It’s been a while since we provided any technical updates, so here’s some information on three products you may find useful.

Doodle – this is an incredibly useful programme for helping you to schedule meetings and it’s surprising that not more people use it.  It is free and simple to use.  You don’t even need to set up an account!  You just enter into a table a number of dates and times for a potential meeting, and send a link to the invitees who then fill in the table to indicate their availability.  You are notified when they’ve done it, and then you can look at the results – it’s easy to see which is the best time for the meeting.  Just visit http://doodle.com/en/ to get started.

Mailchimp – Those of you needing to upgrade communications with your supporters may find this helpful.  It presents your news in a much clearer format than the more basic programmes you may be using, and creates a more professional impact with little effort from you.  Over 4 billion emails a month are sent using Mailchimp!  It gives you a number of templates to choose from, or you can drag and drop pre-formatted text or picture boxes into your own message space.  It can import mailing lists from your current database, and allows people to unsubscribe independently – no more embarrassing emails asking not to receive the monthly bulletin!  It also allows you to see who has read your news, so you can offer to stop sending it!  To sign up for a free account, go to http://mailchimp.com/.

Moodscope – Many mission workers suffer from mood swings or depression, and feel there is little they can do to counter this.  It makes them feel vulnerable but this simple program can help them feel back in control.  It helps them to monitor their feelings, share them with trusted friends for support, and understand what causes the fluctuations in their moods.  It’s been compared to dieting: it works best when you measure the results, chart your progress, and receive encouragement.  Moodscope is currently free and has received a lot of positive comment.  Each day you play a simple card game to record your score.  Find out more at https://www.moodscope.com/.