Navigating the internet may be getting more complicated but it can also be a source of tools that make things simpler — if you know where to look. Here is a look at some Web sites and tools that can help streamline your use of the Internet.

Furl
www.furl.net

Here’s an annoying problem experienced by anyone who uses the Internet: you’ve read something interesting on the Web but didn’t save it on your computer; now you want to find it again — perhaps to pass it along to a client or a colleague. What tends to happen is you have to go back on the Internet and
waste valuable time hunting it down.

Furl can solve the problem. The Web site, which is free, allows you to click and save any page of interest into your own new personal archive. The pages are all kept on the site rather than you clogging up your own computer with dozens or hundreds of bookmarks. Now, if you want to find an article or site, just visit Furl and do a basic search within your own archive.

The site will also let you search other members’ archives, and it will recommend pages of similar material. Each archive can hold five gigabytes of information, which is equal to tens of thousands of pages. There are various security levels for your archive, which allow you to share Web pages with everyone or keep them completely private.

To get started, log on to the site and it will e-mail you a link that lets you add a Furl toolbar or icon to the top of your regular browser. Then just click on it whenever you want to save something.

eGrabber
www.egrabber.com

Web Watch usually avoids reviews of online products that have a price-tag, but the eGrabber site is an effective online tool for advisors who want to build up contact data while they’re on the Internet.

The site offers a variety of software tools that let you “grab” an e-mail name, address or other information in two quick mouse clicks.
Rather than calling up your e-mail address book and manually filling in new contacts, eGrabber lets you instantly add the names and addresses to your files from any e-mail, document or Web site.

There are demonstrations on the site to show how it works. Some case studies on the site show that companies or individuals who run their own Web sites or deal with a lot of e-mail find the products particularly time-efficient. The site offers 18 products, each of which is designed for a specific need.

A basic “AddressGrabber” for use on one computer costs US$69.95. There is a free trial period for all the products, which lasts for 10 days or until you “grab” 50 addresses. Give it a drive if it sounds interesting, or recommend that your company consider a bulk purchase for all its advisors. You can download and pay for the product online if you decide to keep it.

CopyTalk
www.copytalk.com

Here is something very cool for the advisor who’s always on the run. Your phone rings and a computer reads you a new e-mail you have just received. You dial a toll-free number, dictate an e-mail and it’s sent to a specified client or friend within minutes.
Make another call, and dictate the highlights of a meeting or a memo, and it’s on your computer when you return to the office.
CopyTalk can do all three, by combining leading-edge technology with something old-fashioned: the steno pool. Incoming e-mails are received by a computer program, which then dials your phone number and reads them in a clear voice.
Going the other way, when you call the toll-free number to send an e-mail or offer dictation, you’re actually connected to a steno pool in India, where someone will take the dictation and send it wherever you want.

There are three levels of service. The “listen and reply” e-mail service is US$19.95 a month for unlimited services and dictation of up to one minute at a time, or $24.95 if you also want to send new e-mails. The “mobile scribe” service allows unlimited dictation for US$59.95 a month, while the “suite mobility” service, which combines both e-mail and unlimited dictation, costs US$69.95 a month. Two-week free trials of all the services are available through the Web site.

@page_break@Kip Gregory
www.kipgregory.com

Kip Gregory, a consultant based in Washington, D.C., advises finance professionals on how to use the Internet and technology better. His Web site, while primarily a promotional tool for his own products and services, does offer some resources that are worth checking out.

“Kip’s Tips,” located at the upper right-hand
side of the home page, offers advice on things such as using Google to refine your searches. You can sign up to have future tips sent in an e-mail newsletter. The “resources” section offers some useful links, such as search tools, business resources and sites that track the stock markets or offer ways to improve your business presentations. IE

If you have Web sites to share with IE readers, contact Glenn Flanagan at gflanagan@sympatico.ca.