Organizing Your Business From the Start

The net is the worst of all places for losing whatever it was you thought you had in the first place. Information, URLs, Logins - there is so much to keep track of, and the trouble is, it's all so easily acquired that you can soon become swamped under a tide of information. That is not good if you're trying to run a business.

URLs, Logins and Passwords

Don't rely on your browser's bookmarks or favorites OR your email client's folders to keep you out of trouble - these nifty little storerooms soon become as untidy as the old attic in the roof, and you can waste a lot of time searching for the URL you need. What's more, when you find it, you may not remember the login and password for that impassable Login box grinning at you from the page.

Of course, your browser may help you - though I find it's hopeless asking IE to remember anything. Or you may have Roboform (available HERE), and if you have the paid version, all is well. But the free version allows you to save only 10 passcards, which can be a big limitation ... Either way, you still really need to have your information saved in an organised manner and all in one place.

For the past 5 years I've been using a free program that solves all my problems with keeping records. It's called Treepad, and you can download it HERE - scroll about half way down the page for the freeware version download. The paid versions have some cool features, but I'm thinking "shoestring budget" here.

How to use Treepad

Some people create just one big file with Treepad, but I structure things to be easier to find by making a number of separate files. For example, you might create a file for "Advertising" or "Webmasters Apps", or "Traffic Exchanges" - or even files for individual programs.

Say for example you've made a file and saved it as "Traffic Exchanges". The main "node" of your file will have the same name. Highlight it in the left-hand column of the Treepad window and select Edit - Insert Node - Child Node. This will make a new branch to your tree. You can make as many as you need and you can call them "Autosurfs" or "Manual Surfs" or whatever is going to work for you, and list the login URLs and the login details, the referral URLs and the surfing URLs for the programs you join in the right-hand box. If a program has a selection of splash pages, you can even add them too.

NOW - the really cool thing about Treepad is that to open the URLs you save in it, all you have to do is put your cursor anywhere in the URL and hit Ctrl H and voila, the url opens in your default browser ...

I use Treepad every day. It's great for blogging, especially if you have several blogs, and you can keep your Technorati tag codes, your Feedburner details and everything else you need in there too. If you give it a try, you will soon get your own method of using it to suit your needs. Quite frankly, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Patricia Howitt
Webdesign, Graphics, Marketing
1st Class Web.biz
http://patriciahowitt.com

Technorati Tags:
market, marketing, business, shoestring budget, advertising, promotion, records, newbie help