A Quick and Inconclusive List of Software I Like

July 10, 2009 · Comments

Ball Drops at Loopy Labs at StoryLandThis list is dated July 2009. It will be out of date by the end of July 2009. Not really, but close.

I’m often asked which software and which websites I use to do my job and live my digital life. A list like this is maybe just a way for you to check yourself, but also you occasionally will find something that catches your eye. I’m sure I’ll miss a few things.

Software I Like

That’s what I’ve got for now. If you think of something I missed, or have a question on one, feel free. Let’s use this as a discussion starter. Fair?

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  • Thanks for this list, Chris. Suggest you check out feedly.com as an alternative RSS reader. It extends Google Reader (which it's based on) in a well designed layout plus it adds some great social sharing features. As a long time Google Reader user, feedly takes some getting used to, but now I love it.
  • I'll second the feedly suggestion. I still use google reader as a backup though. I been on Feedly for two weeks now, still tweaking it but I like it.
  • I like the fact that you mainly chose web-based software for your list. I notice that your list is near perfect for almost anyone who loves the web but doesn't have a ton of time to be on it necessarily. I also use the majority of the sites you chose because they are fast, efficient, and very user friendly. Pretty much all of them fall under the social media category as well which means there are plenty of ways we can share our creations and resources with friends.

    I truly am jealous though that I do not have a Mac because I have heard great things about Adium. Apparently Digsby is the closest you can get to it on Windows but I wasn't too impressed with it.
  • How about iTunes? Or does that go without saying?
  • I forgot iTunes and Pandora. I use Pandora almost as much as I use iTunes, actually.
  • Mike Dougherty
    I'm in the same boat. I actually find that Pandora tends to drive some of my iTunes purchases.
  • I'd add eMusic to the list. Obviously use both iTunes and Pandora, but love eMusic for Indie, Jazz and World.
  • Nice list, Chris, thanks. You have mentioned most of that software in separate posts but it's nice to see in one place.

    I have a question for you after I saw you listed Evernote: Does Evernote do, or are you aware of any software that enables you to copy multiple pieces of text from any source and control the order of pasting? I have been on the hunt for something like that for a while to reduce toggling back and forth between programs. I'd love to know if you've seen something like that out there if you have a chance to reply. Thanks.
  • iClip for the Mac is really good. No idea the Windows equivalent.
  • app
    On Windows, you might want to try Surfulater. You can create articles from the clipboard, and edit them, pasting in more blocks of text or adding in notes. And in the cases of saving web content, you can opt to also attach a copy of the original page to the clip, which is handy to see the original, in case you have edited the clip. (Surfulater is not freeware and databases are stored on your PC, not online)

    Or of you want something super heavy duty that can do almost everything but make coffee, you might want to try SQLNotes/InfoQube.
  • I'll look into Surfulater. Thanks for responding, Chris and app.
  • Thanks for providing this list. I saw some names I hadn't heard of, so I'll have to check those out. And three cheers for Gmail. I've slowly been converting my family to it. Two down and one to go.

    I just tried Vimeo this week for video hosting and found its simple and clean video interface very nice. Plus, it's free and easy to use.
  • Vimeo and Viddler are both pretty decent YouTube-alternatives.
  • Good List. I look forward to checking into the several I am not familiar with.

    Have you used Scrivener software for writing? What are your thoughts on Stumbleupon's new Sup.r tool?

    Thanks
  • Funny, I just removed Scrivener. It was okay, but not how I think/write. I use TextEdit.
  • Hi Chris,

    An interesting list - but what about FriendFeed?
  • I'm not a big fan. I use it. I like it. I'm just not super into it like Scoble.
  • melissawells
    Chris! Perfect timing, just what I was looking for. Pipeline, BatchBooks and Blue Sky are new to me. I'm going to share this with my coaching/small biz folks.
  • Hey, I use most of these guys, woot! :)

    I'd add Retaggr to the list. Awesome for keeping you all in one place, which helps the sanity levels, and the perfect social business card. :)
  • Great list Chris, I'm using a lot of the same tools. A couple of questions for the group

    - I know tools like Radian 6 have a value prop over the free tools like google alerts and backtweet, but never having used one of the premium tools, what are the value props?

    - I'm a recent mac convert (loving the macbook pro!), what do you prefer for core office tools? MSOffice? Google Docs? Open Office?

    Thanks all
  • thanks Chris for including Radian6 on your list. Dave feel free to connect any time - we'd love your feedback on the platform.

    cheers.
    @davidalston
    Radian6
  • iggypintado
    Chris

    Great list - thanks as usual for sharing.

    Don't you also use Posterous also? I've been monitoring your use and wondered what you thought of it.

    Cheers, Iggy
  • Sweet list, funny that you call it software instead of just "platforms"... not sure if my lingo is correct either, but regardless of what you call it, that's a lot of good stuff.
  • great list of software here from @chrisbrogan
  • Dan Butcher
    Chris, I'm coming to this late as I'm trying to get caught up on my backlog in my feeds. I noticed that your list does not include any sort of task manager or list app like Remember the Milk, etc. How do you stay on top of your to-do list?
  • Really a great list. I saw some names I hadn't heard of, so I'll have to check those out. Thanks for sharing such a great list with us. Keep blogging.
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  • This is a fabulous post. I do many of these things already, but look forward to implementing the others.
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