- Types of Web-Based Apps
- Web-Based Applications on the Front Line
- Why Web? Reason Number One: Collaboration
- Why Web? Reason Number Two: Universal Access
- Why Web? Reason Number Three: Integration
- Why Web? Reason Number Four: Disaster Prevention and Recovery
- Choosing the Right Web-Based Applications for Your Needs
Web-Based Applications on the Front Line
To get a front-line perspective on how web-based applications are used in business, I interviewed a long-time web-based application user, Ian Soper. Ian is a graphics and web designer based in the Washington, DC area who has been using web-based applications since 2004 (full disclosure: we go back a long way[md]he's my son).
Ian estimates that he uses web-based applications for more than 95 percent of the management of his business, projects, and client contacts. He relies on the following products:
- Project Management: Basecamp. Basecamp's developer, 37signals (), is among the pioneers of web-based applications, rolling out its first version of Basecamp in 2004.
- Client Estimating, Invoicing, Payment, Reporting: Cashboard
- Online Review and Proofing: ProofHQ
- Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations: GoogleDocs
- File Sharing: Dropbox
- Online Backup: Backblaze
- Calendar: Google Calendar
- Marketing Analysis: Google Analytics
- Email: Google Mail (gmail)
- Communication and information distribution: Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook