TECH TOOLS
JAVI'S
HOT A LIST
Thunderbird
mozilla.org/thunderbird Completely free.
t CampMinder, we don’t have an IT department, we have Javi. His official title is Database Administrator, which means he is part of a team that manages how all the data in CampMinder is stored. No small task. Somehow, though, Javi also takes care of all our in-house IT needs. The guy just loves tech — we can’t hold him back. He’s uncovered many creative and cost-effective solutions for our team, so we picked his brain for ideas from which you might benefit, too. Warning: Javi’s brain is a weird place.
™
OpenOffice
openoffice.org Free to download, use, and distribute.
Did you know you don’t need Microsoft Office for everything (déjà vu)? Apache OpenOffice has been around for a looong time, but I don’t see it around as much as I’d like to. Here is a program that is, like almost literally, the exact same thing as Office — but it’s free. It has programs equivalent to Excel and Word, and it will open all your old .doc and .xls files with no trouble. Never pay for a spreadsheet program again! I would like a slice of cake for some reason right now.
LogMeIn
logmein.com LogMeIn Free is, well, free! Paid yearly and monthly plans are also available.
Suppose you left this super funny picture of a cat dressed like Batman on your computer at work and you have to show it to your girlfriend, like, right now. If you have LogMeIn installed on your work computer, you can access it immediately, and hear the sigh of “not that funny” instantly. I’m sure there are many other examples of how access to different computers could be useful, but that’s the only one I could think of. Catman.
VoIP
It’s time. I’m ready for you and your team to get VoIP service for your office. Batman totally has VoIP. What is it, you ask? ‘VOIP’ stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. Which is a fancy way of saying “making phones calls over the Internet.” You probably already do a type of VoIP using Skype. However, installing VoIP services in your offices allows the freedom of being able to answer your office phone from anywhere (provided you’re connected to the Internet) and also, of course, check your messages. These services are provided by different companies depending on your region, so my advice is to Google it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the savings and convenience.
Did you know you don’t need Microsoft Office for everything? Outlook is not the only email client out there that can display emails for you. Thunderbird, eM Client, and Evolution are all different email clients that do the same thing as Outlook (practically) and cost zero dollars. I prefer Thunderbird from our Mozilla friends because I can have a “theme;” I use pictures of Batman.
3CXPhone
There is a way of using Remote Desktop on Windows, but if you’re thinking “Ain’t nobody got time for that,” this is the way to go. LogMeIn lets you have access to your computers from any other computer via the web, and I use it, like literally, always.
OK, first, get VoIP set up in your office. I’ll wait. (Waiting). OK, now download 3CXPhone on your computer. Boom! You’re all set to make and receive phone calls from your computer and, oh, look how cool you are. Sure there are other programs that do this same thing, but did I tell you that it’s free? Just click this link: 3cx.com/voip/softphone-2/ (are you saying this won’t work because this is a magazine?). Fine. Copy and paste this li… Fine! Type it into your browser. And, while you’re typing, check out this URL, too: i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag7/CampMinderLLC/cats-dressed-asbatman_zps257b1a50.jpg What? It’s not that long … and totes worth it. ;)
3cx.com/voip/softphone-2 3CXPhone is free and allows users to make and receive calls from their Windows PC, iPhone, or Android smartphone.
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Volume 3
Apache, Apache OpenOffice, OpenOffice, and the OpenOffice logo are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. Used with permission.
www.campminder.com
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