photo: SanforaQ8

There has got to be some interesting events going on around town and so I tried to search online but realized that there isn’t one website out there that does a good job compiling all events happening in my town.

Flipping through the local newspapers, I found several interesting events that I could attend.

But this led me to think why isn’t there an online event submission software that’s able to compile and aggregate all events?

This gave me an idea to start a new site to address this problem.

And so, I began searching for an online event submission software which is simple to implement, simple to use, simple to manage and most importantly, cost effective.

I’ve tried a few event management software such as Eventzilla,  Amiando and planetReg but ended up choosing The Events Calendar by Modern Tribe.

Why the events calendar?

The Events Calendar is a an online event submission software which is a free plugin for the WordPress platform.

To set it up, simple install WordPress followed by installing the The Events Calendar plugin and you’ve got a site that’s capable of displaying  a list of event in a calender view just like the one below:

Key features of the events calendar

Besides displaying events on a calendar view, here are the other key features:

• Display events as a list view
• Each event is displayed on a standalone page
• Ability to manage venues and organizers
• Ability to link venue location to Google Map
• Customization templates to make the event site unique
• Event Microformats for SEO

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The original post is published here: Online event submission software review

Fortunately, technology has taken care of this problem – all you need is a decent SharePoint document scanning application to speed up the process. While there are many products available, I highly recommend Dark Blue Duck (a funny name but nonetheless brilliantly effective).

Dark Blue Duck has a Scanning Enabler tool which enhances Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) support for paper based processes. It allows you to scan documents directly to SharePoint without leaving the SharePoint user interface. You can then use SharePoint’s search feature to find your scanned document.

The challenge posed by paperwork is especially overwhelming in the legal and health profession. Of course, size and diverse geographical locations of your business add on to the problem. The larger your organization, the more complex the Enterprise Content Management and search capabilities needs. But Dark Blue Duck works well with MOSS to help you stay on top of the situation.

Some outstanding features of Dark Blue Duck include automated desktop deployment, scanning functionality to new and existing SharePoint document libraries and lists, Microsoft Office Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to create searchable documents.

You can centrally manage scanning preferences to obtain the best possible scan. For photos and most documents, set the scanner’s resolution between 200 and 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch) for a crisp scan that can be printed or uploaded. If you are not printing, setting a lower DPI will suffice. You can also specify content type, zonal template and document format in pdf/a, mdi, tif, jpg and gif.

Dark Blue Duck is also compatible with Windows SharePoint Services V3 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 indexing and search. It supports image stamping, multilanguage, custom metadata capture and workflow as well all Microsoft SharePoint server farm architectures.

Whether you are using desktop scanners, shared scanner or network Multifunction Printers via TWAIN, Dark Blue Duck makes SharePoint document scanning seamless and efficient.

Dark Blue Duck has incorporated support for network scanners. Multifunction Printers can now be connected directly to Windows SharePoint Services V3 and MOSS 2007.

A “Routing Coversheet” ensures that scanned documents are routed to the correct SharePoint list item or the correct SharePoint Document Library folder.

There is also a trial version which you can download after registration to get a first hand feel of the Scanning Enabler. Once you install the software on your SharePoint servers and computers, you will have a new scan document option in the upload button. This takes you to custom page for uploading and sharing documents to SharePoint.

The Dark Blue Duck Scanning Enabler is easy to install and uninstall. You can check out Scanning Enabler v4.XTM Product Page to review their screencasts. I find their screencasts are helpful and easy to understand. If you have any queries, there is professional implementation support provided by email and phone.

Try out the Dark Blue Duck’s Scanning Enabler application today and you will no longer find scanning and managing scanned document a nightmare.

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The original post is published here: Sharepoint document scanning tool – Scanning Enabler

What is a web part? Also referred as a web widget, it is a modular unit of information and an ASP.NET server control which is added to a web part zone on web part pages by users at run time.

SharePoint web parts add crucial functionality to modify the content, appearance, and behavior of SharePoint environment. Several innovative companies around the globe are developing free as well as proprietary webparts.

In this article, we will list down five free and popular webparts that you can try in your SharePoint environment.

1. World clock and Weather Web Part

World Clock & Weather Web Part allows users to display local time and weather for selected major cities around the globe.  This free Web Part allows you to show weather or clock by location with temperature, date, and time. Moreover, it also show as many locations as you want with the option to scroll through each location. It allows you to choose from analog or digital clock styles as well as its colors.

You can run this webpart on Microsoft Windows SharePoint Foundation 2010 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2010. It also has built in holiday features.

2. Google Chart Web Part

Google Chart webpart allow users to chart data contained in a specified Sharepoint List. The charts are created via Google’s public Chart API.

Parameters can also be configured which includes the list containing the data to be visualized, search filters, chart types, dimensions, chart titles, background colors, color palette and legend. This widget is available both in free as well as licensed version which provides additionally technical support.

3. Banner rotator webpart

The Banner Rotator Web Part rotates the image files contained in the specified Sharepoint Picture Library using smooth transitions between the images. The Web Part can be used with WSS V3, Sharepoint 2007 and Sharepoint 2010.

The following parameters can be configured:

• Optional Library Folder containing the images
• Transparent Text area (can be freely positioned)
• Sharepoint Picture Library containing the pictures
• Rotate banners, show a new banner every day or on every page refresh

4. MashPoint

MashPoint is a single unified data access platform that can be used to gather data living both inside and outside of SharePoint. It enable accessibility and integration of external data sources directly from SharePoint, visualize and interact with them via Web Parts or custom applications.

Mashpoint includes Data-Viewer WebPart, Chart Plus Webpart, Calendar Plus Web Part, Virtual Map View Web Part, Tree View Web Part and Mini-Calendar Webpart.  Moreover, developers can also use the Mashpoint API to author their own .NET Applications to link to proprietary data stores.

5. Facebook Kit

The Facebook Kit for SharePoint (FKS) allows users to leverage on the Facebook Connect APIs

With the Facebook Kit for Sharepoint, developers can build functionalities such as ability to login to Facebook from within Sharepoint as well as showing Facebook status on a Sharepoint page.

The pre-developed web parts included in FKS are:

• Facebook Login Web Part
• Facebook Share Part
• Facebook Profile Picture Web Part
• Facebook Status Web Part
• Facebook Comment Web Part

———————— End of free sharepoint web parts download ———————–

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The original post is published here: List of free & popular Sharepoint web parts download

Maybe they have used and tested Sharepoint’s capabilities but have moved on to another organization and now realize the need for similar intranet based functions which fits their IT budget.

Since that post, I stumbled on 5 more alternatives to Sharepoint so I thought I should mention them as well. Here it goes:

Liferay is a leading open source portal for enterprise and is proven by over 500 clients across various industries.

On its website, it is mentioned that customers that deploy Liferay portal are able to save an average of 93% over its competing enterprise solutions.

Key modules of Liferay includes content management, document management, web publishing, knowledge sharing workspaces, enterprise collaboration, social networking, identity management, self service portals and its newly launched Liferay Social Office – a social collaboration solution for the enterprise.

Central Desktop is an online web based social collaboration platform which allows people to connect and share business related information.

There are three main editions to choose from mainly the Free and basic edition for small teams, Workgroup edition for small companies or departments and Enterprise edition for medium to large organizations.

Key modules of Central Desktop includes file sharing, wikis, online spreadsheets, forums, calendars, task management, MS Office integration, customizable workflow, web meetings and more.

Socialtext is a leading enterprise social software company that created Socialtext 4.5 to allow employees of an organization the ability to share critical business information and work together in real time.

Socialtext can be deployed in several ways namely as a hosted service (SaaS  by Socialtext), on-site appliance (hosted by the client in house), hosted appliance (appliance hosted by an external data center).

Key modules of Socialtext includes social networking, microblogging, group collaboration, social spreadsheets, dashboard, internal blogs, wiki workspaces, desktop app, mobile app and the ability to integrate with other internal enterprise apps such as those related to CRM and ERP.

Jive Software is one of the fastest growing social business software (SBS) company where it’s solutions help organizations engage employees and customers by allowing social capabilities across all levels of the business.

Jive can be deployed in two ways namely Jive’s Software as a Service (SaaS) and a Licensed / Self Hosted model which can be installed and hosted inside your company’s firewall.

Key modules of Jive includes social networking, collaboration software, community software, social media monitoring.

TeamLab is an open source platform / intranet solution for project management and business collaboration purposes.

TeamLab can be used by downloading and installing it in house or by simply subscribing for the SaaS version which provides access to the portal in just a few minutes.

Key modules of TeamLab includes TM Community, TM Projects, TM Talk. For more details on TeamLab, read this previously written TeamLab Review.

—————– End of 5 more alternatives to Sharepoint that I missed out —————

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The original post is published here: 5 more alternatives to Sharepoint that I missed out

If you haven’t heard of Sharepoint, it’s an enterprise content management system which allows office users to collaborate and share information, manage documents, implement business process and more on a single platform for both intranet and internet pages.

In this article – Does Sharepoint’s Lag Mean an Opening in Multi-Billion Content Management Market? by ReadWriteEnterprise, it’s mentioned that “The word is out that Sharepoint 2010 is not getting the adoption that Microsoft had expected“.

I’m not sure how successful Sharepoint 2010 is for now, but what I know is that for organizations wanting to implement or upgrade to the latest Sharepoint 2010, there are factors to consider such as the licensing requirements as well as its hardware and software requirements for 64-bit architecture.

Large enterprises may not have much issues implementing Sharepoint 2010 but for smaller businesses it could be a challenge.

If you’re the owner of a small business who wants to put up an ECMS for your organization, you can consider the following

10 alternatives to Sharepoint for small businesses

Alfresco claims to be able to reduce your enterprise content management (ECM) costs by up to 96% compared to proprietary systems like Sharepoint, OpenText and Documentum.

Alfresco is available in three editions namely Alfresco Cloud, Alfresco Enterprise and Alfresco Community which runs on an open source stack supported by the Alfresco Community.

Key modules include document management, web content management, records, management, collaboration, and a content platform base.

Since Sharepoint too has an online version called Sharepoint Online, I’m considering Google Apps as its alternative.

Google Apps is available in several editions namely Google Apps for Business, Google Apps for Education, Google Apps for Government, Google Apps for Non-profit and a Free edition which is suitable for small businesses with fewer than 50 users.

Key modules include Google Sites, Google Docs, Google Calendar and Gmail.

Atlassian’s Confluence is used for intranets, knowledge management and documentation by organisations from countries around the globe – across Fortune 1000, government, education, finance and technology sector.

Confluence is available in two editions namely downloaded self hosted edition and one which is hosted by Atlassian. For official non-profit organizations, charities and open source projects, Confluence is free for use.

Key modules include social intranet, technical writing, knowledge management and even Sharepoint integration.

MindTouch is a built on the belief that enterprise software should be agile, extensible and scalable.

Its MindTouch Core is a successful open source project which is supported by an active open source community.

Key modules include social intranet, social documentation, dashboards and more. Read MindTouch Core Review.

EMC Documentum eRoom is an easy to use online team collaboration software that enables distributed teams to work together more efficiently.

The Documentum eRoom is part of the EMC Documentum Standard Family which provides critical enterprise content management and control all your information assets.

Key modules include document collaboration, collaborative business processes management, project planning and reporting, Microsoft Office / Outlook integration and more.

LotusLive is a collection of integrated, online collaboration solutions and social networking services for your business.

LotusLive helps organizations bring people and information together quickly and simply in an easy-to-use environment, designed with security in mind.

Key modules of LotusLive include LotusLive Engage (web conferencing, networking and productivity tools), LotusLive Connections (social networking, file sharing, instant messanging), LotusLive iNotes (webmail), LotusLive Meetings (online meetings)

adenin’s IntelliEnterprise is a platform for collaboration, process automation, information management and social networking within an organization.

One key strength of IntelliEnterprise has to be its Modeler which allows a wide range of components such as news, navigation, search and dashboards to wikis, blogs, organization chart and employee directory to be easily added and customized the drag and drop way.

Key modules include content & document management, dashboards and business charts, business applications, workflow, collaboration, social networking and more.

HyperOffice is a collaboration suite designed to increase productivity in your growing business.

HyperOffice is a fully hosted SaaS collaboration tool so there’s no need to install and manage the solution on your own office environment.

HyperOffice can be used to run your company’s intranet, extranet or customer portal and includes key features such as online document management, project management, intranet and extranet publisher, wikis, opinion polls and more.

Feng Office is a collaboration platform which allows office workers the ability to manage projects and business services, collaborate with team and customers and organize documents effectively.

There are two editions of Feng Office namely Feng Sky (hosted by Feng Office Company) and Feng Onsite (download and install on premise).

Key features include workspaces, contacts, calendar, document management, tasks, time tracking, search and more. Find out more from previously written Feng Office Review.

Huddle (aff) is an online workspace which allows people to connect, share and work together easily.

The key strength of Huddle has to be its mobile and third party integration with popular products and sites such as iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, LinkedIn, Xing, Ning, Intercall and more.

Huddle’s key feature includes dashboard and workspaces, control & customization, real time collaboration, file sharing & management, project management, support & account management and more. Find out more from previously written Huddle Review.

—————– End of alternatives to Sharepoint for small businesses —————

There you go, 10 alternatives to Sharepoint for small businesses. If you have any other alternatives to Sharepoint to add on, please do so in the comment box below.

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The original post is published here: 10 alternatives to Sharepoint for small businesses