Basecamp, Get Organized

A few years ago, one of my business partners turned me on to this project management tool called Basecamp, put out by 37Signals.  For virtual businesses like mine, which rely upon multiple people in various locations always being up-to-speed, it proved to be an invaluable tool.

Basecamp is a web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects (or simply ideas) and quickly create client/project extranets.  Simply put, its a project management, collaboration and task software application.  According to their website, over 1 million people use it (and I wouldn't doubt it either).

Now I'm sure that there are other tools like Basecamp out there, although I have yet to come across them, but I felt like I was a caveman, carving messages in rock prior to my Basecamp introduction.  Simply put, Basecamp really helped me get organized, and enhanced my overall efficiency.

Not to say that I was some disorganized slob before, but its the difference between having my personal calendar, to-dos, appointments, files, emails, and various notes jotted here and there, and having all of these assorted loose ends in one place.  And the beauty of it, is that your whole organization can use it.

Basecamp is great in that it doesn't require you to learn anything new, and works with you where you are.  Alerts come directly to your email box (whichever email account you decide you want to use) and rather than having to log into some webadmin portal to respond or view messages, you can reply from within the email and your response gets posted in Basecamp.

Since being introduced to Basecamp, I've become a cheerleader for the web-based application.  I use it with all my clients and for virtually any project I take on.  It doesn't only aid individual organization, but groups as well.  We've got a network of over 60 producers world-wide.  Whenever an opportunity arises, we post up a message with all the necessary parameters, and within hours, we've got multiple submissions.

If you're already organized, then HOORAY for you, but if you're not, check out Basecamp and get organized.