Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Office, Productivity, Web services, Commercial, Freeware
Backpack adds Journal functionality for teams
by Jason Clarke May 22nd 2008
Fans of 37signal's online task management and information gathering tool Backpack will be excited to hear about the tool's latest addition, a Journal page.
Backpack recently underwent a major update that moved the tool from a single-user focus to a tool intended to allow teams that are working together to keep information organized. The new Journal function continues the tool's move to more of a team focus, which is both exciting and a little frustrating. While none of the functionality that makes Backpack a good tool for individuals has been lost, it's disappointing to see 37signals lose their focus with respect to Backpack. Considering they already have three team-focused products (Basecamp, Highrise, and Campfire) it would have been nice for Backpack to have remained focused on individual productivity.
Opinion aside, the new Journal functionality allows teams to keep tabs on what each other are up to. There are two main elements. The first is the current status field, which can be thought of much like a private Twitter or Facebook status update. You use this field to tell everyone what you are currently doing. The second field allows you to enter what you have just completed, and these items are logged. This allows you to see what your team members are currently busy with, and what they have recently accomplished.
It seems to us that this might seem a little too much like big brother looking over your shoulder, but on the other hand almost all jobs require some sort of accounting for your time. Is this a feature you could see yourself using? Why or why not?
If you're still not quite sure what to make of this, a video demonstration of the new Journal page is available.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Deano said 10:37PM on 5-22-2008
I'm quite impressed by the new Backpack and the latest journal feature.
I was using Basecamp but for three people it was actually overkill. Backpack is far better suited to a small team in terms of managing internal resources and making lists on semi-static pages.
If you really are just after some kind of space to function as an intranet then it really works rather well.
AFAIK the single-user account hasn't changed much and they do have a paying Solo account. The move to focus on multiuser should mean more repeat business for 37Signals - individuals are more capricious than small organisations.
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Mike said 3:16PM on 5-23-2008
I don't really think anything 37 signals has done with backpack recently has degraded the single-user experience. Granted, newsroom is a little gratuitous for a single-user, but it's easy to ignore.
On the other hand, I think the single-user journal feature is equally useful for teams and individuals. It's a fast, no fuss way for me to chronicle my work day, useful for any number of solo purposes ... reporting to a client when you completed some particular task, keeping track of information you want to bring up to a boss at review time, noting exactly how often you waste your time responding to blog posts ....
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Deano said 10:40AM on 5-28-2008
Yes journal is a good feature. I would otherwise use twitter to quickly log notes and details that later I might aggregate into an email or Basecamp message. And it reminds/focuses you on what you should be doing.
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