I was asked today to list my top free productivity tools. I think it will make more sense if I share them here, so here we go:

1. Podio.com

Podio is basically a marketplace full of applications covering all major areas of work and typical types of industries. What I like about this tool is the fact that it nicely integrates with Gmail/outlook, social media contacts and with Dropbox and Evernote – this way all my tools are interconnected and I can manage the information flow wisely. For example if I go to a meeting and take notes on my iPad or mobile phone I usually save them in Evernote. When I review assigned tasks with other areas of a project I can simply add this note to my project in Podio’s project management app. I can add people involved in the meeting directly from my Gmail contact list and, if I really want to, I can also add them to my CRM data base. All this with a few clicks with no need for copy and paste, endless saving of documents and attaching those to project’s mile stones or tasks. All this is then synchronised from Podio to my Google calendar and if I need to prepare action points I can set up email remainders too.

As complex as it sounds it really saves me time. How to start – just try out Podio for a simple test project but on all its levels – user, company and project integration.

2. Evernote

I cannot imagine life without Evernote and I am sure I only use the top of this iceberg! I can save notes (in many formats), tag them, assign to notebooks and later share those notebooks with other users too. I can integrate Evernote with most of the popular project management tools. But the best aspect of this tool is the fact that I can take notes on all my Apple devices and once on-line synchronise them smoothly! Simple, but saves so much time!

3. Google apps

I manage my email with Gmail. Thanks to labelling and gmail priority system I can clearly mark tasks and communication based on it’s project and priority. Quite amazing just how much time you can safe with those! Once committed to Google mail, I have also started using Google documents for file management but also on-line collaboration. It saves so much time (and often potential risk of mistakes in the final copy) if you all look at the same file and make real-time comments. Documents can be managed and shared in folders, send to others as link. I also use Google groups quite a lot, specially if I want to avoid endless rows of email communication. I save a lot of time with Google alerts – specially if I work on a particular topic or want to track the effect of particular project. I use those alerts to manage my personal reputation too – you would not believe just how much can be posted about you without your knowledge;) Google calendar is, next to Podio, my major task management tool. I am somehow stressed out by lists. I like to see how much time I have for each task, what is re-occurring and who is involved in particular parts of campaigns. I run few calendars, including one for home affairs – this way my partner and I know exactly how to manage household related matters. In all Google tools I really admire nice data integration, smart prioritising and colour-coding, labelling solutions, but also levels of privacy and content sharing with others.

4. Dropbox

One more tool I could not live without. I do not remember the times when a file would crash respondent’s inbox or simply fail in upload. I use Dropbox to share large files but also to save documents that I later want to read on iPad, on the go. It’s also a great tool for collaboration on larger amount of files, like for example photos.

5. Social media – mainly Twitter/Facebook/G+ and sometimes Pinterest/LinkedIn

I really like to save time by reaching out to my social audiences with questions or requests for specific tips. You simply need to ask nicely!

6. Skype and Google+ hangouts

Running late to the meeting, cancelled appointment after 4-8 hrs of travel or sudden change in priorities – few of just endless amount of reasons why offline meetings just do not work for me. Of course there is a huge value in meeting clients and team members in person time to time, but sometimes it is really not worth the time we spend on finding the right date and place – why not use a Google+ hangout and work on a Google doc shared with 9 people and discussed in an evening from the comfort of your own house?

And this is it really. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible because I would hate to spend more time on setting up the tools than on the actual work. In order to create a consistent set of tools though I would consider the following:

1. How do you access your on-line work? What devices do you have to work with?

2. Where do you store your data?

3. What type of work do you do?

4. How much time do you have for project management?

5. All in one place or few minimalistic, simple tools?

Despite the fact that I am using pretty popular tools if you really want to find THE RIGHT one for your own habits, do try few alternatives for a few days and see what feels good to you. New tools pop up ever day too so maybe we will migrate from one to another. Maybe we will continue using those for quite a while. In any case, use them in a smart, time and cost effective way. Let me know how you get on!

 Finally! The Coffee Chart I have received from @zerolab for Christmas hangs on the wall about our kitchen table now, which means that during our meals we can indulge in the amazing range of coffee drinks in this rather pleasant design!  So far we are still just checking out the line of ready drinks. We still need to investigate all production methods and types of coffee used for those drinks! I tell you – this is fun! And it looks great in our kitchen! (Available for order here). Enjoy!

I start to realise that I will post on this blog not more than few times a week because there is so much I need to do to be able to share my experiences with you – I simply do not have time to sit down. I am taking notes on paper, on my phone, on photos..On Thursday I participated in a blogger event organised by ActionAid UK in London. I was asked to join (mainly mummy) bloggers and present my top blogging tips, which even though felt a bit awkward went pretty well. We had a great discussion about the notion of paid or unpaid blog reviews, trusted voice and the need to tell stories. I am really happy to see that other bloggers nodded when I asked if their blogging changes their lives – if anything, My Little Coffee Blog is changing me immensely! It was really good to learn about the work with child sponsorship, women issues and community development from people who were there, on the ground. This charity is doing great work not only on the ground but also in building the relationships between donors and kids. I could not stop but wonder if one day I could actually travel to few locations of their work and blog about the work they’re doing. I would love to dig into the topic of coffee production and fair trade. Actually, I think that the seed of going to at least one ActionAid UK location is already planted in my head… I was privileged to meet many wonderful bloggers who proved to be really creative when it comes to suggestions on how social media can help the ActionAid UK’s cause. So good to sit in one room with similarly minded people! It was good to see so many ActionAid UK employees actually joining us at the Tea Party. I left with a memory of something extremely simple, but really humane and kind – one of the ActionAid UK girls made me a coffee. As opposed to the tea placed on the table one had to ask for a cup of coffee to be made for them – which also meant that each cup was fresh;) It’s the fact that someone bothered to do it for me…the idea of preparing a drink for someone else…it is something I would like to investigate more. Coffee is so embedded in our every day lives that I am sure that we have many small stories of really emotional moments with coffee. If you do – let me know! I would love to hear them!

Since I mentioned LASA Digital Summit (notes here) it’s probably also a good idea to summarize my points on what I think the trends in social media for nonprofits in 2013. I usually do not like predictions so what I am listing in here is simply based on my observations of where the current conversations, case studies and offline reactions are heading. I am also taking a rather positive approach hoping that most of these will actually happen:

1. Social customer relationship will become more important than social channels and stats and I hope that more nonprofits will experience the value of establishing long term relationships with audiences exactly this way. Our conversation on Monday drastically migrated towards the brand integrity of BT when I mentioned their great @BTCare Twitter customer service and I do agree that from a consumer point of view this is still only the beginning of their journey. From my professional perspective, I am really happy to see a small Twitter account experimenting and delivering a human tonality, respect and actual support to the customers, even if it’s a small chunk – for me, it serves as inspiration. I hope that in December 2013 I will have a good non-profit example too.

2. Transmedia – I am really fortunate that I managed to have a chat with @transmediology at #MozFest last weekend (really inspiring person!) because I feel that social media professionals start to use the term quite reasonably. I think we will see nonprofits using various types of content across well managed multiple platforms more and more often. I think my point on small charities on Monday was misunderstood and I apologise for not making it clearer – I think both large and small charities have a potential to benefit from transmedia stories I just think we still lack in volume of those case studies. I see quite a few clients of mine starting to manage the silos more effectively and embracing the change in culture social media can generate. I trust we will see more of that story driven change next year.

3. Technology – 4G and new tech will most certainly change the way we will experience and utilise the social web. I cannot predict how, but I feel that whatever comes next will make us, even more, device independent. I see people like to refer to the cloud, but this is not a new trend as such. I think we will see a more general adoption of centralised data sets and collaboration tools, many of which will be based in the cloud, online and in social networks.

4. The rise of brand ambassador engagement? Now this one is a big question mark to me but I really hope that few leading innovators will prompt other organisations to finally open up, educate their supporters on organisational messages and goals and simply let them do the work WITH the brand, WITH the organisation or on its behalf. I hope more nonprofits will learn to use social media analytics tools (free and complex ones) to listen and interpret the word of mouth in the context of their work. I hope they will also make the most of the content already created for them instead of spending huge budgets on sterile PR messages. I hope that social media volunteering will become a norm too.

5. Boundaries between commercial brands and nonprofits will blur even more. I feel it is an inevitable change.

6. I might be biased due to the topic of my book but I have a feeling that we will see more individuals raising the standards of digital campaigning, fundraising and online philanthropy. We will see them shifting between sectors, silos, particular activities. They will wear multiple hats and work on multiple projects. Their personal trust and reputation will rise. I think the more honest social web practitioners, the better!

Now, this is my take. What am I missing? Let me know!

 It has been an interesting week for my book. I had the amazing opportunity to show my first chapter/introduction and the content of the book to my editor (@Graeme, this is your official status, I hope that’s OK;)) and received great points on how I can improve the copy, add a better take on certain strong points I want to make and adjust my style. I like to receive creative feedback. It makes me work harder and inspires me to dig into the areas of my book I did not consider as important as others.

In the meantime I was on the panel of LASA Digital Summit this Monday in London where I have heard about Rob Dyson’s  – what seems to be rather controversial, or shall I say popular – decision to delete his Facebook account. I feel that my personal take on the matter is quite relevant to the content of my book. Rob Dyson is a popular voice in the UK non-profit comms and digital media sector, you see. His voice is listened to and followed, hence why I am really happy to see Rob promoting Google+ as the next big thing for non-profit and digital communications professionals because I know others will follow. The mere mentioning of his move as a “future trend in social media” and a dominating dislike towards Facebook and sudden interest in Google+ seem to prove that. But I might be wrong, it was just one of many reactions I have observed at the LASA event.

I have very mixed feelings about Rob’s announcement. From one point of view, I am really glad that he is advocating sceptical approach to social media platforms with a history of unstable management and sudden changes. I think industry leaders like Rob should really drive the innovation in the sector and raise awareness – it’s a responsibility coming together with their legitimate, true offline and online reputation. We trust their experience. We face our personal fears or worries related to tech and actually try out new things. That is good.

What I am worried about it the bigger picture. Once again I hear that Facebook is blamed for many aspects of social media experience that as a company it is not necessarily responsible for. As many other social media platforms, it’s a tool for communication, relationship building and content sharing. Ultimately the personal value of a social media channel will depend on:

1. Our goals in this particular space – what do you really use it for?
2. Our networks – who else is there with you and what type of people do you reach out to?
3. Content – what are your friends sharing and what are you sharing with them?
4. Tool’s place in the entire social media landscape and your personal mix – how much time do you spend on it? how important is it amongst all other social media channels? Does it contribute to the entire set of tools you use?
5. Offline value – does it complement your offline activities and help you in connecting with offline connections or build new ones?
6. Productivity value – does it save you time in finding content, sharing content or getting in touch with others?
7. The price you pay – does it endanger your privacy, the integrity of your reputation or affect anyone else in your network?

I am sure there are many more questions one needs to ask when measuring the value of a particular tool. Rob mentions in his post six types of activities he listed when evaluating his Facebook usage but most of them actually relate to his behaviour, not specific Facebook functionalities. I am really sorry it if sounds harsh but the argument against Facebook as a tool, in this case, is a bit weak and unfair. I do agree that occasionally we all experience noise fatigue or have to re-evaluate our networks, but Facebook has some pretty basic and good tools to manage that.

I do agree with few Rob’s points about Facebook as a company and sudden changes in user experience (trust me, I am frustrated about having to re-write my slides about its features ever so often!), but again we must not forget that 1. it is a free tool, 2. we are not forced to use it or connect through this particular channel.

I also agree with Rob that there seems to be in the UK in the nonprofit sector sudden change of heart. Possibly due to the recent changes in Facebook algorithm and drastic changes in the actual reach of fan page messages. (Again, maybe there is a good side of this change for brands too – I see a few posts on the value of long term relationships and cross platform relationship management). I agree that Google+ might just live its time as it starts to mature and I feel that general public starts to embrace it and we have more and more good branded case studies too. Maybe…

As I said on Monday, I myself would not be able to bet on any of the major tools in 2013. I hope that all those reactions will raise our general awareness around the true nature of our relationship with the tool providers, value of the content we access, filter and share; value of our long term relationships and contact management; and finally common sense in taking responsibility for how we and our friends use a particular tool for practical purposes.

Technology is what we make of it. It should be the extension of who we are. It is our responsibility to make the most of it or walk away. On that, I also agree with Rob.

So, as we approach our weekend how about we simply head off for a walk or a coffee with friends?;)

 Our little town of Wantage is quite amazing. Not only that we are 40 min away from Oxford (so much to see and do!), 1,5 hrs from London, but just in our town there is always something happening – if you look around that is. This week we are celebrating literature enjoying a week of books related events. Today Dawid and I went to meet astronomers from Harwell talking about the current space research. Our local museum (20 meters away form our home;)) is a nice hub for kids and grown ups, great community centre, so we love to go there. I do not think I need to tell you just how excited my seven-year-old son was about the meeting and the fact he could touch and investigate a real piece of moon rock! We know personally two people in our area involved in space research so science becomes something very practical for my son.

But I would like to use this opportunity to list great iPad apps we are using to learn a little bit more about it. If you happen to own an iPad do try them out – most of them are free and the impact on kids is just unbelievable! And I bet you will never look up at starts the same way again! In no particular order here it is (you can find some of them for Android devices too):

1. NASA Science: A journey of Discovery – great app updated quite fast, now also with Curiosity photos from Mars.

2. NASA Space Place: great kids community full of photos and videos – kids love it!

3. NASA Rocket Science – made me laugh at first as the name reminded me of someone who tends to overuse the term in social media marketing world, but the app itself is great fun. Kids can build their own rocket, choose skills and learn in the meantime.

4. NASA 30 years Shuttlebook – great piece of history of space discoveries!

5. Puzzle Planets by National Geographic Society – great game which helps kids understand how planets come to be.

6. Star Walk – I think it’s a great app for all – I am learning about the stars and constellations every time I open it up. It’s fun for kids because it shows them exactly what starts are up in the sky and where. Worth the money!

7. NASA App HD – general NASA app which, as opposed to YouTube, is  safe environment for your kids to browse through videos and other space related materials.

8. NASA Viz – visualisations are probably the best way to help kids understand complex, often abstract concepts and for parents – well, you cannot help but wonder how amazing tech can be today!

9. Angry Birds Space HD – I like this game because it works with trends (kids talk about Angry Birds and socialise around the game) but also introduces though gaming basic concepts of space, like for example gravity. This particular one tends to be updated, so you will see kids playing on Mars which gives you a chance to talk about the recent Mars mission too.

10. Angry Birds Star Wars – if you manage to actually let your kids play it you might be able to introduce them to the cult movie too. I personally think it’s good to keep a narrative of a particular area of study so why not let your kids experience a little bit of Star Wars, Star Trek and the like?

Let me know what’s missing from the list! NASA has a great apps collection so I am trying to keep this to the top 10 for now;)