I’m finding it’s often good to take Mike Arrington’s lead. Early last month, he ran a spot called, 2007: Web 2.0 Companies I Can’t Live Without. I’ve been wanting to do this ever since I read his post, but haven’t found the time. So today’s the day.
Lots of folks followed up. I found it on through Obviousness & Tell Ten Friends.
- WordPress – in opinion, the blogger’s blogware. Easy install, themes, plugins gallore, easy-to-use interface and great development community. Best of all – free. I’ve not used MoveableType, but with WordPress I don’t fee like I’ll ever need too.
- FeedBurner – everything I want to know about my feeds. Who, what, where, when. And now, new and improved with site stats.
- Google Analytics – I’ve looked at a lot of stats packages. Google Analytics, for me, is the best of the free options. Lots and lots of stats, easy-to-read charts and graphs, Adwords integration, keyword tracking, e-commerce and marketing funnel tools. Great solution. Just glad it’s free.
- GMail – I don’t use my GMail account all the time. But when I do, I’m always impressed with some new feature I find. I’ve used Hotmail and YahooMail – I feel GMail is superior.
- Google BlogSearch – I’ve not been happy with the search results in Technorati. But I’ve been quite happy with the results in Google BlogSearch. Leave it to Google to get search right.
- YouTube – just an awesome resource for video. Love that I can stream video from YouTube on my blog.
- Skype – I get a handful of international clients each year. Skype has made it easier to work with them.
- MyBlogLog – so far, the best community I’ve joined. And some good stats.
- LiveOffice TeleConferencing – free, anytime, on-demand teleconferencing service up to 250 users. Also free mp3 recording.
What I’m turning too next
- Ma.gnolia – haven’t been into del.icio.us yet. Guess I’ve been waiting to check out Ma.gnolia.
- Blinksale – I may take my invoicing online (though I know the service isn’t free)
What are your favorite free web-based apps? And, what do you use that I should be checking out?
Thanks for the post. It’s an interesting read.
I had a difference of opinion regarding Skype however, preferring VOIPCheap which I mentioned in this article.
Keep up the good blogging.
VOIPCheap huh? I’ve heard of it, along with a bunch of others, but have opted for Skype just because I’ve used it for a long time. I’ll give VOIPCheap a look. Thanks for the heads up.
I really like Side Job Track as a more functional (and free!) alternative to Blinksale. Nothing against Blinksale; I just found SJT better suited my needs and was beyond affordable.
I’m currently infatuated with bubbl.us as a way to organize my thoughts and projects.
Great list you have, as well!
Sarah
Yeah, I know of Side Job Track but haven’t used it. Somehow it’s dropped off my radar. Thanks for bringing it back up. I’ll definitely check it out.
Vectormonkey
Bubbl.us is pretty cool. I had seen it on a blog post before and bookmarked it. I already use FreeMind and OmniGraffle Pro. So bubbl.us’ a bit overkill for me. But definitely one to include on this list.