How Would You Improve Search?

Google is growing search market share every day. Whatever happens with Yahoo!, to compete the other search engines are going to have to work very hard to catch up, and it is going to take a lot of creative thinking. New and improved algorithms are not going to cut it.

What would you do to grow your search engine if you were Microsoft?

The latest initiative from Microsoft is “Cashback” that you might have heard about recently. I just heard about it today as I have been a bit out of the loop this week. I benefited in this case from hearing all sides and opinions, and was not swayed by the initial negative reactions as I might have been.

Lot’s of people are talking about how Microsoft are “bribing searchers” but paying out either on the publisher or user side is nothing new online, even Google once did what people are describing in Microsoft’s case as “bribes”. As Danny says

for those scoffing at the idea that Microsoft is so “desperate” that it wants to pay searches, let’s not forget that even the Big G was doing it indirectly through affiliates and continues to do it today through its AdSense For Search program.

Paying for searches seems a smart move. Microsoft has money in the bank and a lot to gain or lose. Why not use some of this cash, especially as when moving products they stand to be able to cream some of this cash back off the advertiser?

As I said above, the algorithm, that is the way the search engine works out what to show you, is not the only answer in search, but is what search engines have traditionally shouted loudest about. Google is often talked about in the same breath as their algo, page rank, etc. Consumers just don’t care that much though. If they get results they hope for and expect they are happy. Do they currently? Depends.

Do the searches Danny mentions in his article above ans you can see the disappointment potential. Search engines need to be smarter in identifying what kind of information is required. If someone is early in the buying cycle, sort of wondering what a “DVD recorder” even is, they might want a Wikipedia page explaining in an over view form about the product and category. On the other hand, if you want to buy a DVD recorder you might search using specifics such as “buy”, “shop”, “store”, “cheap”. Somewhere in the middle there are “reviews” and “advice”, there are a lot of models and features out there, you don’t want to buy the wrong item or get ripped off. Each search and user will have different requirements.

Mahalo aims to do this using humans crafting pages. Much has been said for and against but right now it seems they have a shot no less than the others. Scale and implementation worries aside, perhaps a human being can work out what a searcher is looking for better than a computer? Try it for yourself, I don’t think they are far off, for this search at least.

DVD Burner - Mahalo

So what would you do if you were Microsoft? Is there any beating Google now? Is search even broken in your view? Please share your thoughts in the comments …

Microsoft and Engagement Mapping

Regardless of the outcome of the Yahoo! takeover, it seems Microsoft is going on the offensive in online advertising

“The ‘last ad clicked’ is an outdated and flawed approach because it essentially ignores all prior interactions the consumer has with a marketer’s message,” said Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions (APS) Division at Microsoft. “Our Engagement Mapping approach conveys how each ad exposure — whether display, rich media or search, seen multiple times on multiple sites and across many channels — influenced an eventual purchase. We believe it represents a quantum leap for advertisers and publishers who are seeking to maximize their online spends.”

This is a smart move. What is it all about?

Sales do not often happen as a consequence of the very last ad we see. As consumers we know it is a rare thing indeed. In fact a customer will often have had to be exposed to marketing repeatedly over a period of time before making up their mind.

Current advertising campaign and return on investment tracking tools give all the credit for a purchase to the last ad. This gives the last ad a false image of performance. We say this ad received X% conversion rate, without considering the marketing that lead up to the sale.

What Microsoft are aiming to do is provide a picture of the whole story, where and what the customer saw that lead them to buy. This could well shake up the advertising market.

Of course it will have an even more profound effect if they could add the Yahoo! market share to the mix.

Is this going to be a winner for Microsoft or are they forever doomed to be a niche player? Please share your thoughts in the comments …

Why it is Not Advertising that is Broken, But Advertisers

MouseIf you were reading this article at Techcrunch quickly you might think that advertising is a waste of money. The article reports that a study by comScore reveals some interesting facts about the demographics of ad clickers.

Apparently around half of all the clicks made on ads are generated by only 6% of the total web population. That is an interesting statistic in itself. While we are all familiar with the 80-20% principle, that is extreme.

But really, when you look at your own stats, is it really that surprising that many clicks are “wasted”? A lot of ad clicks are mistakes. Some are curiosity. Many ads are misleading so conversions are poor. People mis target ads or leave ad placement to media buyers who just want to boost their kick back percentage and delegate to low grade staff who don’t know what they are doing, are counting the hours down to clocking off time and certainly don’t care about your campaign.

The news from the survey gets worse:

The average heavy clicker is 25 to 44 years old, earns less than $40,000 a year, spends a lot of time online but not a lot of money online, and likes to frequent auctions, gambling sites and job boards. Sounds like a lot of these heavy clickers are out of work and have nothing to do.

The implication is these people are just idly surfing and have no intention of spending money with you or really taking any notice of what you have to say.

This really isn’t that big a revelation! Really, if you haven’t been measuring ROI then you only have yourself to blame. If you have been measuring ROI you can sit back smug in the knowledge that despite all these conclusions matter not a jot to your bottom line.

If your best campaign strategy is to simply spend money on likely looking sites then you deserve all you get. You do not have to be happy with this default demographic. The targeting tools at your disposal are getting more sophisticated. Microsoft in particular are putting in a lot of effort into demographic targeting. You can do your own research and testing. Of course, that takes more effort than simply lining up a budget and pulling the trigger, which is perhaps where this problem comes from.

The fact is clicks alone are a poor way of tracking campaign success but are an easy metric to fall back on for lazy marketers or unscrupulous agencies. Clicks are not equal to performance but can be argued as if they are.

Clicks are just one metric out of many. When someone clicks they have only taken one desired action in a chain. There is a complete journey from how many see your ad all the way through to those you get to the point of charging their credit card and hopefully being a happy return customer.

Those days of “I know half of my advertising is a waste but I do not know which half” should be long gone. Unfortunately there are still many advertising strategies out there that rely solely on having a fat cheque book.

Is a Microsoft Buy Out Yahoo’s Best Chance for Survival?

There are two sad facts in search today:

  1. Yahoo! has been a great company and done some wonderful things
  2. The “mostly not evil” Google is only increasing their domination of the market, growing to a monopoly

Yahoo! can’t beat Google. Microsoft can’t beat Google. Perhaps, combined they could give them some competition?

Yes, I know this is not an original idea, and there have always been rumors of talks, but looking over past history I think it is time someone on either side really put some thought into it.

Microsoft hasn’t had a great time, what with Vista and Office releases failing to set the world alight and Google eating into their mind share. Yahoo! … well, what good news have they had?

In fact, I am not sure Yahoo!, a company I still root for, couldn’t have created worse PR if they had tried.

Yahoo! owns some great properties, such as Flickr, plus can still claim brilliant staff, such as the Zonetag team. Between them they have potential to give them a platform within reach of owning half of search (combined they would start with roughly 40% of search traffic). Microsoft is more and more looking to web delivery of software and services so the old arguments of “desktop software versus web services” is becoming less of an issue.

What do you think?

Freelancer’s Hyper-Drive: 131 Productivity Boosters for Email, Instant Messaging, Word, Excel, and More

Freelancers often have to wear many hats: accountant, boss, quality control, marketing department, and beyond, which can leave you feeling like there’s just not enough time in the day to do everything you’d like. Fortunately, there are a number of tools designed to help you speed up the process of working. Check out these productivity boosters for documents, communications, and more.

Email

Email itself is a productivity tool, but it often turns into a monster task that must be tackled. These tools will help you tame your inbox.

  1. ClearContext: If you have a hard time getting through email you’d rather ignore to get to the good stuff, ClearContext is about to make your life a lot easier. This information management system prioritizes your email, organizing it and assigning color codes. You’ll be able to identify your most important senders and let newsletters or less important senders get pushed down below your VIPs.
  2. Mail Templates: If you often reply to a number of emails on on the same few subjects, consider creating template responses for each one. You’ll save time and be consistent.
  3. copy2calendar: Appointment setting doesn’t have to be a time consuming process. With copy2calendar, you can automatically convert text containing appointment information into calendar entries.
  4. Actioneer: Use actioneer to speed up your Outlook actions like appointments, tasks, contacts, and mail messages.
  5. TimeToMeet: Arrange meetings quickly in Google, iCal, or Outlook using this easy program.
  6. Conversation Preview: Gmail users can view the first few lines of an email with Conversation Preview, even while they’re still in the message list view.
  7. iGTD: Mac users can take advantage of iGTD, a tool that organizes tasks straight out of your inbox and saves a link to the original email.
  8. CSV Exporter: Use CSV Exporter to import your address book contacts into Gmail.
  9. FlipMail: For email on the go, sign up with Teleflip’s FlipMail, a service that forwards email as a text message to your phone.
  10. Chilibase: Don’t spend 20 minutes trying to find that email Bob sent a month ago. Use Chilibase to see complete conversations from your contacts with a single click.
  11. l8r: If you’re working at 2AM but prefer that your client thinks you keep normal hours, you can use l8r to delay sending messages until a specified time. You can also use it to schedule emails that you know you’ll send, like reminders.
  12. SpamSieve: No one likes spam, especially when you have to wade through it to get to important emails. Combat this junk mail with SpamSieve, a program that zaps spam out of your inbox.
  13. Copernic Summarizer: If you find yourself wishing that your email correspondents would just get to the point, Copernic can lend you a helping hand. This tool summarizes mail messages and other documents, highlighting key concepts and sentences.
  14. Saved Searches: Check out this user script that allows you to save searches you’ll need to access frequently.
  15. Gmail Loader: If you’ve switched to Gmail, but still need to access your archives without going back and forth to your old email provider, check out Gmail Loader. It imports existing emails to your Gmail inbox so you’ll have easy access.
  16. Office Outlook Forum: Get quick answers to your pressing Outlook questions on this forum.
  17. emailStripper: To quickly get rid of email clutter that accumulates in long back-and-forth conversations, use emailStripper. Just paste your email into the tool, and it will clean up all extraneous characters.
  18. MailTags 2.0: This plugin for Mail.app allows you to add keywords and notes to your messages for quick retrieval.
  19. GmailThis: Send web pages quickly to anyone using GmailThis. The tool makes it easy to instantly send a message with a URL attached through Gmail.
  20. Getting Things Done Add-in: Productivity Leader David Allen has created an add-in that allows you to better accomplish his recommended workflow methodology.
  21. Microsoft Office Outlook Team Blog: Find out how to improve formatting, get rid of junk mail, organize, and more by reading the MSDN Outlook blog.
  22. Gmail Manager Add-on: Firefox users can take advantage of this Gmail add-on that displays email data at the bottom of your browser. This tool can show information from multiple Gmail accounts and is easy to customize.
  23. 10 Minute Mail: Save your real email for clients and other important people with 10 Minute Mail. This service allows you to sign up for a temporary email address that’s great for forums and other sign up forms that you think might sell your address to spammers.
  24. AmikaFreedom: Receiving email on your mobile device is convenient, but sometimes, you’re hit with an information overload. Use AmikaFreedom to trigger emails to forward to your wireless device when specified key words and phrases are used.
  25. Destroy beacons: Beacons are small images embedded in spam emails that, when downloaded by your email client, let spammers know they’ve got a hit. Avoid advertising your email in this way by blocking images from anyone not in your address book.
  26. Take Back Your Life Add-in: Get organized with templates, appointment prompts, and more functionality tools from Sally McGhee.
  27. Fuser: Use Fuser to consolidate your email accounts into one central place.
  28. ActiveWords: If you hate switching back and forth from Word to Outlook just to look up a contact, you’ll love ActiveWords. This tool makes Outlook “hot” in any Windows application, which allows you to look up contacts from a number of different programs.

Instant Messaging

IMs are a convenient communication tool, and there are a number of ways to improve their functionality. Read on to find out how you can share documents, schedule meetings, and send SMS messages using IMs.

  1. Acronyms: Use texting and chatroom acronyms to get your point across in fewer keystrokes. Of course, remember your audience: if you’re speaking to a client, you’ll need to tone down on the netspeak.
  2. Meebo: Share files with your contacts using Meebo’s IM.
  3. IMified: Access lots of web apps from one place using IMified.
  4. TodoBot: By setting up your own TodoBot, you can IM to do list items to yourself.
  5. Gaim: Use Gaim to chat on a number of instant messaging platforms at the same time.
  6. MyCyberTwin: Let a chatbot answer your IMs while you’re away.
  7. gTalk Sidebar: Firefox users can add on Google Talk as a sidebar, so you can chat while surfing web pages.
  8. AOL Mobile: With AOL Mobile, you can send a text message to SMS-enabled phones using the AOL Instant Messenger.
  9. Merge IM Contacts: Check out Lifehacker’s lowdown on how to get your AIM, MSN, Yahoo! and other contacts on Google Talk.

Word

For most users, Word is a fairly simple tool to use, but when you’re drowning in lots of documents, revisions, and lots of editing, it can be a mess. Clean it up with these Word boosters.

  1. Word Hyperlink Checker: Use this tool to make sure that all of the links in your Word document are active.
  2. Word Hotkeys: Check out this guide to find hotkey codes for common tasks.
  3. Boiler: Avoid excessive copying and pasting when combining Word files. Mesh multiple Word Files into one central file using Boiler.
  4. Save as PDF: With this tool, you can save any Word document as a PDF for easy reading.
  5. RapidoWrite: RapidoWrite makes it easy to cut down on repetitive text. Check it out for a good text replacement utility.
  6. Microsoft Office Word Team Blog: Check out the MSDN Word blog for tips, news, and more from Microsoft.
  7. Recover Lost Files: This guide offers tips for recovering Word files that would otherwise be lost forever.
  8. Fore Words Pro: Analyze your words for word echoes, differences, and more.
  9. Turn Off Word Features: For tips on how to turn off annoying and unnecessary Word features, be sure to take a look at this guide.
  10. Compare File Versions: If you’ve had someone edit your document, but they left you with no way to track their changes, you can find yourself spending a lot of time trying to find them. Use this tutorial to make comparing file versions a lot easier.
  11. Word Kit: Use Word Kit to produce frequently generated documents with ease and consistency.
  12. WordFast: Quickly translate text in Word using this handy tool.
  13. MS Works Converter: So your word processing file turned into more tabular data than you expected it to be? Not to worry, you can convert everything into an Excel file with this tool.
  14. Speed up Word: Word often loads lots of templates and add-ins that you may not need, which slows down the program. Read this tutorial from Lifehacker to find out how to stop them.
  15. Wordware: Wordware’s productivity pack has 45 tools designed to help you save time when using Word.
  16. AutoSummarize: If you need to summarize a large amount of text, don’t go through the tedium of reading it yourself. Check out this tutorial on how to use AutoSummarize to highlight key points.
  17. SumsBox-W: Improve Word’s number and tables functions with this handy tool.
  18. Docx Converter: So your client has Word 2007 and has started sending you .docx files that are incompatible with your Word version. Make them readable by using the Docx Converter.

Excel

Excel is a great tool for wrangling lots of data into one convenient place, but it can get out of hand. Find out how to streamline your spreadsheets, create easier graphs, and find time-saving templates with these tools.

  1. Daily Dose of Excel: Check out Dick Kusleika’s Daily Dose of Excel for help with formulas, functions, and lots more.
  2. Mr. Excel: Bill Jelen, Mr. Excel, has over 18 years of spreadsheet experience, and he’s more than willing to help you figure out how to better use Excel.
  3. Marketing Charts: Download Excel spreadsheet templates and marketing charts with this resource.
  4. Copy Text to Multiple Worksheets: Find out how to copy text from one worksheet to many others in this answer thread.
  5. Conditional Formatting: Formatting in Excel is a great way to make data easier on the eyes and highlight important information, but it’s a lot of work. Find out how to set up conditional formatting to make the entire process automated.
  6. ASAP Utilities: Use ASAP Utilities to automate frequently used tasks in Excel.
  7. Excel Forum: If you need help using Excel, check out these forums for information on worksheet functions, programming, and more.
  8. Excel Keystrokes: Save yourself some time and the perils of carpal tunnel syndrome by checking out these easy Excel keystrokes.
  9. Nuts About Microsoft Excel: On this blog, you’ll find loads of tips and solutions for MS Excel.
  10. Excel AutoFilter: Use AutoFilter to sort by selected criteria without changing any data.
  11. Dual Excel Worksheets: Find out how to view two Excel worksheets at once at Digital Streets.
  12. Excel Templates: Save yourself loads of time by using these Excel templates instead of starting from scratch.
  13. Excel In-cell Graphs: Check out this link for a tutorial on how to easily create a bar graph inside Excel cells.
    14. Excel Split Views: Read this tutorial to find out how to split your Excel screen so that you can view and edit two different areas at once.
  14. Excel Gantt Charting: Turn Excel into project management software using this tempate from David Seah.
  15. ExcelUser: On ExcelUser, find Excel news and tips, create Excel Dashboards, and learn how to better use Excel in your business.
  16. Excel Experts: If you’re in need of an Excel Expert, check out this directory.
  17. Microsoft Excel: Check out the Microsoft Excel blog for beta news, improvements, and more.

PDF

PDF is a versatile, functional document format that offers more than meets the eye. Find out how to save time and stretch your PDFs to the limit with these resources.

  1. PDF Converter Professional: Streamline your data input from clients by creating fillable PDF forms with this tool.
  2. Combine PDFs: You can use Adobe’s Insert Page tool to combine PDF files, but if you’ve got a few to do, that can prove to be time consuming. Instead, use this tool to merge multiple PDF files into one with a few easy clicks.
  3. Sumatra PDF Viewer: For a lighter, faster PDF viewer than Adobe Reader, check out Sumatra.
  4. PDF Download: If your clients send you a lot of PDF documents, you probably have to figure out how to deal with them on a regular basis. Using PDF Download, you can specify how Firefox downloads these files.
  5. Adobe Reader 8 Optimization: Get Adobe Reader 8 to boot up faster by following this tutorial.
  6. Skim: Take notes on your PDF file as you read it using Skim. Some features include highlighting, circling, and more. You’ll also be able to see your notations and jump to them more easily.
  7. PDFill PDF Editor: This utility corrals lots of common PDF manipulation actions into one easy interface.
  8. ScanR: Snap photos and turn them into emailable PDFs using ScanR.
  9. Adobe Reader SpeedUp: Adobe Reader is known for its slow load times due to unnecessary plugins. Use Adobe Reader SpeedUp to selectively remove plugins that you don’t need.
  10. Notepad Generator: Create personalized PDF notepaper that you can print out and take to meetings using this generator.
  11. PDF to Image Converter: If your client can’t quite grasp the concept of downloading Adobe Reader, save yourself the time you’ll need to explain it, and just use this tool to send them an image file instead.
  12. Shoka: Corral all of your PDFs in this library manager. This tool makes it quick and easy to search, share, and tag your PDF documents.
  13. PDFCreator: Don’t spend time finding ink and paper when you can just print to PDF. Use the PDFCreator to print PDF files from just about any Windows application.
  14. RSS 2 PDF: Take your RSS newsfeeds offline by converting them to PDF that you can read at your convenience.

Phone & Text

The phone may seem like a tool that operates more slowly than its digital counterparts, but it has a number of time-saving tricks to offer, too. Use phone and text messaging to budget, take notes, navigate traffic, and more, all on the fly.

    Reminders: Set up reminder messages that arrive on your phone at a scheduled time.
  1. Expense Tracker: Read this guide to find out how to use K7.net’s free voicemail to send yourself messages for expense tracking.
  2. Yahoo! Mobile: Don’t go searching around for your phone to send a text message–just send one using Yahoo! Mobile.
  3. YouTube Mobile: Share videos on YouTube on the go by using YouTube Mobile to upload via your cell phone.
  4. Pinger: Forgot to send an email? Don’t worry, you can send an audio email message to your recipient instead using Pinger.
  5. MoneyManager: Track transactions on your phone with MoneyManager. Reports can be generated and sent to your email.
    6. Yahoo! Local: Don’t worry about taking the time to print or write out directions from Yahoo!–just send them as a text message to your phone.
  6. Popularity Dialer: If you know your client meeting is going to run long but you have things to do, you can use Popularity Dialer to schedule a call to your cell phone that will allow you to excuse yourself.
  7. The Traffic Line: Call the Traffic Line to find out what traffic is like in your area so you’ll never be late again.
  8. CallBurner: If you need to keep audio records of your Skype conversations, it’s easy to do it with CallBurner. Using this tool, you’ll be able to go back and review what you’ve said without having to do a lot of work.
  9. Disable Skype Notifications: Check out this guide to find out how to keep Skype messages and notifications from popping up constantly.
  10. CallWave: With CallWave, your voicemails are transcribed, highlighting only the key information.
  11. Jott: Send yourself a note by recording a message with Jott. The service will transcribe your voice into text and email it to you.
  12. SmartCam: If you need to use video chat, but don’t have a webcam, you can turn your Smartphone into one.
  13. Dodgeball: Assure your clients that you’re on the way to your meeting by broadcasting your location via Dodgeball.
  14. Dial DIR-ECT-IONS: Dial this number, and you can get a text message on our phone with driving directions.
  15. Blog From Your Cell Phone: Send a text or photo SMS to go@blogger.com, and you’ll be able to make posts to your blog.
  16. Google info: Send Google a text message to find listings, dictionary definitions, and more.
  17. Skylook: With this Outlook extension, you can record calls, get text alerts, voicemail in your inbox, reminders to your phone, and much more.
  18. Pickle: Share videos and photos with clients using your phone and Pickle’s service. You’ll just send your files to a special email address and it will publish them to sites like MySpace, Blogger, or your own site.

Other

Check out these tools to find even more boosters for documents, travel, collaboration, and more.

  1. AutoHotKey: Using AutoHotKey, you can turn any block of text or keystroke sequence into a hotkey that will perform repetitive tasks.
  2. Google Presentation: Google’s answer to PowerPoint makes it easy to do simple manipulations of PowerPoint files without actually firing up the program.
  3. Delivery Intercept: Control what happens to your package once it leaves your hands with this feature from UPS.
  4. Ditto: Corral your copy-and-paste function with this handy clipboard manager.
  5. TripIt: For entrepreneurs on the go, check out TripIt, a tool that automativally organizes your travel itinerary using email.
  6. Guide to Hotkeys: Hotkeys are keyboard shortcuts that allow you to execute an action without using your mouse. This guide has hotkeys for email, messaging, file management, and more.
  7. Audio Documents: Learn how to record written documents to audio for “reading” on the go with this tutorial.
  8. Mango: If you need to learn a foreign language, but don’t have time to hit the books, check out Mango for courses in conversational language.
  9. DocuFarm: This Firefox add-on makes it quick and easy to preview documents in your browser without having to take the time to open up a new program.
  10. QuickLogger: Keep track of your workday by logging tasks into QuickLogger.
  11. Scriblink: Collaborate with others on a digital whiteboard with Scriblink.
  12. Mini Map Sidebar: If you’re reading an email invite to a meeting, but have no idea how to get there, you can fire up the Mini Map Sidebar to map addresses and get directions without ever leaving your browser’s email client.
  13. Google Alerts: Keep track of your online reputation, favorite news items, and anything else you regularly check online by setting a Google Alert. You’ll be notified of any new pages that include your key words.
  14. Backpack: This productivity tool has lots of great features, including the ability to send scheduled or unscheduled reminders to email, SMS, or both.
  15. Snapter: With Snapter, you can scan photos of business cards and documents using your digital camera.
  16. Airport Parking Reservations: If you’re always getting to the airport at the very last moment possible, check out this service so you’ll save time parking.
  17. Virtual Folders: If you’re using Vista and find yourself often searching your machine for the same thing, you can save your search results as a virtual folder. Find out how here.
  18. FileTaxes: Who needs an accountant? File taxes for your employees on this site, and the service will generate forms, submit them to the IRS, and mail them to recipients for you.
  19. Office Jargon: Check out this handy guide to office jargon from Lifehacker and Brazen Careerist to spend less time trying to figure out what in the world your corporate clients are talking about.
  20. Digital Filing System: Read this tutorial to find out how to take your filing system online, creating a time saving, easily searchable database.
  21. Online Sign Off: Streamline your document approval process by taking it online with this service.
  22. Mailbox Map: Don’t spend time searching for a mailbox–just check out Mailbox Maps, a tool that finds nearby mailboxes and provides pickup information on each one.
  23. Windows Keyboard Shortcut of the Day: For time-saving keyboard shortcuts, check out this ongoing blog.
  24. Monkey On Your Back: Remind coworkers and clients of deadlines using Monkey On Your Back, a tool that sends scheduled email reminders to others.

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Conversion Central: 101 Tools to Convert Video, Music, Images, PDF and More

Few things are more irritating than having to deal with a format that is incompatible with what you need it to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a media file, document, or shoe size; it’s just plain frustrating. To make your life easier, check out this list of 101 tools that will allow you to convert just about anything.
Converter Girl
Original Art by Bob Ostrom

Using This Article : This is a fairly long article that can be used as a resource. If you don’t have time to read it now, you can bookmark it on del.icio.us and return to it later.

Mega Tools

There are lots of specialized tools out there, but sometimes you just need one good tool to get the job done. These mega tools are great for general conversions.

  1. Zamzar: Zamzar does all sorts of conversions, ranging from documents and images to music and video. In addition to its versatility, this tool boasts the ability to do all of your conversions without downloading software.
  2. SUPER: This aptly-named tool offers a simple and efficient way to convert any multimedia file to any format you need. You won’t need to download any additional codecs or deal with any time or function limitations.
  3. CZ Document Converter: CZ Document Converter is a powerful batch document converter. It supports every popular document file you may need, including PDF, HTML, DOC, XLS, and WPS.
  4. Media Convert: This tool is another great all-around converter. It can take files from your computer or a webserver and convert them into pretty much any format. The tool is web based and full of versatility.
  5. Image Converter Plus: Image Converter Plus can professionally convert graphic files, photos, drafts, finance documents, and any image format. It supports more than 120 graphics formats and more than 800 dialects of these formats. You can convert files in a batch while also altering and enhancing images.
  6. Quad-Lock Unit Converter: The Quad-Lock Unit Converter does conversions for more than 650 units. With this all-inclusive library, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

Media

If you use an MP3 player, download movies, or even just rip CDs, there’s a good chance you’ve had to deal with the frustration of having a format that’s incompatible with your device or software. These tools will make it all better.

    Audio

  1. Audacity: Audacity is a great tool that can be used to convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. Check out their site to see what else this audio powerhouse can do.
  2. RM to MP3 Converter: If you’ve got a bunch of Real Media files, but want to be able to listen to them on other players, check out this tool. It will convert RM files to MP3s individually or in batches. You can even save them with space-efficient VBR.
  3. OSS Audio Converter: This tool is an audio format converter with a high level of customization. Using the OSS Audio Converter, you can select the coding method for VBR compression, fine-tune settings, and choose a range of frequencies to filter.
  4. All Converter: Use All Converter to switch your files between popular formats like MP3, APE, AAC and many more. Files can be converted in batches, even if they’re not the same media or convert-to type.
  5. Audio Converter: Audio Converter has lots of formats for conversion, including AIFF, Vorbis OFF, MP3 and more. You can convert files one by one or do them in batches, all while editing options like volume normalization and silence removal.
  6. Intelliscore Polyphonic WAV to MIDI Converter: With IntelliScore, you can convert MP3, WAV, and WMA files to MIDI. It has lots of additional features, like vocal track removal and sheet music.
  7. Free WMA to MP3 Converter: With this tool, you can take any Windows Media file and turn it into an MP3 that can be used with a variety of different players.
  8. Zune Multi-Extension Support Mod: With this hack, Zune users can covert formats that the player doesn’t normally recognize, like AAC, DVR-MS and MPEG.
  9. FreeRIP: This freeware application allows users to convert files between MP3, FLAC, WAV and more.
  10. dBpoweramp Music Converter: The dBpoweramp can be used to rip CDs and convert audio files to pretty much any format you might need. This can all be done without altering tags.
  11. Acoustica MP3 to Wave Converter Plus: Acoustica’s converter makes it easy to convert MP3 files to WAVs so that you can create custom CDs or edit audio.
  12. Direct Audio Converter and CD Ripper: Music lovers can use this tool to convert music files to popular formats while keeping folder structures and tags intact.

    13. Video

  13. Koyote: This tool can covert FLV, DIVX, AVI and other formats to an iPod video format. That means you can download YouTube videos and put them directly on your video iPod.
  14. MediaCell Blackberry Video Converter: If you want to view videos on your Blackberry, check out this tool. It converts all popular video files to Blackberry video while maintaining a high standard of quality.
  15. Videora: With Videora, you can convert pretty much any video file into an iPod format. The tool includes an auto-resize feature that chooses the best resolution for you.
  16. VidDownloader: This simple tool allows users to save streaming video and convert then to DivX AVIs.
  17. Avi2Dvd: Avi2Dvd is a freeware program that converts AVI files to a format that works for DVDs, VCDs, and SVCDs.
  18. iSquint: Mac iPod users who want a way to convert videos to something that works for their device will be happy to find iSquint. This tool converts videos to the correct format and also optimizes their resolution.
  19. Any Video Converter: Using AVC, you can convert any video format to any other video format. The tool supports AVI, DIVX, FLV and more. You can create custom profiles that for devices like the iPod and PSP.
  20. Tube Sock: Tube Sock is for Mac OSX users who want to download, convert, and copy YouTube videos to their iPod, Mac, or PSP.
  21. Zune TVWatcher: Use this tool to convert recorded TV shows to a Zune-ready format.
  22. Grand Theft Auto Mission Converter: Use the Grand Theft Auto Mission Converter to convert GTA1’s INI mission to GTA2’s .MIS mission.
  23. Mplayer: Mplayer is an open-source video player, but it also has an interface called mencoder that allows users to convert between lots of formats, including TiVo’s tystream.
  24. Lathe: With Lathe, you can convert TiVo files to play on a variety of media devices, including Archos, PDAs, smartphones, and more.
  25. Hey!Watch: You can upload videos from your hard drive or online video sites to Hey!Watch, then use the tool to convert the files to pretty much any format you’d like.
  26. PodTube: Mac YouTube enthusiasts will love the convenience of PodTube. It allows users to point to a URL, then let the program get to work by downloading, converting and adding the file to your iTunes library.
  27. iTube: iTube is just like PodTube, but it’s made for Windows users.
  28. HandBrake: HandBrake is a free, open source application that rips DVDs to a number of different formats, including those supported by Apple TV, PS3, Quicktime, and more.
  29. MediaCoder: MediaCoder is a batch media transcoder. It can be used to convert to and from different formats as well as compress files.

Images

Graphic designers, professional photographers, and point and shoot enthusiasts can all benefit from using these easy image conversion tools.

  1. Photo To Sketch: This program takes your photographs and converts them into black and white sketches or watercolor paintings. Using this functionality, you can make your own coloring book.
  2. Image Thumbnailer and Converter: Image Thumbnailer and Converter makes it easy to create thumbnail images, convert formats, adjust sizes, set folders, and create web pages automatically.
  3. GIMP: The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a great program for easily changing the format of images.
  4. Smart Converter: This multipurpose program allows users to convert, view and edit images, even in batch mode. You can apply over 100 image effects, watermarks, and use loads of supported formats.
  5. Easy Graphic Converter: Convert image files to lots of different formats while at the same time taking advantage of features like previews, 50 different effects and filters, simple editing and more.
  6. Advanced Batch Converter: Use Advanced Batch Converter to change the format of multiple graphics at once. You’ll also be able to do minor editing. This program supports about 90 file formats.
  7. Image Icon Converter: Convert images of various formats into Windows icons using the Image Icon Converter. You can also use this program to convert icons into popular image files and do basic editing.
  8. Image Converter .EXE: Take things a step further with Image Converter .EXE. This tool allows you to change the format of multiple files at once, plus apply affects to the files at the same time.

Documents

These tools make it easy to read and print all sorts of documents, so you can avoid having a difficult discussion with your boss about why you just can’t open his MS Works 1996 file.

    PDF

  1. Adobe Online PDF creator: For quick PDF conversions, check out the official Adobe online PDF Creator. This tool converts a number of different formats, including DOC, JPG, WMF and more.
  2. ExpressPDF: If you need a high quality PDF output in a hurry, consider using ExpressPDF. Users can upload documents, choose an output quality, then receive an email with the new PDF. This is all done without downloading any software, so it’s great if you’re in a pinch on a borrowed computer.
  3. CC PDF Converter: Install this tool as a printer subsystem. It will enable you to print pretty much from any Windows application to a professional quality PDF document. It will also allow you to set the copyright terms for your PDF file.
  4. Scan to PDF: ScanToPDF is a simple tool that allows you to convert your paper based documents into PDFs. Just insert the pages into your scanner, press the scanning button and the paper document will be converted into a PDF file.
  5. Cogniview’s PDF to Excel Converter: If you get a lot of numerical data you need for your work in PDF format, Cogniview’s PDF to Excel Conversion tool is the best solution for you. Open your PDF file, mark the data you need and it will be instantly pasted into an excel spreadsheet.
  6. Solid Converter PDF to Word: With the Solid PDF Converter, you can open up PDF files in Word and edit text in the original document. Solid PDF will identify and maintain the formatting of the original document (tables, bullets and so on) which makes it perfectly suited for PDF to word conversion.
  7. Easy PDF Converter: The Easy PDF Converter tool, like many others, converts various document formats to PDF. What sets this program apart is its ability to convert an entire batch of files in one click, eliminating the need for lots of user input.
  8. PDF Converter Professional: Using PDF Converter Professional, you can convert static PDF files into fillable forms.
  9. PDF to Image Converter: You can convert PDF files to lots of popular image formats using PDF Image Converter. The program will convert detailed elements like text, color, images, ellipses, and more.
  10. RSS 2 PDF: Use this tool to convert your RSS or OPML newsfeed into a PDF file quickly. It creates a readable, formatted file that you can view offline.

    11. Word Processing

  11. Docx Converter: The Docx Converter makes it easy to read Word 2007 files without having to upgrade your software. It extracts text and formatting from DOCX files and turns them into simple HTML files. You can even download their desktop widget for the tool.
  12. 3A PDF to Word Batch Converter: If you have a PDF file that needs text editing, you may have a hard time getting it to do what you want. Use the 3A PDF to Word Batch Converter to convert PDF documents into Microsoft Word, where you’ll be able to edit as much as you like.
  13. WordFast: This language translation tool can be used on any language that’s supported by Microsoft Word. You can also use it with external dictionaries and machine translation engines.
  14. MS Works Converter: With this converter, you can turn Microsoft Works files into Excel files, even in batches.
  15. Doc to Image Converter: This simple converter allows users to save Microsoft Word files as image file formats including JPEG, TIFF, BMP and more.
  16. Babel Fish: If you’re looking for a light, web-based translator, Babel Fish is for you. The translations aren’t always perfect, but you should be able to get a good idea of what’s being said. You can translate a block of text or an entire webpage.

    17. Excel

  17. Excel to PDF Converter: This spreadsheet converter is very simple. All you do is select “Save as PDF” in Excel, and the converter will create a document that can be read by PDF viewers.
  18. XLS Converter: You can use this converter to take data from Excel files and turn them into formats like HTML, TXT, and CSV. It can be run in command-line mode, plus Excel isn’t required for it to work.
  19. ABC Amber Excel Converter: With the ABC Amber Excel Converter, you can turn Excel files into PDF, HTML, RTF, DOC and more, all without the use of the MS Excel program. This tool offers command line support and batch conversion as well.

    20. PowerPoint

  20. Presentation to Video Converter: If you’re tired of manually clicking through PowerPoint slides during presentations, you can convert them into a video that eliminates the need for your interaction.
  21. Convert PowerPoint: With Convert PowerPoint, you can turn PPT files into PDF, HTM, TXT and more. This application can be run on a command line.

    22. Drafting

  22. Universal Document Converter: Use this converter as a virtual printer to export any document to a raster PDF or image file. Doing so ensures that your document will be change-protected and viewed accurately. Universal Document Converter works with Adobe PDF, PowerPoint, AutoCAD and more.
  23. AutoDWG DWG to PDF Converter: If you’ve been sent an AutoCAD drawing, but don’t have the software to open it, use this program to view it as a PDF. It has lots of options, including merged files and batch creation.
  24. DWG2Image Converter: Convert DWG and DXF files to popular image files like BMP and JPG using the DWG2Image Converter. This program works without the use of AutoCAD.
  25. Any DWG: Any DWG has lots of specialized tools that allow you to convert between lots of file formats, including DWG, PDF, DXF and various image types.
  26. Raster to Vector Converter: Use this converter to take raster formats and create vector formats like DXF, ASCII, and AI. It will refine curves, create fine lines, and more.
  27. Universal CAD Converter: This handy tool makes it easy to turn AutoCAD drafting files into pretty much any format you like, converting between DWG, DXF, PDF and DWF without using AutoCAD. You’ll also be able to convert any of these formats to images.

    28. Other Great Document Tools

  28. QuickBooks Conversion Tool: If you’re switching your accounting software to QuickBooks, be sure to check out this conversion tool that imports your information from Peachtree, Microsoft Small Business Accounting, or Microsoft Office Accounting.
  29. Print2Flash: For users that need to convert large amounts of PDFs or other printable documents, Print2Flash is an excellent choice. You can use it for batch processing and document options.
  30. Google Docs: Google Docs features the ability to save documents in a number of different formats once you’ve opened them inside their software.
  31. Bookmark Converter: If you want to switch browsers, but don’t want to lose your bookmarks, use this program. It can be expanded to a remote version with multiple users and command-line conversion.
  32. Convert Doc: This tool is simple and easy to use, offering users a way to convert thousands of files into various file formats quickly. It also remembers your settings, so it’s great for users who do complicated conversions on a regular basis.

International Standards

These conversion tools are useful whether you’re traveling, baking, or just buying some nice Italian shoes on eBay.

    Measurements

  1. Metric Converter: If you often need to do complicated metric conversions, use this tool to get the job done.
  2. FCC Conversion: This FCC webpage converts degrees, minutes, and seconds to decimal degrees in latitude and longitude, or vice versa.
  3. EZ Unit Converter Wizard: This unit converter is highly customizable. You can add or delete the units that you’d like to use, with more than 130 units to choose from.
  4. Unit Conversion: This tool does calculations for lots of different units, including Celsius to Farenheit and pounds to kilograms.

    5. Currency

  5. Google Search: You can use Google to calculate currency conversions as well as units like gallons and liters. It’s great because you can get an answer by using a nationality if you don’t know the name of the currency.
  6. Universal Currency Converter: XE’s UCC performs forex rate calculations with live currency rates. They offer conversions for the top 85 currencies in the world as well as special units and precious metals.

    7. Clothing Sizes

  7. International Show Size Conversion Charts: These charts convert shoe sizes from Europe, Mexico, U.K. and more.
  8. Ring Size Conversion: Use this ring size tool to determine what your size is in the U.K., France, Switzerland and more.
  9. Women’s Clothing Conversion: With this tools, you can find out what size clothing you should buy for France, Italy, and a number of other countries.
  10. Men’s Clothing Conversion: This tool works the same way as the women’s tool, but it comes in men’s sizes.

    11. Time

  11. Time Conversion Tool: This utility from NASA makes it easy to convert from calendar dates and times to Julian dates, or vice-versa. You can also convert between featured world time zones and figure out what day of the week you’re looking at.
  12. Time Zone Converter: Use this tool to convert time zones between two cities. It accepts dates for the past or future.

Web Development

These tools are great for converting between different script languages, databases, and more.

  1. User Script Compiler: With User Script Compiler, you can convert your Greasemonkey scripts into Firefox extensions.
  2. Advanced PDF to HTML Converter: Use this program to convert PDF files into HTML to make it easier for users to view them. It will preserve all graphics, hyperlinks, bookmarks and lines.
  3. Access to Visual Basic Object Converter: Use this program to quickly convert Access Objects to Visual Basic.
  4. Gmail: Using Gmail, you can convert most document formats into HTML. It’s as easy as sending an attachment to yourself and selecting the option to view it as HTML.
  5. IRun RTF Converter: The IRun RTF Converter makes it easy to put your documents online by converting RTF files to XML or HTML. You can even generate HTML with CSS.
  6. HTML to ASP Converter: This tool converts HTML code for use with ASP.
  7. XML Converter Standard Edition: This converter takes data from MySQL databases, MS SQL Servers and more and turns them into XML documents.
  8. IDN Conversion Tool: With the IDN Conversion Tool, you can translate an IDN or nameserver from native characters to RACE and Punycode or vice-versa.
  9. C to Java Converter: This converter automatically translates C code source files into Java classes. It supports standard ANSI C runtime and L&R C libraries.

Mobile Tools

These tools let you create ringtones for your device and convert while you’re on the go.

  1. Google SMS: If you need to get a short language translation or currency conversion on the fly, use your cell phone and Google SMS to get an answer. All you have to do is send a text message and you’ll get the information you need.
  2. Ringtone Converter: This tool allows you to convert ringtone files from one format to another, like MIDI to Motorola. Ringtone Converter works with most makes and models, plus you won’t need any cables to get the tone on your phone.
  3. Mobile Unit Converter: Do quick metric conversions on your Smartphone or PDA using Mobile Converter. It works for decides running Windows Mobile 5.0.
  4. Coding Workshop Ringtone Converter: With the Coding Workshop Ringtone Converter, you can convert ringtones from one format to another. It supports most makes and models of phones. You can also trim and compress files as you convert.
  5. Converter: Use your Palm to easily look up unit conversions like miles to kilometers on the fly.

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Microsoft Office 2007 launches

It finally happened. Microsoft launched office 2007. For many of you, this is hardly news, since you have been using the 2007 beta version for some time. But for the tech world, this is a big deal.

There are mixed feelings about this release. Delaware Online believes that the “new Office isn’t a must-have” while others like the Indianapolis Star state that “Microsoft office makes encouraging strides.”

I agreed at first with the reporter for Delaware Online, but after meeting a couple of our clients and discussing Excel 2007 with them, I came to see that the Indianapolis Star was correct. Many of the new features in Excel 2007 resonated really well with our clients and both of them decided to try Excel 2007. One of them even asked his IT staff to order the new version from Microsoft.

These are the features in Excel 2007 our clients liked the most:

My recommendation? If you are an Excel power user, take Excel 2007 for a test drive.

We’ve struck gold

I’m delighted to announce that Cogniview has attained the rank of Microsoft gold certified partner.

Microsoft Gold Certified partner logo

Why is being a gold certified partner important?

We used the survey method to get the additional partner points we needed for gold. This means that Microsoft sent a survey (composed of 47 questions) to a group of our customers. Here are some graphs that summarize the responses.



As you can see from the graphs, our satisfaction score was a whopping 98 percent.

Again, all we can say is, “Thank you, dear customers!”

Now that we are a gold partner we thought about working with the Microsoft office marketing group. Does anyone have any experience with that? I’ll be extremly grateful for some pointers

Zune is not a funny name

Shahar from the Excel Services development team at Microsoft is a bit upset about how the Israeli media “abused” the selected name of Microsoft’s new MP3 Player - Zune.

Well Shahar, this is for you…

I will give you a F-ing break. Zune sounds close enough to Zi-Yoon (The F-Word) to be funny to some people. I guess that is why the media in Israel (and elsewhere) picked it up. I personally agree with you that it’s not that funny…it’s more insulting. There are enough Israelis working in Redmond to have tipped the Zune marketing guys that it is an inappropriate (not to mention offending) word. In my opinion it’s not the “amaturish” Israeli media that dropped the ball here, it’s the guys in the Zune marketing department. Think about how the market would have reacted if Microsoft tried to sell a product called “F* You” even if it was spelled “feouk”.

The World’s Funniest Spreadsheet Movies

For those of you who think that spreadsheets are boring and that spreadsheet professionals are sad people who cry themselves to sleep, I give you the world’s funniest spreadsheet movies.

1. Watch out, heroin addicts, here comes the spreadsheet . . .

2. We took a poll on which of the characters in this movie people sympathize with (see the surprising results after the movie) . . .

Although this is obviously a Mac vs. Microsoft commercial, most of the men who watched the commercial sympathized with the Microsoft dude. The really surprising result came from the ladies. They liked the Mac guy.

3. This woman found a strange outlet for her obsessive-compulsive disorder . . .

4. I (and the rest of the guys in the office) thought the Apple dude was really annoying in this commercial . . .

Apparently, so did the guys who wrote this comic.

5. Spreadsheets are barely mentioned in this movie, but it’s way cool!

Now, don’t you wish you were a spreadsheet dude?

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