Here is a great collection of Useful Web Apps for Freelance Web Designers to help you increase your productivity.
In software engineering, a web application or webapp is an application that is accessed via a web browser over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. Web applications are popular due to the ubiquity of web browsers, and the convenience of using a web browser as a client, sometimes called a thin client. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for their popularity, as is the inherent support for cross-platform compatibility. Common web applications include webmail, online retail sales, online auctions, wikis and many other functions.
Here’s a great starting compilation of web apps that every web developer, designer and freelancer should consider.
This listing was originally posted on InstantShift
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Project/Task Management Applications
Basecamp
Project2Manage
Smartsheet
Staction
Remember the Milk
5pm
Huddle
Action Method
Subernova
Task.fm
Calendars and Time Tracking Applications
Backpack
Google Calendar
Harvest
Ta-da List
RescueTime
Tickspot
Freckle
Invoicing Applications
The Invoice Machine
Freshbooks
Blinksale
Intuit Billing Manager
Ballpark
Zoho Invoice
SimplyInvoices
Financial/Accounting Applications
LessAccounting
Mint
Wesabe
QuickBooks
Xero
Pulse
Work etc.
Geezeo
Payment Applications
PayPal
Google Checkout
Document Storage and File Management Applications
Box.net
Dropbox
Google Docs
Zoho Writer
Drop.io
Upload Robots
Social Networking Applications
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Campfire
Co-op
Elance
e-Mail Marketing Applications
MailChimp
CampaignMonitor
iContact
Communication Applications
Skype
Vonage
Gizmo5
Jott
Jajah
VOIPStunt
RingCentral
Meebo
Client Contact and Feedback Applications
Wufoo
PollDaddy
Concept Feedback
GetSatisfaction
SurveyMonkey
Web Analytics Applications
Google Analytics
Clicky
StatCounter
Woopra
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Applications
Highrise
Gist
SugarCRM
Bidsketch
Security and Privacy Applications
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
SpamSieve
Escrow
Cloudmark
Online Portfolio and Resume Applications
Behance
Carbonmade
Raveal
deviantART
Qfolio
Hard Drive Backup Applicationss
Mozy
iDrive
Project/Task Management Applications
Basecamp
Basecamp is online project management software. People can create, manage and communicate tasks, files and to-do lists. Basecamp offers a way to improve project communication. Use it to keep your teammates and clients informed about what’s going on with your projects. With a focus on simplicity and communication, it’s an enjoyable tool to use. Basecamp is not the most extended project management tools but it is one of the easiest to use. Which is important because you’re clients might be first-time users.
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Project2Manage
This online project management system that allows you to stay up-to-date on task and connect with your team. It provides with a huge list of features including messages, to-do lists, reminders, file management, iCal support etc. It enables you to add unlimited clients and users to each project. You can also create documents using its Spot2Jot feature and then share it with all your connections.
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Smartsheet
Smartsheet allows you to track and manage work in familiar smartsheet and calendar views. You can also upload files, track discussions, and share online with co-workers, clients, contractors, vendors etc. Using smartsheet you can set reminders and receive notifications when things change, generate filtered reports across all the work you manage and instantly find anything you’re tracking using search.
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Staction
Staction is a simple, but advanced way for groups of people to keep eachother up to date on the work they’re doing. How can you talk about project management without mentioning Basecamp? It’s really set a standard, and a high bar. Staction isn’t a me-too app. It’s not fixing what’s broken with Basecamp, -it’s a different way of looking at how groups get work done. Basecamp is about the project, and about the granular nugget of information. Staction is about the aerial view. With Basecamp you’re in the trenches. With Staction, you’re in the clouds. Of course we think it’s better, -or we wouldn’t have bothered to build it.
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Remember the Milk
Managing tasks is generally not a fun way to spend your time. Remember The Milk helps you so that you no longer have to write your to-do lists on sticky notes, whiteboards, random scraps of paper, or the back of your hand. Remember The Milk makes managing tasks an enjoyable experience. Remember the Milk has more features and looks nicer than most of its competitors. The many features of the service makes it also a bit more complicated than for example ta-da list.
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5pm
5pm is an entirely web based project management solution that is designed to effortlessly manage projects of varying complexities. 5pm displays an intuitive approach to the complicated task of project management, allowing its users to seamlessly handle users and groups across projects with minimum effort. It boasts of an interface that can be easily customized and has a stylish timeline view.
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Huddle
Huddle is a network of Online workspaces that brings project management software, online collaboration and document sharing together. Huddle gives you simple, secure online workspaces containing powerful project and collaboration tools. Huddle is hosted, there’s no software to download and it’s free to get started.
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Action Method
There are too many ideas in the world, and not enough action. Without organization and productivity, brilliant ideas never happen. Action Method Online is a radically different approach to productivity, designed to simplify project management and life.
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Subernova
Subernova makes you more productive by taking the stress out of remembering important details of your projects, lets you track your time, collaborate with team mates or clients and keeps your business smooth by keeping tabs on your invoices, deadlines and more.
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Task.fm
Task.fm is a really simple reminder and task management tool. Use task.fm to create reminders that can be delivered via sms, email or voice call. Task.fm is smart enough to understand your natural language so you don’t need to bother entering dates or times manually. Instead, just type something like “meeting with bob next Tuesday at noon” and we will pick out the date, time and event automatically. You can create reminders on the task.fm site, through email or Twitter.
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Calendars and Time Tracking Applications
Backpack
Backpack is an easy intranet for your business. Very easy to setup and use service that integrates to-do lists, notes, files, images, and a calendar with reminders that can be sent to your email or cell. Safe and secure. The main difference between Backpack and other competing applications, such as Google Apps, is the lack of functionality available with the free version. Backpack isn’t quite as generous when it comes to free functionality so, unless you are willing to hand over your credit card information, you won’t be experiencing the full features. The free features that are available, such as the calender and writeboard functions, do work well, but they are the very least of what could be expected from such a product and nothing worth writing home about.
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Google Calendar
It’s a free online calendar powered by Google, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place. It helps you to organize your schedule and share events with friends, so you’ll always know exactly what you need to be working on.
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Harvest
Harvest lets you and your staff track time, log expenses, and create invoices in one simple, integrated workflow. Set yourself or your team up on Harvest in just a few minutes, and instantly start tracking time and expenses. Use the Harvest graphical reports to see the distribution of your company’s resources in a visual, intuitive way. Quickly create an invoice, and with just a single click, bill your client. You’ll see your revenue come in faster with Harvest. Give Harvest a try and improve your business today.
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Ta-da List
Ta-da List is the web’s easiest to-do list tool. Make lists for yourself or share them with others. It couldn’t be simpler. When you’re busy with lots of projects, it can be hard to keep track of what you’ve accomplished. Make web-based ta-da lists for yourself or other people, then share them and check items off as you go.
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RescueTime
RescueTime is a web-based time management and analytics tool for knowledge workers who want to be more efficient and productive. The best way to get a sense of how it works for you or your team is to sign up (for free!). You’ll be up and running in a minute or two. Not yet ready to give it a try? View one of the tour videos or scroll down for some feature screenshots.
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Tickspot
Tick is a simple and friendly time tracking application focused on helping you hit your budgets. In the service industry your hours are your inventory. Lose track of them—they spoil. Hit your budgets—move more inventory. Tick gives you the information you need, when you need it.
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Freckle
Freckle is a time tracking application. It is designed for real people who do real work. Freckle helps you see the big picture: which days have you been working? How much, and on what? Is all that time billable time? What are your teammates and employees doing?
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Invoicing Applications
The Invoice Machine
The Invoice Machine takes a new clever approach to online invoicing. It’s beautiful and simple-to-use interface makes producing professional looking invoices a very pleasant experience.
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Freshbooks
Very popular and first choice. freshbooks deliver fast and simple invoicing and time tracking services that help you manage your business. freshbooks believes running a business is hard enough. We believe financial record keeping should be easy, fast, (and perhaps even fun), but still detailed enough to satisfy your accountant.
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Blinksale
Blinksale is perfect for anyone who needs to invoice clients for services or products sold. Blinksale is an excellent choice for attorneys, accountants, designers, IT professionals, software developers, journalists, contractors, engineers, architects, videographers, and more. Basically, if you need to send invoices, Blinksale can work for you.
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Intuit Billing Manager
Intuit Billing Manager is the fast, easy, FREE way to manage your invoicing online. Use the Billing Manager web site to create customized, professional invoices, send them by email and track payment history and status — all on one place. Spend less time on your paperwork and more time on your customers.
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Ballpark
Using Ballpark is going to be your daily bottom of the ninth, full count, walk-off home run moment of invoice zen. It makes it easier than ever to collaboratively send invoices and estimates, keep track of current and future projects, and compress all those email threads into one coherent conversation. Equally useful for teams of one, ten, or one hundred, it’s built for everyone from freelancers to glossy agencies. You’ll feel more organized from start to finish.
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Zoho Invoice
Zoho Invoice has gained the loyalty and trust of companies and the individuals around the world by providing a feature-rich and user friendly interface. Quickly, easily send elegantly formatted invoices and quotes to your clients. Track invoices, send reminders, accept payments online and acknowledge receipts.
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SimplyInvoices
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to invoice your Basecamp time, Simply Invoices is worth a look.
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Financial/Accounting Applications
LessAccounting
LessAccounting is a small business accounting software. After logging into Less Accounting, the dashboard is your home page. From the dashboard you can see an expense overview, chart cash flow, see which invoices haven’t been paid and see what expenses need to be paid. Allows you to track expenses and send Invoices & Proposals (html and pdf, download pdfs). Tracking expenses is easy with nightly bank data aggregation. Includes iPhone application and integration to a wide range of popular business applications.
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Mint
Mint does what most people hate to do manage their money intelligently and that too free of cost. It saves people from spending hundreds of dollars on hiring finance professionals to understand where they spent their money and the hours one spends wondering where all the hard-earned money disappeared. Once a person sets up his or her Mint account, the site collates their bank account data and credit card data, processes it, and displays the financial state in an intuitive and easy-to-understand manner. What’s more is that Mint does not just provide the user with the vanilla savings and spending balance sheet; it gives them excellent insights on how to manage their money.
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Wesabe
Wesabe is part money management tool, part community. Wesabe gives you the tools and the insights to take control of your finances. See all your bank and credit card balances in one place and learn ways to get ahead.
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QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online is your source for online accounting software that is more than accounting software! It’s an easy- to-use, online version of America’s most popular accounting software. And your accounting is free with our free trial of QuickBooks Online; it’s a great way to manage the online accounting of a new business. And our accounting versions are so feature-rich they’re an excellent way to take care of all your accounting online, without the need to install accounting software on your computer.
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Xero
Xero is an online accounting system designed for small businesses and their advisors. It’s simple, smart and secure. It really is one of the best ways to keep all of your finance and invoicing in check.
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Pulse
Pulse is the easy way to manage your cash flow online, allowing you to quickly manage and evaluate your income and expenses. Pulse empowers you to make decisions. While other accounting tools let you track your financials, they don’t give you the ability to make the tough day to day decisions that happen when running a small business.
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Work etc.
Worketc run your entire business originally came from a small, but rapidly expanding web design business. As business owners, worketc quickly realized how challenging growth is and set about putting in place the systems and processes that would allow our little business to become a big business.
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Geezeo
Geezeo is a leading software services provider for banks and credit unions. We help organizations engage their base, reach new markets, and increase wallet share. Their primary focus is to provide services and technologies that enable the clients to activate their target audiences—to participate in sound financial decision making, engage in community discussions, take advantage of relevant products and services, and create a more valuable customer experience.
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Payment Applications
PayPal
PayPal allows any business or consumer with an email address to securely, conveniently and cost-effectively send and receive payments online. PayPal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as cheques and money orders. A PayPal account can be funded with an electronic debit from a bank account or by a credit card. The recipient of a PayPal transfer can either request a check from PayPal, establish their own PayPal deposit account or request a transfer to their bank account. PayPal is an example of a payment intermediary service that facilitates worldwide e-commerce.
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Google Checkout
Google Checkout is an online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases. Users store their credit or debit card and shipping information in their Google Account, so that they can purchase at participating stores at the click of a button. Google Checkout also offers fraud protection, as well a unified page for tracking purchases and their status.
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Document Storage and File Management Applications
Box.net
Box.net is a better solution for file transfer than FTP because it allows your business to quickly and easily transfer files to clients, host files for work group collaboration, or simply act as a secondary backup space for important files. There are no set up costs, no equipment to manage, no software: just instant, secure file management.
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Dropbox
Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and, share files online. There’s no complicated interface to learn. Dropbox works seamlessly with your operating system and automatically makes sure your files are up-to-date. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
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Google Docs
Google Docs is Google’s online office suite application. It allows you to read and write documents, spreadsheets and presentations. In this review we will be concentrating on the word processing functions. Google’s aim is to use their online Docs applications to compete with computer based office suites. An online environment can offer certain advantages in this respect. When using an online application, your files are all automatically stored to Google’s web servers and automatically saved at regular intervals. This means that if your own computer’s hard drive crashes, you will still have your files available online.
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Zoho Writer
Zoho Writer easily share your documents online, with friends on an individual basis and in group. Collaborate on them in real time. It allows you to access and edit existing documents even without an internet connection. Offline document edits will be synchronized when you are online. It provides a nice way of sharing documents with the whole world. Make use of Zoho Writer’s feature rich WYSIWYG editor for publishing your documents to blog.
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Drop.io
Drop.io is an easy to use, online collaboration and file sharing service that provides users with a simple, real time and private way to chat and share images, video, audio, documents and other digital content through unique, user-created and controlled sharing points called ‘drops’.
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Upload Robots
Upload Robots is just like a thumb drive, but it’s on the internet so you’ll never misplace or damage your files. In seconds you can upload, store, download, share and access all of your files online. It is free, simple to use, easy to understand, quick and incredibly useful way to upload a file from your computer and share it with your friends and colleagues.
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Social Networking Applications
Twitter
Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications.
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LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. LinkedIn has more than 50 million users worldwide, of which approximately half are in the United States. 11 million are from Europe. With 3 million users, India is the fastest-growing country as of 2009. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.
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Facebook
Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college. The website’s name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better.
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Campfire
Campfire is like instant messaging, but designed exclusively for groups. Share text, files, and code in real time. Save transcripts so you don’t forget. Campfire is a web-based group chat tool that lets you set up password-protected chat rooms in just seconds. Invite a client, colleague, or vendor to chat, collaborate, and make decisions. Link to a room on your intranet for internal communications.
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Co-op
Co-op makes it easy to stay connected with your co-workers without disrupting them. Your team can use it to post updates, ask questions, share links, and track time. Quickly share your daily agenda with your co-workers. Quickly scan your co-workers’ agendas. Then cancel your daily status meetings!
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Elance
Elance, where companies find, hire, manage and pay contractors online, is transforming the way businesses get work done. On Elance, companies gain instant access to 100,000 rated and tested professionals who offer technical, marketing and business expertise. With well over $200m in earnings to date, independent professionals use Elance to meet clients and get paid for delivering great results.
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e-Mail Marketing Applications
MailChimp
MailChimp is a web-based email marketing software that is extremely easy to use, customizable and easily integrates with Twitter and Facebook, WordPress, Salesforce and even PayPal. MailChimp was also recently named one of the top-rated eMail marketing tools by Mashable and has an impressive list of heavyweight clients including Canon, Business Week, Firefox and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
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CampaignMonitor
Campaign Monitor is a Web-based email marketing program aimed specifically at Web designers and agencies which makes subscriber management and mail delivery incredibly easy and also providing valuable reports on every aspect of the campaign.
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iContact
iContact is a leading provider of web-based software that improves the efficiency of marketing communication for businesses and organizations. Its a permission-based email marketing service that allows businesses to easily create, send, and track permission-based email newsletters and surveys.
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Communication Applications
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.
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Vonage
Vonage phone service offers unlimited local, long distance and amazingly low rates to call worldwide, over a clear, reliable connection. Vonage VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is so easy to use and inexpensive, even the tech-nervous can handle the switch.
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Gizmo5
Gizmo5 has been recently acquired by Google. Gizmo5 provides Internet-based calling software for mobile phones and computers.
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Jott
Jott.com is a voice to text service that allows users to send emails and text messages, set reminders, organize lists and post to web services with their voice. Once an account has been set up, users access the service by calling an easy-to-remember toll-free number. The speech to text technology being used by Jott is without equal, allowing them to offer a number of capabilities that have never been possible before. The site has 3 membership levels, with the Basic level being free and ad-supported. Registration is required to use the site.
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Jajah
Jajah is an innovative and customer-friendly VoIP service that facilitates its users to make long distance calls at the cheapest rates, without necessitating them to buy any headphones, microphones or installing any software. The application allows its users to connect two standard traditional phones, and both local as well as international calls can be set up through it. To access this application, users need nothing except a standard website connection. In order to avail its services, users are required to simply plug-in their phone numbers along with the numbers they wish to dial, and get connected within seconds.
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VOIPStunt
VoipStunt is a free program that uses the latest technology to bring free and high-quality voice communications to people all over the world. When you use the free VoipStunt software, you can call regular phones in various popular destinations for free or call at an incredible low rate to any other phone on the planet.
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RingCentral
Get your toll free number from the Industry leader in hosted phone services. Virtual PBX, hosted voice mail, internet fax features included!
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Meebo
Meebo lets you use multiple instant messaging platforms from an online application. This means you can use your favorite instant messaging program from a public computer or on a mobile phone. Meebo has all the features you would expect but on top of that they have one unique function. Meebo automatically saves all your message history. So when you log in after a week you can still check your old conversations. This really sets it apart from the other applications.
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Client Contact and Feedback Applications
Wufoo
Wufoo is an internet based application which makes it really simple to create stunning and fully functional online web based forms. Wufoo takes care of everything when you’re building forms. It creates the database, and all of the scripts that are required to collect the information from your users. Wufoo hosts all the forms which means it’s really easy to collect information; you don’t need to know anything complicated or even upload the form to your website. This means that it takes a matter of minutes to complete your forms. Wufoo not only makes it easy to create forms, but it also has some great reporting features.
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PollDaddy
With polldaddy you can start creating surveys in minutes. Survey your users, customers or staff to find out what they think about your services and products and get a quick feedback via polls. Our survey product provides a suite of powerful tools to help you dig deep into the data you collect.
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Concept Feedback
Conceptfeedback.com is a site that allows users to post a concept (new or redesigned website, logo, advertising campaign, etc.) and obtain feedback from other professionals in the design and marketing industries. In order to use the service for free, users must review 5 concepts posted by others before they may post their own concept. This provides incentive for users to provide feedback. Users have a Reputation on the site, which is based on their amount of participation.
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GetSatisfaction
GetSatisfaction is a new type of customer service where customers can discuss problems between themselves and also get them solved by company employees. It’s a great solution for the difficult problem solving activities that many businesses face, and can even be used to build relationships with your customers. One of the best things about get satisfaction is that even though it attracts some very big names like Apple it’s still completely free to use, it’s free to ask, and free to answer both for businesses and individuals.
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SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a tool which can be used to build online surveys with ease. Building and compiling a survey can be quite complicated, especially if you want the results to be collected over the internet. However thanks to SurveyMonkey this is now really easy. SurveyMonkey makes it really easy for you to design your survey and you can collect responses using a number of different types of questions, including drop down answers, and tick boxes among others.
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Web Analytics Applications
Google Analytics
Google Analytics (abbreviated GA) is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. Google Analytics makes it easy to improve your results online. Write better ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives, and create higher-converting websites. Google Analytics is free to all advertisers, publishers, and site owners.
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