The Net Effect Blog

The update is here. We have just gone live with our latest version of Vitalist.

This update includes many new features and enhancements. To read about the major changes, please see the past few articles on this blog: Contexts as Tags, Sub-Projects, Quick Add/Edit, and Priority. We think you will find that these features make Vitalist both more powerful and more adaptable to different productivity styles.

We suggest that you clear your browser’s cache to ensure proper displaying of images in the new version. To do this in Firefox, select Tools->Clear Private Data in the menu. In IE, go to Tools->Internet Options and click the “Delete Files” button in the “Temporary Internet Files” grouping.

If you find any problems with the update, please let us know at support@vitalist.com and we will try to take care of it right away.

One major concept to take from GTD is the notion of “Next Actions.” However, these “next actions” can be tricky to denote in an online application, especially when you add the fact that many people will view “next actions” differently.

We have thought long and hard about “next actions,” and have come up with what we feel will be a nice solution: Priority. In Vitalist, priority will let you determine which actions are the most important. Priority also gives you another indication of when you should work on an action, other than due date.

Here is a screenshot of priorities in action (click to enlarge):

You can quickly change an actions’ priority by simply clicking on the star icon. This will toggle the action through all of the different priority levels: high, medium, low, and none. And what if you want to quickly see your High Priority actions? There is a filter available in the sidebar that is only one click away.

For such seemingly small addition, we feel adding priority to Vitalist will make it much more powerful. Hopefully you will agree.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Vitalist Preview #1: Contexts as Tags, Vitalist Preview #2: Sub Projects, and Vitalist Preview #3: Quick Add/Edit.

And again, stay tuned for more previews coming up.

Ok, time for the new feature that I am most excited about. In the next update to Vitalist, we will be adding what I refer to as “quick edit.”

The “quick edit” will now allow you to double click on your desired action, and instantly allow you to edit the item. No more loading of a new page is needed. You will have all of the most important fields available, and if you need to view/edit more information you will still have the detail screen available.

Here is a screenshot of the quick edit in action (click to enlarge):

We have also re-tooled the “quick add.” Every list will now have this available, which should greatly speed up the entering of data.

So far I can tell you that the “quick add/edit” has greatly increased my efficiency when using Vitalist. Hopefully everyone will enjoy this feature.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Vitalist Preview #1: Contexts as Tags and Vitalist Preview #2: Sub Projects.

And again, stay tuned for more previews coming up.

Another feature we are adding in our next update to Vitalist is Sub Projects. Many of you have requested this, and we have listened. You will have the ability to add up to two sub levels, and as always you will be able to add unlimited projects.

Actually, projects will play a much more central role in Vitalist. You will now have a ‘My Projects’ link right in your navigation menu, instead of having them stuck away in your settings.

Here is a screenshot of the sub projects in action (click to enlarge):

Another thing you may notice is the ability to complete projects. Once you complete projects, they will be removed from your lists just like completed actions do. You also have the ability to add Due Dates to projects, as well as choose in what order they will appear.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Vitalist Preview #1: Contexts as Tags.

And again, stay tuned for more previews coming up.

We are getting ever so close to releasing our next update to Vitalist, so we thought it was about time to start letting you in on the major new features.

After using Vitalist for the last few months and seeing your feedback, we have gained a different perspective on “contexts” and exactly what their real purpose is. Why should you be limited to “labeling” an action with only one context? What if you have an action that you are doing at @work and on the @computer, or at @home and on the @phone. So we thought, why not treat contexts more like tags?

Here is a screenshot of the new contexts in action (click to enlarge):

Now we understand that this is a big change of how we currently handle contexts, but we feel this makes the software much more powerful. There are no more constraints when it comes to contexts.

And another benefit of handling contexts like tags is that they are much more universal. Now any of your actions on any of your lists can be tagged, and quickly/easily filtered.

In the next few days we will preview more of our new features, so stay tuned.

I have to say, this has been by far the most requested feature from everyone using Vitalist. And we are happy to announce that you can now email your actions to your Vitalist Inbox! This should work pretty easily for everyone, but there are a few things you must update first. Here is a breakdown of how to setup your private email address:

1. Go to Settings » Account
2. Enter your Vitalist Username (alphanumeric characters only)
3. Enter a 4-8 digit pin for security (this way not just anybody can email you items)
4. That’s it. Your new private email address is username-pin@vitalist.com.
   (ex. matt-1234@vitalist.com)

Ok. So now what? Just send an email to ‘username-pin@vitalist.com’, and anything in your Subject will become the action, and anything in the Body will be added to the notes. It’s that simple. Hopefully everyone will enjoy this feature.

Previously: Vitalist Now Supports Google Gadgets

By popular demand, we are pleased to announce that Vitalist supports Google Gadgets that you can display on your Google Personalized Homepage. Now you can view any Vitalist list right along with your email, weather, and calendar.

To add a Vitalist gadget to your Google Personalized Homepage, just follow these quick and easy steps:

1. Navigate to the desired Vitalist list, let’s say the Dashboard.
2. Right-click the google link in the upper right hand corner and copy the url.
3. Go to http://www.google.com/ig.
4. Click Add stuff. This takes you to the content directory.
5. Click Add by URL (next to the “Search Homepage Content” button).
6. In the Add by URL text box, paste the URL copied in Step 2.

Hopefully everyone will enjoy this new feature. And as always, keep the suggestions coming. We love to hear from our users.

Just a quick note to let you know that we have revamped our help system on Vitalist. It is now structured as a knowledge base with help questions divided into specific categories. This new system will be able to grow with us as we add new features to Vitalist.

Three new features should make the knowledge base more useful. First, you can use the built-in search box to find help topics quicker. Each individual help topic can also be rated for it’s usefulness, with the highest rated topics being displayed on the first page. Also, users can send support messages directly to us through the “Contact Support” link, with no need to use e-mail.

Shaun Inman has just released his latest version of Mint, a comprehensive web stats tool. I consider this a must have for any new site, and honestly I am not sure what I would do with out it. I guess the only downside to Mint being so good is that it can be very addictive.

As far as new features for Mint 2, I am most excited about the filtering by timespan on most tabs. For example, you can easily see the most visited pages in the last 2 hours, or check out where your referrals have come from in the last day only. These are very nice features built in to the default installation.

The new Visits graphs are also a nice addition, along with a new Pepper called Bird Feeder, which gives you a nice look at who is looking at your feeds.

My only complaint is the new look to Mint. For some reason it just doesn’t seem to have the same elegant, understated look as the previous version. The new style jumps out at you too much and is a little harder on the eyes.

HaveAMint

I quickly wanted to point people in the direction of www.vitalist.mobi, where you can check out our mobile version of Vitalist. Add, edit, and delete items from any mobile browser on your phone or PDA. Get updated on your ticklers and create new ones. Fill in the completed date field to mark items complete. Also, the Dashboard, as well as all of your lists, is accessible for those on the go.

It’s simple to use, and it works with any mobile web browser. We kept Vitalist.mobi as small as possible, so the pages should load quickly on any phone or network. Plus, this helps to keep your bandwidth usage low.

So, if you haven’t already, give it a try at www.vitalist.mobi or go to the tour to learn more and see screenshots. Let us know what you think.