8 Really Cool Web-Based Tools for Bloggers

Looking for cool applications to help you make your blog or site all it can be?  We’ve found some good ones!  From ways to make sure your site looks good no matter who’s looking at it, to protecting your privacy and your content, these tools are all easy to use and either free or very low-priced.  And they’re all web-based, so no downloading to your computer necessary.

tynt insight - tynt.com is a tool you can use to keep track of what’s being copied from your site, ensuring proper credit is given while capitalizing on the copying you want.  This tool not only helps you track down content thieves, it helps to improve your SEO and traffic by generating more links back to your site and providing automatic attribution links.  You’ll download this software to your server, but not to your computer. Cost: Free

TestSize - As you probably know, your screen resolution is not the same as that of all your visitors.  So even if your site looks spectacular on your computer, it might look funky on someone else’s.  Want to see exactly what it looks like in various resolutions? That’s what TestSize.com is for.  Just enter your URL and choose which size you want to see, and you’ll get a view of your site from that resolution.  It’s a great way to put yourself in your site visitors’ shoes.  Cost: Free

Stribe - This is a great way to take your blog or site to the next level.  You have followers, readers, and subscribers now, but have your really created a community?  Stribe lets you do that.  It’s an easy way to instantly create a social network on any website.  Stribe is an easy plug-and-play solution that allows you to customize its features and build your blog into a community of users, all connected with each other - and with you.  Cost: Free (while in beta)

ShrinkTheWeb - This simple tool does exactly what the name says.  It takes any web page (home page only, unless you upgrade to pro) and creates screenshots that can be used in blog posts or other content areas on your site.  With one click, you get six different sizes of screenshots, from 320×240 down to a 75×56 thumbnail.  Cost: Basic = Free; Pro = $34.95/mo

iPadPeek - With over a million iPads sold so far and growing, you can bet some of your readers are looking at your site on one.  So how do you make sure your site looks good on the iPad if you don’t own one yourself?  Easy - just click over to iPadPeek.  You enter any web address at the top of the virtual iPad, and the site appears below just as it looks on the real thing.  Pretty slick! Cost: Free

IMG4Me - Want to display your email address on your contact page without getting a ton of spam?  You could do something like “myname [at] mysite.com” which is pretty common, but not as cool as what IMG4Me lets you do.  With this txt to img service, you can put your email address in the text box, choose your parameters, like text color, font, and font size, and the app will generate an image of your text.  And they’ll even host the resulting image for you.  Cost: Free

fivesecondtest - Want to know what people see when they first look at your site?  That’s what Five Second Tests do for you.  You earn “karma” by looking at other people’s sites and giving feedback on them, which allows you to upgrade your own tests when you’re having your site looked at.  There are some pretty cool options for tests, and you get results fast.  Ad agencies charge thousands of dollars to conduct this kind of research, so this can be a very valuable tool!  Cost: Free (unless you want premium features)

Browsera - There are a lot of browser options these days, and you can’t assume that just because you prefer Firefox, Safari, or Chrome all your site’s visitors have the same preference.  Believe it or not, some people still use IE!  In any case, just as with screen resolutions, your site might look very different from one browser to the next, and while it might look really good in your browser, it might be completely messed up in another (not to mention the various versions of all the browsers).  Browsera not only allows you to see what your site looks like in various browsers and their many versions, but it points out potential problems, like layout issues, JavaScript errors, and more. Cost: Free (with limited options - $39-$99/mo for more options)

There you go!  Some cool tools to make your site the best it can be.  We’re always looking for new, innovative solutions to improve the look, feel and functionality of websites, so if you have other nifty solutions, don’t hesitate to share in the comments!

7 iPhone Business Apps for Busy Entrepreneurs

When the iPhone was first released, there was some question as to whether it was practical for business.  Sure, it was slick and cool, but would it really help you run your business better?  Any doubts have long since been dispelled, and that’s mostly because of the iPhone App Store and the thousands of applications that have been created to make entrepreneurs’ lives easier.   Here is a list of 7 such apps, along with their prices.  Check them out to increase your business productivity, even on the go.

Documents to Go Premium - $14.99

Need to access, create and edit Microsoft Office documents, like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, from your phone?  With the Documents to Go app, you’ll be able to do that easily, on the fly.  Using folder synchronization, you’ll be able to transfer files between your phone and desktop as well.  Whether you have a sudden spark of inspiration, or you’re working in your car between meetings, this app will let you create and update docs on your own schedule.

Scanner Pro - $6.99

The Scanner Pro app turns your iPhone’s camera into a simple scanner.  Scan in notes, document details, receipts, or even a portion of a magazine article with Scanner Pro.  To make it work well, you’ll need a steady hand, so practice with it a bit, and soon you’ll wonder how you did without it.

FTP on the Go - $6.99

FTP on the Go offers all the features of a desktop FTP client, and more.  Let’s say you’re sitting at Starbucks, and you notice a glaring error on your website.  Don’t rush back to the office.  Just fix it and upload the change right from your phone!  Need to download a file that’s on your server?  You can do that too.

TripIt - Free

If you travel a lot, whether for business or pleasure, TripIt is a must.  This app is a travel organizer that builds trip itineraries and organize your travel plans all in one place.  Just add plans@tripit.com to your itinerary recipients when you book your travel at any site, and the app does the rest.  If you’re a frequent traveler, you can upgrade to TripIt Pro for $69/year (after 30 day free trial), which offers mobile travel alerts, alternate flight suggestions, frequent flyer point tracking and more.

Line2 - $14.95/mo

There’s been quite a bit of buzz about this app, and with good reason.  Line2 is a very cool app indeed.  It utilizes your iPhone’s WiFi capabilities to allow you to make VoIP calls.  Not only does this help when you don’t have a strong AT&T signal, because it bypasses your AT&T calling plan, it won’t use your minutes.  Oh, and if that’s not cool enough, Line2 can turn your iTouch into a full-blown cell phone!

To-Do List - $0.99

The To-Do List app helps you keep track of all your lists - grocery lists, shopping lists, birthdays, house chores, business items, and more. Tasks can easily be added, categorized, edited, removed, and sorted.  The drag and drop feature makes it really easy to use this app to prioritize all the day’s tasks, and you can even create repeating tasks and carry those tasks you didn’t get done over to the next day.

iBlueSky - $9.99

If you’ve never heard of mind mapping, you’d be wise to look into it.  It’s a great way to take notes, map out projects, and brainstorm, among other things.  The iBlueSky app makes mind mapping easy on your iPhone or iTouch.  When that genius idea hits, you don’t want to have to try to remember it or write it on a napkin.  iBlueSky gives you the power to take that idea and expand on it fully, then save it for later and export it in Novamind, PDF or PNG formats.

Many of the above apps will work on the iPod Touch as well as the iPhone, so even if you don’t have AT&T or don’t want the iPhone, you might be able to take advantage of their features.  Check them out at the Apple App Store, and pump up your productivity on the go!

Keeping it Together – Dropbox Brings Sanity to Your Devices

If you’re like a lot of people, you have a desktop, laptop, smartphone, and maybe even an iPad.  So what do you do when you have a brilliant idea while sitting at Starbucks working on your laptop or in your car with just your iPhone or Blackberry handy, and you want to recall the document you created later, when you’re working at home on your PC?  Chances are, you do something like email it to yourself or use a flash stick to transfer the file.  Well, once you start using Dropbox, you’ll see that as so 2009!

The folks at Dropbox say their application is like having a “magic pocket.”  We don’t know about all that, but what it is, is pretty cool. There are a lot of online file storage apps available, and most offer pretty much the same thing - a place where you can upload files to back them up, share them, or have them available when you’re online.  What sets Dropbox apart is its ability to automatically sync all your devices, whether they’re PC or Mac, mobile or fixed, so that the files you have on one are the files you have on all.  Think about that for a minute.  If you’ve ever had a device stolen, fried, or dropped in a swimming pool, you’ll see the huge advantage to the sync abilities of Dropbox.  But even barring the need for disaster recovery, the simple convenience of having access to your files anywhere, anytime is worth the price of Dropbox.

Speaking of price, here’s the scoop on Dropbox pricing: Up to 2 GB of space is completely free, and that’s as much as many people will ever need.  If you do want more, a huge step up to the 50 GB plan will only set you back $9.99 a month, and the 100 GB plan is just $19.99 a month.

Features You’ll Love

The basics of Dropbox are enough to make anyone want to use it, but they’re just the beginning of the value.  Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Sync files of any size or type
• Sync files on Windows, Mac, and Linux OS
• Mobile Dropbox for iPhone, iTouch, Blackberry, and coming soon - Android!
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected
• Share files by granting permissions, and see changes instantly
• File undelete capabilities with 30-day undelete history (unlimited undo/undelete on paid plans)

There are a ton more features you’ll love, so check out their features page to get the whole story.  Bottom line on this app is that it has everything you need to keep all your stuff together and access it from all your devices, and that’s more than cool, it’s time and effort-saving, which is critical for entrepreneurs.

Note: We are not affiliates of Dropbox, and this is not a sponsored post.  We just love to pass on great apps when we find them.

Ten Free BlackBerry Apps You Actually Want!

BlackBerry handheld devices give you complete mobility for your business or personal life.  With functioning phone, email, and text messaging you can stay in constant communication with important people no matter where you go.  But simple communication is only the beginning.  BlackBerry devices now have a huge range of software applications (or “apps”) which bring their functionality to a whole new level.

Some of these apps are totally superfluous—and of course there are plenty of games and other time-wasters you can play with, but this is a list of ten BlackBerry phone apps you actually want and will use in your business.  Oh, and they are all FREE:

1.     Viigo  (http://viigo.com/home)

Viigo is basically an RSS reader which has been specifically designed for handheld devices.  It is beautifully designed, easy to install and use, and offers you several options for keeping your different channels organized.  Stay up on your favorite blogs and keep up with breaking news in real time with Viigo.

2.    Twitterberry (http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/)

Twitterberry brings the magic of Twitter to your BlackBerry with convenience and speed.  You can quickly update your own Twitter status, send direct messages, view your friends’ updates exclusively, and view your replies.  Twitter on the go and give the world a play-by-play of your successes in the world of business.

3.    Facebook for Blackberry (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2254487659)

As more people get connected on the world’s largest social networking site, Facebook for Blackberry makes it easy to access the site quickly from any location and  update your status, send a private message, view your own profile (or anyone else’s), invite new friends, and much more.

4.     Opera Mini (http://www.opera.com/mini/)

A full-fledged web browser that is made for your hand-held device, Opera allows for total customization, and the pages are compressed (without compromising graphic appeal) for speedy browsing.

5.     Grid Magic (http://www.simprit.com/free/gridmagic/)

The only free spreadsheet application for BlackBerry, you can quickly launch and begin creating financial or data sheets on the go for your business.

6.     Web Messenger (http://www.webmessenger.com/products/im-all.htm)

A single application that lets you access all your instant messenger accounts in one tool; import your Yahoo!, MSM, AOL, and Skype contacts and have real-time interaction with all your friends and business associates.

7.     BlackBerry Currency Converter (http://m.fxconverter.com/fxlabs_intro.shtml)

Whether traveling for business or doing transactions with overseas clients, the Blackberry currency converter will let you get real-time global information for all major world currencies.

8.    PocketMac (http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmblackberry/index.html)

Just because you have a Mac doesn’t mean you have to have an iPhone.  Many Mac owners love the Blackberry, and now they can sync their desktop or laptop Apple computer with their Blackberry handheld device using this application.

9.    E-Trade Mobile Pro (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/mobile_pro?SC=BR12345&WT.mc_id=BR12345)

Keep an eye on the market and your own portfolio using this handy app from E-Trade.com

10.    Where (http://www.where.com/carriers/BBHH.php)

Where coordinates with your GPS and generates points of local interest—everything from restaurants to state parks.  It generates maps and directions as well as local weather alerts.

BlackBerry has so many amazing functions that anyone can step away from the office and feel confident that they can keep their business running.  Do you have a favorite BlackBerry app that is not on this list?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Top 10 Twitter Apps

The internet is all a’twitter about Twitter.com. If you’re still not using this service, then you are missing out on daily opportunities to meet people and make connections; promote your business; and stay on top of news and information as it happens around the world. Twitter itself is a simple website that allows you to register as an individual user and follow other users with similar interests. As people update their Twitter accounts, you are notified via the web or wireless network.

This is a disarmingly simple tool that can be used to reach thousands of people within seconds when earth-shattering news occurs. Faster than a blog, freer than a news network, Twitter is for people who want to know what is going on NOW.

To make the Twitter experience more enjoyable, a whole new set of applications have cropped up to be integrated with your Twitter account. Here are my picks for the top 10 best Twitter apps right now:

1) Twhirl

This free desktop client lets you follow live Twitter updates while you work all day. What makes Twhirl so awesome is its versatility. It can be used on both Windows and Mac platforms, and it connects to multiple accounts so that you can use simultaneously monitor your Twitter, Iaconi.ca, Friendfeed and seesmic accounts.

2) Tweetr

This handy tool allows you to send files to your Twitter friends simply by dragging them on to the application. Tweetr automatically uploads your file or picture and provides you with a shortened link that you can send out to your network.

3) Twitsay

Let’s you record a voice message and broadcast it via your Twitter account. Great for making big announcements!

4) Twittai

This is a mobile phone client that is compatible with over 200 mobile phone types, making it one of the most popular of all the Twitter apps.

5) Twits Like Me

Enter your Twitter username on this site and it will analyze your recent tweets and then suggest other Twitterers that you may be interested in following.

6) Twitterlight

This app lets you highlight text on your screen and automatically submit it to Twitter along with a shortened copy of the URL of the page where you found it.

7) Twitgraph

Analyze your Twitter usage by simply entering your user name. You’ll be given graphs that tell all kinds of valuable information about your tweets, including most commonly used words and an overview of your daily tweet volume.

Group Tweet

Allows you to make a protected Twitter group so you can discuss private information with multiple people without anyone else seeing them; useful for co-workers, close friends, or families.

9) Twitxtr

This handy app lets you take photos on your phone and then automatically post them to Twitter as well as your other photo sharing accounts like Flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

10) Straw Poll

You can never have enough polls! Actually, this can be a really great way to do quick, informal market surveys and get feedback from your followers about your site or your business. It’s easy to use, and fun for your followers to be able to make their opinions known.

Are you following Blogtrepreneur on Twitter yet?

Whether you’re new to this platform, or a Twitter Veteran you are sure to find Twitter apps to suit your specific needs and interests. More and more apps come out every day, so look for our revised list in the future. What do you think? Are you using any specific Twitter apps that you think belong on our Top Ten list?