RSSMarch 18th, 2008
Dropbox: File Sharing made Perfect
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a beta for Dropbox. Like so many people, I have experimented with tons of various file sharing/storage applications, and most of them did not last half a day. Dropbox is not only the exception, but it has made my workflow and communication with our team fundamentally easier. Here are 3 of my favorite things about it:
2 Minutes to Setup and Start Syncing
Simple setup was the key to hooking me. It’s mostly self-explanatory, and took less than 2 minutes for me to drag a bunch of files into my Dropbox and start the upload process. Within about 24 hours, I had 8GB of my files uploaded to Dropbox.
Dropbox has already bailed me out in a serious way. A couple of weeks ago, prior to leaving for a week of work in New York and Austin, my powerbook stopped working completely. No power at all after 2 batteries and days of charging. I had to get a new MacBook (love it, by the way) in New York when we arrived.
The first thing I did on my new computer was try to access all my important business files that I would need over the next week. Once I linked my account, I had the latest versions of all my files downloaded locally within 2 hours. WOW! Not only that, but when I got home and started up the desktop, it automatically downloaded the updated files from my laptop that were created or modified during the trip.
File Backup and Restoration
Another really great feature of Dropbox is that it constantly keeps backups of your files. Let’s say you save the same file 5 times over 5 days. All 5 versions of the file would be available from the web interface, and it only takes one click to restore a prior version. This feature also bailed me out recently.
Super Simple Sharing
Sharing files and folders is also quite easy with Dropbox. From your desktop, simply right-click the folder you want to share, and Dropbox has sharing options in the contextual menu. This takes you to the web interface, where you can instantly share folders with other people that you specify.
Sharing folders is also a nice way of providing your friends and family with Dropbox accounts rather than making them wait in line for the beta. In the last week, our team has gotten on board and is sharing files for projects and other work.
Obviously, Dropbox gets 5 stars from me. It’s the way file sharing and storage always should have been. I can’t wait for them to release plans with more storage space so I can ramp it up even further. You can visit their site to signup for the beta and also watch a cool video of the application in action.
Posted in Reviews, Software - 4 Comments
February 20th, 2008
Ricardo Semler - Catalyst for the 21st Century
Countless people around the world have fought and lost their lives in the name of democracy. Countries have been founded entirely upon the very ideals of freedom and democracy. Yet people around the world happily work in corporate dictatorships to this day. Have you ever wondered why there is such a disconnect? Ricardo Semler has.
Ricardo Semler is one of the true business leaders and innovative thinkers of our time. He is a strong advocate of workplace democracy, and a true master of harnessing the wisdom of people to build a great company. Ask questions. Give up control. Trust the resourcefulness and intuition of people rather than asserting authority and following rules just for the sake of history. These are only some of the ideas Ricardo has brought to light in his company, called Semco.
At the age of 21, Ricardo took over the relatively small manufacturing company from his father. Semco had peaked at $4 million in revenues during his father’s tenure. Ricardo immediately began asking questions about how and why things were done a certain way, and completely shook things up over the next two decades. Not only did Semco average 40% growth per year in a very unstable Brazilian economy, but in 1993 Semco revenues grew to $212 million. And Semco still enjoys great success, while fiercely protecting a democratic work environment with less than 1% employee turnover. It is considered one of the best companies in the world to work for, with literally thousands of applicants at any one time.
Here are just a few of the radical ideas implemented at Semco that brought such incredible success to their business:
- All meetings are optional, and attendees can come and go as they please. If no one shows up, then it is obviously not enough of a priority to warrant a meeting.
- Employees set their own schedules, and can work from home, or even a variety of remote offices.
- When hiring for any managerial position, qualified candidates are interviewed by the people that would be working for them. All hires are made through a lengthy process that is open to all employees.
- Company policies and major decisions are made collectively and democratically. Everyone gets one vote, no matter what their position in the company
- Many employees set their own salaries, and the company books are available for all employees to see. Semco even teaches classes to those that want to learn how to read the books.
- Employees on all levels are encouraged to rotate jobs and move into different roles or business units as often as every 6 months.
Most importantly, there is a method to the madness at Semco. His belief in some very foundational principles have resulted in radical change for the better, and organizations around the world now study his philosophies. The revenues are not nearly as impressive as the overall health and well-being of Semco today.
The Semco story is documented in two books by Ricardo Semler. Both are the most inspirational, life-changing books I have ever read. What I love about his writing is that it’s not instructional — it’s a way of life. It’s a mindset that Semler masterfully writes about while telling the Semco story. He simply says, this is our story; now take these philosophies and apply them to your business in whatever ways make sense.
The first of the books is called Maverick! — The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace. It was first published in 1993. The book contains great anecdotes and ideas, all revolving around the Semco story and history. It is a fabulous introduction.
Ricardo Semler’s second book (published in 2004), The Seven-Day Weekend, is the slightly better of the 2 in my opinion. I feel it is a little better organized, and digs much deeper into his mindset. It asks great questions, and adds even further insight about applying his philosophies to your own business and personal life. Get ready to read each paragraph in the book a couple times, because it takes a minute for some of it to really sink in. Powerful stuff.
Practical Applications
Through reading everything I can get my hands on by this incredible leader, I came away with 5 main ideas:
1. Give up Control
Building a company much larger than yourself or your ideals means giving up control, and trusting those around you. If you hire someone, then you should trust them enough to make good decisions and give them a say in everything that goes on.
2. The Power of Intuition
There is no technological innovation that is more intelligent than human intuition. All people should be encouraged to make decisions based on their own ingenuity and intuition. By-the-book thinking actually discourages intuition and free thinking, thus leaving companies stuck to their old business models and ineffective procedures.
3. What it Means to be a Catalyst
Ricardo Semler is a catalyst, and he makes that clear in the second of his books. He asks questions, most of them beginning with the word “why”. He is constantly re-thinking the way they do things in his attempt to continue building a healthy company. He believes wholeheartedly in the process, so he never makes a decision on his own accord. Best of all, he leads by example, and constantly lives out the philosophies by which his company thrives.
4. Growth is not Synonymous with Success
The biggest companies are simply not the most successful companies. Companies that grow too fast get over-extended and don’t do anything very well. There is something to be said for companies that learn to grow at the right pace. Mergers also prove that bigger is not better. Combining 2 large companies seldom results in greater success, especially for customers.
5. True Leadership
True leaders think of those that they lead first, rather than themselves. They trust the people they lead, and share openly and honestly with them to encourage two-way communication.
Additional Resources
Below is a collection of additional resources from Ricardo Semler, all of which are fantastic.
Why My Former Employees Still Work for Me - This is an article Ricardo wrote for the Harvard Business Review years back, that has some great insights. It’s a good introduction into his writing and story.
Managing without Managers - Another Harvard Business Review article he wrote about the Semco management style and why it works.
Leading by Omission - This is an unbelievable talk that Ricardo Semler did at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2005. His 48-minute talk is available by video or audio, and I would highly recommend watching or listening to it.
The SEMCO Survival Manual - This is the only set of written policies for the entire Semco family of companies. Printed out, it is less than 5 pages, and the original version in Portuguese is complete with cartoon drawings and illustrations. Pure genius.
Want a Copy of Maverick?
I have tried to order cases of each of Ricardo’s books, but they are relatively hard to find, at least in the US. I was able to get numerous copies of Maverick! from a seller in the UK. Email me your story and why you feel like you need this book, and I will send out copies for the 2 best responses.
Posted in Reviews, Business - No Comments
August 8th, 2007
Become 100% More Productive with iGTD
Those of us that work long hours in order to accomplish their to-do list each day are always looking for ways to save just 5 more minutes. One methodology that had a profound impact on my workflow a couple of years ago was the book, Getting things Done by David Allen. Disciples of David just call it GTD for short, and it’s become quite a phenomenon. There are now seminars, blogs and now even software dedicated to putting the GTD methodology into practice.
As of late, one piece of desktop software called iGTD was released by a guy named Bartek Bargiel. It’s the most useful application I have, without a doubt. I have found it to be quick, easy to use and it is constantly being updated with new features. Best of all, it is currently offered for FREE (you can donate), although a commercial “Pro” version is in the works. If you don’t have a Mac to install the software, shame on you, time to get one.
Today I wanted to share 3 features of iGTD that help speed up my workflow and de-clutter:
Add Tasks Quickly from Anywhere
The time when I am most often coming up with new tasks and/or updates is when I check email. iGTD knows this, and helps me add items from Mail with one keystroke. When reading a message that requires action on your part, simply press F5. iGTD will open, add a new task with the subject line of the email as the default title, then will put the text of the email in the “task notes” so you don’t have to refer back. Simply press one key and iGTD does the rest.
Not only can you add items from Mail, but you can add items at any time with one keystroke. Simply press F7 (this key can be customized in preferences) to bring up the “Quick Add” window. You can add your task, then get on with what you were doing without missing a beat. iGTD currently integrates with more than 25 applications on your Mac, so you can make use of it in a number of additional ways as well.
Dates
iGTD supports most any kind of date you wish to associate with a task. I personally use due dates a great deal when setting my schedule. You can also set a start date to a task, so that it does not show up as an active “to-do” until that date. Most importantly, you can setup recurring tasks. Let’s say you want to pay bills on the 1st of every month, you can set iGTD up to recur that task each month. When you finish the task, simply check it off until it appears next month.
Flagging
One crucial thing to maintaining a productive workflow is planning. Each night before finishing with work, I go through EVERY project and make my to-do list for the next day. iGTD allows me to mark the tasks I want to accomplish by “flagging” them. The next morning I can instantly start my day by going down the list of flagged items without having to think twice.
The beauty of this application is that different people probably have 100 different uses for it. This is just how it’s changed my workflow, and I look forward to learning more about the features to come in this great app. Download it today and get started!
Posted in Reviews, Business - No Comments
May 7th, 2007
Google’s New Search Design
This past Friday I was working with a client and did a Google search as I so often do. However, this time I saw a completely different design for my search results. I could not believe my eyes, Google actually used a gradient on their search results page!
I asked a couple of friends about it, and they could not seem to duplicate the screen I continue to see for my google search results. Then over the weekend I read an article on techcrunch that confirms my suspicions.
All I can do is consider myself one of the lucky ones that google is using to test out their new search results design. I personally think it looks really cool. The only thing I am a little unsure of is the left column, where you can search your term in images, video, books, blogs and so forth. I am not sure it is worth taking up 167 pixels with that left column. Instead, I might consider working those options into the top. I am sure they have thought this through, it’s just my first impression.
I will be interested to see if/when they decide to launch this new design.
Posted in Random, Reviews - 2 Comments
September 1st, 2006
Email, Web 2.0 Style!
Would you like to see what the future of email looks like?
I think it looks a lot like an email product called Zimbra. Over the last year or so, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this highly acclaimed software. I had the opportunity to beta test it a while back, and officially made the switch this past week and absolutely love it. It will be compared to Exchange Server by many, but is already miles ahead of it in most categories.
Zimbra was developed for the linux platform, and is open source at the very core. Like exchange, it syncs your calendar, address book and email. If you use a desktop client, you can currently set it up as an IMAP or POP account and it works beautifully. They have made a commitment to working alongside Apple and PC desktop applications to sync the contacts and calendar, though. There are tools for both Outlook and OSX machines that help you sync everything. I have been using the beta sync tool for Mac, which is fantastic. It operates as an extension of iSync, and my Zimbra account is automatically synced every hour, or whenever I make additions to iCal or Address Book.
The Zimbra web client is simply a sight to behold. It takes AJAX to a completely different level. Everything is drag and drop, most things are right-clickable, and the amount of options is just stunning. Instead of going into major details regarding ALL of the features, it would just suit you better to try their hosted demo for yourself.
Here are more of my favorite features so far . . .
- VoiP support, works seamlessly with Skype if you choose
- Widgets they call “Zimlets” that will add a great deal of value to the product
- Share your calendar publicly for viewing or editing in two clicks
- Support for Blackberry Enterprise Server is almost here, can’t wait for that
- Re-brandable interface for your business
- Automatic backups
- Great search tool!
I could talk about Zimbra a great deal, but this product is something that must be “experienced”. Set aside 30 minutes or so to play with their hosted demo, it is worth every second.
To be fair, I also wanted to mention a couple things I feel that they will improve on in the near future. Since it is pretty much 100% AJAX, it can move slowly at times. I noticed the hosted demo is much slower than my new account though. Also, I have found a couple things that are a little buggy, but I am sure they will continue to improve their software at an amazing pace.
So are you ready to sign up? Our friendly hosting provider Voxel.net was one of the first partners on-board with Zimbra, and their team has accounts with 1GB of space for only $4 per month. Zimbra is revolutionizing the personal workspace, and bringing innovation to the web with their software. I would suggest trying it out!
Posted in Reviews, Software - No Comments
May 8th, 2006
Must-have software for web developers
I wanted to take a moment to talk about some software I discovered while at SXSW this past year called Xyle Scope. This tool for Mac OSX uses the safari browser to display web pages in the left pane, source code in the right pane, and css styles in the bottom-right pane. While it works best on larger displays, it is absolutely awesome for inspecting code, tracking bugs, and learning from other talented designers’ techniques.
Xyle Scope has literally saved me hours of time in optimizing my standards-based layouts. It recently helped me a great deal when I had to sift through an existing website and rebuild the layout without modifying the source code. It was a great learning experience and made the $19 investment well worth it.
This is just one of these programs you have to see to believe, but I find it to be one of my personal favorites. Download the 30-day trial and see for yourself. Thanks to Dave Shea for mentioning it in one of the interactive panels this past March.
Posted in Reviews - No Comments