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Tools and Software
Through the course of my journey as affiliate marketer, I've come across many things that have made life easier while working. Here are some of them.
FireFox is the webmasters' browser. I've used Opera for years, and decided to try FF before the last needed upgrade. It is slower than Opera, but the additional functionality more than makes up for it. Extensions that really come in handy:
- Web Developer has lots of handy tools for coding and debugging pages, plus a referral blocker.
- IE View View any page in IE, from FF. (Right click and select open this page in IE)
- Color Zilla Get RGB and hex codes for colors on any page or image.
- Linkification Converts plain text urls into live clickable links.
- ShowIP Shows the ip of the current page. Also adds context menu for whois and other tools.
- Archive Search Adds a toolbar button to search archives for older versions of current page.
- SearchStatus Google, Alexa and other info on a toolbar.
Leech FTP is a small, free, multithreaded ftp client.
FunnelWeb logfile analyzer. Is now free and is no longer supported or updated. However, it works well for my uses. It downloads raw logs via ftp, crunches reports for you and spits them out in html format. Everything is configurable. I set up reports to run every day, and they are generated in specified folders. I open one folder in FF in tabs and have all the reports opened at once. Very quick and handy to see daily traffic stats.
Acronis True Image and a raid mirror array provide redundant and offsite backups. I haven't had a need to actually restore from a backup, but I sure sleep easier. Acronis lets you backup anything to dvd image, including the C: drive/partition, while you run on it. I take the burned dvds offsite in case of theft or fire, and have a mirror raid array for drive failure backup. Always back up your stuff.
Ergotron Multiple Monitor Mounts make using several LCD panels easy and stylish. There's nothing like a big widescreen lcd with flanking lcds to share your workspace, all on one mount.
GAIM open source instant messaging client. Always stay in touch with your network. Make friends with people you can trust, and keep them. You will need them in this business.
ClickTracks user behavior anaysis. Graphic representation of what visitors do on your site. Very pricey but useful app.
OpenOffice saves you a couple hundred bucks for using the occasional Word document. The spreadsheet app works fine for me.
Portable Firefox can be installed on a usb thumbdrive. Then take your FF where you go, and you won't leave a trace behind.
Power Menu Set priority, minimize to tray, and/or always on top. The cool-factor feature is being able to set transparency for any app in Windows. You can actually see windows behind the top, transparent window.
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