The Internet… Even More To Love

FedEx started back in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that it became an indispensable business tool. Next-day delivery was at the time faster than fast. Being able to get a package delivered overnight was a game changer, and it changed the way a lot of us worked. Lead times got a lot shorter and deadlines got a lot tighter (which I am not entirely certain was a good thing in the long term—but at the time it seemed wonderful). When I worked at Commodore, we would FedEx our magazine mechanicals to our printer and they would receive them the next day. (The very next day!) Then, the printer would turn our mechanicals into negatives and create a blueline proof and FedEx it back to us. We would receive their package (you guessed it) the very next day. (For those of you who have no clue what a mechanical or a blueline is or was, check out this handy Glossary of Printing and Graphic Terms.)

When I started working mostly from home, I liked to joke that I worked from FedEx (or around 10 or so in the morning) until FedEx (or afternoon pickup which was sometime around 6:30 in the evening). The FedEx (and, by then, UPS) drivers all knew my house since they were here so often. Of course, now FedEx probably makes more money from online retailers than it does delivering business packages. I can’t remember the last time I scheduled a FedEx pickup. If I need to get a file pretty much anywhere, I don’t print it out and package it up; I just send it electronically.

This fall, I paid tribute to some sites on the Internet that allowed me to access all sorts of information pretty much effortlessly. Now that it is finally spring, I am saying “thank you” to some services that make my workflow (and my life in general) flow a lot smoother (even if that means deadlines have gotten even tighter).

Email—My first interaction with the Internet was an AOL email address. Is there anything that has changed the way I work more than email? I think not. I check my email morning, noon and night (since I spend much of my day in front of a computer this is not a big deal). Want to reach me, don’t bother calling. If I am out, I will probably forget to check for messages when I return. And forget about my cell phone, most of the time (unlike pretty much everyone else on Planet Earth) I probably won’t even have it with me. But I will check my email. Want to go to lunch? Email me. Want to check my availability? Email me. Want to send me a something? Email me. If I need to send someone a file, unlike the early days of AOL when email attachments were a really iffy proposition (especially if sent to a non-AOL user), I can send pretty big files via email attachment. And if the file is too big for email, there is always Dropbox….

Dropbox—Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for something to be in two places at once. Just doesn’t happen. Unless it is an electronic file and it is stored in Dropbox. Dropbox is like magic allowing files to be in two (or more) places at once. It allows me share files with fellow designers and clients seamlessly. If I need to share artwork, I put it in Dropbox. Need to collaborate on a project, much easier if it is in Dropbox. Need to gather pieces and parts for a project from lots of different people, set up a Dropbox. Dropbox has made sharing files super easy, and, for most casual users, a basic Dropbox account is free. And if I need to send really big files (bigger than I can email), I can forward a Dropbox link. (I know there are other ways out there to send really big files—I just prefer Dropbox.)

NoMoRobo—And finally, thanks to one last service that you can access on the Internet. I don’t use it to share files or gather info, but I love it. If you have not signed up for NoMoRobo, DO IT NOW! No really, DO IT NOW. Approved by the FTC, NoMoRobo not only makes nasty robocalls disappear, it sends them to some far off corner of hell where they can spend eternity rotting forgotten by all of mankind (okay, I made that last part up, but that is how I picture it in my mind). And best of all, on your landline, NoMoRobo is free (there is a charge for the service on a cell phone). Since I work at home so much, robocalls are at best a nuisance and some days just downright annoying. It seemed some days I got more robocalls than anything else. And now…. No more calls from Rachel at credit card services. No more calls from Windows technical support (yo, guys, I am on a Mac). It has even cut down on the number of annoying political (yes, I realize that is redundant) calls. And NoMoRobo is smart. Good robocalls, like school closings (and is there any better call a kid can get) and prescription reminders, are allowed through. Bad robocalls—see you in that far off corner of hell. It is like having a personal secretary screening your calls. Every time the phone rings once and then stops, I think to myself (and, occasionally say out loud) “I love you NoMoRobo.”

And I love you, Internet. You are the best. You let me do all sort of things that used to be unimaginable except in episodes of Star Trek. Now if I just figure out how to get you to deliver a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot, all would be good.