I spend a lot of time each day communicating with colleagues and clients, by phone, email, on social networks, and via the occasional fax. But when I need to have a short conversation and get an answer right away, instant messaging is hard to beat. Unfortunately, there are several IM protocols, and most of them don’t talk to each other. That’s why I use the multi-protocol IM software Adium on the Mac and Pidgin on the PC. I can also use a web-based alternative like Meebo or the new Imo.im.

VoxOx wants to take multi-system communication several steps further. In addition to the various IM protocols, it supports social networks (Facebook, MySpace and Twitter); SMS texting; faxing; private email; file sharing; video conversations; and voice connections. VoxOx also supports Skype messaging, although you have to have the Skype software running, which sort of defeats its purpose.

When you sign up for the service, you are assigned a telephone number in southern California (other locations are apparently on the way). Incoming calls to that number, and voice conversations between you and other VoxOx users, are free; other calls are charged at rates similar to other VoIP services. VoxOx has just begun offering flat-fee voice and texting plans, at prices it claims are significantly cheaper than Skype’s. VoxOx’s other services are free.

In recent days, VoxOx has released beta 2.0.5. The software has improved since I first tried it a year or so ago, but it is very definitely still a work in progress. Its dark background with white text theme is hard on the eyes and isn’t editable, and its contact manager has no provision for importing from or syncing with other address books.

VoxOx seems to be trying to collect the useful features from Skype, conferencing services, virtual PBX services, instant messaging and file sharing services, and putting them all in one place. It’s a pretty cool idea, and VoxOx is definitely worth trying, but I’m not quite ready to make it part of my daily workflow yet.

Have you used VoxOx? What did you think of it?

As my virtual social media marketing firm Conversify grows, my business partner Monique Elwell and I are forced to assess and implement technologies to help us do our work better and faster. Both Monique and I are committed to keeping our company virtual and flexible.

While exploring solutions for a phone system that could help our company appear more cohesive and communicate more effectively, Monique started looking at VoIP switching systems or “virtual PBXs.” She focused specifically on RingCentral and Virtual PBX. We’re sharing some of our findings here because we know that many of you may be in the same situation as us: tying together dispersed teams under one phone system to have a more unified corporate presence.

Monique put the following list of questions together that we had to ask ourselves while researching phone systems for our company.

1. How many lines do we need? Here we mean the number of phone lines that you expect to be speaking on simultaneously.
2. How many extensions do we need? An extension rings to an individual, or to a department (such as sales).
3. How much time do we spend on the phone? While we use a lot of email, we decided to go with unlimited minutes to avoid any surprise costs at the end of the month.
4. Do we need a system that is incoming calling only, or one allowing us to transfer to other coworkers? We would prefer being able to transfer calls for convenience.
5. Do we have to purchase a special phone or use the ones we have? Some virtual PBXs and phone systems do come with hardware while others are entirely online.

RingCentral and Virtual PBX are systems that allow your team members to be in multiple locations and are priced similarly so we’ll talk about those first.

For our team, we each have either a cell phone, a home or work landline or a Skype number that we use as our work numbers. But we lack the consistency of a common greeting messaging tree that instructs, “Thank you for calling Conversify. Press 1 for Aliza, press 2 for Monique, etc.”. While traditional offline PBXs offering this functionality can cost in the tens of thousands dollar range, there are dozens of services offering virtual PBXs and their costs are within reach of even a small startup company,

Ring Central and Virtual PBX use VoIP which these days is nearly indistinguishable from a regular landline, and the quality is far superior to cell phones.

Both Ring Central and Virtual PBX — and many other similar services — offer some standard features:

• Auto attendant. This is the voice that answers company calls and automatically routes them based on caller input.
• Call rules. This allows, for example, “Press 1 for Sales; Press 2 for Marketing.”
• Follow me services. This feature gives you the ability to have your calls forward to the phone number where you’re available.
• Custom greetings. This is the ability to record your own greetings for each person or department.
• Web-based system management. Being able to manage your phone system online means you can handle issues and changes from any Internet-connected computer.
• Virtual fax. This feature is nice for us because we are currently using a virtual fax system, so this can save some monthly fees.
• Dial by name directories. This allows callers to enter the first three letters of a team member’s name to find them easily.

Some virtual PBX systems offer the following options with or without additional costs:

• Integrated conferencing
• Vanity, virtual or toll-free numbers

The big difference between Virtual PBX or Ring Central and some other systems is that these two allow you to transfer calls to internal lines. Both also allow you to purchase a phone from them or use your own phone. Some systems even have a robust set of features to handle call centers but we weren’t looking for that kind of functionality.

Both Ring Central and Virtual PBX were easy to set up. For Ring Central, all we had to do was plug in the pre-programmed Linksys IP phone they sent to us to test. We’d have to buy the phone if we decided to use it along with their service. The phone looks like a regular office phone and includes a power cord and Ethernet cable.

For Virtual PBX, we chose to use our own phone so the set up was slightly more complicated but with this option, we would not have to buy a phone. We inputted our individual local phone numbers into our account on the Virtual PBX’s web site and took a two-minute tutorial on how to use the system.

International Routing

Monique identified a challenge we are struggling with while exploring virtual PBX systems is that we have a UK presence and don’t want it to appear separate from our U.S.-based team. Every service we spoke with charges by the minute for calls to the UK. “For a small company likes ours, that could double our phone expenses,” Monique explained.

We also want a “local” virtual number to be used in the UK although this is less of a priority. We have considered giving our UK guy a US softphone but that means that when calls come from the UK, they are first sent to the PBX and then directed back to the UK so that would most likely degrade the quality of the call. So haven’t forked over any cash to a virtual PBX service just yet. Until we can figure out whether a virtual PBX can solve this international issue, we’re still using a Skype number.

What virtual PBX system do you use — if you use one — and what do you like about it?

Image credit: RingCentral.com

My cell phone number is on my business card. It’s the only number I ever give out. It makes sense, because I’m routinely not in my home office when someone calls me; if I want a client to be able to reach me, my cell phone is the best bet.

Many web workers rely on their cell phones for work these days and some have even moved to handling their phone calls entirely through their computers, with services like Skype. There are plenty of ways to do without a landline at this point, which leads us to the question of whether it’s even necessary to pay for a telephone line anymore.

The Backup Landline

The best argument for keeping a landline for most freelancers or telecommuters is the fact that it can offer a backup way to get in touch with a client or an employer. If, for some reason, you don’t get cell phone reception in your home or your power goes out, you can still make a phone call. But for many web workers, picking up and moving your laptop to somewhere with reception or power is a valid option. If you aren’t tied to your home office for any other reason, a landline may not be a necessary emergency measure.

Furthermore, if you’ve got both VoIP on your computer and a cell phone, you already have a backup system in place: if you’ve got both a belt and suspenders, do you really need more?

Phone-Based Systems

Right now, I still technically have a phone line coming into my office. It isn’t hooked up to a handset, though — it’s plugged into my fax machine. Many companies still depend on fax machines in order to do business, although that number continues to drop each year. There are online options that can replace a fax machine and, personally, I’ll probably make the switch in the next month or two.

There are a few other systems that still require a phone line in order to work, such as certain security systems or health alert systems, however. If you rely on such a system, doing without a landline probably isn’t an option.

The Emergency Issue

The biggest drawback to doing without a landline is that in the event of an emergency, it can be harder to call 911 (or whatever your local emergency number is). The emergency response system depends on landlines to determine where to route calls: dialing 911 from a VoIP phone can end with you being routed to an emergency responder in another city. Some VoIP providers now have Enhanced 911 systems in place, which will correctly route your call, but not all providers have made the change over.

Emergency calls from cell phones can also be directed to regional emergency response centers, rather than local centers. The FCC recommends that anyone placing an emergency call from either a cell phone or through VoIP software should make a point of immediately telling the responder the location of the emergency.

Do You Need a Landline?

In the end, a landline may not be necessary for many web workers. There are exceptions, of course, and many people just feel more comfortable with having a landline in place. It isn’t necessary, however, and if you’re looking to cut back on your telephone service, the land line may be the best place to start. I know that my last landline — my fax line — is on its way out the door.

Do you still have a landline?

Image by Flickr user Esparta

I’ve been using Google Voice since it was GrandCentral, and have been quite impressed. But it’s still in beta, and while invitations to the beta are finally becoming available, I understand that they’re still hard to come by.

3jam is billing itself as an alternative to Google Voice, and it’s available today, so I’ve given it a quick spin. This is not a complete review, as there are some of 3jam’s features that I haven’t tried, such as SMS messaging, forwarding to Skype, an API that lets you write your own applications to interact with their service, and “group” numbers that allow multiple users to share voice mail and messaging.

Signing Up and Getting a Number

Signing up for the service is easy. Just select an area code where you want a number and 3jam will display a series of available numbers from which you can pick. You can also enter words to see if you can get a “vanity number” that spells something. You can also port an existing number to the 3jam service for a onetime fee of $25, something that Google Voice doesn’t yet offer. Right now, 3jam is only offering incoming numbers in the continental U.S. If you want an incoming number in another country, you’ll need SkypeIn or another VoIP service.

Pricing

In my opinion, a major weakness of 3jam’s service is its complex pricing structure. For those of us who are used to the clearly-defined packages offered by most cell phone and VoIP providers, it’s bewildering to be confronted with a choice of monthly fees and SMS packages, and to realize that the monthly fees include only a ridiculously small number of incoming minutes (just 30!) and no outgoing minutes at all.

3jam charges a monthly fee ranging from $4.99 per month for a 12-month contract, to $8.99 per month on a monthly basis. Additional minutes, SMS and even transcriptions of voice mails (over the first 30) cost extra. Additional minute rates for calls (apparently both incoming and outgoing) are competitive. The SMS prices are puzzling, though: 5 cents per message to the U.S., but only 4 cents to Uganda or Uzbekistan?

Annoyingly, information about pricing is very difficult to find on 3jam’s web site. The monthly fees are displayed during the sign-up process, but only after you’ve already selected a phone number. A more comprehensive list of pricing seems to be available only in the help section, which I found by doing a search.

By comparison, the Google Voice service does not currently charge a monthly fee, or fees for calls and SMS messages in the U.S. Google Voice charges for international calls at rates that are competitive with other VoIP services. It’s rumored that Google could make the service advertising-supported at some point.

While some people may find 3jam’s à la carte approach to pricing advantageous, I think that businesses will need to know what they can expect to pay; 3jam makes that difficult. The 3jam control panel does offer a running total of calls made and the costs incurred, so users can at least keep track of what they’ve spent.

Setup

Setting up the service is straightforward. You can set incoming calls to the 3jam number to ring on as many as six different phones, not only in the U.S., but in many other locations throughout the world. You can also forward incoming calls to Skype, something that Google Voice doesn’t offer. And you can forward incoming SMS messages to IM services like Google Talk and AIM, which is a nice touch.

3jam offers the ability to import your contacts to its address book from external email accounts like Gmail, and from Outlook, Thunderbird Entourage and .csv files. I was unable to get either Gmail or a .csv import to work, however, and didn’t try the other options.

Quality

Like many VoIP services, sound quality varies from call to call. I had several friends place test calls to me, and we heard occasional echoes, delays and crackles. But generally, call clarity was good — as good as Google Voice, if not better. The transcriptions of voice mails seem to be on a par with Google Voice as well, which is to say, good enough to get the gist of the message, even when some words are missing or incorrect.

Applications

3jam offers three applications that I didn’t try because I’m on a Mac. The first is a Windows-only desktop application for SMS messaging. (The site mentions a web version, but the link to it doesn’t seem to be working.) There is also a BlackBerry app, and a way of having 3jam send messages to you via Twitter.

For people who need maximum flexibility in routing calls and SMS messages, especially internationally, 3jam is likely to be an excellent choice. For those who need to forecast their communication costs, and those who don’t need the international forwarding options, Google Voice is probably a better choice, once it becomes more widely available.

Have you tried 3jam? How does it compare to Google Voice?

James over at our sister site jkOnTheRun has been trying the latest version of Skype (version 4.1 on Windows, 2.8 on Mac). This new version includes screen-sharing features that allow you to share your desktop with other Skype users. James tested it out while collaborating on a document editing session with co-writer Kevin and was extremely impressed with its simplicity and the way that it allowed real-time collaboration with very little lag. He says that using it enables “true collaboration; it is just like looking over the host’s shoulder to see what they are doing.”

Earlier today, I had a Skype call with James. Initiating a screen-sharing session during the call was as simple as pressing the “share” button and selecting whether to share the whole screen, or just a portion of it. It worked very well; James was able to see every detail on my screen with minimal lag, even though I am in the UK and he’s in Houston. Here’s a screenshot of my desktop he took during the call:

This new version of Skype provides a very easy (and free) way to share a screen with a colleague for collaboration or tech support. Check out James’ post for more detail.

Note: You might need to go to the Skype web site to grab the latest version; clicking “Check for Updates…” didn’t work for me.

Have you tried Skype screen sharing for collaboration? Let us know how it went in the comments.

Web workers do pretty much everything else online, so why not use Internet phone service, too? Besides our natural technology addiction, there are actually compelling financial reasons for why using VoIP (voice over IP) services can be a good idea.

The cost savings can be significant over traditional landline phone services, depending on the needs of your business and whether you make a lot of long-distance or international calls. Here’s a look at the top four ways to cut your web worker budget by using a VoIP service.

Get a business phone number at a fraction of a landline’s cost. Using VoIP can save money on a business line in both service and installation costs. Service for a landline into my home office from our phone company would cost around $30 per month for local service, with long-distance calls additional.

In contrast, VoIP provider Skype offers numbers for pay-as-you-go customers for only $60 per year, plus per-minute usage fees. For infrequent phone users, this is a much cheaper option than a landline. For heavier users, Vonage offers 1,500 minutes of outbound calls to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico (and unlimited incoming calls), a free dedicated fax line, call waiting, voicemail and caller ID for $39.99 per month.

Installation with VoIP can also save money over a landline if your office is not pre-wired for a phone line. New phone wiring can get extremely expensive, depending on the office location. But VoIP installation can be much cheaper, or even free, depending on your choice of equipment, provider and office Internet connection.

As an added bonus, if you have a lot of business contacts in another area code, you can request a VoIP phone number that will be local for those clients.

Make long-distance calls for free or cheap. Even if you don’t want a VoIP phone number, it can still save you money on long-distance phone calls. Computer-to-computer calls are free using most VoIP services, so if your frequent contacts use a service like Skype or GTalk, you can talk or even video conference with them for free anytime you are both at your computers.

Calling from your computer to a non-international phone number is also extremely affordable with services like Skype, which charges only $0.021 per minute to numbers in the U.S. It’s only slightly higher for Europe or other countries. If you have an iPhone or Windows Mobile phone and a Wi-Fi connection, Skype will also let you place calls from your cell phone. Vonage is also working on an app for smartphones.

Save cell phone minutes on the road. If you keep a minimal minute plan on your cell phone, the usage spike of occasional travel can consume your minutes fast. Using a VoIP service to make calls from the road can keep you under your plan’s limit and avoid cell overage fees being added to your travel budget. I use Skype for lengthy calls home from my hotel in the evenings.

An added bonus is that my autistic 6 year old won’t talk on a regular phone but will when she can see me via a video call.

Video conferencing can reduce the need to travel. Sometimes it is helpful to do business face-to-face, or you need to share visuals during what could otherwise be a phone conference. VoIP services (like GTalk or Skype) can create a face-to-face meeting for free, and allow for the use of visual aids or even screen sharing. And since computer-to-computer calls are usually free, it definitely saves over the price of travel.

Do you use VoIP for business?

Screensharing application Yuuguu is an old favorite of WebWorkerDaily. Today, the company launched support for Skype users, bringing its screensharing expertise to one of the largest communication platforms in the world. We caught up with CEO Anish Kapoor to learn a little about the features announced today and the company’s future plans.

Imran: Could you outline the new features announced in the latest edition of Yuuguu?

Anish: This new edition was all about making it really easy for Skype users to instantly screenshare and collaborate in real time with anyone, on any major IM network, not just Skype.

So our unified instant messaging platform has now been extended to include Skype. This means a Skype user can now chat with colleagues on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk and ICQ, all from one client. You can chat one-on-one, or in groups — even across different IM networks.

On top of that, we allow Skype users to instantly screenshare and collaborate in real time with any of those contacts on any IM network. All it takes is one click, and you can have one or more of your contacts join you in viewing your screen in real time, and even share control of your keyboard and mouse to work together. The really cool thing here is that your contacts have nothing to download or install!

We also added the capability for Skype users to easily host web conferences. So if you want to arrange a session to talk your clients through a pitch or give a training webinar, you can now do that with just one click as well.

Imran: Can you tell us a little about the motivation you had for creating Yuuguu and why it’s a valuable tool for web workers?

Anish: We built Yuuguu to solve our own problem. As a company, we all wanted to work from home, rather than all sit in an office. What we found was that it was very difficult to recreate the ad-hoc interactions that happen naturally when you’re all sitting together — things like tapping your neighbor on the shoulder and asking for help, then huddling around your screen to work something out together. It was this that we set out to recreate over the web. Our vision is to make working together remotely as easy as working side-by-side.

Imran: There are a lot of screensharing products available. What’s unique about Yuuguu?

Anish: The key thing is our focus on instant, ad-hoc interactions between people who are remote from each other. We focus a lot on presence, instant messaging, and on allowing our users to leverage their existing contacts lists for real-time collaboration, without those contacts having to download or install anything. Other services focus more on pre-planned webinar-type sessions, which is a completely different problem to the one that we focus on.

Imran: Other than using your existing buddy lists, is Yuuguu also a replacement for regular IM clients?

Anish: Definitely — we developed the technology around our IM platform to make it easier to use in business environments. So while it is as easy to use as a consumer IM service, Yuuguu is an enterprise-grade IM platform. We are big believers in the importance of unified IM as a way to allow collaboration between teams and across organizations.

Imran: Can you tell us more about the future direction of the product and perhaps even the company?

Anish: You can probably guess from what I’ve been saying that we will be extending the IM and real-time communication services we interact with. We also think that the extension of collaboration onto mobile devices is going to be big, so there are some very cool things we are doing there as well…Watch this space!

Have you tried Yuuguu’s new Skype support? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

If, like me, you’re a reasonably heavy user of Skype, Om reported some good news yesterday: for a short time Skype is offering a 25 percent discount on 12-month subscriptions to its unlimited plans. This cuts the cost of an Unlimited World plan, offering calls to anywhere in the world, to just $9.71 per month.

So you’ve been downsized. Or you’ve bailed before being booted because you saw the writing on the wall. Or maybe you skipped the steady paycheck for a go at being a freelancer. Whatever the reason you’re out there on your own now, we’ve compiled a list of apps you’ll need to run your web-working business.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a sampling of the apps and solutions that we’ve blogged about in the past.

Here’s what the new web worker needs to get the job done well:

Backoffice

1. Invoice management

I can’t run my business without my Freshbooks, but there are many options out there for freelancers to manage invoices and track income and expenses. Some other options we’ve reviewed include:

• Freshbooks, Zoho, Blinksale, Cashboard
• Bootstrap
• Involer (Mac only)
• Invotrak
• Billings 3 (Mac only)
• CurdBee

You can also track expenses with these apps:

• Paybackable (online)
• Expens’d (online)

2. Time tracking

While Freshbooks does have time tracking, I must confess I’m remiss with tracking my time with a tracker (and yes, even with my cute Freshbooks time tracking widget for Mac OSX). I’ve been a little better lately at guesstimating my time and logging it into my project management system (see No. 7 below), but need to get better at it to understand the profitability of my work projects. Some time tracking solutions we’ve blogged about in the past include:

• 88Miles, MyHours, Sidejobtrack, MeeTimer (roundup)
• TimeXchange
• Xpenser
• Harvest

3. CRM

I have to admit I’m the first to ignore anything that has an acronym. But if you spell it out — Customer Relationship Management — you can see that this is an essential part of building your web working business. I’ve always maintained customer contacts and relationships in an ad-hoc sort of way; now I wish I had started out on the right foot instead of having to backtrack and re-engineer my patchwork system into something more streamlined. Here are some CRM options that are affordable when you’re just starting out. Take a look at our past reviews for:

• Tactile CRM
• Highrise
• SugarCRM, ConcourseSuite 5.0, SplendidCRM (roundup, open source)
• Bizroof
• Zoho CRM (this review actually covers their enterprise-level app; check out their non-enterprise solution)

Some useful apps to complement your CRM efforts include:

• CloudContacts
• DropCard, Rmbrme, BeamMe, ShareCard, SnapDat (roundup)
• Daylite Touch (Mac, iPhone)

4. RSS Reader

A good RSS reader is vital to stay on top of the news, blogs and articles that you need to read to stay on top of your game as a web worker. I am currently using Google Reader and occasionally play with Snackr. Here are some WebWorkerDaily posts offering tips for managing your RSS feeds:

• Fine-Tune Your RSS Subscriptions
• More efficient RSS reading
• Should you kill your RSS reader?

Here are some RSS feed readers, news filtering tools and related solutions we’ve reviewed to drink from the information firehose:

• Filtrbox (and my initial review)
• Yahoo Pipes
• FeedMyInbox
• Snackr
• AideRSS
• IMFeeds

And here are some apps to save something you want to read for later:

ReadItLater, Instapaper, LaterLoop

Communications

5. Email management

Note: I’m a Gmail kinda gal. Won’t touch Outlook. However, my fellow bloggers have reviewed some Outlook add-ons and other email management solutions to wrangle your email communications into submission.

Starting with a good email organization system and the right supplementary tools to manage your email communications is important. As your web work picks up and you juggle multiple projects, you’ll be grateful you set something up early that you are in the habit of using and that keeps your communications in order and easily accessible as needed. Here are some email tips, add-ons and apps we’ve discussed:

• Xobni (for Outlook)
• Title Tweaks (for Gmail)
• Multiple Inboxes (for Gmail)

and stay tuned for my new post about PostBox.

6. Calls, Conferencing and Instant Messaging

When it comes to video conferencing, I’m toggling between two solutions. Each one works well for me; which one I choose often depends on the other user. Skype was my free long distance call solution for aeons, but now I often turn to Google Talk with video as a quick and easy solution, because it is totally integrated into my Gmail and I don’t have to launch Skype. In fact, I only launch Skype now when I have a scheduled call, rather than running it in the background. Since my Gmail is always open, it is a perfect way for my team members to reach me quickly – usually by IM first and then by video if further discussion is needed.

Here are some voice conferencing and video and voice chat solutions we’ve reviewed:

• Calliflower
• FreeConference
• Gmail Voice & Video Chat
• Gizmo 5
• TokBox Video Chat

And check out Four iPhone VoiP services worth ringing up.

Here are some Web conferencing apps worth exploring:

• Fuze
• YuuGuu
• Skype and Yugma
• GotoMeeting vs. Yugma
• DimDim
• PalBee
• Oneeko (Windows)
  

Here’s a helpful web conferencing roundup covering nine tools.

Work Process

7. Project management

For a long time, I was singing the praises of Basecamp, but recently my web working company has outgrown it. I’m no longer flying solo, with a few virtual team members on a couple of projects. I now have a business partner and nine independent contractors working on multiple projects, so we’ve graduated to 5pm. Before deciding on 5pm, we looked at a number of project management solutions, many of which I’ve reviewed in the past. Before you rush over and get an account with the project management system that works for me, check out my post Project Management, Collaboration and How Our Brains Work.

Then take a look at some of these reviews:

• LiquidPlanner
• Clarizen
• Wrike
• 5pm
• Joint Contact
• Staction

And here are some thoughts about alternatives to Basecamp.

8. Calendars and Schedules

I’m currently using doodle for scheduling but my calendaring system is a bit more complicated. Basically, I enter most of my schedule onto my Google Calendar, which is then synced to my iCal on my Mac, which syncs to my iPhone. But I also have my 30Boxes calendar in the mix, although it is beginning to seem redundant as I’ve gotten more used to Google Calendar. Regardless of the app you use, keeping track of your appointments and arranging schedules to sync with others is a major challenge, so having some good tools right away can be very handy.

Here’s a great roundup we did on simple electronic to-do lists, schedulers and reminders, and some ideas for Web-enabling your schedule.

Some calendaring solutions we’ve reviewed in the past include:

• Google Calendar vs. 30Boxes
• Jiffle
• FuseCal

And some scheduling solutions:

• WhenIsGood
• TimeBridge
• TimeDriver (“enterprise-level scheduling”)
• Tungle (Microsoft Exchange add-on)
  

9. Cloud-based collaboration/doc sharing

These days, I can’t live without my cloud-based workspaces. I’m a Google Docs addict now, and after my business partner’s computer crashed this week, I think she may be a new convert. While some project management tools have collaborative white boards or workspaces, I still haven’t found a solution straightforward and functional as Google Docs.

That said, there are many other document sharing and collaborative space solutions we’ve reviewed in the past including:

• DocVerse (for MS Office docs)
• Collanos Workplace
• iWork.com
• GroupSwim
• ClearSpace
• Colaab
• Backboard
• DocStoc

And here’s an interesting take on collaboration among dispersed teams, with input from Socialtext’s Ross Mayfield.

10. File storage/backup/sync

I haven’t played around a lot with online file storage or backup and syncing. I’ve been using Apple Time Machine and Time Capsule to take care of my backup needs. In terms of big file storage or sharing, I’ve used YouSendIt to email anything larger than 1MB, but most of my web work doesn’t involved incredibly large files, and when it does, I tend to fall use an FTP site instead.

Here are some online solutions for file storage and backup:

• Box.net
• Mozy
• Egnyte
• DropBox
• GoodSync

As you can see, there are many solutions to our daily web working challenges. Picking the right solutions for your new web working business sometimes means trying out several – particular if they are free or offer a free trial – to see which ones really work well for the way you like to work. Keep in mind that it’s important to have a scalable system so that, as you grow, you can upgrade easily without having to learn a new, more robust system.

What are some of the must-have applications you’ve found invaluable in your web work?

Several of the bloggers here at WebWorkerDaily are big fans of the free web conferencing application Yugma.  It’s a free, full-featured online meeting  tool that is particularly good for inviting other participants on-the-fly to join a meeting even if they haven’t downloaded the Yugma application. Windows, Mac or Linux users can join in.

This week, Yugma announced a new version for Skype: Yugma SE (Skype Edition).

Yugma SE is a plug-in for Windows- or Mac-based Skype users, and is available for free here.  Like the standard Yugma application, it allows Skype users to share their desktops with each other during Skype sessions. Users can sign into the plug-in with their Skype names, and up to 20 participants can collaborate at one time for free. (Yugma itself went from a maximum of 10 to 20 participants recently.)

Yugma already had a Skype edition available, but the new SE plug-in eases the process of using the applications together with single sign-on in Skype. I’ve been noticing that a lot more people I work with are using Skype, and I’ve been a fan of Yugma for a long time. If you’re on Skype, give the plug-in a try. You can learn more about it here.

Technology propels society forward, and web workers are more keenly aware of that than anyone. In just the last five years we have made leaps and bounds in terms of how connected we can be, how quickly we can receive and disperse information and how we communicate with each other. It has been an exhilarating ride as we have embraced all of the new technology innovations.

I began thinking about what has had the biggest impact on my ability to be an effective web worker when I heard about a PBS “Nightly Business Report” feature: 30 Most Important Innovations from Last 30 Years. This list will be announced on the show tonight.

It got me thinking about the specific technologies that make what I do possible. Using the same criteria, I made a list of some of my own most valuable innovations for the web worker.

Here are the criteria used by “Nightly Business Report” (in conjunction with Knowledge@Wharton, the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) in making their list:

1. Did it have a direct and/or material effect on quality of life?
2. Did it address a compelling need? Did it solve a compelling problem?
3. Was it a fresh, new breakthrough? Was there a “WOW” factor?
4. Did it change the way business is conducted?
5. Did it increase the efficiency of how resources are used?
6. Did it spark an ongoing stream of new innovations on top of the original innovation?
7. Did it lead to the creation of a vast, new industry?

So given that, here are my Most Valuable Innovations for the Web Worker.

Gmail – Sure, email existed before Gmail, but the massive adoption of the ubiquitous service by web workers shows they got it right. A web-based platform with powerful search capabilities allows us to harness the massive amounts of information that flows through our email.

Skype – The distributed nature of web working means we need an easy and inexpensive way to talk with clients and colleagues. VoIP solutions like Skype offer us the ability to communicate from just about anywhere. I love it when it works.

RSS – For the publisher it offers the ability to syndicate and distribute content to the masses. For the consumer, it enables aggregation and the ability to retrieve the content more efficiently and view it on demand.

Wi-Fi/Wireless Broadband – Allows us to lose the wires and lets us work anywhere. Along with the widespread adoption of the laptop computer it turned any place in to our work place. I still maintain an office but it’s great to know I can connect from anywhere and get things done. Would the coffee shop industry really be sustainable without wireless connectivity and the web worker?

Digital Media/Streaming Music – We web workers sure do love our music. The transition from physical media to digital formats lets us take our music with us anywhere, or listen online to streaming radio services like Pandora or Slacker. I know I work better with music playing.

I know this list is incomplete, and intentionally so. It demonstrates what I think is the most important benefit to all of these innovations — the power of collaboration. It is now so easy for us to work together to create and share, I thought we could finish the list together. I’ll be watching the “Nightly Business Report” on PBS to see how many of the innovations on their list are also on this one.

What would you add and why? Let us know in the comments.

(photo via Wayne Lee)

In Part 1 of this little series of posts, I talked about my move from Anchorage to Tok, Alaska. I went from acceptable Internet speeds at a fairly reasonable price ($60-ish/month) to barely 512K up and down, a 10 Gig monthly limit and $180/month plus $30 per Gig over the limit. As a web worker (read: Bandwidth Hog). I’m still reeling from the adjustment and keeping a careful eye on my bandwidth usage daily.

So how have these connectivity challenges and unexpected expenses affected my web work? And how am I compensating for these…developments?

1. Images

There is no way around uploading and downloading images. With all of the blogging I do, images are key to my work, and although I could link to images using a URL instead of embedding them, it is less reliable so I’ll stick with uploading. Luckily, for the most part, the image sizes aren’t over a MB each, however, when they are, I find that it is too much effort to size them so upload them anyway.

When it comes to images, they are the lowest on the totem pole of bandwidth chompers, so I’m not changing much in this area. If I’m down to my last MBs of bandwidth allowance before the end of any month, I may suck it up and start sizing images although the benefits will be minimal.

Verdict? Not giving up the pics.

2. Audio

I’ve been podcasting professionally and have to upload or email an MP3 regularly to my producer. I also need to upload my own podcasts to LibSyn although I’ve been a bit remiss with that lately since it is usually about Second Life (see “Second Life” header below). The pro-podcasting show MP3 is between 5-6 MB per segment.

Was able to email the files the other day which is a plus. Must do this 1-2 times weekly. So that is 4-8 files or up to 48 MB per month.

Verdict? Got to do audio.

3. Video

The first week I arrived here, a DVD also arrived for me. It contained a 330 MB television commercial for a client. My charge was to use mDialog’s mLoader to compress it and upload it onto mDialog, then convert the compressed file using QuickTime into a .mov file and upload to YouTube.

mDialog’s uploading app is slick, and it was doing a great job compressing the video, but alas, the file was still too large for my connection. Maybe I could have waited a few hours, however, I was also worried about frittering away so much of my bandwidth allowance on a single file.

When it comes to my own blogs, video is something I don’t want to give up. I may have to suck it up and pay an extra $30 for a Gig overage just to keep my personal videos on my blogs. Yet I must be careful to limit myself to just a Gig over per month or my monthly Internet expenses will get out of control.

Verdict? Farm out heavy video uploads to my contractors in more bandwidth-rich places. Suck up any extra expense for uploading my own videos.

4. Video and Audio Skype

Besides video chatting with my folks who are in Florida, I am video chatting and audio Skype-ing with colleagues. And recently, I attended a Tweetup in Anchorage via video Skype.

At first, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to get clear audio, much less video. But other than the very occasional buggy sound or picture, my overall Skype experience from rural places has been pretty impressive.

Verdict? Skype rules for rural connectivity!

5. Second Life

Ever since I heard I was moving to Tok, I began researching to see what Internet access solutions would be available to me, I’ve panicked about my Second Life activities. Would I have to give them up? I shuddered to think, especially when my Second Life Web-based machinima TV show – REAL BIZ in SL – was starting to take off. In fact, we had the entire month of January booked in advance with guests from around the world (companies and nonprofits using Second Life).

I finally had my show manager push back all the guests until February when I knew (or hoped) I’d be in Anchorage rather than risk getting to Tok and finding out my avatar wouldn’t budge.

The other day, I finally tried to log into Second Life, expecting it to be a futile effort. I got in. I was also able to get onto Skype audio at the same time.

I made a note before logging in of my bandwidth usage to see what I was in for. Turns out a little over half an hour on Second Life with Skype is almost comparable to several hours on video Skype. Each ate up about half a Gig. If I limit my video Skyping or Second Lifing to 2x a month, that means 1-2 Gigs of my 10 Gig allottment gone.

Verdict? Be strategic and frugal, definitely not bandwidth happy, but don’t totally give up Second Life.

6. Bandwidth Paranoia

Every time I get a particularly large file attached to an email now, I look at it with a sinking feeling. “How much is that going to cost me?” is the first thing that runs through my head. And “Do I really need that file?” follows shortly after. I have to admit I’ve stopped downloading funny photos and videos from friends already.

For business, I respond to anyone sending me something that seems large and ask them to send it my my assistant or a colleague for viewing, vetting, optimizing, sizing or distributing in any way. I’m preparing everyone on my team with their new role as “Large File Handler” as needed.

Verdict? Paranoia will save me money.

Once I get my next bill, I’ll know if I have to be even more stringent with my big file policies and processes. When I saw my first DSL bill at $258, I almost choked. That was the last month of December along with the entire month of January paid in advance.

I’m just a high-speed gal in a slow-speed world. You just do what you gotta do.

What are you paying for connectivity? And could you still do your job without it?

Although I prefer and primarily use Gmail for the majority of my email needs, I do connect it via IMAP to Microsoft Outlook as well. And while there are many options available to extend the functionality of Microsoft Outlook including taglocity and Clear Context, Xobni is the one that I seem to come back to.

I’ve detailed my week with Xobni experience in the past and continue to find Xobni a nice addition to my Outlook experience. Recently they added LinkedIn integration and today they are announcing a whole slew of additional connections.

In this latest release, Xobni brings integration with Yahoo! Mail, Facebook, Hoovers and greatly enhanced Skype functionality.

Each of these services is opt-in and are neatly integrated into the Xobni Sidebar upon activation.

The capabilities introduced vary but highlights include:

Yahoo!Mail : Message previews are availabe from within Outlook and are fully searchable using Xobni. Contacts and attachments from your Yahoo! Mail accounts appear in the Xobni sidebar.

Facebook: View status messages, profile pictures and other recent updates your contacts have made via Facebook

Skype: Big improvements here as you can now view status, send messages and initiate Skype to Skype calls all from the Xobni sidebar.

Hoovers: Pulls company information like description and size based upon the email domain of your contacts.

I am seeing a big increase in the number of aggregators and universal inbox applications like Gist, which seeks out more information about your contacts, or Fuser which brings all of your communications together in one place.

As we connect with people through so many various channels, having a way to tie these communications together and connected to your contacts is becoming more critical. If you’re an Outlook user, these Xobni improvements look to be a step in the right direction.

Xobni is a free download and is available for computers running Windows and Microsoft Outlook 2003 / 2007

Can tools like Xobni turn Outlook into the ultimate communication interface?

The addition of Gmail Voice and Video Chat to Google’s list of services brought back to mind a question I’ve been thinking about for a while: have we gone past the saturation point in having different ways to chat with people? Even if you count only real-time ways to talk to people, there are a pile of instant messaging applications, more audio chat options and conference call providers than you can shake a stick at, and video options including Skype, Oovoo, and Gmail – to name a few.

And that’s not to mention just walking down the hall to talk to someone in person, which is not an option for a lot of web workers.

So, given all the choices: which ones do you actually use to communicate with friends, family, clients, and co-workers? And how do you decide? Is it technical superiority, multi-platform availability, installed base, or something else? Do you find different chat tools work better for different tasks or types of conversations? Or are you firmly stuck in a model where realtime chat wastes your time, and you settle for email, or picking up the telephone when you really need to talk to someone?

Google just launched video and voice chat today for both PC and Mac. My first reaction? That is so cool.

The only problem is the announcement went out before they had actually activated many accounts. Including mine. Luckily, I had the email address of the Google contact who sent out the announcement, and he spent some time troubleshooting with me. First order of business? Getting my email account activated as well as that of my initial Gmail voice and video chat guinea pig, Scott from Alaska HDTV (@alaskapodshow on Twitter).

After about an hour, Scott still could not see the video options in his Gmail chat box. While he and I continued to restart browsers and compare notes, I received a text chat message from my friend Kris, a multimedia producer and documentary filmmaker in Brooklyn (@krisbritt on Twitter). She had seen my Tweets about my attempts to test out the new Gmail voice and video chat.

I invited her to video chat and within moments and after just a few rings, the video chat window opened, and there was Kris. The picture was clear, the sound was clear.

Right away I thought “This is much better than Skype.”

Don’t get me wrong. I love Skype, but it can fizzle and pop now and then.  WWD blogger Samuel Dean also tested Gmail voice and video chat and points out that it falls short compared to Skype because it doesn’t connect calls to landlines and doesn’t offer voice mail. It does, however, allow you to record a video chat. Ah, the possibilities!

Right away, Kris echoed my feelings that Gmail voice and video chat is convenient and a great addition to the Google suite of tools – perfect, for example, to use while reviewing a Google Doc with someone else. Having video and voice chat within Gmail also means you’ll get more functionality with less open applications and windows.

Some quick things to know before you dash off to download the video chat add-on for your browser:

1. Your account must be activated by Google for video, and this could take a few more days.

2. Your chat friend must have Gmail voice and video chat add-on installed for it to work. Otherwise they will be directed to the download page for the add-on.

3. You can tell if a friend is video-chat enabled by a little video camera icon to the left of their name on the contacts Chat List in your Gmail account.

4. You can invite someone to video chat with the Video Options button at the bottom of the chat box.

5. You can pop out the video into it’s own window and move it around as well as open it to full screen.

One possible software conflict? The latest Flash player may interfere with the proper installation of the video add-on (this is just a guess from Scott who eventually switched computers and was able to video chat immediately).

Troubleshooting tips? Make sure your browser is closed before you install the add-on. Then you may have to restart your browser a few times until it takes. Just something anecdotal. Probably not in the manual.

Have long did it take to get Gmail voice and video chat to work for you? What do you think you’ll use it for?

HiDef Conferencing is an audio conferencing service where participants can call into a voice conference via Skype, designated landline numbers or toll free numbers. Its name derives from its support of HD Voice – a feature inherent to Skype that results in crystal clear voice quality superior to our experience with standard phones or mobile phones.

Through web-based controls hosts can schedule calls, send out invitations and, during the call, manage who is speaking, monitor hand raising and record the conversation. Should the speaker be accessing the call via Skype, all others who are listening via Skype will benefit from the HD Voice feature. Landline and wireless participants are limited to the audio quality of the underlying phone service.

Yesterday HiDef Conferencing, recognizing that businesses will be looking for ways to save on not only communications costs but also travel costs in these economically challenging times, announced that they will not charge subscription fees for the balance of 2008 while new subscribers can trial their service with no monthly subscription charge.

Accessing a call via Skype is free for unlimited minutes while accessing via a country-specific phone numbers will result in any long distance charges to that phone number.

Pat Phelan has made considerable use of HiDef Conferencing and was delighted to receive an email where this offer was extended to their current customers. Tom Evslin became an HD Voice fan when his Vonage service failed him.

Here is an ideal opportunity to see if audio conferencing solutions are viable for your business.