Online Tools and Applications

By Jay Zaltzman and Betsy Leichliter

online tools

Here are examples of a wide range of tools and applications developed for general purposes that are often used in conjunction with qualitative research. Most of these were suggested by qualitative researchers who share tips and best practices on the members-only online QRCA Forum on www.qrca.org – one of the most popular benefits of being a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association.

 

CAMTASIA – used primarily to make training videos – records onscreen activity and provides editing tools – useful for capturing any on-screen video

 

CLONEZILLA – free – creates a backup image of any drive to restore in case of failure – works on any platform/OS – may require software skills

 

DOODLE – free – efficient tool for arranging meetings based on their availabilities across various time ranges

 

DROPBOX – for file transfers – multi-platform – installs as a directory/folder on your computer and acts like a local folder but files are actually saved remotely – synch folders across multiple computers and share folders for large file transfers

 

ECHOSIGN – makes it possible to quickly sign and return docs (such as non-disclosure agreements or participant agreements) without scanning

 

EFAX – basic service free for receiving faxes, free trial for send/receive service – allows you to receive faxes in your email and print from there

 

EVERNOTE app – for sharing notes across Mac, iPad, iPhone

 

FILEZILLA – free – open source FTP (file transfer protocol) software to upload to web servers

 

FREECONFERENCE – free – get your own conference number for free – each party pays the long distance charge

 

GIMP – free – open source software for cropping/resizing/manipulating files and saving them to various formats – can grab sections of a screen

 

GRAB – included in MAC OS – captures and saves screen shots

 

INQSCRIBE – view and transcribe video in the same window, insert time codes into transcripts and jump to the same spot in a video, add subtitles to movies

 

iINSTAPAPER – free – saves any web page/article to your custom newspaper

 

KLOK - free – time tracking software

 

MINDMAPPING software

NOTABILITY iPad app – for taking notes on a PDF

 

PERSONAL BACKUP – free – helps you create backups on Windows systems

 

PICASA – free – photo management software from Google – set up albums to share with others

 

PINTEREST – free – create (or let participants create) online collages (“pinboards”) with images from the internet and post comments – great way to visualize stories/reports

 

PREVIEW – free – included in Mac OS – crop/resize/manipulate files and save them to various formats

 

SKYPE – free – Voice Over IP for voice calls, conference calls, chat/Instant Messaging, and file transfers over the internet – also paid features for calling phone numbers worldwide

 

SNAGIT – captures screens including long windows as well as online video – includes simple editing and tagging tools

 

SNIPPING TOOL – in Windows Vista OS under Programs>Accessories – capture screen shots and save as JPGs

 

SONGBIRD – a music player (similar to iTunes) that works on Windows, Mac and Linux

 

SPERRY SOFTWARE add-ins – for sending mass emails individually, scheduling emails automatically with Outlook, etc.

 

SUPER© – free – convert (encode) and play any multimedia file

 

TUNGLE – free – calendar tool that permits others to book appointments in your calendar – syncs with most calendars – useful for booking individual interviews

 

VIDEO DOWNLOAD HELPER – free – a Firefox add-on that can capture a video from the Internet and save it to your local computer

 

VIDEO EDITING

 

VLC Media Player – free – open source and available for all platforms

 

WORDLE – free – create word cloud pictures – users can edit or consolidate text from transcripts, online forums, blogs, etc., and generate word clouds

 

YOUSENDIT – basic service free – upload large files and notify recipients to download them – overcomes email attachment size limits

 

ZAPD iPhone app – free – create websites from templates right from your iPhone – participants can use it to create websites of their experiences

 

ZOHO - some tools are free for small users – offers a large suite of online project management tools

 

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