11 Apps We Use for Remote Working

1

Slack

Slack is the messaging service that serves as our virtual office space in lieu of a physical building full of cubicles. It allows for real-time direct messaging, public or private discussion channels, and file sharing. The ability to chat in real time, with numerous channels to keep conversations on topic, is integral to culture building in remote companies (our #random channel may be the most fun you can have on the Internet today). We also use Slack to broadcast announcements to every team. Wirecutter executive editor Ganda Suthivarakom has a few pro tips: “Turn off notifications on your phone so you aren’t bothered by pings from people working late in different time zones. Also, I’ve learned to try to have conversations about work in public channels, not DM, so other people know what’s going on and can chime in as needed.”

#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Chat 208 social mentions

2

Zoom

We hold meetings in Slack or via Zoom videoconferencing. Zoom works for us because you can go into Brady Bunch mode with up to 70 people, and it’s fairly affordable. (We tried Google Hangouts, but it’s glitchy and can handle only 10 speaking users at a time.) The added ability to record meetings, integrate with calendars, share screens, and access the meeting on desktop, tablet, or mobile makes it especially handy. Kelly Gray, our operations manager, likes the fact that “even people who don't have a Zoom account can still use it for a videoconference when a host invites them via email or a link.” You can read more about why we like it in our review of the best tech and apps for your home office. One bonus perk of not-in-person meetings: No one has to know that you’re still in your Christmas-tree pajama pants (though you’d better make sure your apartment is clean).

#Video Conferencing #Phone System #Group Chat & Notifications 195 social mentions

3

WordPress

WordPress has been the backbone of both of our sites since the beginning. “We like it because it’s open source, very secure, reliable, and customizable,” says our head of product, Andy Cheatwood. It also helps that our lead engineer, Rachel Baker, is a core committer to the WordPress project (one of only a handful) and works primarily on the WP API project, which lets different WordPress sites talk to one another. “She’s very involved in that community. She regularly gives talks and attends summits,” Andy adds.

#CMS #Blogging #Blogging Platform 764 social mentions

4

Drive

Our photographer Michael Hession prefers Google Drive in particular for its Web interface and advanced search options, both of which make it especially easy for people on every tech level to use. File sizes are clearly visible, drag and select works as it should, GIFs load quickly, and the different view options (versus the tiny-thumbnails-only view in Dropbox) suit each user’s personal preferences. Google Drive easily integrates with all other Google services but has one big flaw: Switching between personal and work accounts is very hard. Michael gets around that by always having Chrome and Safari open, a solution that may not be ideal for every user.

#Lease Administration #Asset Finance #Equipment Leasing Solution 2 social mentions

5

Google Drive

Our photographer Michael Hession prefers Google Drive in particular for its Web interface and advanced search options, both of which make it especially easy for people on every tech level to use. File sizes are clearly visible, drag and select works as it should, GIFs load quickly, and the different view options (versus the tiny-thumbnails-only view in Dropbox) suit each user’s personal preferences. Google Drive easily integrates with all other Google services but has one big flaw: Switching between personal and work accounts is very hard. Michael gets around that by always having Chrome and Safari open, a solution that may not be ideal for every user.

#Cloud Storage #File Sharing #Encrypted Cloud Storage 2 social mentions

6

Basecamp

Basecamp makes it easy for our team to keep track of campaigns, projects, and guides in preproduction mode. Each review gets its own “project,” which helps all team members stay informed on its progress. A Basecamp project serves as a hub for tracking all the files associated with the review across the various other services we use, and it has replaced email for communications between the writer and editor; that way, anyone can catch up on what’s going on and where the project is at any given moment. It’s also nice to use: Image links automatically expand, the core discussion functionality is great, and the progress view is just plain cool.

#Project Management #Productivity #Task Management 37 social mentions

7

YArooms

For the NYC-ers among us, optional office space is available but limited to only a few desks, and it needs to be photo-ready at all times for our photo editor. Since the office doesn’t see use every day with every local employee in at once, we use YArooms to reserve open rooms or desks on specific days or times. (Visiting employees from out of town can also reserve a side bedroom in the back of the office to crash in.)

#Online Bookings #Office & Productivity #Office Space Management

8

Trello

While Basecamp and Google Drive handle the majority of project management on the editorial side of things, the superior tracking interface of Trello allows the production team to move things along once the drafts are ready for loading onto the website. Trello assigns each article to a card that we click and drag through the various stages of production (copy edit, image processing, and the like), represented as columns, as they happen. This way, anyone—including producers, copy editors, editors, the social media and growth group, and the managing-edit team—can see at any moment how close a review is to publication.

#Project Management #Task Management #Productivity 231 social mentions

9

Jira

Our dev team uses JIRA to track bugs, issues, and overall project management concerns. Kelley Koehler, our senior project manager, says that JIRA used to get a bad rap, but JIRA Cloud is much easier to navigate now. “The admin (the configuration) is still hard to do at times, but that's just a hassle for me and not for my team. You can have multiple views for each project, so each team can customize their view to suit what makes sense for their workflow, which is great. You can define complex or simple workflows, customize tasks and fields, and it has solid sprint planning features, which is a huge bonus for me as a project manager; I can organize tasks in so many ways.”

#Project Management #Software Development #Agile Project Management 1 user reviews