There's a relatively new and little-known facility within Google Gmail: TASKS. This is a dead-simple way of keeping track of tasks -- er, that's your ToDo list -- and you can even view them on your cell phone. A useful and free way to improve your productivity.

If you use the Firefox browser, you may find the iCyte add-on to be very valuable in your online research. This allows you to save the pages you've visited, along with your annotations and notes.

If you like writing on a blank screen with not distractions, you may like WriteMonkey, which emulates the old-fashioned typewriter. There are a couple other software programs similar to this -- but this is the newest one on the block.

This book reading website is evolving into a major tool for writers. One can upload samples of your work and elicit feedback. One can organize a reading group for your fans. You can engage other readers and build community.

With all the power the internet provides, it is still difficult to conduct a multi-party conversation about a project over time. The new facility Nurphy aims to rectify that. For more info, go to: http://networkedblogs.com/p15483607

The Kindle 2 is now available in an international wireless edition, with service in over 100 hours. There is growing evidence that the Kindle may be bringing people back to reading. Yes, it may just be the catalyst for a new revolution.

YouTube is making it easier to develop a video-centric site where writers can promote their work. In mid-October 2009, it changed the way its channels are designed and displayed. Writers can develop their own channels for free.

This new free program, released in Oct 2009, really helps to conveniently organize your desktop and to hide all its distractions away when you are busy on a writing project.

Down to earth advice.

Here's a powerful, free online organizer that might be very helpful to you as a writer. For a review, see http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/10/13/im-moving-from-backpack-to-springpad-heres-why/

This video is produced by the new blog Social Media Examiner. Writers serious about their careers should visit this website and subscribe. www.socialmediaexaminer.com

This video presumably showcases a prototype "tablet" computer under development by Microsoft, called the Courier. WOW! i can see how this would be very helpful to writers. No word about when it will come to market.

In the meantime, there's a lot of buzz this October 2009 about an Apple tablet computer to be released sometime in 2010.

An informative, brief video from Paula Winters, who posts numerous videos at eHow.com [just search for her name to see the full list].

Nozbe is one of the best time and project management facilities on the web. This video provides an overview. Users can check it out with a free account -- or upgrade for additional power and features.

This summary by guru Seth Godin might open the eyes of writers to the role they really play in the world -- and the followers they gather. Also, it sparks ideas about how to connect with your readers.

Do you print out lots of website articles for reference? If so, this online utility will be extremely valuable. It eleminates all the peripheral junk. Just watch the video to see how it works. AND IT'S FREE.

Thanks to Steve Bass TechBits newsletter for bring this to my attention.

Here's a web-based application [still requires a kernal installed on your own computer] that helps one track excatly what work one does on one's computer. Similar to RescueTime, this application seems to give much more precise information. It also can tie into FreshBooks. Five dollar monthly fee -- may be useful to free-lancers.

Ed Dale gives more information about using Seesmic Desktop, a Twitter client.

Ed Dale is ramping up this year's 30-Day Challenge, a free series of turorials and assignments to help people learn about marketing via the internet. I highly recommend it to writers that want to promote their work.

In the chellenges "pre-season," one is introduced to very useful internet tools, such as Seesmic Desktop. It's a Twitter "client," withe the unique ability to integrate Twitter and Facebook. Worth checking out.

For writers with a deep need of computer security, LastPass offers a great deal at low or even no cost. This video illustrates just one optional feature -- "double authentication" is becoming over the past few months.

For more how-to videos about LastPass, just go to its website at www.lastpass.com.