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Zoho Creator


I thought I’d share this web application I came across in my quest to find a relatively simple app to help us manage our mentoring data in the DL Orientation. Our specific needs were that it be a free online database, password protected, had the capability of rapid form development without too much programming knowledge and was easy for the end user to use. The application that met these requirements was Zoho Creator (http://www.zohocreator.com/) a part of a suite of online applications including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, wikis, organizers and more. What’s great about Zoho Creator is that they have an online repository of applications already developed that you can download to your account and use for free. Initially, I tried some of these applications, but it was overkill for our needs. Zoho Creator can do a lot if you know programming and they have a pay model where it allows you more flexibility and features. I think Zoho Creator would be a useful tool for both the novice and advanced user who need to design a database application that manages their data needs. The only concern that I would have is storing any personal identifying information since this is a third party system. All DL Orientation mentors will have a chance to use this application in our upcoming orientation course. We’ll see how it works outs.

Comments

Christy said…
I'm really not a database person but I think Zoho isn't as intimidating as some programs can be. They market their product in a fun and interactive way and encourage a strong developers community to join in the fun.
I think the application that Clinton has for the orientation will work well for our purpose and allow us easy access to information and tracking. Mahalo for sharing.
Komarey said…
I'm so glad you put together this data set as a basis for tracking communication. Although it's free, it's a great start. Now we just have to log our communication. I agree with Christy in that it's pretty user friendly.

A feature I found useful in Zoho is the filter for all the fields that appear. It's great that we can sort according to fields specified. In addition, the bulk editing feature is ajavascript:void(0)lso useful when making introduction calls.

Mahalo Clinton for working on this to make us more efficient.
Candi said…
As I mentioned to Clinton in an email I think this is a very user friendly program. It looks to be more useful for tracking than say Access because it has more features for exporting etc. Even being here a short time I can see that a database system is going to be very useful for both immediate and future needs. Thanks for sharing Clinton!
Kelly D. said…
Mahalo Clinton for searching for a tool to help us increase efficiency. Like everyone before me mentioned, I really like how you created our Mentor Log and after skimming the Zoho site, it really doesn't seem too difficult or intimidating to use. I also checked out the Project Management features and liked how everything is integrated; seems like tracking and communicating would be much less complicated and time consuming. I'm wondering if Zoho could help us with improving processes for keeping our infamous Master List updated and streamlined.
Kelly
Joan said…
Good find! Ditto the other comments. I was surprised by the number of tools they have besides the DB creator and like that they're trying to create a development community to share stuff.

I was curious - how many participants can you have with the freebie? I notice the first level pay per contact is $5 per person per month which is kind of stiff. I also tried the meeting feature and you can't chair a mtg from a Mac. Scratch that one for me! 8-)

I like the flexibility of the site and its really powerful for a freebie. Guess they make it up on sales - so clarifying - the data is stored on their server? When i clicked the mtg video demo the voice was decidedly Indian and I got nervous. heh heh
Anonymous said…
Cool site. Like the others said, user friendly & fun. I also liked that you could use your Google or Yahoo log in information to access your own account in Zoho. I like it when these applications/resources collaborate like that. :)

It's great that it has a wide variety of applications that work together. I wonder how compatible they are with other programs like MS Word etc. Anyway, thanks for adding another useful tool to our arsenal.

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