In a world where emails, phone calls, texts, and Tweets constantly bombard us, it is getting harder and harder to manage the firehose of data and information being thrust our way. For young companies to succeed this environment, it is imparitive they become organized and efficient lest they fall behind and quickly become overwhelmed. While there is no shortage of online solutions, it can be hard to know which one is the right tool for the job, so here’s a list of five web applications to help kick-start your company and keep it organized without breaking the bank. Sponsor Google Apps – Google’s collection of web apps includes solutions for corporate email accounts, calendars or contacts, but its best use for a new startup is with document sharing. Using Google Docs to collaborate on text documents, spreadsheets or even presentations is far more efficient than sending a file in an email attachment. In recent years, Zoho has become an increasingly competitive enterprise alternative to Google, even adding integration with Google Apps . Zoho has also introduced more features that help it stand out against Google Apps, including their own CRM solution that aims to compete with Salesforce.com . Basecamp – We here at ReadWriteWeb use Basecamp on a daily basis for managing ongoing projects and reviewing edits of our stories. Developed by 37signals , Basecamp offers a great interface with an easily read dashboard of the latest activity, as well as to-do lists, milestones and email alerts. For the on-the-go entrepreneur, there are a handful of mobile Basecamp apps ranging in features and price. Personally, I recommend using Insight for iPhone , which was rebranded from Encamp and recently recommended by 37signals . Dropbox – Whether it’s large financial spreadsheets, or Photoshop mockups of your website-to-be, you are going to need somewhere to store all your files. Dropbox makes all of these easy and relatively inexpensive, offering up to 100 GB for $20 a month. But it’s not just storage. Dropbox can automatically sync with folders on your desktop, creating an offsite backup of your vital startup files in the cloud, which any member of your staff can access. An alternative solution would be to use Box.net , however their pricing plans are higher than Dropbox’s and are aimed at larger corporations. Dimdim – The next time you find yourself struggling to explain an intricate concept to your coworkers through a text document or presentation, check out Dimdim and use the power of screen-sharing to make your point crystal clear. One of Dimdim’s best features is that their product works entirely from within your web browser without the need to download or install any extra software. Screen-sharing services like Dimdim can save a young company hundreds if not thousands of dollars in travel expenses by providing a much more efficient way to meet and share information. Also a notable service in this space is Citrix’s GoToMeeting . However, like Box.net to Dropbox, its pricing is much higher than Dimdim’s. MindMeister – Between the last two semesters of graduate school, I worked on a collaborative ten-week reporting project, and used online mind-mapping app MindMeister extensively to stay organized. The application is a great way to keep those more abstract ideas organized in an easy-to-understand way. Countless startups have mapped out their product ideas and business plans on giant whiteboards, and now the whiteboard has gone digital. MindMeister makes it easy to create and share mind maps and flow charts, and best of all, its free to get started. Photo by Flickr user simax . Discuss

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5 Web Apps To Keep Your Startup Organized

Every now and then, we come across cool apps that allow geeks to conveniently manage their musical tastes in a way that encourages more real-world fun. Last year, we met up with Livekick’s founders in New York to talk about their very thorough site for helping web geeks get out to more shows and concerts. Today, we’ve discovered Roadie , a much simpler app that focuses on album releases. Roadie creates an RSS feed or iCal based on a user’s Last.fm favorite acts or a custom list of manually entered bands. Essentially, it allows users to keep up with album releases quickly and painlessly. Sponsor The Last.fm import is a super simple way to get users quickly into using the site’s features, but we also wish they’d allow for an iTunes artist scan: The RSS feed, which we quickly popped into Google Reader, shows recent and upcoming releases: And the iCal was just as easily added to Google Calendar, for those who prefer those kinds of notifications: Users can upload other folks’ Last.fm faves, as well, if gift-giving ideas are in needed. Other features that would make this app even more useful would be a Twitter OAuth to receive DMs the day before and/or the day of an album’s release. And of course, we’d love to see a location-based feature that added tour dates to the mix. Roadie comes from Portuguese web and mobile dev shop Think Orange , which was founded by a couple Ruby on Rails geeks. Roadie is an experimental side project for them, and they’re looking forward to creating many more projects in 2010. We’re looking forward to seeing what they cook up, as well! Give Roadie a spin, and let us know what you think in the comments. Is this app useful for you? Discuss

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Get an RSS Feed or iCal of Your Favorite Bands’ New Releases With Roadie

The controversial Proposition 8, same-sex marriage ban is back in California courts and this time around the trial proceedings are expected to be broadcast on YouTube . The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a California judge ruled earlier today to broadcast the trial thanks to a pilot program approved last month. The program permits the “telecasting of selected nonjury civil trials” and could be a bold move for the government to further open up proceedings to the eyes of its citizens. Sponsor The trial will not be broadcast live, however. Instead, it will be recorded and broadcast on delay, giving the judge the ability to have witnesses’ faces blocked out or voices muted. Prop 8 supporters, the side that opposes gay marriage, are pushing to stop the trial’s broadcasting altogether, saying that it might discourage witnesses from testifying. Ironically, the pro-8 camp made frequent use of YouTube in the run-up to the election. Both sides of the debate posted a number of much-watched videos on the site supporting and opposing Prop 8. Media organizations, including Chronicle-owner Hearst Corp., are pushing for a real-time broadcast of the proceedings. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to sign off on the decision to broadcast the trial. In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples could marry. Voters passed Prop 8 later that same year. It overturned the court’s decision and amended the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The trial begins on Monday, Jan. 11, and will be available for viewing on YouTube sometime later that day or early the next. Here’s hoping the Internet can shine a light in another dark corner of democracy. Discuss

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Judge: Gay Marriage Trial Must Go on YouTube

The only reason streaming web music hasn’t completely killed all other forms of music distribution is the fact that it’s not available when you’re traveling across wireless networks – say, in a car. Well hold on to your hats and start canceling your satellite radio subscriptions, Pandora is taking to the road. Sponsor According to a recent Paid Content article, Pandora announced a partnership with Pioneer at the Consumer Electronics Show. The speaker manufacturer will begin selling a device in March that detects users’ Pandora settings via their iPhones. While the $1200 dollar price tag for the connection device is high, the fact that the service is free will theoretically save consumers from paying monthly radio subscription fees. However, if Pioneer manages to partner with other music providers like Microsoft with Zune Marketplace , Spotify or MOG , then web subscriptions will simply be cross-platform music accounts. While Paid Content suggests that we’re looking at the end for satellite radio companies like Sirius XM, we think the greater effect of web-enabled cars might be the end of professionally curated music. Does web music spell death for disc jockeys? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Photo Credit: Michael Ruiz Discuss

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Does Pandora for Cars Spell Death for Deejays?

Social media is likely to be factored into your ad budget for the new year, but the problem is deciding which format best suits you. While highly controversial, tech influencers like Chris Pirillo and Robert Scoble are being paid to tweet periodic product endorsements. The question is: Are sponsored tweets are worth it? ReadWriteWeb caught up with Likes.com co-founders Bindu Reddy and Arvind Sundararajan as they make the case for conversational advertising and the sponsored tweets landscape. Sponsor Similar to Ad.ly and Sponsored Tweets , MyLikes is a service that pays influencers to Tweet about specific products. In what resembles an AdWords -style dashboard, advertisers create a budget for their campaign and set the parameters and URL for where they’d like endorsers to redirect their friends. This month, Moo created a campaign in the hopes of selling business card packages to US-based users. Rather than being forced to endorse Moo, members chose to endorse them from a long list of companies. From there the endorser creates a short line about why they like a particular company with a link to pre-populated images, video and the campaign URL from their blogs and Twitter accounts. Bindu believes that because the network gives users options in who to endorse, the sponsored tweets become more authentic and better targeted to the user base. On a cost-per-click basis, campaigns range between $0.20 – $0.60 cents per click based on the influence of the endorser. If you compare this against some of the higher priced AdWords keyword campaigns, Twitter sponsorship is quite reasonable. While a budget analysis is an obvious indicator of whether or not you should sponsor tweets, another factor to consider is your company culture. When Izea’s sponsored tweets program launched in late June many questioned the process of disclosure and the role of a social media influencer. While the FTC Act revisions make the space more regulated, they don’t change the fact that your stakeholders may simply be put off by the practice. I’m going to answer your question about sponsored tweets with another question, “Are sponsored tweets more cost effective than your current click-thru campaigns and will your audience embrace it?” Discuss

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Should You Reserve Ad Budget for Sponsored Tweets?

So you want effective advertising? Then it’s easy to assume that you’ve spent countless hours researching the options that are available and might feel a bit overwhelmed. It’s a relief to know that it’s easy to find which tools will work best for whatever business you happen to be in. Of course, there is also the big question amongst professionals: volume traffic or targeted traffic?

If you want the more powerful marketing tool then you would want to use targeted website advertising. When a company chooses to use the other less powerful volume advertising, they are basically the telemarketers of the web. Chances are most of the people who look at the ad are just going to ignore it. However, if you use the targeted marketing you are putting your advertisement directly in front of the customers who need the services you are providing.

While dealing with using website advertising you might find that there are a lot of things to consider. Fortunately, for you, there are professional marketing services that can help anyone make the most out of your advertising. When you find marketing services, it is best to use them. After all they will only help your business.

The marketing company can help you chose from the many options that are available. These include search engine optimization, banner advertising, link building, back linking and so much more. By working with a professional company, they will help ensure that you are using the best methods for your marketing needs.

Targeted website advertising will allow your business to gain the attention and focus of the exact audience you are wanting to. It will get them interested in your product or service and in visiting your website. Remember it’s not always about how many people see the ad, but as it is how many people react to the ad.

It is best to focus on targeted advertising when you decide to advertise for your business. You’ll also be happy to know that there are different tools within targeted advertising that can take your business to the next level.

Once you decide to use targeted advertising remember that you should find a marketing company that can help you go in the direction that you want to. And remember that by using targeted marketing instead of generalized marketing you are advertising to individuals who going to be more likely to purchase your services.

To learn more about targeted website advertising or how your business can get started with the best marketing tools, visit www.Majon.com today.

AT&T has announced a new line of Android-based smartphones for 2010. Dell , HTC and Motorola will make the five new devices, which are scheduled to be released during the first half of 2010. Endgadget is predicting that AT&T will be using the Motorola Backflip, while Slashgear has confirmed that the Mini 3i will be the choice for Dell . The other three, Endgadget says, will most likely go to HTC. Sponsor The announcement is good for AT&T customers who wanted an Android phone but are held under contract with the company. Up until now, AT&T has offered the iPhone and a variety of Palm and Blackberry devices, but nothing operating the Android OS. The company made the announcement today at CES where they also announced new initiatives to increase the number of applications available to their customers. To this end, the company is offering a new software developer kit and is looking to sign new distribution deals in order to offer its phone apps worldwide. Nokia also announced today that its Ovi mobile application store will be available to AT&T customers in the United States. Full details can be found in the company’s press release . Discuss

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AT&T Comes Over to the Android Side