Basics Of Sharing To-dos And Follow-up With Mozilla Thunderbird And Firefox

Basics of sharing To-Dos and Follow-up with Mozilla Thunderbird and Firefox. Improve Web Research and Project Management.

Integration of Firefox and Thunderbird to share Team To-Dos and support Follow-up

Question the Web?......................................................... ............................2 How can the Web Answers be best exploited?....................................................................2 How does Internet Messaging streamline Project Management and Web Research?.............2 Synergy of Project Management and Web Research...........................................................3

Web Research................................................................... .........................3

A Path of Inquiry starts by asking the Web a Question and recording the Answers:.............3 Hear what the Web says and store it until you apply it.......................................................3 Project Stored Search........................................................................................................... ..................3 Research Archive and Knowledge Base................................................................................ ..................4 Browsing History......................................................................................................... ...........................4 Consecutive Bookmark Pages................................................................................................................ .4 Stored Web Pages.................................................................................................. ................................4 Integrated Search............................................................................................................................... ....4 Share It and Post It. Sharing Central File or Archive............................................................................. ...4 Document the results for Team use and put the Response in the most effective Media.........................4

How do you bring Research Information Assets into Project Management?....4

Unified Messaging evolved to the Internet.........................................................................4 Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird Productivity.....................................................................4 Short and Sweet: Why Mozilla Browser Firefox and E-mail Client Thunderbird?...................4 Expanding Internet Messaging for Project Management and Web Research in Firefox and Thunderbird.................................................................................................... .................5 General Installation:............................................................................................................. ..................5 Adding Extensions to Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird enables productive Team Sharing.......................5 Improve Team Communication with shared To-Dos.............................................................5

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Unclutter the E-mail Inbox by automating Filing................................................................6 Tagging Action............................................................................................................................. ...........6 Search Folders................................................................................................................................. .......6 Clearing the Inbox- an example: .......................................................................................6

Further Information......................................................................... ...........7 Question the Web? Ideas and contacts generate contacts in the web. Ask a question and see how the web responds. How does Internet Messaging assist in making best use of the answer and the details? What do you need to ask the questions and note the answers? What effectively records the chain of following responses to progress in the on-going project or research? How can the Web Answers be best exploited? Internet Messaging takes up the stream of incoming traffic and stores it centrally with the web browser or the e-mail client. It absorbs the information assets, activity documents, project management communication and search information. Google research demonstrates that the term Internet Messaging usually refers to the protocols such as IMAP and POP used in Internet e-mail and common browser protocols such as Http: and Https:. It includes the technology in the communication on the Internet between servers and the user client. While this use is logical and originates from the development; Internet Messaging also delimits use of the Internet connectivity for workstation messaging from the previous desktop use of Unified Messaging. Unified Messaging preceded and glued the classical messaging services of fax, e-mail, and post together for the user. These services appeared under one mantel and make it easier for the user to choose which one to use to send documents. It tailored the communication service to the recipients’ choice. It made these services available to the user under a common interface. These services evolved to center on the Internet, and the user chose to relay primarily on these services to transmit normal documents. When used to delimit the traditional Unified Messaging from the term Internet Messaging it applies not only to the protocols used; but also to the browser and e-mail as the center of web traffic. Use of the term Internet Messaging assumes that at least 80% of the message traffic in Web Research and Project Management passes through the browser and e-mail client. Internet Messaging concerns itself with the web services such as web e-mail that offer free service on the provider’s servers. The user logs-in to access his mail and manage it. The services maintain comfortable interfaces and are useful for team communication. High-speed Internet links provide user ease in use and finishing necessary chores. The providers observe security needs and endeavor to fulfill the security needed for sensitive issues. However questions arise about the use of these services for sensitive purposes. 1) Browsers open the desktop to web interaction. [Mozilla Issues: Links to Local_Pages Don't Work]. While connected to the service unfair providers possibly have an open connection to the local desktop PC and the network behind it. 2) While the high performance Internet links are fast, locally held files are faster and more reliable to work on, thus improving the working conditions. 3) Service providers guarantee limiting authorized access; however the user cannot prevent future policy changes that control access. 4) The search path tread through the Internet, contains many hours of work and results in irreplaceable information. How can these contacts and information be stored reliably for later use and benefit? Internet Messaging recognizes the benefit of these services and complements them with a locally managed system to offer optimum flexibility to meet security and performance needs in this sensitive area. Parallel use of both systems supports Project Management teamwork, and improves Web Research productivity. Using a local file share boosts performance and security. A backup of these files ensures integrity and access to the original material. How does Internet Messaging streamline Project Management and Web Research? Project Management (PM) concerns itself with the removal of obstacles to project progress. It seeks means to remove obstacles to meeting project goals. Internet Messaging offers streamlined team communication. The obstacles arise from issues requiring resolution. It documents the issues, posts them for the team (and management) and documents and distributes the team progress. It efficiently connects the team members. Improving Internet “return on investment” centers on Issue Resolution to identify obstacles to project progress, and documents them to enable the team to concentrate on removing them to Attribute Content Text and Graphic to Gary_Gabriel 11430101.doc 20.12.08

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ensure progress and meeting deadline, cost, and performance goals. Issue resolution requires centrally documented and managed to-do or actions. It delegates and monitors the progress in todo completion. Internet Messaging improves team communication necessary for the management of project deadlines and implementation of research information. This integration improves the resources used to generate to-dos, monitor them and follow them to completion. Internet Messaging documents the research results, then eases information retrieval to support meeting project goals. Synergy of Project Management and Web Research Project Management and Web Research use the web to identify useful technology and information and then implement in meeting project goals. These information assets solve current problems. Web Research (WR) gathers innovative impulses to add and include in research and development. It stores useful information for retrieval and application. It evaluates ideas for use in potential development or in solving problems. This research conforms to deadlines and necessitates use of project management principles to follow-up on project deadlines and milestones. Project Management (PM) takes defined targets and constructs implement able goals to meet them by innovating a solution. PM implements the solution through goal definition, and acquires the necessary resources. It formulates the progress, obstacles, and develops workable solutions. PM employs Web Research to find Information Assets to cut implementation time and costs. It approaches the obstacles with solutions containing and integrating the researched assets. An important PM tool for success includes punctual Issue Resolution. Team sharing produces results. Both depend on a responsive, integrated communication or messaging system. They relay on flexible and accurate issue resolution. Any impediments or interruptions in the messaging (e-mail, internet) or the messaging services puts deadlines in question and increases the required resources. Improving messaging reliability, performance, and ease of use supports deadline fulfillment.

Web Research A Path of Inquiry starts by asking the Web a Question and recording the Answers: The user begins by asking the questions pertinent to the Web Research or project Management. Following the answers to the question puts the inquirer on a path engaging contacts. Engaging applies search words or terms and these expressions return with web pages. This identification of new information resources opens the potential of finding a useful answer or solution to the proposed question. An Internet Messaging system stores the identified contacts and information. Then the task of qualifying the contacts for value and benefit begins. It stores the viewed contacts and web pages for current and future use and opens a log recording the search terms used and the results they produced. Qualification begins by book marking the useful pages and effectively filing the pages with determinable value. Search results guide a refinement of the posed questions; and works to find answers to the problem. It refines the question and probably returns to the web for more details. This information flows into an analysis for individual, team or client use. Or it combines information from other sources. This analysis leads to an answer or solution. Documenting the answer requires extensive time and the Internet Messaging system interfaces with the resources to effectively document and format the inquiry. It improves the search efficiency. While this method is not new; Internet Messaging opens the potential to streamline the contact identification by efficiently archiving contacts for future use and security. It contributes to the evolution of key words by comparing the used expressions with the results. It assists in qualification by easing the problem of filing and retrieval. Finally improving the productivity of documenting the results by offering the interfaces to standard documentation formats to simplify the task of documenting the results and producing an understandable report. Hear what the Web says and store it until you apply it. Project Stored Search Stored search usually refers to a defined search expression stored for repeated use in a filter. Project Stored Search collects keywords used in the on-going research together with the results obtained with the expressions. By comparing the expressions and results obtained; it provides the information to evolve the expressions that improves on research productivity. This search term and expression history refines searches and indexes the contacts resulting from the searches. It provides a means to extrapolate to develop new and more effective terms by using a log. The log lists the date of the search, the key words and the results it incrementally develops new key words or gives insights to improving the definition of them Attribute Content Text and Graphic to Gary_Gabriel 11430101.doc 20.12.08

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Research Archive and Knowledge Base Stored web pages collect selectively but an archive of web pages visited includes numerous sites that could later prove to be useful. Accessing a protocol of these visits when the needs have been closer defined provides on-time research sources and security for the search material. Browsing History Each browser contact moves one step farther on this trail. The Browser History records transactions and interactions with the web and collects contacts encountered. Evolving search terms continues movement on this path and qualifies some of the contacts as useful and valuable information. The browsing history records the successive Internet contacts determining a path. This sequential index of web pages visiting during surfing provides a complete research trail. Consecutive Bookmark Pages Storing bookmarks of the web interaction for later reference and processing qualifies the intuitive evaluation of the page usefulness. This storage contains what later may be interesting or useful research contacts. Bookmark annotation increases the search usefulness by noting the search words and notes pertaining to the content. Bookmarks also store the material for reference use. Stored Web Pages Storing web pages archive useful and qualified web pages with notes. These organize into folders with the Bookmarks. Searching accesses the folders to produce the needed research information results. Annotating these web pages includes the readers’ comments and highlights pertinent information. During the search mistakes in filing occur and the pages end up in folders where they do not belong or do not relate to. Here’s where the Project Stored helps. Search for key words or note fragments present the pages later for use. The filing cabinet offers the web pages offline and orders them to the URL so that later use connects to the web page online. Integrated Search An integrated search searches the stored web pages and Bookmarks together with the notes, project documents, e-mails and the archived Internet pages. Share It and Post It. Sharing Central File or Archive A local research archive holds the viewed web pages. It builds an individual research-oriented search engine containing the search path. This archive of web pages references the original web pages, which change and adapt by the owner. Local control of the web pages improves security by restricting access to the search results. It ensures accessibility of the original documents and information. The researcher spends a lot of time accumulating information based on his questions. Security should avoid loss of access. The web pages file in a centrally accessible storage usually in a local server on a shared drive. Here all network users access the web pages, notes, labels and comments. Storing the information visibly and usefully moves one step farther to building a knowledge base for the benefit of the team, corporate and partner users. Document the results for Team use and put the Response in the most effective Media Use the collected material to present a convincing solution. Adapt this material efficiently to the communication needs of the team. Use it to plan the implementation of deadlines and targets.

How do you bring Research Information Assets into Project Management? Unified Messaging evolved to the Internet Internet messaging uses the Internet resources of the browser, e-mail client and search machine to collect and write the messaging that networks the team. Based on web resources for messaging; it seeks to optimize the communication and reduce the time necessary to maintain team contacts. Searching and filtering productive contacts and maintaining them determines the time necessary to communicate and manage projects. Assume that e-mail predominates in the team communication. E-mail processing collects the e-mails, reviews them, sorts them and actions or files them. Due to the volume of e-mails and the time spent searching the web for resources; refining this processing saves considerable time. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird Productivity Short and Sweet: Why Mozilla Browser Firefox and E-mail Client Thunderbird? - Firefox loads quickly and provides fast and efficient browser connectivity. It responds well to the individualities of browser families. It allows the user to concentrate on the evolution of the inquiry to identify useful information assets. Attribute Content Text and Graphic to Gary_Gabriel 11430101.doc 20.12.08

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Thunderbird provides the user with a clearly structured layout enabling efficient e-mail writing and filing. The e-mail editor contains the essentials of a text editor. Message tagging, filters and search enable productive filing and e-mail processing. They achieve this through: Ease of maintenance and adaptation to meet individual needs Open and documented administration and maintenance Cross-platform connectivity Reliability and stability Blend of on-line and off-line productivity Ease of system maintenance and cost Adaptability through extensions to personal use and needs Reduction in needed system requirements and ** Automatic updates High security awareness and implementation The products support an implementation and compatibility with open standards. A wide and effective developing community supports these standards with development to promote flexibility in use.

Expanding Internet Messaging for Project Management and Web Research in Firefox and Thunderbird Construction of the Internet Messaging system is colorful, fun and instructive. Mozilla makes it simple and it does not require advanced skills. The reader finds the construction details in the article Managing To-Dos and Project Follow-up in Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird: - Scribd Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird share To-Dos and simplify the Follow-up - Google Knol. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird share To-Dos and simplify the Follow-up General Installation: Download of Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. They come in cross-platform versions meaning that they are obtainable for current and legacy Windows systems, Unix derivatives and other operating systems. Mozilla also does a good job of translating the user interface. Choose the system and language. They are available free-of-charge at: - Firefox. Download Firefox - Thunderbird Download Thunderbird Adding Extensions to Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird enables productive Team Sharing Add-ons or extensions are light versions of application software to extend the capabilities beyond the basic version. They install easily and fast. - Firefox. Firefox Add-ons - Thunderbird Thunderbird Add-ons To install extensions in Firefox go to the add-on page and search from the page for the add-on. Click on the download button and it installs automatically. For Thunderbird go to the add-on page and after finding the add-on download it into the Download Folder. In Thunderbird go to the Tools -> Add-ons. Then use the install button to browse to the folder with the installation file. Open the file and it installs itself. See the complete list below of the extensions used in this integration. -> Tip: Updates to Firefox, Thunderbird and the add-ons proceed automatically. The software scans automatically and when it finds a new update it announces it, this leaves the installation decision to the user. Improve Team Communication with shared To-Dos To-dos remain individual unless add-ons configure Firefox and Thunderbird to connect and share them. ReminderFox adds to-dos to a list and puts a reminder on them. It connects the user instances in browser and e-mail to share the to-dos. Sharing also puts the to-dos on a central list. ReminderFox links e-mails to to-dos so that clicking on the to-do opens the e-mail for reference. It offers a calendar to show the dodos and set the reminders. Thunderbird 3 will connect to Lightning, which offers a shared calendar so that team to-dos enter in a central calendar. ScrapBook extends Firefox to archive, annotate and organize web pages and complement sharing to-dos. It builds a team filing system to store bookmarks, web pages and adds notes. The user annotates the web pages to add information on the contact. Thunderbird also tags e-mails, so using an action tag marks an e-mail as a to-do. Message filters list the tagged e-mails so all to-do tagged e-mails appear in a shared list. The user generates to-dos by sending himself an e-mail. Summary of team to-dos Attribute Content Text and Graphic to Gary_Gabriel 11430101.doc 20.12.08

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- ReminderFox to-dos triggered by e-mail or Internet contacts. ReminderFox generates and lists to-dos, annotates them and integrates them into a calendar - E-mails tagged to-do. - Tag e-mails and filters list them from the folders. - Documents sent to an e-mail account and stored in a folder. Produce an e-mail as a to-do and automatically file these e-mails in an Action or To-Do Folder Unclutter the E-mail Inbox by automating Filing E-mails collect in the inbox and sorting and filing them starts the processing. Simple sorting determines the action required and separates the e-mails according to the required action. It identifies e-mails with to-dos. Process follow-up results in higher productivity if the sorting process also triggers the processing. The trigger adds the process and process status. Sorting e-mails with the following tags empties the Inbox and actions the items. To empty the Inbox; Use tags for to-dos of: - Que or Line-up, On-going Action, Delegate, Complete, Defer, File, Archive, Delete. - Processing, and Processing Status. Processing and the status are individual to the tasks. While Thunderbird handles tagging; the add-on Tag Toolbar adds categories and tags in the Toolbar to organize tags. TB Header Tools Extension adds more control over tags and allows using additional tags for tabbing. Tagging Action In Thunderbird select the e-mail and set the tag for the Action Status. The e-mail turns color clearly marking the tagged e-mail in the Inbox. Defining and storing a search lists all e-mails to action. It clears the Inbox of the action items and files them in an action or To-Do Folder. Employing the further refinement of the add-on Tag Toolbar adds tags in categories. This makes defining the processing possible and adds and the processing status. The tags order into sets categories for the tags. Using the Messaging Filter lists the waiting items. - Category Action Status. Pick out the action items. - Category Processing. Assign the processing - Category Processing Status. Set the status. Attaching the Action Status tag initiates processing but does not define the necessary process. Setting the processing lines the e-mail in the processing que and sends it to the recipient. Then the processing status follows the progress. Many tasks require multiple processing steps demonstrating the value of using a processing tag. Attaching multiple tags controls the processing. Observations show how a to-do changes processing and the processing status before finishing. Search Folders Search folders contain the stored searches. Mozilla also refers to them as virtual folders. Edit> Find> Search Messages presents two tables to configure message searches. Choosing the tag in the first table and checking the rules filters the messages listing the desired ones. Picking the field in the second and setting the action files the list to a folder or actions it. The second table actions the e-mails for the defined search in the first table. Here the e-mails can be filed in folders or other processes chosen. The Search Folders store in the Local Folders under Saved Searches. Click on the named search folder and the search results appear in the Inbox. Message Filters to monitor To-Dos. Use the filter to search for: - Tag = On-going Action - Tag = ReminderFox - Folder = Action or they file in the Folder Action Clearing the Inbox- an example: The daily target attempts to clear the Inbox without loosing contact to the e-mails. - Typical e-mail correspondence without action files in a general correspondence folder tagged with a label like 20081. A message filter moves these e-mails to the folder. Action: - Action e-mails tag with “que, line-up”. They file to the project folders. If the process can be determined then they are also tagged with a process and the status. - The e-mails being processed are tagged “On-going Action” and filed in the project folder. The same with the e-mails to be: “Delegated, “Deferred (waiting)”. - It’s a nice feeling to tag e-mails “Complete” and send them to the project folder. The same with “Archive”. Message Filters: Go to Tools -> Message Filters and pick the right account. Activate the Message Filters by: choosing the filter and clicking Run Now. This automatically files the e-mails to the designated folder. Go back and look at the Inbox and see how it emptied. The entries left probably have been colorfully marked. Attribute Content Text and Graphic to Gary_Gabriel 11430101.doc 20.12.08

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Review: Your head is free to review the actions: Que or Line-up, On-going Action, Delegate, Defer by choosing the Message Filters to line up the e-mails. Now proceed with the review. You proceed to review the e-mails being processed and with the processes by using the Process Message Filters to list the e-mails and review them.

Further Information Integration Extensions Firefox ScrapBook. ReminderFox. Thunderbird Tag Toolbar Header-Changer. TB Header Tools Mnenhy. See mozdev.org - mnenhy: index. http://mnenhy.mozdev.org/ SyncMab Mozbackup FEBE Thunderbird Message Filter Import /Export Internet Messaging employs Firefox and Thunderbird improving Web Research and Project Management >>> Configure Mozila Firefox and Thunderbird for To-Dos and Follow-up >>> Getting Things Done with Thunderbird :: Flipping Heck! Productivity, Project Management & Motivation Blog . >>>

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