Software, web-based applications, and other tools that will help you in your communications… and sometimes, in your life outside work.
Four productivity apps I’m excited about in 2016
Is it just me or are people getting better at making beautiful and useful software? Software companies have to stay competitive by offering an intuitive user experience (UX) and becoming better students at how people use their products. Meanwhile, organizers […]
Why I started using Cyfe as my regular analytics dashboard
If you’re quite busy changing the world, it’s tempting to look at data about the effectiveness of your communications “later.” Next week, next month… then you realize you have no idea how people are using your website, or how they’re getting […]
Moving your staff to Google Apps for your nonprofit’s email
From time to time, clients ask me about changing over to Google Apps to control the email at their domain. This enables you to take advantage of the vast storage space that Google offers as part of its nonprofit program.
For […]
Four tips for making use of Basecamp
There are lots of great online collaboration tools out there, although I’m partially to one of the longer-running: Basecamp, which I use for my projects and use to make the most of my worktime. I’ve also had the chance to […]
Mobile-friendly becomes even more essential April 21. Is your nonprofit website ready?
Some of us need deadlines in order to take action. Well, if your nonprofit organization has been waiting to deal with your not-mobile-friendly website, here’s a deadline for you:
Google search results on mobile devices are changing April 21, 2015
What does this […]
My Bookshelf: I’ll read anything by Tony Schwartz
Usually my “My Bookshelf” posts focus on a single book that’s closely related to communications, but there’s something to be said for books about making the best use of our minds. An open, creative, relaxed mind is essential to developing […]
Is WordPress.com a good solution for your nonprofit website?
I generally recommend WordPress to organizations for a fast-to-deploy and easy-to-manage website — anyone can install WordPress software on an organization’s web host (not sure what I mean? Here’s a post to explain web hosting) and be creating a website in minutes.
But […]
Tools I Use: My best action trigger for writing
Sometimes I get busy with my work for clients and I fall behind on creating content for my website. But keeping this blog up-to-date is important to me — I can share info I care about (like how to use WordPress), stay in […]
Five tools for making the most of Gmail
I love the speed and efficiency of email, but with so much email (both personal and work), it can easily turn into a burden. Here are my five favorite Gmail tricks so that Gmail can be a useful tool instead of […]
My updated WordPress plugin list for 2015
Part of what makes WordPress so great is that there is a vast community of people working together to make it better all the time. Many of the things you would call “features” on a website (for example, the ability […]
Keep track of your donors but don’t go overboard
I fielded another inquiry recently about how a small nonprofit organization can set up a reasonable system to keep track of donors and prospective donors (often called a Constituent Relationship Management system, or CRM). There are a lot of choices […]
Tools I Use: LastPass for Password Management
Okay, so let’s assume that this is true: anywhere you store electronic data can, at some point, be hacked. So if that’s true, maybe don’t store any sensitive information anywhere on the web. Okay. So, now all your organization has […]
Tools I Use: Mindmeister for mind mapping
Sometimes, when I’m taking notes at a meeting with a client about their communications strategy and I have to use paper, I prefer grouping related ideas together on different parts of a blank page in a way that shows their relationship to […]
You, your pictures and a helpful monkey
Not all photos are ready to be posted straight from a camera to your organization’s website or social media account. They might be the wrong proportion or have too much detail. Taking three minutes with some image editing software can […]
Google Analytics: What You Need to Know
Too many social justice folks I know think they don’t have enough time to look at their metrics. But setting aside even a small amount of time on a regular basis can make a difference. Give yourself a goal and […]