Journalism tools

Journalists are a pretty idiosyncratic bunch: Most of us have our own shorthand for note-taking, our own favored pens, notebooks, software and so on. I'm no different, and over the years I've built a pretty substantial set of apps, services and techniques to make work easier and to let me focus on what actually matters.

I also often find myself recommending one piece of software or another to other reporters. So I figured I'd start writing some of it down.

I'm not the first to do this, by far. Various reporters and organizations have put out their own recommendations or lists. Here are a few that I've run across — and I'll add more as I learn about them.

• The Society of Professional Journalists has a regularly updated Journalist's Toolbox site, with pages of links on everything from Advertising to Writing with numbers.
• Last fall, The Next Web ran a piece by Lauren Maffeo listing a grab-bag of useful online tools, including blogging platforms, mobile apps, cloud storage and social networks.
• SMU Journalism Tools offers is a good list for reporters and students well beyond its core Southern Methodist University audience.
• I've never met Jen Lee Reeves, but her website includes a handy list of free storytelling tools.