Looking for a simple and effective way of creating a list or capturing data on your website? Don’t have the technical skills or time necessary to develop a backend database to capture data from an online form? Fortunately you no longer have to as there are several tools that make it extremely easy and convenient to collect data on your site.

If you want your website to work for you then you should also be using it to capture information. Whether this information is a simple contact/feedback form or a poll on your site, it can be an excellent instrument to bring you and your audience closer together.  Most Internet Marketers know the value of creating a list, which if used correctly can be of great value. So if you haven’t yet implemented or discovered the value of a list here are some quick and easy options for you to use on your website.

Google Docs

Here is just one example of the collaborative power of Google Docs. By simply making a spreadsheet you have the option of adding a form which adds all the available columns and provides the HTML code to embed into your website. Then as your audience fills out the form the data gets collected in your Google Docs spreadsheet. Google is also building in some analysis features which will try to give you a better insight to the data collected.

To try a live example of this go to the Thinkworx home page to sign-up to be notified when the new site is available (form powered by Google Docs). I will try to publish a brief tutorial describing the steps to set-up and customize your form. Subscribe to the RSS feed to be sure not to miss it.

• Pros – Completely free, easy to use, no limitations on number of responses, easy data extraction
• Cons – No built in option to customize the format or styles on the form. No form security, limited field types, no payment integration and no automatic notification options.

Wufoo

For your more complex form requirements for more than just building a simple list there are other solutions to make it easy. One of the first that I came across is Wufoo, offering enough features to meet just about any form requirement.

• Pros – Full website integration including available themes or custom CSS and XHTML markup allowed, reporting tools, notification tools and payment integration. Free version option (limited to 3 forms, 10 fields and 100 entries/month)
• Cons – Free and paid models have limitations on entries/month

JotForm

A web based WYSIWIG form builder that’s aimed at making form building easy. Build your form without an code.

• Pros – Unlimited forms for free
• Cons – 100 submissions/month limitation for free account (paid account gets unlimited submissions)

PollDaddy

Recently purchased by Automattic (makers of  the WordPress blogging platform) and aimed at making online polls and surveys as easy as possible.

• Pros – Free account giving you unlimited polls/month with unlimited votes/month, also unlimited survey’s/month limited to 100 responses. Styling customization available with skins or your own CSS.
• Cons – Survey’s are limited in responses relative to program model. Usage is not intended for general forms or list capture.

Does your playlist of favorite podcasts run longer than you have time to dedicate listening to them? If you can get past the chipmunk voices, try increasing the play back speed. You can reduce the play length by up to 20% before it gets too obnoxious.

If you are using a Windows Mobile Device you will not be able to do this with the mobile version of Windows Media player. Try using a media player such as TCPMP (The Core Pocket Media Player).

I have never been a fan of using FTP sites for sharing individual files. Fortunately there some great Web 2.0 alternatives that I recommend the next time you run into this issue:

• drop.io – It doesn’t get any easier than this. You don’t even have to sign-up, just go to the site and drop your item. It even gets better, you don’t even have to go to the site, you can also add items by email, fax, phone or a widget from another site. This seems to be the easiest and best solution for files up to 100 MB, for larger files you are going to need to upgrade your account.
• File Dropper – Need to share larger files? Then head over to File Dropper where you can upload files up to 5 GB for FREE! You can even keep the files up there as long they continue to be downloaded.

What other solutions would you recommend?

My picks for the Security and Utility category are:

OpenDNS – Not sure what what to enter in your DNS network settings? Here is a great solution! OpenDNS is a free DNS server service and much more. Additional you get the option for these features:

• Content Filtering
• Phishing Protection
• Domain Blocking
• Adult Site Blocking
• Web Proxy Blocking
• Domain Whitelisting
• Typo Correction
• Traffic statistics

I have been using it on all networks I manage and have loved having the added security at the DNS level rather just on the router.

Spiceworks – This software is too good to be true, but fortunately it is. This is a wonderful FREE tool to help IT manage a network. Spiceworks will automatically detect and categorize all network attached devices, giving you a powerful tool to not only manage your IT assets, but to also manage licensing, detect server outages or other alerts such as low printer toner or disk space, track recently installed hardware or software and much, much more. It also has a ticketing system to manage IT support requests and gives IT a ton of information about the computer or network to troubleshoot and remotely resolve the issue. There are many similar, less power solutions out there that cost a ton of money. I still can’t believe the power of this tool and yet it is FREE.

OpenID – Finally a potential authentication system that is getting widely adopted across the web to eliminate the need to create site specific user name and passwords. This not only is a wonderful solution for users, that struggle to remember the username and password combination for the hundreds of sites they are registered on, but also for developers who get tired of having to build in a unique authentication system in all of their web applications. There have been many attempts at finding a solution and this seems to be the one offering the most potential. I hope it succeeds.

What are your picks for this category?

In reviewing the list of finalists I can categorize most of the sites into one of the following: Calendaring apps, Task/Project Management, Finance Software, Office apps and Database or List Management. I currently see webware offering the most value in the first three categories (Calendaring, Task Management, Finance Management). Office applications definitely have a future on the web, but we are still in the early stages of their development. These webware tools are still lacking in features and have not bridged the offline dilemma, as a result they do not yet offer a true substitute to their software counterparts.

I have chosen one site from each of the 3 categories where I see the most value:

• Google Calendar – The web is the right place for your calendar and there are several sites offering great calendars. My vote goes for Google Calendar not only for its list of features and smooth interface, but also because I like to have one reference point for as much of my web activity as possible. I was disappointed in the lack of any obvious advantages to the other calendaring apps.
• Mint – I get excited when I find well built webware that can replace the traditional software that I have to load on each computer I use. Mint, a free personal finance software, is a perfect example of this. Extremely easy to use, rich with features and has a beautiful interface. Finally a hope to free myself from Quicken.
• I Want Sandy – This was a new site for me, but considering the site I would have picked for this category, tracks.tra.in, wasn’t a finalist I thought this was an innovative site with a lot of potential. I like the real life metaphor that this site applies of having a personal assistant to help you track tasks, reminders, appointments and to keep organized.

Reviewing the list of finalists is a great introduction to what is happening with webware. A couple sites that I was disappointed to not see as a finalist are:

• Plaxo – Great synchronization tool for all your online and offline sources
• tracks.tra.in – Task management site based on the GTD methodology
• Tripit.com – Helpful trip management site that builds all your travel plans into a single itinerary

What are your Webware 100 picks and what sites do you think are missing?

I rediscovered a very useful tool that I started using a couple of years ago, but have since stopped tracking their new developments. A tool that I would think that anybody using multiple tools and services such as Outlook, Gmail or other new Web 2.0 services would want to take advantage of. I’m talking about Plaxo which many began using to synchronize Outlook calendars and contacts between multiple computers. Now this tool goes much beyond by allowing you to also synchronize with Google, Hotmail/Windows Live, Windows Mobile, AOL, Mac OS X and others.

One of the benefits it offers for those using Outlook 2003 is the ability to add iCal calendars. New Web 2.0 services typically offer this format. Using Plaxo with Outlook 2003 I can add my TripIt.com calendar so that I don’t have to manually enter flight details and I can add my tasks with deadlines from my tracks.tra.in iCal into my Outlook calendar.

Plaxo has made it back to my radar as one of my recommended must have Web 2.0 services.

So to start-off, I use a Palm Treo 750v running Windows Mobile 5.0, and despite the many negative comments that I often hear in the tech world about the Windows Mobile platform, I am actually a strong advocate for it! Especially when used in the corporate environment with MS Exchange mail server. Despite this, the features I will discuss are not specific to the Windows Mobile platform and are common to all smartphones.

Entertainment

The day begins as my phone’s alarm clock struggles to get me out of bed, it often takes all four alarms prior to bringing me to complete consciousness. As I head off by foot to the Pinerolo train station I use my phone listen to a few of my favorite mp3s or a new audio book that help quicken my step. Every morning I have a one hour commute to Torino, during which time my smartphone helps me put smart use to my time and makes the trip more enjoyable. Besides allowing me to keep a large library of eBooks and other reading material always at hand, I also use the phone as a productivity tool.

Staying Up-To-Date

The key to being able to get the full benefits out of your smartphone is to also have with it a data service plan. Fortunately here in Italy we have an extend implementation of 3G cellular service and thanks to Vodafone’s data plan I enjoy mobile connectivity just about everywhere (besides when skiing in the Alps where I have to compromise with a GPRS connection will riding up the ski lift). With this connection I can now synchronize with my mail server to get my work email and calendar events or open a web browser to check my gmail and Google Calendar. I then review my list of activities which I track using a wonderful GTD tool: tracks.tra.in, which I keep synchronizing to my phone using the NewsCopier mobile rss feed reeder (thanks to John Jonas for this tip). As I think of other tasks or memos for the day I can post them to my GTD list tool by either sending an SMS or email to my tracks.tra.in account (the message syntax allows you to also directly assign the task to a context or project).

Getting Around

Now that I am up-to-date with the day’s activities I can do some quick project research browsing the web, including finding the store hours and phone number for a shop to wax my snowboard using a Google local search. Since I am not from Torino I often find it handy to have a map or in my case Google Maps. Using the new Google Maps 2.0 I can locate myself on the map even without connecting my GPS antenna. This is especially useful when traveling by foot, however when driving I connect the GPS antenna to the phone and TomTom navigator gets me where I am going.

Being Productive

Finally I can then use my smartphone as a productivity tool allowing me to work on files, respond to emails and follow my favorite podcasts and take notes while listening (mobile OneNote allows you to take notes on your phone and have them synchronized to your PC). Activating the WordPress feature to post by email makes it easy to write and post blog articles from your phone. Finally, if you are a real road warrior you can use the phone has a broadband modem for your laptop (be aware that some data plans may bill separately when using the phone as a modem. You don’t want to get stuck with an $85,000 phone bill as this Canadian man did).

So how do you use your smartphone?

• Expression Web – Design tool to create modern, standards-based sites
• Expression Blend – Design tool to create engaging web-connected experiences for Windows
• Expression Design – Illustration and graphic design tool
• Expression Media – Asset management tool to visually catalog and organize all your digital assets

These products, plus a new site about design at Microsoft make it clear that Microsoft is trying to get serious about design. Clearly none of these applications are revolutionary, making it difficult for them to compete against industry favorites such as Adobe, but it will be interesting to see how much of the market they can win over. Without releasing a Mac compatible version I don’t see them going behond standard home users.