SheekTech Podcast - Productivity Tools Written/Produced/Created by Ro Ro aka Sheek Gal
Listen on Soundcloud
Intro
I offer Virtual Administrative Support and Design Services. Delegate your tasks! I specialize in helping small businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, busy professionals and individuals manage their day to day work flow by offering support in various areas included scheduling, research, calendar management and project planning to basic web consultation & creation, graphic design, and content & social media management!
My goal is to help you maximize your time allowing you to focus on the more important aspects of your business
So what is my podcast about?
Each week I will be sharing some of the latest news and tech AND my favorite productivity tools
I'm a software junkie
I love trying new apps both mobile and web based
I have created too many accounts to remember
Thank you Lastpass
This love I have trying out new things and researching tirelessly sometimes for a solutions that simplifies a process is my JAM!
I often get asked, Hey Ro do you know what the best "---fill in the blank---" is for this "---fill in the blank---"
And most times at some point or another I have bookmarked or created an account to test OR found it on my way to solving a completed different problem
Good stuff!
Latest in Tech Related News
Quick run down on the latest in tech news this week
Pokemon Go is setting records! Apple tells TechCrunch that it is the most downloaded app in its FIRST WEEK in the App Store
My kids are using this growing craze over the app to negotiate as to why they need a cell phone... ummmmm
Are you ready for your popular mobile device to REMOVE the headphone jack? Yeah, its a no go for me! I read on Mashable that Apple maybe doing away with it
I can't even!
Did you know? That the headphone jack has been around for like 50 years!!!
I'm really not into the whole business of having to charge everything and worry about BATTERY LIFE
I'm just saying!
Rotten Tomatoes says GO SEE Star Trek Beyond. I didn't even know a movie could score in the 80s on the tomatometer!
KickAssTorrents (KAT) just got it's ass kicked and if you were streaming content for free... well all that's going away.
Department of Homeland Security has ceased operations. Check out an interesting article written on TorrentFreak.com for me details.
Gorilla Glass 5 is coming soon to a mobile device near you
I don't know about you but I use to pride myself in never having dropped my phone, shattering the screen
Until it happened a few months ago
And of course I took the GEEK route and decided to repair it myself!
After several hours of what felt like brain surgery
My phone was successfully repaired
Will I sign up for that again
Probably not (but I CAN DO IT, I do know that and am now checking that off my list of things I want want to DIY in my life)
With that said! I'm excited about my next phone purchase... I will be looking specifically for this feature
Cool Tools I Use
Machform
by
Appnitro
I feel like this has been the best kept secret but yet the company has been around for several years
Since 2007 in fact!
And I suspect has several loyal customers like myself!
For our form and data collection needs
You may have possibly used platforms like...
Google Forms, Jotforms, Wuforms
And even web apps like SurveyMonkey for our data collection needs
ALL GREAT resources, however if you want to take it to the next level
And by next level I mean
One-time low fee
Can upload to your website and use the resources you're ALREADY paying for on a monthly basis to host your forms
The freedom to create as many forms as you want
To create custom notifications
With semi-customizable themes
MachForm is hands down one of the best solutions I have ever found and introduced to my clients!
The downsides...
It does take a level of geekiness to install and configure on your domain (but Appnitro has provided great documentation to walk you through these steps or you can hire them to set it up for a resonably low price)
OR
You can subscribe to their monthly hosting services and bypass having to set manually on your hosting account
Which then puts it in the category of the others
At the end of the day, great software.
Like I said, I have installed this software for several of my clients and the feedback from them and their clients has been nothing but good
Check out sheektech.com for more details on where to find Machform by Appnitro
How to find MachForm?
appnitro.com
@machform
https://www.facebook.com/machform
Now if you are looking to go a little bit more advanced with your data collection and tracking needs
Check out...
Knack - Online Database Software
First, I must say this online software requires a subscription
Plans start as low as $39/month
You can add up to 20,000 records
It includes 2GB of storage
You can build up to 3 apps
And this all comes with basic support
They have a neat little chat feature included in the builder and they are super responsive
All this is pretty darn fantastic for $39/month and if you are looking to build a web app for your company or team to help manage data
I.E. clients, jobs, employees, work flow, social media management
It's one thing to point out features but I feel it best to give examples of how I have used the software
I'm a bit of a control freak
So I tend to look for productivity tools that give me the freedom to customize
I have used the tool to build a job tracking and dispatch system for a crane and trucking company.
The client needed an inexpensive solution to meet their needs but didn't want to break the bank using more advanced softwares that had features that the small company would never use
Additionally they were limited or pigeonholed into working the way the software works versus how they work best
The build was simple.
They needed a place to collect incoming jobs
They needed a place to track which equipment was out for which jobs
They needed a place to track operators associated with the jobs
... and so and so on...
In tech world they need a more advanced form collection system that allowed for creating relationships between tables
Normal form collection softwares typically don't offer this type of advanced solution and that's fine not all of us need that
But sometimes with small companies, on a budget, need a solution that will help the stay efficient and can also grow with them or be shared with more enterprise solutions if thing advance to that point.
Knack is FABULOUS!
I use if for my clients and even for myself and my own projects
I've created hour/expense tracking web apps and social media management apps for teams
Great tool - check it out! Links can be found on sheektech.com
How to find Knack Online Database Software?
knack.com
@knackhq
First cast that's a wrap!
Thanks for listening to Sheek Favs and geeking out with me.
Catch ya next week!