Wikis and more
The video above demonstrates how the wiki portion of Rule.fm tool works as a demonstration of how easy the system is, but there’s much more to Rule than just a wiki. Free for up to ten users, the startup has grown from a productivity manager to a full on backend system for any business, large or small.
The Productivity Stream offers real-time collaboration and strikes us as a more robust, more aesthetically pleasing BaseCamp that offers drag and drop reordering (which we’ve always wished BaseCamp offered), and like BaseCamp, users can reply to updates from email to be featured in the productivity stream.
Rule offers work groups that allows users to invite team members or clients into the stream where users can assign tasks, documents, discussions and more to each participant. Project management is also part of the Rule suite which keeps tasks, milestones, time tracking, documents, calendars with iCal feeds and more in one place that can be shared and edited, with a bonus – “quoted vs. actual” time is included in the timeline to keep everyone on schedule.
Another feature is their simple Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system which tracks contacts from lead to beyond the sale, and of course attaching documents, discussions and notes to each contact. Another key component of Rule is their “Cloud Documents” that allow live editing of documents by participants and offers version tracking, check-in/check-out and full collaboration and is fully searchable and taggable in the system. Rule says, “No more having to ask where it is, who has access to it, when it was created, or what version it is.”
One feature that stands out to us is that private discussions are allowed in Rule unlike most of its competitors; it can almost be used as an internal office email system if you will that comes with full archiving and can be tagged and searched.
Increase productivity, track leads and projects, and focus collaboration in one spot instead of piecemealing various products in an attempt to do what Rule does, in most cases for free.
Marti Trewe reports on business and technology news, chasing his passion for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses to stay well informed in the fast paced 140-character world. Marti rarely sleeps and thrives on reader news tips, especially about startups and big moves in leadership.
