My Office Job
Life behind the desk
Android Apps for Fun
Some of my favorite apps just for fun:
*Photogrid
*Background
*Facebook
*Flixster
*Fruit Ninja
*Fontomizer
*RetroCamera
And of course *Tumblr for Droid.
:)
TED Talks. Need I say more?
Job Descriptions
Currently I am researching non-profit job descriptions and how they affect whether or not someone may want to work for you. Or what they say about your organization. Or what they say to your current employees about their duties.
So far I’ve read a lot about how important it is to inject personality into your organization through job descriptions, but that leaves me wondering how a formal organization with very professional people might do that?
Stay tuned for some (hopefully) compelling and interesting job descriptions!
Time Management
I am currently in the office reviewing different time clock apps and time management programs that incorporate project management as well (which will be another post entirely). So far the range has been wide, from simple to complex.
I need to be clear up front that I am not personally trying out any paid apps -my boss will be doing that since she has the $$. I may, however, get to try them out via her iPad or iPhone or get some sort of feedback from her which I can then relay to you folks.
The first app for time management (paid) that seems simple is Easy TimeSheet, available for the iPhone & not Android. However, when searching Easy TimeSheet in the Android Market several free apps come up and I may be looking into those. Easy TimeSheet appears to be an excellent choice because of its ability to keep track of time on multiple projects, and create bills for clients depending on the hours spent working on a project. It can also conjure up reports for the user. Seems like an excellent choice, and it rings in at only $2.99. I will report back if my boss goes with this app or not.
I mentioned earlier that some of the time management apps also function as project management, one of those is AboutTime and this particular software was created with construction workers in mind - it has features that allows you to review the job site and once you buy the software you are able to download an app to each employee’s mobile and allow them to clock in and out - with GPS coordinates as well. This sounds really cool, but we won’t be using it since it has a lot of features that we won’t be using.
TimeSheet is a simple app for workers who would like a record of their hours, punch in, punch out, start break. Simple. Again, this doesn’t have enough functionality so we probably won’t be using it. Remember that we are looking for an app with the ability to put time towards multiple projects.
AceProject is a more complicated software with multiple choices, not just time management. In a review it received praise for its time clocking abilities, so we are keeping it in mind. Keep posted for more detail in a “Project Management” post where I will be reviewing several different programs.
Have a suggestion? Have a question? Don’t hesitate.
Meetings
Not just any meetings, but video conference meetings with people in Wisconsin. This I am not new to, I took a class on University of Southern Maine’s Saco campus where the Professor was in Lewiston and taught us over the wavelengths.
During this particular meeting, I was sitting one seat away from former Governor of Maine, Angus King. Now I was younger when he was in office, but he is known for a few things, one of them being MLTI - the Maine Laptop Initiative. This initial program is what jumpstarted MICDL (Maine International Center for Digital Learning) and Gov. King is the founder of MICDL. Each 7th grader in the state of Maine received a laptop because of the MLTI program, and eventually it spread, so that 50% of the high school students also had a laptop to use on a daily basis. So you can see where Gov. King might come in handy with the digital learning aspect of this small non-profit.
So onto the technical side of things, for those of you who may or may not be familiar with this technology it is a simple (or, really not so simple, but if you break it down…) connection of a TV, camera, and audio system that goes two ways - one sends a feed of the folks in Wisconsin to us, the other sends a feed of us to the folks in Wisconsin. And if I am not mistaken, you can add additional people into the video conference. I wish I could explain the setup in further detail, but I was not there for the connection. I do know that it is as simple as pushing a few buttons, and that once connected there are almost no issues - only a few times did the screen freeze, but we had no trouble with our audio.
Navigating the office world is easier than I thought it would be. The only foreseeable problem I will have is, how long can I play the game “No more laughing, no more fun: if you show your teeth or tongue you will have to pay a forfeit.”
(I’m only kidding, it’s really not that bad.)
Any questions or comments on today’s post? Want a technology question answered? Have a great app you want to share with me and my [small] audience? Feel free to drop a line in my ask box, www.myofficejob.tumblr.com\ask
A Few Thoughts on the Cloud
Googledocs is not new, but it is new to me. Did I mention that before starting this job I really didn’t dive into the whole app craze?
What I did before this job was take pictures. Write. Watch movies. Do homework. See friends. That was my life. It was full of technology, but looking back just a week from now I see how much I could have streamlined my life. I do not own an iPhone, or an iPad. I am however a new convert to Apple, and use my MacBook Pro daily. I love it almost as much as I love my Canon. (I might even start uploading screen shots of apps soon, because thats how much I miss digital imagery right now) I also own an Android device, which has helped me these past few days test out free apps for the boss. Now, don’t run away in fear that I will not post any useful i-info on here because I will be. There is an iPad in the office and both my bosses use iPhones, so most of my research will be centered around the i-world. (And never fear Android users, I will be also posting about useful apps that I find as alternatives for my own device)
Sorry about that little tangent. What was I saying? Oh, yes. The Cloud.
Probably everyone in the world but me has used GoogleDocs for something or other, but I am just jumping on the bandwagon. Did you know you can “track changes” just like MicrosoftWord and follow what other users have manipulated inside your shared documents? Neat!
Something I find interesting about GoogleDocs is that your file is hanging in the cloud, like a drop of rain. And unless you back this file up on your computer, thats all there is. Like a drop of rain, if the cloud gets too heavy, your file could fall. Now, I’m sure google has some mumbo jumbo about files being “safe” and “secure” well, I want double security platinum, and what is Google going to do about that? Nothing. (Well, not for free anyways, I’m sure) So what is an office gal to do? Enter: DropBox. I know you all have heard about this too - so what? Nothing new. Well, perhaps this concept will be new to you: GoogleDocs is the collaborative, editing, drafting stage. DropBox is the final, ultimate step. What I am essentially saying is that while you are tweaking your files it is fine to have them in the Cloud, but once you are done with it, don’t leave it hanging! Finalize it by putting it into DropBox. This is important because DropBox will keep a copy of your file up in the air, while also keeping one foot on the ground - that is to say another copy of your file right on your hardrive. Viola! A solution to the underlining fear that the cloud might one day disappear!
And all of you worried about eating up too much space on your hard drive — get a LaCie already!
Evernote
I recently started researching (and then simultaneously using) the Evernote app for Mac & Android - for work and for personal use. I find it to be actually quite handy! I call it my “brainstorming” tool and that describes it quite perfectly. I suppose I use it for three purposes - my work at MICDL, my work at JennyJeanne Photography, (Like me!) and for my own silly personal use (I drew a picture in Skitch, an add on that you can find under the Trunk and saved it to my “personal” notebook).
Why use Evernote? Well, I really don’t care wether you do or don’t, but here is my little review of it:
Evernote is valuable for collecting, organizing and sharing bits of information from all over. Easily save pictures you take, pictures from the web, web links, article clips, full articles, thoughts you have, and so much more. Notes are organized into notebooks that you can label according to subject or topic, or whatever works for you. You can further organize by adding tags to your notes, for example, all links in a given notebook have a tag that distinguishes them as such. Therefor you can search ‘links’ in tags, and come up with a subset within the notebook, or from across all notebooks if so desired.
Not only does Evernote greatly enhance personal organization, it is great for the office as well - simply share a note or entire notebook by clicking the share option and inputting recipients e-mail address. You can make notebooks public or share them with one or more individuals.
Premium Evernote allows recipients to edit the notebook content, and have more access to notebooks offline. They also receive more storage space, currently as a free user I have 60MB of storage, so we’ll see how long that lasts me! Evernote premium is $5 a month or $45 a year.
So follow me on twitter: jennyjeannefoto like me on facebook: www.fb.com/jennyjeannephotography and read my blogs: writer-photographer.tumblr.com & jennyjeannephotography.tumblr.com
Thanks!
To Do List Apps
For today’s research I’ve begun reading several different blogs to try and find the perfect “To Do List” app. I think I’m getting close.
Mashable provided me with an excellent list of free apps, one I think will suit the purposes needed for the office - a to do list that can be shared with colleagues. And one that will suit my disorganized needs as well. View these options here: http://mashable.com/2010/11/25/iphone-to-do-list-apps/
Appstorm gave a comprehensive list of free and paid apps that get very specific - anyone planning a wedding? There is, of course, an app for that. I didn’t find what I was looking for on here, but maybe you will.
My app choices - Office: Listable
Personal: Astrid Tasks
Day One (Well… 3 if you want to get technical)
Today my time will be spent researching apps. Apps that make office work quicker, files and documents more organized, things run smoother and in general, make life easier. Welcome to my new job.
Most of you know me as a photographer and that hasn’t changed. This job will integrate different areas of my life and eventually make running my photography business much easier. I’m getting paid to do research that will eventually benefit my own business!
Speaking of photography, I may even get to dabble in that here at the office - perhaps video as well.
If you want to learn more about the people I’m working for and what they do, check out www.micdl.org. (A website I might be redesigning in the future!) I will be updating frequently about the new apps I discover - their uses & their pitfalls - so stay tuned!
