My Moleskins...

OK, so nearly every blogger I know does this exercise: publishes a list of the tools they use to perform their job.

So I will to. But not because I want to show off, or promote any particular product… Mainly because I want to leave behind a time capsule for myself and monitor over the years the evolution of the means by which I execute my work.

So here goes:

1. Wordpress blog, with most on Thesis. Most of my blogs are on Wordpress, such as this site, and here, here, and here. Wordpress is solid, easy, reliable, and Thesis is good for SEO pop and customization. I can’t imagine a future where my web presence isn’t on these tools. But, that’s the purpose of this time capsule…

2. Tumblr. Although, I must say, my minimalist blog is here. And I am having a lot of fun with Tumblr.

3. Google Docs – Probably the biggest change I have made in my tool set over the last few years is moving a lot of my data to the cloud. My database, my invoices, client memos, calendar, my management spreadsheets – are all housed on Google docs. I love the idea of being able to access all my stuff from any machine anywhere…

4. Google Wave. Lots of conflicting commentary about Wave on the social web. But this is a tool of growing importance in my world. As a home-based consultant who is frequently mobile, Google Wave is changing the way I work with vendors AND clients…the ones who get it. As far as a means of project collaboration, I cannot live without it.

5. Blackberry. Yeah, yeah, I’d love to switch to the iPhone, but I am on the Sprint plan from hell, and that contract expires in 2018. That said, I do love my Blackberry. And I just upgraded a few weeks ago to a newer model (Curve), and although the battery lasts only 42 minutes, I love the improved functionality and improved apps within it…

6. FlipCam Ultra HD. This is one of most important weapons in my arsenal. Video, and the ease of producing it, is becoming a much more integral part of how I conduct business.

7. Moleskine notebook. My moleskins aren’t my most important tool…but they are my favorites. And while I am moving more and more to digital, I will NEVER get rid of notebooks to jot down notes. Plus, I just look cool sitting in a coffee shop, writing in my moleskin…

8. Toshiba laptop – I am counting the days until I can retire this machine. And I have made the decision that I will switch to a Macbook Pro, probably sometime in the next few months.

9. Tumi briefcase. This is where I keep all my stuff when I am mobile. This is an over-the-shoulder strap briefcase (I’ve had it a while). Someday, I do think I will move towards a backpack…

10. Sharpie pens, fine point. Just. feels. so. good using these pens in my moleskin.

11. Google calendar, synched with my Blackberry. I love this tool. This calendar is where I manage my life. And the cool thing is synching it with my clients schedules to better manage our time.

12. RSS reader. The tool I cannot live without. This is where I do most of my learning. This is where I get ALL of my news. This is where I keep my finger on the pulse of the planet.

13. Twitter. My main means of connecting on the social web. The better I get and striking up conversations with people, the more enjoyable, and the most useful Twitter becomes.

13.5. Search.Twitter.com. My new most favorite search mechanism. I learn how to better use this every day. And it is changing the way I do business, and how I help my clients do business.

14. Facebook. I do enjoy connecting with people, prospects, and clients here.

15. LinkedIn. I will be honest in that this is where I spend the least amount of my time. That said, now that LinkedIn status updates can be fed into my RSS reader, my time spent here is picking up.

What tools do you use? What changes do you plan to make in your weapons of war?

I’ve been doing some reading and experimenting on this topic. I think social search/real-time search is an important step forward for the social web. Big time. In this episode, I claim that intrepid marketers fully embrace this, and aggressively seek to take advantage of it. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGZhDhRN93g]

Here is a VIDEO from Google to get you up to speed!

Learn how to Be Intrepid here!