Update: The link to HipChat, SoundGecko and Vellum are inactive.
At BuzzFeed, there are a handful of tools the editorial team couldn’t live without: Gmail and Google Drive, Twitter and Facebook, of course, and HipChat.
I’ve recommended chat apps before, but HipChat’s pretty awesome. It lets you create chat rooms for teams to discuss ideas and share links/files, and it also allows you to instant message just a single member of your team. Especially in breaking news situations, having a chat going to discuss what’s going up and when is really helpful.
Plus, it has apps for desktop AND mobile (both iOS and Android), which means you can stay in the chat wherever you go.
And as of last week, HipChat’s now free to use for unlimited users.
It’s absolutely worth checking out — you can sign up for it here.
Other cool tools worth checking out:
SoundGecko takes your reading list and then reads it to you aloud while you’re driving or at the gym.
Vellum’s from the New York Times R&D Lab, and it shows you the links your friends are sharing the most on Twitter.
If you’re making GIFs — and I explained how to do that here — here are the fonts you should be using.
And a piece worth reading from Frank Chimero, who makes some really good points: Maybe fewer tools is better!
Get out there and tell some great stories today!