I am not a fan of paid tools. I love all the free, open-source stuff available online that makes our lives easier. You know, things like Open Office, Firefox, WordPress. All those things a growing business needs to stay organized and keep in touch with the rest of the world.
But once in a while, a really useful and necessary tool comes along.
And of course I put off buying it.
I try other solutions. I experiment with freeware. I cobble together my own “program” from a mix of spreadsheets and word processing documents. I try to force square pegs into round holes.
And then I finally give in and just buy the damn thing. And wonder how I ever lived without it.
The other day when I was updating an ecommerce-style affiliate site, I was writing content, finding matching products, uploading photos to my hosting account, and basically multi-tasking beyond what’s reasonable. No less than seven tabs open in my browser (kind of like right now, actually) and continually logging into or out of something.
RoboForm saved my sanity. Sure, it keeps your passwords secure, and that’s great, but it also acts as a bookmark keeper. Now, when I need to log into my hosting account, for example, all I have to do is click on the little icon in my system tray, choose Hostgator from the list of logins, and I’m there! And let me tell you that sure beats the old method of finding the bookmark, remembering my user name, typing in my password, getting it wrong, doing it again. You know the drill. I’m sure you’ve been there.
What kept me from buying RoboForm for so long was thinking it was just a password manager. I didn’t need a password manager. I had my spreadsheet! But RoboForm is so much more than that. It really does save me more time and frustration than I ever imagined. I even use it to fill in long registration forms with just a single click, not only for me, but for multiple clients as well.
I started with the free version (limited to 10 passcards after the initial 30-day trial), but quickly discovered how useful this tool is going to be, and upgraded to the pro version. And now I do wonder how I ever managed without it.
Hey that sounds reallllly handy. I’m using some open source software to save my passwords for when I forget them – which works very well because I forget them a lot. But it doesn’t do all that! Will have to check it out. Oh – what is a passcard?
.-= Deb Mallett´s last blog ..Art and Money: Is it possible? =-.
Hey Deb, it is handy! All you have to do is remember one master password, and everything else is done for you.
A passcard is RoboForm terminology. It just refers to all the information stored for a particular login. It’s usually just a user name and password, but it might have other information, too, like an address or a phone number. I have a passcard I use when I checkout at a certain online retailer that fills in my mailing address, billing address, credit card number, and all the other stuff they want to know. Like you said…REALLY handy!
Oh I get it now. So with the free version you can store logons for 10 places. That helps, but could be tense for the other hundred or so.
.-= Deb Mallett´s last blog ..Art and Money: Is it possible? =-.
Hi Cindy – oh gosh I approve of Roboform 100%. If you are just starting or been in busy for years – get Roboform if you don’t have it already. Huge lifesaver. I have been a user of Roboform for about a month – and not really sure why I didn’t get it sooner. And to give future purchasers a tip – Go to roboform to get signed up then in a separate window go to google.com and search for “Roboform Coupon Code”. Find a valid coupon code to save money. Best of luck, Staci
.-= Staci Jansma´s last blog ..PDF Converter Program =-.
Hey Staci, that’s a good tip about the coupon codes! I try to remember to do that whenever I buy something online, but sometimes I forget.
This couldn’t be better timing. I was getting ready to post on my site and couldn’t get into my admin area. It wouldn’t have been so bad had I not been away from home. I couldn’t even access my password because the login wasn’t accepting my email address. I’d better get on this right away!
Thanks for the great info.
Best money I ever spent, Shelley. I actually have two versions, one on my primary computer and one on a thumb drive that I take with me everywhere. No matter where I go, I can log into my email, my websites, everything. And even if I lose my thumb drive, it’s secure, because it’s encrypted and password protected. I just can’t say enough good stuff about RoboForm.