I really like what I do. Part of the reason why is I get to continuously search for new technologies and help apply them to the mission needs of my clients and their customers. But I also enjoy using technologies myself. One new one I have employed to the benefit of my firm is Gist. Gist.com helps bring information together from across the web in a form that is there when you need it and not in the way when you don’t. Gist has plug-ins that let it work right in your e-mail program (including G-mail, Google Apps and Outlook clients, and also mobile phone clients). Gist uses those plug-ins plus access you grant Gist to your social networking tools (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) plus publically available information from search engines and other sources to bring actionable information together for your use. Key points from the Gist.com website are that:
- Gist helps you build stronger relationships by connecting the inbox to the web to provide business-critical information about the people and companies that matter most.
- Gist helps you focus your time because the most important information is provided to you automatically.
- Gist helps you discover new insights by bringing relevant news forward based on the people and companies you interact with.
- Gist helps organize relevant blogs and news and other content, including, when you are in people’s social networks (or they are connected to you), the feeds from individual’s twitter and facebook feeds.
Here is a Youtube clip from a Gist user who captured her thoughts on why Gist is relevant for her:
So, how am I using Gist? My firm, Crucial Point LLC, uses Google Apps for much of our infrastructure. Our e-mail is our brand (like contact@crucialpointllc.com) but that is really g-mail. Any tools or application in the Google Apps Marketplace can be added for use by our domain users. Gist has an application in the Google Apps marketplace, so it is easy for our domain users to access it. I added it an all can access it from their menu when logged into their e-mail. Domain users see a small Gist window at the bottom of any e-mail received. Clicking a button brings summary information from elsewhere into a gadget at the bottom of the e-mail.
I’m using that information to inform myself before dialog with people. It is easy for me to learn things they would like me to know about them.
Please give Gist a try and let me know what you think. You can find Gist several ways, including:
and my gist profile at:
http://www.gist.com/bobgourley
I’d like to suggest that you just sign up for Gist and dive in. Don’t worry about privacy or the privacy of your contacts. Why? Well the fact is you and your contacts are already out on the Internet and Gist does not do anything to increase your threat exposure.
But you may also want to take a look at the statement of privacy at “What’s the Gist Promise?”. They intend on doing what they can to protect privacy and promise that:
- Your data is wholly owned and controlled by you. At no time is your data shared with other Gist users unless specifically granted by you.
- Your data is secure. We take great lengths to secure all user data and ensure your data privacy and confidentiality
- The level of data integration that Gist performs is fully under your control. You can use Gist with no data integration or full data integration.
- We will never use your data to reach out to your contacts. Again, you are in full control of your data.
- At any time, you can give the command to wipe all your data from our systems.
