Software You Didn't Even Know You Needed

Technology has become a huge part of our daily lives, and I am sure you could pretty easily come up with a list of devices or applications that you simply couldn't live without. But with so much technology out there, I'll bet there are programs out there that can make your life easier or more efficient that you never even thought to go searching for. The software surprises listed below will quickly climb to you must have list once you give them a try.

Shorthand Text Expander Software

Ever find yourself typing the same words, phrases or paragraphs repeatedly? Stop typing things over and over again with text expansion software. You might not think much about what you type out all the time, but if you really stop to think about it, I'm sure you could find multiple ways to use keyboard shortcuts that would save you time. Anything from inserting signatures in emails, filling out online forms, and writing long responses to customer questions don't need to be more than a few keystrokes away, instantly improving your typing speed and productivity.

Invoicing Software

Managing invoices is a never-ending process, and if you're doing them all by hand or in Excel you might be spending more time on invoicing than you need to. Invoicing software like Express Invoice allows you to set up automatically recurring invoices, where invoices can be automatically generated and sent as e-mails or faxes from the program. Express Invoice has other time saving features including mobile access, reminders for payments past due and storing item information to eliminate repeat data entry.

Timesheet Software

Another way to make invoicing easier for freelancers and other businesses that charge by the hour is using timesheet software to not only create a timesheet but track the amount of time spent on individual projects or clients.

Automatic FTP Uploading Client

Every web designer already knows that an FTP client is a must, but not all FTP clients are created equal. I personally couldn't live without Fling Automatic FTP Software, which can be used to automatically detect and upload changed files to keep files synchronized. Fling can also be used to upload files from your right click menu, so you can upload a change live without needing to open and browse through your files in the FTP client separately.

File Converter Software

If you've ever had trouble opening up an audio or video file, then you already know how helpful it can be to have a file converter on hand. With Switch Audio Converter, you can convert and compress sound files within minutes of downloading. For video files there is Prism Video Converter, plus Pixillion Image Converter, for images and Doxillion Document Converter to convert document types. Combined these software converters can help you get out of just about any file format compatibility problem.

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A Webmaster's Love Affair with Fling FTP Software

I have a bit of a running joke with Laura, in our office, that I'm having a love affair with our FTP client, Fling, but it is based partly in truth. I really think that it is a very handy little application that does its job exceptionally well. I love it's simplicity. Fling offers such a clean and easy solution for uploading files to our website, it's admirable.

With over 80 software products in total that we make here at NCH, there is a lot of variety to what applications we might be talking about on any given day. But without fail if someone in the office mentions something about Fling, I will undoubtedly say something about how great I think it is, gushing like a girl in love.

I do personally use quite a few of our programs, which we have talked about in the blog before (Do we use our own software?) but Fling is one of the ones that I find myself using the most regularly.

I am one of the few people who reviews changes to our web pages here. After I have looked over a page and I'm ready to have it go live on the website all I have to do is right click on the file and select "Fling Upload." Fling does the rest. It's as simple as that.

It might seem a little silly to say that you are in love with an FTP client, but it's the little things, and even for such a little application I've found Fling to be a very useful and reliable little tool to have in my arsenal. I love Fling for its simplicity. I love how quick it is. I love how accomplished it makes me feel. If only every fling I've ever had had the same qualities.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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