It’s been a busy few weeks so I haven’t had time to write up comprehensive evaluations of some of the tools I’ve been using, but here’s a quick rundown of some useful resources for independent contractors and work-from-home computer folks.
Button Generator – This flash-based button generator makes shiny buttons that you can export as PNGs in a jiffy. Great for prototyping quick projects, or sprucing up a graphic.
The Invoice Machine – This is a great web based invoice generator that allows you to create professional invoices quickly, and even generates PDFs and billing notifications for you. The basic level is free; heavy users pay nominal monthly fees.
Survey Monkey – Create free surveys instantly with this very intuitive tool. Design web forms that are radio buttons, checkboxes, comment forms…you name it. Get better feedback from clients with specific questions.
Google Chat Badge – Use Gmail for business? Set up a chat badge and put LiveSupport-type chat on your website whenever you’re online for free. There is a lag if you sign off (generally I’ve found 10-15 minutes) but the price can’t be beat, and there’s no server-side coding.
Noupe’s Handy Design Tools List – A great rundown on 40 different web tools to help design sites, graphics, and even some AJAX and Javascript code.
DigiVendor – Have digital content that you want to sell but can’t figure out a good, easy way how? DigiVendor is a low cost way to sell music, PDFs, graphics, software or anything that is downloadable. It uses the PayPal shopping cart (which has no monthly fee) and can be tied into any web hosting account that has PHP and MySQL installed.
