Evernote

40-ish free multimedia tools for the backpack journalist …
(or charities with the passion to connect, but not the cash)

Published: January 1, 2010

In addition to my media consultancy work with the Thomson Foundation, I’m currently supporting non-profit organisations whose passions span helping make life better for schoolchildren in Ghana and carers in Wales.

Many of those I work with, especially charities, don’t have access to expensive multimedia gear. In fact, what they really want is cheap, a fast learning curve and good results.

So I’ve had a rummage in my backpack for a few of the free (or affordable) multimedia apps and tools that have gone down well and helped make a difference. All are free unless otherwise stated:

Read the rest of this entry »

12 great Firefox extensions for organisation and SEO

Published: August 4, 2009

I like my browser to be the hub of my personal organisation … and Firefox is helping me do just that with some fantastic add-ons.

In this list there are seven Firefox extensions I reach for every day and five useful webmaster tools …

Last Pass

I don’t know about you, but I have a shedload of logins and passwords … and my hoard is growing by the day. But gone are the days of scribbling passwords on a PostIt – LastPass does it for me. Brilliantly.

Not only does it remember all my logins and passwords, it will automatically log me in to sites it recognises. It even generates encrypted passwords and keeps everything nice and safe in a ‘vault’ I can access anywhere.

The cherry on the cake is LastPass’s form autofill feature, which saves me hours. I can’t recommend LastPass highly enough.

DOWNLOAD LASTPASS HERE

The same goes for Evernote, which really has transformed my online organisation. I’m always coming across chunks of content I want to save for reference. No more copy-and-paste or printing out – all I do is click the Evernote elephant icon, choose my keywords and a folder (or ‘notebook’) I’ve set up, and the highlighted content is clipped to my Evernote account.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s tough enough out there as it is … so why does newspaper design have to break the bank?

Published: March 18, 2009

I still have my sub’s grey steel em rule. It’s on my desk as I write. Pica ems on one side, eight and ten em measures on the reverse, millimetres on both, sharp edges designed to draw blood.

Don’t yawn. I know those days are dead and buried. But I’m making a point …

My benchmark for technology is simple: is it as easy and reliable as a pencil and rule? Does it enhance creativity, or get in the way? If you think that’s barmy, then you’d have to question the sanity of a whole generation of production journalists who fell head over heels for those first shoebox-sized Classics and have remained faithful to Apple ever since.

Read the rest of this entry »