Networking Tools

Written by Gregg Henglein Illustration by Marcello Bortolino | Added: 29.07.2010, 11:25

Doodle

If you’ve ever experienced the problem of co-ordinating meetings, Doodle is your saviour. Not flashy but easy to navigate, the planner creates an event and possible days and times it could occur. The possibilities are then sent to all invitees, who click the times that work for them so the planner can set the time that suits most people. The lack of flashy invitation templates makes Doodle better for business or study meetings than for a party, but from a strictly functional standpoint it will work for any get-together. Premium Doodle US$28 for one year.
www.doodle.com

LinkedIn & XING

In 2003, LinkedIn built upon social networking popularity to forge the ground of professional networking. With more than 70 million registered users across 200 countries, LinkedIn relies on users setting up an initial contact network that grows exponentially when their own contact list grows. A top feature is, when viewing a hiring manager, the user is notified which of their existing contacts can facilitate an introduction. Competitor XING has much the same focus, its top draw being a special Ambassador programme in major cities. These ambassadors hold local events that promote the use of social networking as a business tool.
LinkedIn Business Plus, US$49.95 a month
Premium Membership from US$6 a month
www.linkedin.com, www.xing.com

Talkbiznow

On the heels of LinkedIn’s success comes Talkbiznow.com, essentially a social networking site with a business focus. Promoted as a ‘web-based business community that provides business services for small businesses and professionals’, the site’s objective is to enable networking, collaboration, and promotion online. Founder Martin Warner describes the site as “bringing the fragmented world of business-to-business and professional networking together.” Members can create free advertisements about their business and products, as the site claims to be the first to offer free community advertising. Web conferencing and voice conferencing are popular features as well, handled simply and effectively.
www.talkbiznow.com

WorldCard Mobile

If you are constantly networking, meeting new clients, or attending trade shows, a must-have application is WorldCard Mobile. Using Optical Character Recognition technology, WorldCard lets users take a picture of a business card with their iPhone and have the information automatically entered into their contact list. No more contact cards in rubber bands or misplaced leads that cost you time and money. It’s not just a card snapshot, but information is automatically sorted by name, company, position, address, phone number, email address, and other fields. The app then exports information to the iPhone address book.
Around US$24.95
worldcard.penpowerinc.com

SAP

German software giant SAP has long been praised for its business management software’s deep functionality and analytical abilities, while ease of use has always been considered a drawback. No longer. With the release of its sales force automation suite for the iPhone, SAP made huge strides in this area while maintaining the functionality users crave. The free app loads sales contacts and other customer-account information onto your phone for easy analysis on the move, offering customisation and flexibility similar to that on an iGoogle or myYahoo! page. SAP’s own salespeople urged release for the iPhone ahead of other platforms.
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer for iPhone, free.
www.sap.com

Air Sharing HD (for the iPad)

Praised as one of the iPhone’s top business applications, Air Sharing HD makes a grand leap with Apple’s new iPad. As a document viewer, the roomier screen provides obvious enhancement. Best of all, the app essentially single-handedly makes up for iPad’s lack of a file system – for many the device’s greatest drawback. Wirelessly link the iPad as a drive for your computer – though USB functionality is also supported – and load up the iPad with everything from PDFs to Excel and Word files, ready to be printed or shared at the touch of a button.
Air Sharing HD, Version 1.1 US$12.99
www.avatron.com

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