Frequently I’m asked what software applications do I use to create my website, manage my surveys, promote my festivals etc. Well, here’s a list of what I use along with some comments:
- Animated Images: [examples: www.ValenTango.us] {link: https://gifs.com/}
- Creating Documents: Mostly I use Google Docs (free) but occasionally Microsoft Word. Google Docs is great because it’s so easy to share with other people and you can link directly to it from your web site rather than having to upload each new document from your local computer.
- Creating Forms: [example: Tango Organizer’s Contact Info] Exclusively I use Goggle Forms (free)–it’s just a great way to collect information.
- Creating Spreadsheets: About half the time I use Google Sheets (free) and the other times I use Microsoft Excel. Again, Google Sheets is so great for sharing with others and getting their input.
- Domain Registration: GoDaddy
- Email Manager: Again, I’ve tried several and found MailerLite the best for me.
- Event On-Line Ticket Selling: After trying several different companies, and ended up using EventBrite and think they are excellent.
- Flaming Text: [example: BurningTango] {link: http://www.flamingtext.com/}
- Image manipulation: Primarily I use Microsoft Publisher–but it is limited. I also use PhotoShop Elements, but I’m not very good at it and mostly use it just for precise pixel sizing of photos.
- Laptop Operating System: Windows 7. I thinks it’s the most reliable and stable of the Microsoft Products.
- Project Management: There are tons of project management software out there but for me AirTable is the one and it’s free!
- Polls: [example: https://tangoclay.us/poll/] {link: PollDaddy}
- Publishing: I’m a heavy user of Microsoft Publisher. This is what I use to create all of my brochures, flyers, handouts etc. I think it’s great software and very versatile. I tried the on-line version for awhile, but didn’t like it. There’s advantages and disadvantages to using the on-line vs a local version.
- Social Media: Facebook. I’ve also played around with Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc, but didn’t find them to be of much help for tango promotion. To really get the most from Facebook, I’d suggest getting a Facebook marketing book–there’s just lots of options (Event Pages, Groups, Fan Pages etc)
- Survey Manager: [example: Why I Quit Tango] I’ve been using SurveyMonkey for years and love it.
- Website: All my web sites are done with Word Press. I originally hired a programmer to set up my sites. After that I pretty much do all the maintenance myself and I find it fairly easy to use.
- Zapier allows me to connect various apps. For instance, I connect EventBrite with MailerLite so that whenever someone registers for a festival their name automatically goes into my mail list.