by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina

Four Free Useful Tech Tools

I’ve downloaded many tech tools and apps over the years, but rarely use them.  I seem to forget that I have them during the times that they would be the most useful.  However, there are a few tools and apps that I use frequently, both at home and at work. Below are four free tech tools which have made my life easier.

Jing

Jing is a screen capture tool which takes screenshots and short videos.  Additionally, you can upload these videos to a free hosted web service to share with anyone.  I use it to send videos and screenshots to patrons and to build instructional content for work.  It will also work well if you need to create an image gallery or instructional video for a portfolio.

Join.Me

Join.Me is a virtual meeting software, which also functions as a screensharing software.  It is very useful if you need to tutor a remote patron in real time or help a relative fix their computer.  We’ve all been there.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud based storage system which syncs files across multiple devices.  I use it frequently to sync photos and screenshots between my computer, phone and tablet.  You can also create links to files in your Dropbox to send to others and set up a shared folder to collaborate with others.

RSS feed reader

RSS feed readers are an easy way to manage subscriptions to a large number of blogs and are a lifesaver to keep track of developments in the profession.  I also rely on RSS feeds to manage many of the job listings that I monitor for INALJ North Carolina.  Unfortunately, my favorite feed reader, Google Reader, will be shut down likely by the time you read this.  If you haven’t chosen a replacement yet – or are looking to start an RSS feed collection – Lifehacker has published a list of five alternatives.  I’m partial to Feedly, personally, since it can handle the rather embarrassing number of feeds that I’ve collected over the years and has a well designed mobile interface.