Web 2.0 Quicklist

This will be quick! Really just want to make a quick list of Web 2.0 applications that I am using to stay productive by working as much as possible in a Web browser. It is really a hot topic for me (again) as I just took a working vacation in California with my family last week. The beach house we had rented had a wireless Internet connection, but for some reason, I could not get my pc connected. My wife's iBook connected immediately. So, rather than spend hours troubleshooting my PC, I commandeered the iBook (btw it is about 5 years old).

The first thing I did was download Google's Browser Sync plug-in (go to Google, click More - click on Google Labs - Google Browser Sync is second one from the top. This plug-in syncs a Firefox Browser on any computer (cross-platform). It syncs bookmarks, folders, tabs, stored passwords, cookies, etc. So, I installed Browser Sync and logged in. Within minutes, all of my tabs and tab folders were now available on the iBook (I should mention that I have been using Browser Sync on my other computers: Mac G5 and my laptop PC.). So, I could use my tab organization that I have spent months perfecting to quickly access all of the websites I use to do my job.

Tools I use to do my job:

Writely.com - this is for quick word processing with easy-to-use tables. It is collaborative (well mostly - a little wierdness occurs when working simultaneously with others on the same document).

Google Spreadsheets - this is a great, full-featured spreadsheet. It supports multiple sheets and functions from sheet to sheet. It does have limitations in the number of rows/columns that can be created

Gliffy.com - this replaces Microsoft Viseo - it is super easy to use and creates beautiful, printable visual documents. It is also collaborative.

DabbleDB.com or GroupSharp.com - these are great database tools - really a toss up between the two - you will have to review their attributes to determine which is best for your application.

Google Mail - I eliminated Microsoft Outlook in favor of Gmail. The beauty is that my email lives on the Net. I am not tethered to a particular PC or Mac where it is archived. I can also easily access it on my smartphone (TREO 650). It also handles spam like a champ!

Google Calendar - I have my entire family using it. That means that I can access all of their calendars and see where we have openings. That way I don't miss the important things (like watching my daughter's performances).

TaDaList.com - this is a 37 Signals product. I like it because my family can collaborate on to-do lists and I can access from my smartphone. So, we have a family grocery list - where any of us can add items - whoever is at the store can access via phone and see what needs to be bought.

Backpack.com and iOutliner.com - Backpack is another 37 Signals product - it is a to-do list on steriods. I can create a to-do list with notes, reminders (sent to my phone), add images, etc. iOutliner lets me create lists with an outline hierarchy. Both are awesome.

All of the tools listed above are FREE! At least for the beginning version (as you start to find utility, you may end up with a nominal monthly fee).