Basecamp

General

Whenever a new year begins, you can find me busy making lists — for new-year resolutions, business goals, tax planning, and so on.

If you regularly visit this website, then you might have noticed in the left-hand column the recent appearance of a new banner for a tool called Basecamp.

I have just started to use this tool, so this blog post represents my first impression about the tool. Expect a longer, more exhaustive review here later — as an article instead of a blog post.

I am excited about the promise of Basecamp, and so far the tool delivers what its maker promises.

Basecamp is advertised as “the easy way to manage projects”.

I am initially using Basecamp for its to-do-list functionality.

Google recently added a to-do-list feature — called “Tasks” — to its Gmail service, and I was using this for my business as well as personal needs.

But Basecamp beats Google in the to-do-list arena in two important ways:

  1. Basecamp to-do’s can be tracked via projects. The Google to-do-list model has no concept of a project.
  2. Basecamp to-do’s can be assigned to particular people. The Google to-do-list model has no concept of a responsible party.

If you are a Gmail user and you do not need these two benefits, then I recommend that you use Gmail Tasks.

But if you do not use Gmail, or if you need project tracking of your to-do’s, or if you ever have to keep up with to-do’s assigned to more than just you, then I recommend that you use Basecamp.

And do not assume that Basecamp is only useful for business. Personal applications of a Basecamp to-do list include:

  • Arranging a family reunion;
  • Planning a wedding;
  • Tracking household chores.

You probably can come up with even more uses, whether for your business life or for your personal life.

I recommend that you sign up today for a 30-day free trial, run Basecamp through its paces, and decide for yourself whether Basecamp is right for you.

If you find a dazzling Basecamp feature, then please let me know about it, and I will cover it in my complete review.

Happy To-Do’ing!