Small business productivity - email, calendars, shared docs etc

[ruairioflaherty]

Hi all,

A company I am involved with is growing fast and we need to streamline our email services, shared calendars and documents.  All roads point to Google and my previous experience with that platform for a small business was that it worked well.

But….I really dislike Google.  Any other suggestions?

Think 5 to 10 users, IMAP email preferable.

 

[Niketouille]

Look at Slack and Trello

 

[ruairioflaherty]

Thanks!

I'm less in need of collaborative project management and more basic services like shared calendars, IMAP email, shared contacts etc.

We are using Quickbooks online so I'm looking at products that might integrate there too but not if it complicates their basic function.

 

[Tubetec]

Pen and paper Ruairi,and quality sit down time with your business parteners as far away from any technological devices as you can get.Internet security ,is that not the biggest mirage we've ever swallowed?

 

[ruairioflaherty]

I agree with the sentiments but in this case the whole operation moves too fast for us to sit down together often. 

 

[tmuikku]

Microsoft Office365 is similar to Google offerings.

 

[tony hunt]

My girlfriend swears by Basecamp on projects of this size. There are alternatives.

I get along fine with the simpler Smartsheet, which I think is like how Excel should be if it makes it to heaven.

 

[Tubetec]

Yeah ,not a realistic option at all really,but I am glad that theres finally a backlash against the data mining .Anyway very best of luck with your new venture.I might pick up on your personal security thread again soon as it seems very much to be the topic of the moment now and will continue to be for some time ahead.
Kindest.

 

[PRR]

>> Microsoft Office365
> My girlfriend swears by...

Can't do that. What the @#$%&!? Microsoft bans nudity, swearing in ...Office 365 docs

 

[kambo]

google handles all for you!
i am involved with  300+ person company, they are handing everything from google.
from meeting calendars/invitations/response etc to email accounts,
you name it!

 

[ruairioflaherty]

google handles all for you!
i am involved with  300+ person company, they are handing everything from google.
from meeting calendars/invitations/response etc to email accounts,
you name it!

It's definitely a complete and stable system, I just despise the company!  My experience with a personal copy of Microsoft Office 365 was not great and their admin / account / cloud stuff is a disaster so I'll be steering clear of them,

 

[dmp]

It's definitely a complete and stable system, I just despise the company!  My experience with a personal copy of Microsoft Office 365 was not great and their admin / account / cloud stuff is a disaster so I'll be steering clear of them,

I'm growing to feel the same way about Google. But having used gmail for 10 years and used to the convenience of Drive and docs, it is REALLY hard to consider quitting. It's so damn convenient and free.

 

[Gold]

It's so damn convenient and free.

I'll  agree with convenient but while no currency changes hands you pay in other ways. I'm with Ruari, the Google products creep me out. I'd rather pay for something I come closer to owning.

 

[dmp]

I'll  agree with convenient but while no currency changes hands you pay in other ways. I'm with Ruari, the Google products creep me out. I'd rather pay for something I come closer to owning.

yes, exactly. You pay with your ad views. Just like facebook and most other web companies. It's the most successful business model for the internet. Nothing new - over the air TV was this way. You got something 'free' by watching ads. 

If we're going to be really honest with ourselves, groupdiy is the same.  'free' of cost, but there are ads on the pages and presumably through our logins, our data is tracked. Albeit a smaller scale than google or facebook. But there is a donate button and people here contribute money, but there's no transparency about the finances of the site.  No statement that it is non-profit, but people volunteer their content and time. We all make contributions here because we get enough out of it that it is worth it.
How are google or facebook different?

A notable exception is Wikipedia, which never runs ads and is transparently non-profit. I donate to them every month. 

It's too bad the characteristics of the economic system makes cooperative, non-profit entities so rare.

 

[dmp]

But that's off topic and probably a little too controversial to bring up.

Back on topic - it would be great of co-operative, non-profit entities started competitors to google, facebook, etc... and people would value them enough to make them viable.

 

[kambo]

i use yahoo pro email.
no adds 
i believe u get add free service from google too!

 

[ruairioflaherty]

If we're going to be really honest with ourselves, groupdiy is the same.  'free' of cost, but there are ads on the pages and presumably through our logins, our data is tracked. Albeit a smaller scale than google or facebook. But there is a donate button and people here contribute money, but there's no transparency about the finances of the site.  No statement that it is non-profit, but people volunteer their content and time. We all make contributions here because we get enough out of it that it is worth it.
How are google or facebook different?

Well now you've gone and derailed my thread 

My understanding is that GroupDIY is a for profit enterprise.  It just so happens that the service provided is great, the cost (in ad exposure and donations) is low.  I'm all for an adult conversation about how we pay for the service and how Ethan makes a living, he does a great job.

I pay monthly subs for 6 or so services, and would gladly commit to a monthly donation here if it improved the overall experience or guaranteed a stable future.

 

[dmp]

Well now you've gone and derailed my thread 
My understanding is that GroupDIY is a for profit enterprise.  It just so happens that the service provided is great, the cost (in ad exposure and donations) is low.  I'm all for an adult conversation about how we pay for the service and how Ethan makes a living, he does a great job.
I pay monthly subs for 6 or so services, and would gladly commit to a monthly donation here if it improved the overall experience or guaranteed a stable future.

Sorry about that 

Just thinking about where's the line where a 'free' web service (google, facebook, groupdiy) goes from great service, low cost to evil, awful, privacy destroying corporate monster.
I guess I'm just a little surprised at how suddenly public opinion changed on the big boys.