Industry
Knowledge management
Location
Virtual company with offices in New York, Illinois, and Florida
Employees
3
Basecamp plan
Basic (15 active projects for $24/month)
Active project count
Too many to count!
Basecamp color scheme
An interview with Mike Rundle
Mike is one of the principals behind Business Logs, a new company that helps other organizations improve their communication both internally and externally with online tools (blogs, wikis, even Basecamp). "The best reason to use Basecamp is because of the way it adapts to fit your workflow. I've set up Basecamp RSS feeds to alert me whenever anything new happens on any of my projects, so I know immediately if there's something I need to read."Mike was one of the first people to sign up for Basecamp when it launched in February 2004, and he uses it for everything from his business, to personal projects, to his school work.
So, let's get started. How did you first hear about Basecamp?
I'm a frequent visitor to the Signal vs. Noise weblog, and a little over a year ago Jason and co. had been dropping hints that they were working on a new project. Their beta test was targeting small creative firms, so after a few emails with Jason I finally got him to explain what "Project Misto" was, and that it was a soon-to-be released project collaboration tool. I was really in search of such an application and even started to develop my own blog-based PM app, but after I heard that 37signals was working on the exact same thing, I was really stoked to see how it would turn out.
What were your first impressions of the product when you signed up? What keeps you using Basecamp?
I originally signed up for the free plan just to try it out (starving college student and all) and was blown away right off the bat. 37signals is known for their useful and usable interfaces, and they applied all their good design sense to Basecamp which made it absolutely a The Business Logs team is split across three states and two timezones, so our "office" is really just the Basecamp dashboard.breeze to use. If you've ever used a weblog before then there is literally no learning curve. I just jumped right in and started setting milestones, To-Do lists, new categories, etc. Now I manage two Basic plans — one for my personal freelance work and school projects, and one for my company's clients.
When you use Basecamp to manage your projects, the best reason to continue using it is because of the way it adapts to fit your workflow. I'm a news junkie, so my RSS reader is running at full-steam all hours of the day. I've set up Basecamp RSS feeds to alert me whenever anything new happens on any of my projects, so I know immediately if there's something I need to read. Combine that with email announcements, and you're never disconnected from your clients.
Were you using another product before or were you managing your projects manually (or with a combination of emails, post-it notes, notepads, etc.)? Was the transition difficult?
Managing projects before Basecamp was a tricky combination of using a whiteboard, logging IM conversations, and plowing through "Managing projects before Basecamp was a tricky combination of using a whiteboard, logging IM conversations, and plowing through old email messages."old email messages. Moving over to Basecamp was simple because I've been blogging for awhile, and it all just came naturally.
How are you using Basecamp? What are you using it for? What parts do you use most (messages, to-dos, milestones, files)? Have you used Basecamp in ways you hadn't anticipated?
Haha, well right now I'm managing 10 projects split across two clients, multiple subcontractors, and two different Basecamp plans. I keep one Basic plan for my schoolwork and freelance work, and I have each class in my schedule set up as a different project within that. The reason I have each class as a different project is so I can invite classmates specifically to that class so they won't see my other work. I'm involved with numerous group projects for school at any given time, and Basecamp blows away email communication. Oh, and it makes my teammates think I'm really organized.
My school has printing labs all over the place so there's no reason for me to print assignments at my apartment. Before, I used FTP to upload my assignments to my web server, and then download them when I got to the lab for printing, but now I just use the file section on Basecamp to do it all for me. It's a whole lot easier now because I I'm involved with numerous group projects for school at any given time, and Basecamp blows away email communication. Oh, and it makes my teammates think I'm really organized.don't have to worry about cryptic file names or if the lab computer even has an FTP client installed. I just pull up my Basecamp site, and in one click my documents are open and ready to print.
How has Basecamp improved your communication with co-workers and clients?
It really lets us focus more on ideas and execution rather than organization. When we're in an IM conversation or a chatroom meeting and someone on my team thinks up a great idea, we immediately tell them to "Basecamp it" so we'll retain it for some future evaluation. Clients take one look at the Basecamp interface and automatically think we're on top of our game, and therefore give us more respect than if we had some ugly, proprietary solution. Also, because our clients are in the design industry, they already know about Basecamp and are impressed we use it!
How many projects do you manage at once?
Well like I said before, it's definitely up to double digits. With most teams in the internet industry, "projects" and "ideas" are thought up all the time so we just start up a new Basecamp project when"Basecamp really lets us focus more on ideas and execution rather than organization. When we're in an IM conversation or a chatroom meeting and someone on my team thinks up a great idea, we immediately tell them to "Basecamp it" so we'll retain it for some future evaluation. Clients take one look at the Basecamp interface and automatically think we're on top of our game." we have a good one. Usually the process goes something like this: 1) brainstorm with some people about a new idea, 2) start a new Basecamp project and a few posts regarding the idea, 3) invite others to the project so we can get some feedback, and 4) and go from there. We've been using that process for awhile, and that's even how my company started.
How many other people from your office are using Basecamp?
The Business Logs team is split across three states and two timezones, so our "office" is really just the Basecamp dashboard. The three of us are constantly commenting and posting, so we're probably on it as much as we're inside of an email client (read: all the time).
How have your clients adjusted to using Basecamp?
We've been fortunate to have clients who already know about Basecamp, so as soon as they got the signup email they were really excited and jumped right in. When showing our extranet to others, the first thing they see is how well-organized it is, and how it seems we have so much going on at once. They're impressed with how quickly it can be updated, and are always asking "how we made it."
How has Basecamp affected your emailing habits? Are you emailing less than before?
We're definitely emailing less than before because now all the messages with vital news (as opposed to just, "look at this link!") get stuck up on Basecamp instead of being emailed.
Thanks so much for your time and insight. Now get back to work!
Thank you! How about a little sleep first? ;)