit. To be fair, I think I must have a thumb impediment. I never could get it to do what I wanted it to do. I can't exactly blame that on the mouse. Even though I used it for over a month, I never really felt comfortable with it.

Pros:

• Extra navigation buttons
• Standard scroll wheel
• Mouse buttons are operated with the usual fingers

Cons:

• Small, lightweight ball tended to lift out of its place a bit
• For me, movement was awkward with my thumb

Kensington Orbit with Scroll Wheel

The other mouse I tested was the Kensington Orbit with Scroll Ring which I was able to find on sale. The name is quite a mouthful. There is a previous version without a scroll ring simply called the Orbit. I'm not sure why they didn't just rename it when they added a scroll ring. Anyway, it's a center ball with two buttons and a scroll ring, which I thought was very intriguing. The ball is a bit bigger than the Logitech M570 and the buttons are noticeably firm.

I quickly adapted to using the trackball with my index and middle fingers, and the scroll ring seemed completely natural after the first few days. It took a short while to get accustomed to left-clicking with my thumb, which does present a bit of finger confusion if I need to use a regular mouse for some reason.

It was easy to spin the ball to bring the pointer from one end of a dual monitor setup to the other. I was able to accurately place the pointer where I wanted, and I found that I preferred the firmness of the buttons. This became my new favorite mouse after only a few days.

Pros:

• Larger, heavier ball with smooth movement
• Center ball that you move with your fingers (or whole hand) instead of your thumb
• Smooth scroll ring

Cons:

• Using your thumb for left click can result in a little finger confusion when switching to use regular mice for gaming or at another machine
• Only the two buttons. It could use a third button or some navigation buttons

Conclusion

If I had less than $50 to spend on a trackball mouse, I would choose the Kensington Orbit with Scroll Ring. I prefer the middle ball, and the scroll ring is nice and smooth. Having only two buttons may be an issue for some people, but made little difference to me.

If, however, you prefer to operate the ball with your thumb, the Logitech M570 is an excellent choice for the price.

Chris Meyers is a software developer and writer. He enjoys writing software, playing with new technology and writing fantasy stories. You can read more of his stuff here: http://www.chrislmeyers.com

Free Antivirus Software

It is important for you to install antivirus software at your computer or notebook. Antivirus software will give protection from various harmful things such as viruses, spywares, adwares, worms, Trojans, rootkit infections, and much more. The old version of antivirus only detected the viruses while the old version of spyware removers just detected spyware. Now, the limit between antivirus and spyware removers is unclear. The antivirus software available today provides better detection rates for various malwares.

Those malwares are including viruses, worms, adware, keyloggers, and many dangerous threats for your computer. Since the number of malware keeps increasing, it is impossible for antivirus software to keep up. However, using more than one antivirus can cause the conflicts and reduce the protection. Because of this reason, it is more recommended for you to choose the best antivirus for real time protection. You will be able to increase the protection using security software. Here are some free antivirus software programs which can be your consideration.

The first program is Avira AntiVir Personal Edition. Due to its high quality, many people choose to use this program. Avira faced some controversies related to re-branded Ask toolbar in their installer and temporary spate of advertisement to promote a possible scareware company. Despite of its negative issues, Antivir is still top notch antivirus. It offers outstanding detection rates of malware. The ability is higher than other antivirus programs. Because of the ability, Antivir is still a good choice for free antivirus software programs especially for high risk users.

When you are using Avira, you will not be able to scan any website or e-mail. You can only get this feature from commercial versions. For the people who are using the free version, you will not get any warn of an infected emails before you open it. However, when you open the infected email, Avira will take the action.

Another option you can get is AVG Anti virus. In the past days, this antivirus provides some shaky results in detection. Current AVG antivirus provides higher level protection due to Identity Protection. It provides very important layer of protection. The weakness of AVG free antivirus software is its big size and slow scan speeds. It also has advertisements but you can disable them.

Avast free antivirus software can also be good option. This program improves the detection rates over these past years. It offers real-time capabilities such as web, e-mail, IM, behavioral blocker, and much more. The latest version even offers more features such as internet site ratings plugin, script malware, and much more.

You may also consider using Microsoft Security Essentials. It provides outstanding detection rates. This program is suitable option for average users due to the minimal user interaction required. The update process is done automatically. When your computer is attacked by viruses, the program will remove the threat automatically. If those programs are not suitable for you, you are recommended to try other free software antivirus such as Panda Cloud Antivirus.

Nowadays have knowledge related with computer is so much fun. And its more important because computer would save your time to finish your current job task. There are so much update antivirus software that available in as free accounting software directory. All you thing to do, is read a software review, specification and read documentation after installed it on your computer.

Some Freeware Data Recovery Programs for Your Computer

Sometimes when people delete a file, they think that they cannot find that file anymore. The deleted file has been moved to the Recycle Bin. If the file remains there, it is possible for the users to restore the file to the original location. However, when you click the empty Recycle Bin, the file there is deleted permanently from the computer and you will not be able to restore the file anymore.

In some cases, people accidentally delete their important files and then realize that they need them later. You can still restore them when you install freeware data recovery software. Nowadays, you may find many types of this program in the market. Freeware data recovery software allows you to use them without any cost.

EASEUS data recovery might be the first option you can choose for freeware data recovery. This program was published by EASUS Company which specializes in file recovery and data compression software. The main concern of the company is the recovery system. EASUS offers two options of the recovery program. They are freeware data recovery and commercial version. You should purchase the commercial version before you can use it. This version has an ability to recover files from formatted sectors or deleted hard drive partitions.

However, the freeware version will be enough for the average computer users. By using EASUS data recovery, you will be able to recover the deleted and removed files from Recycle Bin. This program works well on all Windows platforms. It also offers the features for recovery in Linux system. You can also use the program on network storage devices including dynamic disk drives.

Another freeware data recovery program is NTFS or New Technology File System Reader. It has the ability to perform various server functions like creating and managing hard drive partitions. It can also encrypt the data which is found on hard drive and manage the high volume storage devices such as RAID disk drives. An advantage of this program is easy to use. You can use the program on all versions of Windows. It can also be used with Windows NT.

You may also consider using PC Inspector file recovery. This program is quiet popular among the consumers. The main reason is because it works on any computer. This program will not only recover the files from the computers, but also the data from File Allocation Tables (FAT). It supports all versions of Windows. PC Inspector file recovery has the ability to understand older or newer file architecture.

If the programs above do not meet your requirement, then you may consider other program, such as Convar PC Inspector File Recovery 4.X, Tokiwa DataRecovery 2.4.6, and many more.

Nowadays have knowledge related with computer is so much fun. And its more important because computer would save your time to finish your current job task. There are so much backup data recovery tools that available in as free accounting software directory. All you thing to do, is read a software review, specification and read documentation after installed it on your computer.

How to Make a Video Using Windows Movie Maker

One thing I like to do to professionalize my videos I record on my digital camera is that I like to use a free software called the Windows Movie Maker and this software actually comes with any PC, it is absolutely free. You will find it under your start menu. Windows Movie Maker is basically a free editing software that allows you to add titles, transition, credits and music.

The way that I use this system is that I take my raw video that I record on my canon digital camera and upload it straight up into Windows Movie Maker. Pretty much everybody has a digital camera, and most digital cameras these days have a video recording. Movie Maker tells you exactly how to do this, so I am going to walk you threw it. What you want to do is go to where it says capture video. Now you might have a webcam or you might have to import the video using a USB device, the cord that connects the computer to the camera. Then you want to click on import.

Now you are going to be able to edit it. What I like to do usually on the end of my videos I have, I like to add a title. The way I like to add a title is that I like to give them a call to action. You want to send them to your capture page or your blog etc. Some sort of call to action to go and do something.

When editing the video you want to get creative. You can get fancy with it and change the color and customize it. I like black background. Just make shore that it is easy to read. The worst thing you can do is create a call to action and the person would have to watch it like four times to be able to read it. You can make it bold so that they clearly are going to be able to see what you are trying to tell them.

I like to put music to this. We are not only here to educate people but we are also here to entertain them as well. And we want to make sense on all the different senses. And that might not only be digitally.

Now at the end of every video between the clip and the title I like to add a transition and this is to make it look a little better. There are different transitions here to choose from.

I also like to add low volume of music in my videos. I think it makes it more enjoyable to listen to. Or at the end you want some music to go with that. Just be creative with it.

If you just play with Movie Maker a little bit you get the hang of it. It is all pretty basic and intuitive stuff. Making videos is not a tech thing at all. It is just learning a few simple skill sets and you can start do video marketing which is a core marketing strategy. You can really not underestimate the power of video marketing.