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Embedded Google maps are a great way to add info to Backpack pages (or Basecamp posts, etc.). For example, here are a couple of maps used to give directions to a funeral:
You can also embed a set of driving directions, a local search, or maps created by other Google users. This page at Google explains how to embed maps.
Continue reading "Liven up your pages with embedded Google maps" »
In Campfire & Getting Things Done, John Ratcliffe-Lee offers advice on how to use Campfire "as a great note-taking solution for class, meetings, etc."
I feel that Campfire's excellent real-time record keeping ability, multiple chat room (or page) features, access options, and file management tools are ideal for not only the GTD system but point-of-contact record keeping that lets you integrate easily into 37signal's other software such as Basecamp project managing...Create a new chat room (as with every 37signals product, paying for it gives you more room to grow) for things like "@home" or "@work". You can log-in to your Campfire and see the activity in each of these sections and keep a real-time record of whatever you like inside each chat room. Giving other people access as members or sharing a Campfire page can increase productivity as well. The topics feature can also be used as a tag-replacement, giving more detail to whichever room you are in...
The first link below outlines a great way to take notes for class that can be made even better in Campfire. Instead of having to set-up a master schedule and link pages together, etc., you can start with a fresh Campfire account for each semester. At my school, 5 classes a semester is the normal load, so Campfire's free version works perfectly. For example, my new Campfire account could be called "fall06.campfirenow.com."
From there, create a chat room for each class with it's name (i.e. COM 460: Adv. Multimedia Comm.), these rooms act as pages where your notes for each class will be kept. Along with any relevant documents, files, etc.
Since Campfire logs the exact date and time each time you enter a room or "page," it makes for more intuitive note-taking. You can just type whatever the teacher is saying or notes you want to take. Think of Campfire as your big 5-subject notebook in the sky that lets you take your notes everywhere there is a net connection. Campfire logs the time and date of whatever you type and you can search for something specific in it's excellent transcript section. A lot faster than flipping through endless pages of blue or black ink.
Someone from you class need the notes? Want to share your notes for a group project or double-check with a professor? Either share whichever Campfire page you want or give anyone with an e-mail address member access to the chat rooms. A lot more simple and effective than meeting a person all the way across campus, 11pm on a Monday night. If you have to share a room, locking others that contain sensitive information is easy. Also, you can add topics to each room or page to give a more detail to each class.
Do you use a 37signals product in an interesting or noteworthy way? Let us know.
PluggedOut spent a recent weekend scouting around for a “groupware” application and decided to give Basecamp a looksee.
If you’re working in a “wide area network” on a project, it’s essential to have somewhere central that all news, updates, milestones, tasks and such like can be pooled. Basecamp provides everything you might need.Granted, Basecamp is not Microsoft Project, but then it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars either - for all but the biggest operations it’s going to cost a few dollars a month. So what do you get? Quite a lot as it happens.
A typical Basecamp site is centered around the organisation that creates it - this could either be you as a one-man-band, or your company. Within that organisation you can then create “Projects”, with each project having to-do lists, message boards, milestones on a calendar, “Writeboards” (simple wiki’s), File Upload areas, and even live chat if you pay for it.
As an organisation, you can then create user accounts for those participating on the projects - both your own project team, and any external clients you might want to give access to each project. This is all managed through a wonderfully intuitive address book system.
On top of the entire heap of projects, lists, milestones, users and so on, you can view a dashboard view across all projects.
I am impressed with Basecamp. It doesn’t do anything earth-shattering, but what it does, it does well. If you are looking for a collaborative online environment to assist in the running of a project, take a look - the costs start at zero, so there’s really no reason not to check it out.
If you'd like to get a visual alert every time a new message is posted in Campfire (one that's visible even if your browser window is not), then check out this bit of code Snailbyte cooked up. It uses Tinder, an API for interfacing with Campfire, to create an activity notifier for KDE (the knotify method can be replaced with a call to Growl for Apple users).
For Mac users, Pyro also offers this functionality (and a lot more).
Your Campfire chats in a dedicated application, with the number of unread messages on the Dock icon, in Growl and on the Campfire tab bar. Drag and drop file upload. Accelerated room switching. AppleScript support. Pyro for Mac OS X 10.4 does all that, and is completely free, so download yours now!
You can also use Tinder to hook Campfire up with Subversion, Trac, and Capistrano. More on Tinder.
A few months back, we flipped the switch on Ta-da List for the iPhone. If you have an iPhone, just visit tadalist.com and you’ll see the iPhone version. You can access the standard web version with your desktop web browser. Both versions share data and lists.
Just Another Mobile Monday, a mobile news site, just profiled different iPhone to do list applications. The author says, "For those who want no frills and a very basic feel, I’d go with Ta-Da List."
In a Nutshell: Strong on ease of use.Ta-da List is made by 37signals, the well-known company behind popular online applications like Basecamp (for project management) and Highrise (simple CRM). It’s described by the company as ‘just ultra-simple, easily sharable to-do lists.’
That description is accurate. Ta-da List is very easy to work with. All its screens fit well on the iPhone and feature a simple, minimal design feel. It uses large buttons to help you quickly add a new task, edit an existing one, and switch back to list views.
Currently you are not able to add a priority, due date, or notes to a task. Also, if you want to re-order your lists you need to be on a desktop browser, where you can just drag and drop to re-arrange all items on a list.
From the desktop, you can also mail yourself a copy of a list, and subscribe to be notified of changes to a list via RSS.
Tiki is a new, simple, web-based task and bug tracker that integrates with Basecamp.
Tiki is a web-based tool that enables individuals or groups to track bugs, tasks, to-do items, you name it. All information related to each task is stored in a ticket, and features include ticket routing that you control, handy auto-reminders, hearty search functions, and filters that enable you to see only what you want.
More on how Tiki plays nice with Basecamp:
Syncing
Automatic, direct-from-Basecamp updates with happen at midnight. Admins may initiate synchronization manually in "Basecamp Settings." First you update Tiki's Snapshot of your data, then you can import/update any projects. Additionally, you can import To-Do Lists on the fly, directly from Basecamp on the Create Ticket screen.Time Logging
Each Ticket provides fields for submitting your time to Basecamp -- just enter in the # of hours and an optional description of what you did.Completing a To-Do on Basecamp
Basecamp To-Dos are checked off when you Close a TicketDeleted To-Do List and Archived Projects
Deleted Basecamp To-Do lists and archived projects will still appear in your ticket list, but you won't be able to assign any new Tickets to them.
It's not 100% public yet but you can signup for an invitation code at tikiden.com.
Taylor McKnight compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you get more out of Backpack. Included:
The page also includes links to several of his Backpack pages as examples. Check it out
Today we launch a few major improvements to Basecamp search.
We're now using the same search technology that we use for Highrise, Backpack, and
Campfire. This search technology is at least 10-times faster --and often even more -- than the search technology we were using before with Basecamp.
The previous version of Basecamp search only let you search messages, comments, and file names. Now you can search all that plus to-dos and milestones. You can also download files directly from the search results screen.
And you can also filter these results to only show messages, for example:
This is a big one. Basecamp used to only be able to search inside one project at a time. Now you can search across all your projects at the same time. You can do this by clicking the "Search" tab on the Dashboard, or via a link inside any project's "Search" tab.
Results across multiple projects look the same as single-project searches except that they also include the client and project name in bold below the title. "37signals: APIs" in this example:
We hope the faster, more comprehensive, more flexible search speeds up your productivity. We know how frustrating it is to wait for results, so we hope this new search really helps.
We'll be watching the search logs and tweaking the performance and accuracy over the next few weeks. Optimizing search is as much a manual thing as it is an automatic thing, so we'll be working to make search even better as time goes on.
Thanks again for your continued support and enjoy Basecamp!
In Campfire + Pyro = Collaboration Heaven (MacApper), Jordan Golson talks about how Campfire is helping his team collaborate on a new site.
For the uninitiated, Campfire is an online chat service hosted by 37signals that allows you to chat and send files while saving everything online. You don’t have to worry about missing anything when you are away from your desk because when you sign back into Campfire, everything that has been said in the past is there waiting for you. It’s great if you work with a bunch of people in all different places and time zones.
Jordan's a fan of Pyro because it means he doesn't have to keep his browser running all the time to stay logged into Campfire.
Firing up Pyro is just like logging into Campfire. It asks for the Campfire account that you want to log-in to and then for your username and password. Once you’re logged in, the familiar Campfire interface appears with a few little extras. Pyro gives you keyboard shortcuts to switch from room to room within Campfire and also to adjust text sizes. All the Campfire features work perfectly including file uploading, transcript reading and searching. The developer does warn you of issues with Safari 3.0 but I haven’t noticed any issues.
Another Pyro advantage is drag-n-drop file uploads. You can drag any file from the Finder into Pyro and it will automatically upload it to the current room. It’s especially handy for popping screenshots into a room.
Scott Hurff, founder of Fuego ("a newsletter for classy, trendy guys"), recently upgraded from a free to a Solo Highrise account, the first time he's ever shelled out cash for a web app.
Highrise rocks because it’s the perfect place for me to keep all the notes I used to keep on people locked away in Word notebooks. Now they’re attached directly to the person and searchable.
We followed up with Scott to learn more about how he uses Highrise and to see his account in action.
How do you use Highrise and why do you like it?
I use Highrise to de-clutter my inbox, as well as to centralize tasking and notes on both projects and contacts. While I'm an avid Treo customer, I found that using my phone to work just got too cumbersome — and since I live and task mostly through email, it became a natural catalyst to my workflow.
Additionally, I keep loads of notes on projects, contacts, advice people give me, etc. — and it gets too hard to sort, search and mobilize the information if it's buried in Word notebooks.
Continue reading "Fuego founder uses Highrise to de-clutter inbox and centralize notes/tasks" »
