Useful Web Tools You Can Use On Your Virtual Business

The web has been a treasure chest of tools anyone can use to become productive and succeed in conducting business online. These productivity tools help people become effective and comfortable using the internet as a place to conduct business and manage people. With its overabundance of contributors across the web, hundreds of tools are available online that we don’t know where to start looking or we have difficulty deciding which tool is useful to us.

If your business is based online, and if you outsource most of your work. You may find these tools useful in managing your business, projects and virtual team.

I have no doubt that many of you have already been using these tools, but hopefully the rest is for you to discover and use in your own business.

Communication

1. Gmail – with Google apps you can personalize your email with your company name
2. Skype – great tool not just for audio and video calls but screen sharing as well
3. Pamela for Skype – Skype record plugin
4. Google Voice
5. Magic Jack.com – a USB device that lets you call USA and Canada very cheaply
6. K7.net – Free incoming voicemail and fax service
7. AuctionAudio.net / AudioAcrobat.com – recording three-way phone conversation
8. Linksalpha.com – takes articles written in your blog and automatically posts to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My space and other social media accounts
9. Modocomet.com – Free calls. Lets you record phone calls as well
10. Tokbox.com – free video conferencing website. You can create a video message and email it directly

Online Payment

1. PayPal.com – secure way to pay and getting paid online
2. Zoom.com – best way to pay virtual assistants /contractors in the Philippines

Screen Sharing

1. Crossloop.com
2. Logmein.com
3. Adobe Connect Now
4. Team Viewer
5. Double Glance

Project Management

1. Google Docs
2. Open Office – free open source document creation. Creates word documents, presentations, graphics, database and spreadsheets for free. Compatible with all major office suites
3. Mindmeiser.com – online mind mapping software with rich features you can use to effectively put into map your ideas and plans. Collaborate with team members, organize and share projects and plans.
4. Remember the Milk – online to do list and task. Best way to manage your tasks integrated with Gmail, Google Calendar and Twitter.
5. Mindomo.com – creating a mind map online to organize work, collaborate with team members, develop problem solving skills and share ideas

Free Online File Storage for Back Up and file sharing

1. Dropbox.com
2. Backupify.com

Password Management

1. Roboform.com
2. Lastpass.com
3. PassPack.com

Free online invoicing

1. Freshbooks.com
2. Billingboss.com
3. Invoicemachine.com – includes a thank you email once payment has been made

Time Management

1. Rescue Time – keeps track of what your spending time on
2. Clocking it – helps you keep track of how you and your workers spend your time.

Other Useful Tools

1. Leech Block Firefox plug-in – helps you focus by not allowing you to open any website during work hours
2. Dabble Board – online whiteboard and drawing tool that you either save, email or share online
3. Seesmic.com Desktop – managing multiple twitter accounts on your desktop
4. Dooster.com – lets you create task, notes, alerts and reminders, deadlines and more features to help you organize as well as collaborate activities with your team
5. Screen Steps – help you create visual documents in less time with less effort so you can communicate clearly with your team with powerful export formats such as pdf, html, PS word, content management and emails. Also useful in creating tutorials and help files and process documentation
6. Jing – simply captures screen shots, records video for instructions that can easily be emailed