Capturing an Idea Storm

I asked my favorite online universe the other day what tools they used for capturing all the ideas that come flooding at me every day - for my blog, for my business, for my clients. I don't want to miss an opportunity to capture something brilliant, even if I have to file it away for later. And if you're a Post-It junkie like me, you might need help reforming your ways.

I was just planning to check out a few tools for myself, but got to thinking that everyone - especially small business owners - needs great ways to capture the plethora of information they find on the web. So here's my list of a few great tools I've come across, thanks to these great recommendations.

Evernote - fresh out of beta, I'm liking this application for its clean interface, and it's handy "clip to Evernote" shortcut for a browser toolbar. Simply highlight the portion you want to capture on a web page, and click. You can set up multiple "notebooks" to categorize your page however your brain works, and you can use it on the web as well as download a desktop application. Free.

Google Notebook - Rumor has it that there are lots of GN evangelists, but they've got a little buggy thing going on with Firefox 3 right now so I'm waiting on that. But for those of you with other web browsers, this looks like it could be a super useful tool that functions a lot like Evernote above. Free.

PersonalBrain - This is a desktop application that allows you to collect your web pages, contacts, emails and files all in one place, and it offers a sort of "mind mapping" of your stuff to show you how they're all interrelated. A little bit schizophrenic for my taste, but it might be just the right tool for someone more free thinking. Free trial with full features that reverts to a more limited version after 30 days. Costs of upgraded versions are $149 and $249.

OneNote - Microsoft, of course, has their own product of this stripe. OneNote is a digital notebook that allows you to collect all your notes and information - text, pictures, audio and video - and it integrates a search function so you can find your stuff again easily. It integrates with the Office 2007 system, too. Free 60 day trial, or purchase for $99.

Instapaper - Basic but incredibly useful, Instapaper is a simple bookmarking tool. Just put the "read later" button in your browser toolbar, and click on it each time you find something interesting that you just don't have time to process right now. Then, come back to it later. Free.

Moleskine notebook - truly the high class tool for doing it "the old fashioned way" with pen and paper.

Of course, whatever tools you use, the most important part is to find a way to keep track of the waves of brilliance you find crossing your path. As a busy business owner, the best way to surefire marketing is to have great ideas and share them with others. So, have at!