Ah, those beginning-of-quarter resolutions. You promise yourself that this really will be the quarter you start reading for class, make a to-do list and get more than five hours of sleep per night. Whether or not those resolutions last past week two, the beginning of the quarter is the best time to at least think about organization and efficiency, especially when it comes to technology. Two of the co-creators of TheNextBigSound.com, David Hoffman (SESP ’09) and Samir Rayani (McCormick ’10) offer their favorite Web sites to get you organized.
STAY ON TOP OF E-MAIL
Most of us made the switch to Gmail when Northwestern began using it as our email provider last year, but did you know that Gmail offers way more tools than just email? The lab section of Gmail offers tons of extra tools and can streamline all your different email accounts, says Samir Rayani. Check out these extra applications at Gmail Labs.
ORGANIZE GROUP PROJECTS
Backpack, an online program created by Chicago-based web app company 37signals, is great for organizing solo or group projects, says David Hoffman. “It handles to-do lists, groups notes, and organizes information. I just recently started using it and I really like it so far,” Hoffman says. According to its Web site, backpackit.com, Backpack can create group calendars, send email and text message reminders, and host documents, similar to Google docs. Though a basic account on Backpack costs $24 a month, it could be worth it for huge end of the quarter projects.
BE IN THE KNOW
Unless you spend most of your time in lecture classes glued to your Blackberry (which you might…), it’s hard to keep current with all your favorite websites and blogs. David Hoffman recommends using Google Reader to organize and display all your most-visited websites in one place. Import websites’ RSS feeds into Google Reader and the application automatically updates whenever your favorite sites post new content. It also allows you to share interesting items with your friends. “This is a totally valuable asset. You can read all your sites easily, and you can keep up with the news you’re interested in,” Hoffman says.
