So, how do you protect your data?

Over the years I have tried many different methods for backing up my computer files. Back in the 90s, I would burn files to CDs whenever I got a “hunch” that something might be getting ready to fail me. Then in the early days of this site, I got a Firelite external hard drive and while I could schedule how often I wanted to run backups, more often than not, the program just didn’t work as advertised.

Then last year, after one too many close calls with data loss, I decided there had to be an easier way!  After researching a variety of online backup options, I decided to sign up for the free Carbonite trial (which did not even require a credit card – another plus). Within days  it was apparent that I had found the solution that worked for me – I didn’t even wait for the 15 day free trial to end – I gladly paid $54.95 for the year.

Why Carbonite works for me.

• First, and foremost, they give you a free 15-day trial to let you really make sure their product is a good fit for your needs.
• It is real time -  within minutes of downloading a file or modifying a file Carbonite has identified the new file, put it in the queue, and has sent it up to to the backup server. Note – the very first time you set up your files for back up it is going to take hours, but once you get going, it is pretty close to immediate!
• It is automatic. I am juggling waaay too many things to remember to schedule a back up for my files. Carbonite takes the stress off me, because it backs up my files automatically.
• Carbonite is secure. They use the same encryption technology used by the online banking industry.
• I can access my files from anywhere. If I am working on my laptop in my favorite Starbucks and need a file from my desktop computer I can get it. Simply login to Carbonite, go to Remote Access and get whatever file you need for the day. No remembering to put something on a flashdrive, it’s there.
• The file recovery process is one-click easy. Nothing complicated here – a simple click of the restore button and you are back in business. With some plans you even have the power to decide which files are restored first, saving you even more time.

Put to the test, Carbonite came through.

Actually, Carbonite passed the test with FLYING colors. About a month ago a nasty computer virus managed to get past my virus protection and did some pretty crazy stuff to my system files. The only solution was to reformat my entire computer. I was a little stressed about possibly losing data, but since I could see every one of my files from my laptop through the Carbonite interface, I was confident all would be fine.

Once my hard drive had been reformatted I simply logged into my Carbonite account, installed the Carbonite software and ran the recovery program. Granted, it took about 12 hours to restore all my data, but EVERY last file made it! Talk about relief. That was 15 years of business and personal files that I could have potentially lost.

Carbonite is one of my essential tools for business – and at $54.95 a year, that is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing my files are there – where ever and whenever I need them.

So, what tools does a freelance writer use on a daily basis in today’s technology based economy? In Laura’s own words:

• WordPress. I realize that probably everyone says this, but it’s true. WordPress is one of my top tools for the various blogs that I write for.
• Microsoft Office. Most of my non-blog clients require that I use MS Word.  I’m also a heavy Excel user for keeping a wide variety of statistics.
• Twitter. Although I have other social media accounts, this has become my social media of choice primarily because of the ease of use. I also like the DM feature.
• Google Docs. I’ve found this to be a great way to collaborate with others and share information.
• Flickr. This is a great source of Creative Commons licensed images. Many of the photographers are quite gifted.
• Gimp 2. I’d actually like something a little more full-featured than this, but for now this works well.
• WOT. This little Firefox add-in tells me whether I’m on a reliable site or not. It’s in my toolbar, and I don’t even have to think about it. The color lets me know if a site is safe.
• Skype. I use Skype to connect with clients as well as to stay in touch with family that’s not local.

To keep up with Laura and her insights on writing and freelancing, be sure to follow her on Twitter.

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

In Amanda’s own words:

My interest in technology and the web goes back many years. I had an email address and no one to email! I am naturally an early adopter and while that has been an expensive exercise, it has been fun. I am completely self taught and enjoy the adventure of being absorbed in learning a new skill. (I consider Lynda.com an essential tool as it provides the best tutorials on everything from web design, digital photography, Excel and more.)

I do all my own graphics for my web sites and I am a passionate photographer so life would be very difficult without Photoshop and Illustrator.  Topaz filters are an essential tool for my graphics as they allow me to create a more arty feel.

As for my daily tools:

• One of the best additions to my toolbox this year has been Evernote . I particularly like that I can send a tweet that I don’t have time to explore when it whizzes by. I gather them all up on Evernote for reading later together with web pages and screen shots. Having them grouped together like this often gives me a great idea for a blog post and the links are already there for me to create connections.
• 1Password (Mac only) has been a blessing and helped me develop a better protocol for creating passwords. I am now happy to use a complex password because I know that I have the info on hand, secure and backed up. I just need to get it on my BlackBerry.
• For my AmandaBucklow.co.uk web site I use AdaptYourCMS.  This is not a perfect set up but it makes updating my web site very easy indeed. I can add documents, videos and, best of all, any number of secure zones and membership areas which I use extensively for my training. Each course is a community of its own and I find that providing the platform for people to engage with each other before and after the classroom sessions makes for better outcomes at assessment. The friendships created during training can become a real source of support and encouragement for fledgling mediators. I know I still value mine from 15 years ago. Providing students with a ready made home has been a great success.
• Twitter. I haven’t taken to Facebook at all except to keep in touch with my nephews and niece who don’t seem to be able to communicate any other way! I do remember it took me about a week to send my first Tweet – I couldn’t imagine that all those strangers could possibly be interested in what I might have to say! Phil Gerbyshak is entirely responsible for my besottedness with Twitter. He was one of the first to follow me back and start a real conversation. The discipline of saying something interesting in 140 characters is a very good one to have.
• One of the best gadgets I have ever used are my Flip video which is with me wherever I go. I can’t believe such a small thing can produce such high quality video and audio.
• Even more cherished is my Livescribe 2 GB Pulse Smartpen. I have no idea how I managed without that before I had one. Interviews are a doddle now. I like very much that I can pay attention to the person I am talking to rather than be looking at my notes. One keyword and you can find the part of the interview just by pointing the pen at the paper. Magic.
• The tool I would really like is Blackberry Messenger on the iPhone. I would love to switch to the iPhone as I am a complete Apple fan but the BlackBerry Messenger is so good especially when I am working abroad and need to keep in touch with my training partner. I takes the stress out of meeting up and changes in plans. I like the encryption on the BlackBerry but it is useless for browsing the web.

Thanks Amanda for sharing such a great assortment of tools – some of which are totally new to me and I can not wait to go try out!

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

Shannon’s iPhone is truly the heartbeat of her workday -  it has completely changed the way she handles email and social media. She is no longer tied to a computer to send out emails or keep up active discussions on Twitter. Her  iPhone love has no bounds, so with that being said there are several apps that she finds priceless including:

• Gmail – Shannon switched two of her main email accounts to Google apps and that has made checking email via her iPhone so easy.  She is also a bit of  an email packrat so the ability to keep just about everything is very appealing.
• Twitterlator Pro makes managing social media while on the fly so easy. You  can snap a picture on your phone, upload and tweet it out. Plus Shannon can manage multiple accounts with ease.
• Simplenote – Shannon just started using Simplenote, but loves being able to start a blog post, write down a thought, and then when she has a moment to sit down at her computer later, she can log into Simplenote online and it is all right there. No need to sync or download anything.

The other essential tool for Shannon is a simple pad of paper. Like so many of us, there is still something about putting ink to paper. Shannon has been known to map out entire website ideas or write down full blog posts on a legal pad or composition notebook. It just really helps the creative process creative process.

I’d love to know what other iPhone apps you use (or apps for other Smartphones) to help keep your business moving forward when you are not in the office. Share them in the comments below, please.

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

Design-wise:

• Mac Mail (I need to get round to hosting my mail with Google apps but at the moment it’s hosted with my host – Dreamhost). I do like Mac Mail. I use the Mac’s “To Do” here as well which sycns with iCal.
• Chrome – I switched from Firefox a few months back – just love the speed. Chrome Developer Tools are just as good as Firebug for Firefox. I also occasionally use Safari for checking and we have a cheep laptop to check Internet Explorer (yuck!)
• TextEdit – this is the Mac’s version of TextPad. I use it all the time for quick code changes. Writing down my billable time for each client (automated, eh!). You can open documents in seconds and switch between rich text and plain text with a keystroke. TextWrangler is a great text app – more powerful than TextEdit, you can to find/replace on multiple documents with this baby.

• Cyberduck: Free FTP tool for Mac. Slow but good.
• Dreamweaver: Great for writing HTML, CSS, PHP and JS. It color codes it all so you know where you are and I use it’s FTP function. Great for when I don’t use WordPress.
• WordPress: my number 1 CMS of choice.
• MAMP: for running WordPress (PHP and MySQL) locally

• My Google Analytics
• Web mail (I use a Yahoo! address for non-work related stuff)
• Twitter (To be honest I was late to Tweet and now I kind of put up with it. I’ve definitely learned tons of stuff from it but I’m not a massive Twitter enthusiast)
• LinkedIn (My favorite social networking site. Fantastic information from LinkedIn Groups and great traffic from them. Traffic from there sticks around whereas Twitter/Stumble/Digg traffic comes and goes – my experience only)
• My site and the WP backend
• 5-10 tabs of blog posts I don’t have time to read but will do one day
• Amazon

• IShowU: Mac screen recorder.
• GarageBand: For creating musical snippets for the intro and outro.
• iMovie: for putting it all together. May move onto Adobe Premier when I have time.

In Logan’s own words:

• DropBox – I don’t know what I’d do without Dropbox. I can store and backup all my files so I can work from multiple computers and even off my iPhone. Plus it is great for sharing large files with other people.
• Meebo – I spend quite a bit of time chatting with clients and colleagues online and Meebo keeps all my instant messaging clients in one web interface. It definitely helps me keep things in order.
• Web Developer Firefox Add-On – Has so many tools I use when building sites, especially when working with CSS. Cuts my development time in half at least.
• WiredTree – My hosting provider is essential to my business. I’ve used a LOT of web hosts, and they are by far the best. Fast support and they manage my server for me so I can focus on my business.
• Outright – Keeps all of my bookkeeping in one easy to user online interface. It has saved me so much time since I switched from Quickbooks. Plus it’s free so you can’t beat that.
• TweetDeck – Still my favorite Twitter app. Runs on my iPhone and desktop so I can stay in the Twitter loop.

Thanks for being part of this series, Logan, and for sharing a tool that is new to me – Outright – it looks like something I need to be using, especially since it works with FreshBooks.

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

Rebecca’s must haves for online success:

• Gmail – after a disastrous Thunderbird crash in which I lost a year’s worth of archived email, I now route everything through Gmail
• CoffeeCup Direct FTP – it can edit php and html directly on the server. For $40, it was a lot less expensive than one of the more well-known FTP/editing clients out there, so it’s what I learned on. It’s worked so well that I’ve never switched it for another program!
• Photoshop – Goes (almost) without saying!
• Favorite WordPress Plugins – Dynamic Content Gallery, Genesis Simple Hooks, and Gravity Forms
• Tweetdeck / Twitter – again, a business given these days. Plus it’s fun to catch up on little snippets of everyone’s life!
• Skype -it lets me be in contact with clients around the world, travels with me, works on my cell phone – I love it.
• PayPal – for fast, easy and convenient client billing
• And for collaborating on big projects I like Action Method Online. It keeps everyone in the loop much better than a huge email chain cc’d everywhere.

Thanks for being part of this series, Rebecca, and for sharing a tool that is new to me – Action Method Online.  I love learning about new tools for productivity!

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

Like many small business owners, Tammy’s business has to be ready to run from anywhere – on the road, in a client’s office, in a home office or anywhere she happens to be that day. As a result, the majority of her business is run in the “cloud” (here is a great article from one of my essential tools, FreshBooks, with 3 Reasons Your Business Needs to Run in Cloud).

In her own words, Tammy’s essential tools for running a small business in the cloud…

I default to tools that I can use cross-platform from wherever I am (I travel a lot for business), so I prefer the cloud (with good backup mechanisms) and apps that have companion iPhone apps. These are the ones I use every day:

Highrise: I use it for client relationship management and as my task manager — all emails to and from clients end up here, as do notes from client calls and visits, along with documents. I can tell in an instant what I need to do next for a client or project and I can give my assistant access for when clients call and I’m not in the office.

Dropbox: I have several MacBook Pros and an iPhone and want to spend zero time remembering to sync. Dropbox takes care of it all for me and I can get any files I need from wherever I am. It’s saved me in a pinch more than a few times!

Evernote: I use it for, well, everything. Hotel and flight confirmations, notes for speeches, screen grabs of websites I like, gardening ideas, you name it. It really is my external brain.

WordPress with StudioPress: I love the ease and extensibility of WordPress and customize my sites myself using Brian Gardner’s terrific, powerful themes as the design foundation.

Google Voice: I work all over the place – office, home, hotel rooms, on-site while visiting a corporate client. Google Voice helps make me accessible, sends me my messages as texts for quick reviewing, and automatically knows to send business calls to voicemail during evenings and weekends.

Google Apps for Business: Mostly use Gmail and Calendar, both syncing to my iPhone.

Chrome: It’s light and fast and since I do so much of my office work using the cloud, it’s a timesaver, even with the Mac version still in beta I’m loving it.

Thanks Tammy for giving us a glimpse into your business and how the sky (I mean the cloud) is limit!

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

As the community manager for Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger forum, Lara spends a lot of her time answering questions, working on ways to make the ProBlogger community more beneficial for its members and doing interviews. She is also the Assistant Editor at TwiTip, runs Ginkgo Consulting and has niche blog sites of her own, too.

Lara’s essential tools for online success include:

• Skype – Since Lara is based in the US and Darren and another board moderator are in Australia, Skype is absolutely a critical piece of her communication tool set. She also uses Skype when doing interviews for its built-in recording capabilities.
• All things Google. Lara is a self-proclaimed Google addict. From Google Docs to Gmail and everything in between, Lara would be lost without the big G. She did share a cool feature in Google Labs that lets you create email “canned” responses that are incredible time savers if you find yourself needing to send the same responses frequently.
• WordPress is her blogging and web development platform of choice.
• When it comes to coding, Lara is a girly girl (like me) and wants everything neat and pretty! She uses Edit Plus in conjunction with FileZilla FTP for truly efficient file management. She can open files from within Filezilla to edit directly in Edit Plus. Once the edits are made, the file is save and returned to the server via Filezilla.
• And for graphics, Lara is a Photoshop fan.

Thanks Lara for the opportunity to reconnect and get a glimpse into what you use to manage your very busy and successful online world!

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.

Chris came into this business through the blogging door and has been working with WordPress for several years. His primary company is SuccessCREEations, Inc.  He offers free video tips on ChrisCree.TV and has just launched a video training site to help businesses get started in social media at NewMediaProfitPath.com.

If you are Mac based, you are in for a treat as Chris shares his essential tools for success – in his own words.

1. Mac OS X – When I launched my business three years ago I made the strategic choice to move to Mac’s from Windows machines. I hesitated to move to Mac’s because I thought Windows was for business. In retrospect I am so glad I made the move from the get-go. There was a bit of a learning curve transition where things seemed more complicated. But once I made it over that hump it has been a huge productivity boost for me. Routine maintenance is just that – routine. I now have 4 Macs in my business and in the three years I don’t think they’ve locked up a total of 3 times combined. I can focus on working rather than troubleshooting my computers. (And no, I don’t have an iPhone or an iPad.)
2. Google Apps – I’ve been using Google Apps, Standard Edition from the very beginning. It’s like having a Gmail account with email for your domain. Being able to share Google Docs with my team is very handy. We can edit a doc simultaneously, very handy for remote meetings. I coordinate everything in my Google Calendar. A new feature they just added is Short Links, which is like having my own private URL shortener. It’s very handy for links that we share on a regular basis like our strategic referral partners and affiliate programs.
3. Office Time (Mac & Windows versions) – This has been a life saver as far as tracking actual time spent on client. In the beginning I was way undercharging for my work because I didn’t track my time. Office Time has allowed me to fix that, and made my business more profitable as a result. We just click on the project in Office Time when we start and stop working on it and the program will tally the time for us.
4. JungleDisk (Mac & Windows) – Offsite backups of your critical data is a MUST. I’m too embarrassed to admit how long I ran my business without doing this. Fortunately I got set up with Jungle Disk before I had any data loss. It ties into your Amazon S3 storage account and only costs $4 per month per business user, plus storage and bandwidth to Amazon. That’s incredibly inexpensive insurance should you have a major data loss event such as a hard drive crash, stolen computer, fire, or other natural disaster. We back up all our computers nightly via Jungle Disk. And we back up our project computers locally via Mac’s time machine to external storage drives. Oh, and between now and this June, Amazon isn’t charging any bandwidth fees for uploads so get all of your data uploaded to your S3 account now before the price goes up! And as a note, your first backup will take a long time, several days probably. But it is worth going through that because once you do subsequent backups usually only take a few minutes each.
5. 1Password (Mac Only) – This password managing program is a lifesaver. It securely remembers all our logins for our social media profiles, client accounts, etc. Not only is it secure, but it allows us to securely share them between computers so all my passwords are always securely synced between my desktop and my laptop. And, because the program remembers the passwords for me I use much more secure passwords than I did when I had to remember them all.
6. PixelStick (Mac Only) -  This handy tool lets me measure pixel distances on the screen, which is incredibly handy for the WordPress design work we do, expecially when troubleshooting people’s broken sites in our WordPress Support business. Just drag the ends of the measuring stick to the points you want to measure on your screen and the readout tells how many pixels are in between the ends.

Thanks Chris for your “all-Mac” Essential Tools!

Subscribe to the Essential Keystrokes feed so you don’t miss a single Essential Tools feature. If you are interested in sharing your essential tools for business, drop me a line at cpolanosky [at] gmaildotcom.