Meebo

Access all your messaging services (AIM, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk, Yahoo, MSN) with one online login.

Yes, I know there are various messenger programs around that allow you to login to more than one messaging service at the same time (Yahoo and MSN together, for example). What makes Meebo different is that it isn't a progam that you have to install, but a service that you access online.



There are two distinct advantages to this. First, and perhaps most importantly, Meebo allows you to use your messaging services on computers where you do not have a messaging program installed or where you are not allowed to install one. So, for example, in the school, college, office, or Internet Cafe where you are not permitted to install software, you can happily chat with your buddies using at least four chat services that you would otherwise be unable to. Secondly, providing you can get online, you can easily access your messages and send them from any computer, regardless of your geographical location, and regardless of what chat software (if any) is available.

You do not even have to sign up for an account with Meebo. You can use their free services just by visting the site and logging into your chat services using your existing usernames and passwords. However, if you do sign up for a free account with them, they enable you to login to all your chat services with a single Meebo user name and password, and keep chat logs.

Meeting Wizard

Meeting Wizard is a brilliant free way of helping you book meetings. I now use it all the time to make business and personal appointments.



Once you have signed up for a free account you simply decide whether you have a fixed date for a meeting, or whether you have several possible dates. You then send this information to all the prospective attendees, and Meeting Wizard does the rest. It emails the potential attendees either telling them about the single date, or asking them to confirm dates when they are available. Once it has this information it emails you, lets you select the best date, and then emails all the attendees. There are plenty of options available. For example, you can ask Meeting Wizard to send out automatic reminders before the meeting, and can control who sees who is attending or not.

I have found that the free version has more than enough options to help me run my business and social life. If you want to upgrade, the paid-for version gives you the option of having your logo on any emails and removes any discrete advertising.

The only criticism I have of the service is that existing appointments are listed by the date that you do the booking, not by the date of the meeting itself. I personally have found this confusing. I now get round it by making sure that the subject line of the booking email contains the date of the meeting to be booked.

Try it for free.