There are a ton of great sites on the Web, but what about sites that can actually help you get something done? That's where this list comes in - boost your online productivity with my picks for the top ten free Web tools.
If you've ever tried to copy and paste a super long URL, only to have it break once you try to copy it, then the site Tiny URL is for you. Tiny URL shortens very long URLS into - you guessed it- tiny URL's that are way more manageable, not to mention easier to copy and paste.
Related: Not sure what a URL is? Try reading this article, What is a URL?.
Google Desktop is one of the most useful free organization tools on the Web. I use Google Desktop to find documents on my computer, organize content, and view news and other information on my machine.
Related: Learn more about Google Desktop - read Google Desktop Search Commands.
You can use Remember the Milk to manage your tasks and send yourself reminders on virtually any platform; plus, it integrates incredibly well with Google's stable of productivity services.
Related: Get even more help with your organizing with Zirrus, a free Web-based organizational tool, or Xpad, a text editor tool just for Mac users.
There is an incredible array of free, useful, interactive calendars on the Web that you can use to schedule events, manage your to-do lists, even share your calendars with other people. Read more in my roundup of the most productivity-enhancing
Free Online Calendars. Related: Right along with free calendars is the ability to mangage your events online - read more in this article titled Free Online Invitations.
Gmail is an incredibly versatile free email application. I use it to organize and archive email messages, store large files, and chate with other Gmail users.
Related: You can add more to your Gmail capabilities with free Firefox Extensions.
Google Docs and Spreadsheets is an excellent (free!) alternative to Excel: "If you've ever struggled to keep track of different versions of spreadsheet or word processor files sent over email, Google Docs & Spreadsheets may be right for you. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a free web-based word processing and spreadsheet program that keeps documents current and lets the people you choose update files from their own computers. You can, for example, coordinate your student group's homework assignments, access your family to-do list from work or home, or collaborate with remote colleagues on a new business plan." I use Google Docs to help me organize recipes, stats, and more.
Related: Learn more about Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
Keep track of your goals simple and easily with Joe's Goals, a site that is dedicatd to helping you manage your to-do lists as practically as possible. You can addd as many goals as you want, share your goals with other people, and track your progress.
Related: If you're interested in sharing yourself on the Web, you definitely will want to check out my roundup of the Top Ten Social Bookmarking Sites on the Web; these sites are a great way to find and share great content.
Save notes on your favorite Web sites with MyStickies, a Post-It note system you can use online: "To put it simply, MyStickies allows you to place little yellow squares of digital paper anywhere and everywhere you feel like in the whole wide web...While bookmarks store the title of a webpage and its link, they do little to help you find what was important about the page and why exactly you chose to mark it. MyStickies solves this problem by giving you the power to mark up the page the way you like, and a tool to find notes easily and efficiently." I use MyStickies to help me organize research notes and other information that I need to keep track of.
