Under The Power Lines

1. Dropbox

I lose everything. My keys. My wallet. My phone. Especially my dang thumb drive.

Dropbox has been a life saver. This free online program puts a nifty little folder right on your desktop and if you are connected on the Internets, you can just drag that document right into that folder and access it from any other computer connected to the web. It’s simply awesome.

2. Evernote

Oh boy. I love me some Evernote.

Like I just said. I lose stuff. But not just material stuff. I lose ideas too. Sometimes they just come to me and minutes later they’re gone. Who knows, they could have been the most groundbreaking political ideas of all time. They could have solved world hunger. Or, they could have just been a reminder to pick up the dog.

With Evernote, you can record voice notes, text notes, and even pictures with your computer, phone, or blackberry. It’s web based, so you can access those notes with any Internet connection. Give it a whirl. You’ll love it like monkeys love bananas.

3. Gmail

In just the past four years, my email address has been johnwdonehue@hotmail.com, wesley@jimdemint.com, wesley@campbell2006.com, wesley@bouchardforsenate.com, wesley@ttspolitical.com, wesley@firsttuesdaystrategies.com, wesley@politicalnetroots.com, wesleydonehue@scsenate.org, and wesley@scsenategop.com.

As you can imagine, its about impossible for anyone to keep up with me. That’s why I’m using Gmail (wesleydonehue@gmail.com) as my primary web client. The great thing is that I can keep it as I bounce around from campaign to campaign and it allows me to import three additional email addresses into my gmail account. I currently receive email at wesley@politicalnetroots.com and wesleydonehue@scsenate.org, but they both go directly into my gmail account so that I don’t have to worry about checking three seperate accounts. Gmail is definitely a politico must.

4. Twitter

You like sharing your ideas, but you’re a politico, so you have little time to do anything but work, sleep, and drink a few beers. Micro-blogging is your answer and Twitter is your tool. Don’t worry about visiting some pesky website everyday. You can tweet from your desktop, your blackberry, and from a browser plugin. Don’t forget to hit me up @ecgwesley.

5. Google Reader

There are WAY too many new media and MSM outlets for one politico to read. Quit searching through all of them every day. Make them come to you. When you sign up for that Gmail Google account, go ahead and start using Google Reader too. The best part is that you can set up Google searches for your clients/candidates so that you don’t have to search for them everyday.

Trust me, Google Reader will save you a ton of time every morning.