A big reason I stuck with Outlook, then Thunderbird, was Cloudmark (a user-based spam catcher), which, at the time, only worked on the two clients mentioned.

As my needs changed, I began to rely heavily on IMAP and its advanced features. Unfortunately, neither Outlook nor Thunderbird could adequately keep up with my demands. In short, both programs became unstable regularly, and, last fall, I resorted to using my own web mail. Of course, that carried its own set of problems.

Since I avoid the cloud, Gmail for business was out of the question.

Then the guys over at dotCOM host (awesome host, by the way), recommended I try Postbox 2. This stand-alone email client offers the best of just about everything. Originally created for the Mac, I was thrilled to try it for the PC.

I’m both a Mac and PC user, but the bulk of my work is done on the PC due to proprietary software.

Could I just use Mac Mail and my network to save and pick-up files for PC modifications? Sure, but why create extra steps for myself?

Enter: Postbox 2.

It has a simplified interface (thank goodness, because I don’t want my email client looking like a web site), and is as clean and robust as Mozilla, Eudora and Gmail combined. More, since I can run a licensed version on both Mac and PC, I get the best of both worlds, including the ability to work off multiple archives simultaneously.

Some of the features that made me fall in love with Postbox 2 include:

• Wicked fast search. I don’t know how they do it, but even searching through archives of thousands of messages returns results in a snap.
• Categorization. No more having to file everything in “to-do” folders as I work. Categorization simplifies the process of seeing everything I need at once.
• Advanced Searching. I can search for all sorts of attachments (documents, images, etc.) based on file names.
• The Inspector. This pane tells me information about the sender, including his/her picture (if assigned) and credentials. It also summarizes the links and attachments in the message. It’s a handy feature when I just need to revisit a specific web site, but don’t want to re-read the entire email.
  

  I can assign color codes to topics, tag messages as To-Dos, and see email and sender details (Inspector).

• Quick Reply. I often receive messages that require research. Quick Reply makes it easy to send someone a note of acknowledgement. I also use it to reply to comments via the Disqus system.
  

  Quick Reply is so much quicker than using the standard full-window reply method.

• Quick Move. I hate the task of dragging email messages across folders. Now I can hit a key and use a menu to move/archive email.
• To-Dos in the Inbox. I love that I can create a To-Do (task) and it appears just like an email in the inbox. Out of sight, out of mind? No more, because I can also “sticky” them to the top of the list.
• Pending Flag. I use this feature to mark an email that requires a response before I can move forward. When a response comes in (a reply to the original message) the flag disappears automatically. I also rely on this feature to send reminder emails.
• Message Editing. When subjects don’t make sense, I can modify them (append notes), as well as annotate the message itself.
• Topic Assignments. One of the most productive features of Postbox 2 is the ability to organize messages based on topics. I can assign topics to any message quickly and sort, filter and archive accordingly. Used in conjunction with To-Do marking, I’m getting more work done in less time because I’m more organized with my correspondence.
• Twitter & Facebook. Postbox 2 is not a replacement for social apps, but the ability to post a quick update when inspiration hits (like after reading a cool message) is a plus.
• Quick Web Search. No more moving to a browser window to search a phrase or topic. From within a message I can select text and opt to search Google or one of many other sites, including Amazon.
  

  No more going back and forth! If I'm not sure what you're talking about, I can simply highlight text and search the web.

While other email clients offer some similar features, Postbox 2 does it better, faster. Users of Mac Mail will find it’s an excellent alternative, and PC users will find the interface and speed delightful. Best of all? The price… No, Postbox 2 isn’t free. But at less than $30 (at the time of this writing) who can complain? The time you’ll save using it’s organizational and reminder tools means this email client will pay for itself in no time. For me? It took only a day…

And if the core features simply aren’t enough for you, Postbox 2 Add-Ons include Lightning (Mozilla), providers for Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange Calendar, spam filtering, even OpenPGP encryption. Heck, you can even schedule emails to send at a certain time… like when your boss thinks you’re at your desk. Umm, well, okay, maybe not.

Do you use Postbox 2? Plan to try it out (free trial)? I’d love to hear what you think…

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/05/10.
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Post tags: email, organization, productivity, software

The first time I tried Snagit (TechSmith) was to take screen shots of the Miva Merchant admin when writing the official guide to the software. I’d previously paid someone to capture screens for me, but it was tedious to work with an obscure file naming scheme, and counterproductive when I needed to move things around. Snagit allowed me to capture what I needed, at different resolutions. It was a simple program, and quite inexpensive.

If PhotoShop is too rich, or overkill for your work, try Snagit. It boasts many standard tools, including drop shadows, filters and watermarking.

Snagit is still affordable (currently $49.95), but now boasts hordes of tools for simple and on-the-fly graphics editing. I used to “snag” the screen and use PhotoShop to resize, add effects and run filters. Now, I can edit most images for this site from within Snagit itself. And, yes, I can also work with images never captured through the software.

The beauty of Snagit, however, is not just what I can capture, but how… Not only can you grab pages via a scrolling window method, Snagit can capture entire web pages with links intact. This is quite useful when I need to archive a page before modifications, or, unfortunately, when I need to capture a site that’s ripped off my work. You can also set up custom profiles for capturing at specific resolutions or percentages.

Default, basic capture profiles are sufficient for most. When you want to do something special, though, you can create custom settings.

The ability to use output commands is a plus. Snagit can launch virtually any program (including email and FTP) to attach or upload images. It can also output to Excel, Word and PowerPoint (to name a few). Need to include the graphic with a description in a new Word document? Just choose “New Document” from the drop down.

Output files to email, FTP, documents and more. You can even customize outputs to specific programs. If that weren't enough, you can also download "stamps" for marking up images.

And, while I’ve always had an affinity for Google’s Picasa and Adobe Bridge, Snagit’s image library feature is more than sufficient for those wanting a single tool to handle it all.

I first used Snagit more than five years ago. Price wasn’t the deciding factor for me. After all, I have always needed tools that get the job done and save me time. It just so happens that Snagit fit the bill across the board.

Snagit is available for both PC and MAC, and is available for trial or purchase directly from TechSmith.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/14.
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Post tags: Ecommerce, organization, web design

Success. It’s something for which we all aim. We read books, articles and listen to motivational speakers, usually only when we make the time.

If you’re looking for daily guidance or inspiration, follow and subscribe to RSS feeds for these key players:

• Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) works with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t translate his oft-inspirational advice for small business folk. You’ll want to make reading his blog posts a daily ritual, for sure. Visit his site–>
• Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) is the author of Enchantment (which I dubbed a must-buy last  month). He’s the co-founder of Alltop.com, but, most notably, was the chief evangelist of Apple. Guy takes a no-holds barred approach to business success, and uses terms we understand to explain what works and what doesn’t. Visit his site–>
• Stephanie Calahan (@stephcalahan) focuses on organization as a foundation to success. Her aim is to combat wasted time and resources, inspiring us to take simple steps daily so we may reap more benefits from our work. Visit her site–>
• Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) is a major influencer on Twitter, but I’m willing to wager a good number of his followers aren’t taking his advice literally… And they should, because Scott’s approach is to break out of the “bubble” in which so many “experts” and businesses are trapped, shifting attention to true, human marketing techniques. But it’s not all about marketing. Follow Scott around the web and you’ll see what I mean. Visit his site–>
• John Jantsch (@ducttape) is a small biz marketing consultant. The term marketing tends to scare small business owners because, more often than not, it coincides with the word “expensive”. You can, however, learn quite a bit by following John and reading what he has to say. Although most of his work is not geared toward the tiniest of businesses, it’s simple enough to translate and relate. Visit his site–>

Of course, there are plenty of folk worthy of mention. My picks are based on current trends and my experience with their work. Know someone we all need to follow around? Share your thoughts in the comments box!

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/08.
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Post tags: #FF, marketing, organization

Research shows that writing things down make issues more “real” and, in turn, make us think of more details and/or questions.

Do you practice the creation of these types of lists? Do you log them on a computer, or write them on paper?

Share your method of determining whether or not an opportunity is good or bad for business.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/10/18.
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Post tags: business planning, organization

While Google and other sites cache web pages, the best way to ensure you’ve got a timestamped copy of any page is to capture it yourself.

Here are some common tools and methods (most of them free) to help you keep track of pages via snapshots:

The Print Screen key just may become your best friend. After pressing the key, you can paste screenshots into documents, graphics programs and other software.

• The Print Screen key. The quickest and easiest way to capture what a page looks like is to use the Print Screen function. This captures what’s seen on the actual screen (no scrolling) and stores it in memory as a copy. You can then open any graphics or document program and paste the image to save it.

To “print screen” capture on a Mac, hold down the Apple key ⌘ + Shift + 3, then release. Then, click your mouse on the screen.

• Use a screen capture tool. I especially like Snag It, which allows you to capture pages several different ways, including saving an entire page by scrolling in the browser.
• Create a PDF. If you have a PDF creator, you can “print” the page to a PDF file. If not, you can use a free service called PDFMYURL.com (simply enter the full URL of the page and the service will create a PDF file which you can save to your desktop.
• Save As… Most web browsers allow you to save entire web pages to a local HTML file. If your browser doesn’t offer this option – or if results are less than desired – you can always view the source code of a page and copy and paste its contents to a separate file.

After capturing a page, name it logically so you can easily reference it later. Some programs will, by default, name the file in timestamp format, which isn’t terribly helpful when you need to find something on the fly.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/10/08.
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Post tags: archiving, browsers, organization

Procrastination is a killer, especially in business. I always thought I was one of those uber-creative folks who worked better under pressure. As it turns out, my creativity level is about the same when I’m not so rushed.

There’s thousands of books, web sites and blogs that cover this topic. However, I’ve found that most “self-help” tools really don’t assist us unless we have our own epiphany. Unless we realize just why we’re doing something wrong, our mind isn’t triggered by the specific issue that needs to be fixed.

So, how do you combat the desire to play games, watch videos on YouTube, even take longer walks than time will allow, in order to get the job done?

Share your secrets to success right here…

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/08/16.
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Post tags: organization, troubleshooting

If you have a Palm Pre or Palm Pixi, the rewards for time investment  are quite rich – the devices are fully functional when it comes to  handling communications, interacting via social media and keeping  track of what to do and what’s been done.

(more…)

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/06/05.
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Post tags: organization, palm, webOS

Here’s 10 ways my Palm webOS device has changed the way I work:

1. Multi-Tasking. Let’s face it, we all should be able to schedule a meeting in our calendar while on the phone. We should be able to look up information in an email or on a web site without having to call someone back. I can multi-task with my Pre, and that alone makes the device worth every penny to me.
2. 

   The Newsroom app pulls in RSS feeds; missed calls, voicemail and email alerts are visual.

   No more “caught in the loop” while surfing for news and industry-specific information. By organizing RSS feeds and using key news apps, I spend less time finding the information I need. I used to spend nearly an hour a day keeping up with everything. Now? I spend just 10-15 minutes throughout the day, swiping through article feeds (this relies on sites using “good” headlines), bookmarking key info I need for later.

3. Alarms. Alarms. Alarms. Every one of my scheduled meetings is preceded by a heads-up ring to tell me it’s set to begin within a few minutes. I also use alarms for mundane tasks, like data backups and standard site and store maintenance.
4. Twitter. I can tweet on the fly (even post images), which means people rarely have to wait long before I can respond to a direct message. In the old days, I had to be at a computer.
5. Task delegations. Now that I use IMAP for incoming email (leaving a copy on the server so I can download it into archives), I can assign tasks to others, even  while in line at the grocery store.
6. Photo phone contacts. Think that assigning photos to contacts is just for coolness? I find it easier than reading a name. I snapshot client site logos and assign them to their contacts. Within a split second, I know  just who’s calling, every time.
7. No missed “missed call” alerts. As long as the carrier does its job (routing the call to the phone and sending voicemail alerts) there’s nagging icons which remind me I need to act. The visual (not just audible) alerts don’t leave the screen unless I tell them to, which means the chance of non-communication is minimized.
8. Sans-cord charging. You may think it’s just a fad, but Palm’s Touchstone makes my life easier. Gone are the days of me running out the door with a half-charged phone, only to run out of battery juice halfway through the day. While at the office my phone is always charged, and I can see the screen and use the device while it’s keeping the battery at 100%. The best thing? No plugging-in, unplugging, plugging-in. It’s just so much easier. So easy, in fact, that my blind husband is no longer afraid to pickup my phone and bring it to me, because he doesn’t have to worry about inadvertently yanking a cable out.
9. On-the-fly video editing. Being able to capture events on video and send to someone instantaneously sure makes the job easier. No more heading back to the office to connect a device to the computer and run video through editing software. Now I can just record, tap a few times, and send it off. Job done!
10. Visual notes. Simple textual notes are so boring. A key app for me, entitled Notes, lets me incorporate graphics into my to-do lists. It may sound like overkill, but for someone who needs visual reminders for a future job, it’s a real life saver. This feature has even spilled over into my personal life. My husband and I recently went on a quest for pricing and ideas for some home modifications. My notes include snapshots of products at certain stores, along with costs and specifications. Neat, huh?

If you’re not using a mobile device (i.e. a smartphone) to simplify your daily routines, you’re wasting a great deal of time carrying out all those tasks. Worse, you’re probably suffering from information overload.

There are actually dozens more ways my Palm device has changed my life, but I’m aware of the average attention span. So, how are you automating and being more productive these days with webOS or another device? Do tell…

Related post: 10 Things We Can Do to Make webOS Thrive

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/05/27.
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Post tags: organization, palm, Technology, webOS

Read more about my paper-less venture at Practical eCommerce

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/04/14.
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Post tags: Cost-Cutting, organization, practical ecommerce