5 Essential Smart Phone Apps to Take to BlogWorld

At the past few conferences I attended I realize that if not for catching up on some work, I could have left the laptop off completely and just lived off my smart phone. I checked in my email and even tended to some obligations.

After the last conference I realized there were some apps I counted on more than others, and they’re “must haves” in my aresenal, especially when attending conferences. I thought I might share them with you here today.

5 Smart Phone Apps to Take to BlogWorld

1. Twitter

My Twitter smartphone client of choice (for my Droid) is Seesmic. However, any app allowing access to Twitter is number one for several reasons:

• It’s the best way to follow what fellow attendees are doing and view upcoming events via the conference hashtag. (#bwe10 )
• Twitter DM’s are the best way to keep in touch, especially for our overseas guests who can’t always find free WiFi. I rarely call or text the people I’m meeting up with because it’s quick and easy to catch them on Twitter.
• Allows non-attendees to see what is going on at sessions, parties, and more.

For me though, Twitter is the best way to keep in touch and make plans with my friends. It’s my absolute, most important app.

2. FourSquare

I was a FourSquare skeptic before attendng SXSW in March. If I didn’t have plans, FourSquare enabled me to see what my friends were doing so I could join them. FourSquare also allows us to find restaurants, clubs, shops and more when we’re in unfamiliar locations.  I’m no longer a skeptic, and while I’m not someone who posts all my FourSquare updates to Facebook and Twitter, I can tell you conference checkins are essential.

3. WordPress to Go

Do I really need to explain this one?

4. Business Card Scanner

There are a variety of apps available allowing each different smart phone to scan business cards. If you’re like me, you come home with a mound of business cards to sort through. Having a scanner app eliminates the big stack o’cards and allows for better organization.

5. Text Plus

Don’t spend an hour trying to organize a dinner party or Tweetup. TextPlus allows you to text up to 20 people at once, saving time – and your sanity. That  it’s free is the gravy on the proverbial potatoes.

Using your smartphone to change the world:

Also, I used my Droid to check in to my flights so I didn’t have to worry about printing a boarding pass, and ditto event tickets. Thanks to bar code scanners, we can eliminate some of that paper. Check it out if you can, it makes life easier for all involved.

What are your favorite apps for conferences? Drop them in the comments and we’ll get a master list together.

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Deb Ng is a professional blogger, Founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs Network and Conference Director for BlogWorld. Feel free to follow her on Twitter @debng.