6 Instant Online Services That Boost Online Productivity

If there is one requirement that I have for most online productivity services that I choose to use, it is ease of use. I want to be able to instantly start using the service without any hassle (preferably without any signup), and there should be virtually no learning curve.

There are several things that make a person more productive. These include remembering tasks or appointments, easy capturing and sharing of information, organization, and quick collaboration with others.

Since I’m not usually in just one location when I do my work, I really need most of my tools accessible from anywhere, so online tools are the way to go. A few good examples are the ones Nancy covered not too long ago. Then you’ve got the many individual tools covered here at MUO, like Teamly, WorkTrek and many more

I have a list of online productivity software tools that I use almost every day, and others that I’ve recently discovered. I’ve decided to share my own favorites that best serve each of the productivity needs listed above.

6 Online Productivity Tools

I can have a horrible memory sometimes, there’s no doubt about it. Unless someone reminds me, there are times I would forget my own birthday.

kisReminder to Stay on Task

To make up for those memory issues, I make use of a number of applications that keep me on task. One of my favorites is called kisReminder.

kisReminder doesn’t require any sign-up. Just visit the website, and type in the reminder email that you need. The system will email you at the pre-defined time.

I usually set the e-mail address to the one that goes to my mobile phone. This way, my phone will alert me that a new email has come in, I’ll check it, and will be reminded right on time. This service has saved me from being late for meetings and appointments more times than I can count.

URLCapt For Quick Website Snapshots

Another time-saving online tool is a cool website called URLcapt, which will take a full-length snapshot of any website, and turn it into a high-resolution image.

The value of this service can not be understated. Many times in the morning, when I don’t have time to read all of my favorite blogs, I will open this service in one tab, and then open the top articles from a few of my favorite blogs. I copy and paste the URL into the URLcapt field, and then send the image to my mobile email address.

As you can see above, you are also provided with a URL address to access the picture if you would rather not download the file. When you visit the URL, you’ll see a thumbnail of the full image.

Just click on it to zoom and you’ll see a high-resolution image snapshot of the page. This is also a really simple way to share online content with any friends that might have a heavily filtered internet connection. So long as they can receive your image attachment, they can read the page content.

After The Deadline

Another nice tool that is especially useful for online writers is AfterTheDeadline, an online grammar and spell-check service. Again, no sign-up is required. Just copy and paste your article (or email) into the field and click “Check Writing”.

The service will quickly run through your writing and it will underline any potential errors with red for spelling, green for grammar and blue for potential style or clarity issues.

The nice thing about this service is that it’s available absolutely anywhere. This is really useful for public computers that may not have MS Word or other writing-check word processing software installed.

Quick Diagrams With My.Origramy

Another task that I do often is drawing diagrams to brainstorm ideas, plan out projects and even to organize my schedule. There are plenty of free diagram applications, but I really wanted an online app that I could access anywhere without any install required.

For this job, My.Origramy fits the bill. Registration takes about 30 seconds, and no email confirmation is required to get started. The online tool has four categories of pre-built icons.

I tend to think and organize my thoughts in the same way computer programs are laid out, so I use algorithm most often. Drawing a diagram is fast and very intuitive.

Object properties are on the right, and moving objects is as simple as dragging them across the drawing with your mouse.

Protect Your Email With Scr.IM

Another thing that I do online very often is give out my email address, on web pages, forums and via email. If you don’t want your address scraped by the spam bots and used for spam delivery, you’d best hide your email address with an online service like Scr.IM.

In my opinion, if you spend any time posting anything online that requires your email address, this is a basic necessity. No one wants to end up on the receiving end of a spam machine.

Collaborate With Vyew

The final free online service that I wanted to share is hosting an online conferencing session using Vyew.

Vyew offers a ridiculously simple way to chat with a group of people in an environment where you can type text, draw, post audio, post screenshots, have a video-chat, and even share files. Jessica briefly mentioned it in her article on video conferencing solutions, but in my opinion it really is one of the best because it’s so fast and simple to get started almost instantly.

So, if you’re looking for a few quick ways to save time, increase your overall efficiency and get more done with less effort, add a few of these online services to your list of bookmarks and start using them. Are there any online productivity software on this list you didn’t know about? Are there any that you know about that you like better? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

6 Instant Online Services That Boost Online Productivity is a post from: MakeUseOf