I am preparing for the I_Blog Conference so I asked my friend Paula from Boogers and Burps to guest post about a tool she told me about earlier this year- Simply Box.  Which I now use all the time! It has replaced my bookmarks and is an invaluable tool when I am planning our travel.  Enjoy!

With all of the available add-ons, apps, and extensions you can use with your browser or iPhone today, how do you know which ones you should really have, and which ones are just going to take up valuable memory and window real estate? The deciding factor for me has been if someone I know uses it and recommends it. Companies can always find someone they can deem an “expert” to endorse their product or service; hearing it from people you trust to give you the unbiased truth is the ultimate litmus test.

One product I discovered earlier this year is SimplyBox, a program you can download as a toolbar on your Internet browser and use to capture, organize, and share content. What makes SimplyBox stand out is its visual component. When you highlight something (or “Box It,” as SimplyBox puts it), it shows up like a screen captured image in whatever “Box” you choose. You can even organize several boxes into one “Container” of like boxes. For people like me who are very visual, this is not only a much more fun way to keep track of articles, links, and ideas, but it’s also a more effective way.

You can get a great overview of SimplyBox by watching a video on their site. It’s really very simple: 1) Download SimplyBox. 2) Create an account. 3) Create boxes and start capturing content! There are some cool features and tips that can enhance your use of the application, but you can begin capturing with just those three easy steps.

SimplyBox can be used at work or for personal use; I use it for both. And it’s easy to keep them separate with Boxes and Containers. Although you can tailor this to tool to your particular need, here are 5 ideas of how SimplyBox could simplify or enhance your browsing and sharing experiences.

1. Replace your bookmarks.
Instead of bookmarking articles or sites that you want to remember to revisit, capture it and add it to a box, where you can leave yourself a visual reminder of what you found interesting as well as comments that describe it. I have a box called “Blogging Articles” and another called “Twitter Articles.” When I find a post or article that I want to come back to, I “Box It” and drag it into the appropriate box. Easy peasy!

2. Create visual Christmas wish lists.
Create a Box for each of your kids (or for yourself!), and have them create their own Christmas wish list by capturing gifts they’d like to have on Amazon.com, toysrus.com, or whichever site you choose. Then (and this part’s really cool), you can choose to SHARE those boxes with whomever you’d like: Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Amy, whomever. All you have to do is enter their email address and they’ll be able to access that particular box. Then they’ll be able to see pictures of all of the gift ideas and with one click can arrive at the original site where they can learn more or even order it. Unlike wish lists on individual sites, this wish list can contain products from multiple sites. Cool, huh?

3. Plan your class reunion.
This is on my mind as I have my 20-Year 5-Year High School Reunion next year. Create a box entitled “Class of ” and then instead of just “Sharing” the box, make it “Public.” (This is an option when you create a box.) Everyone who is helping plan the reunion can add captured ideas for music, venues, or food, and people can add comments as well. This would be a fun and easy way to collaborate on planning an event.

4. Use it for educational pursuits.
I was really impressed to see that SimplyBox has an enhanced application for educational institutions to use. What a great idea! Teachers can create boxes that their students can access for research projects or an interactive lesson. Students could also create their own boxes for individual projects. Parents who homeschool could find this really useful, I think. They could create a Box or Container for each subject, and within that include sites, photos, videos, or whatever resources they want their child to access. It’s all organized in one place and allows students and teachers/parents to add comments and make it truly interactive.

5. Easily share Tweets.
SimplyBox now works with Twitter (Del.icio.us and Tumblr too) so you can share Public Boxes with your followers. After you’ve made a box Public, check “Pair with Twitter.” Then every time you add anything to that box, SimplyBox will automatically generate a Tweet in your Twitter account, and all of your followers can then click on the link and access that box. You can even customize the automatic Tweet so it says whatever you want. This is just another way to connect and share with your peeps and Tweeps.

Have I mentioned yet that you can use SimplyBox for FREE? Yeah, I know. Something this cool shouldn’t be free. There are enhanced versions for Business and Education, but the original SimplyBox is plenty versatile for personal use. And I just found out that they now have an iPhone app, which is also free. Bonus! You can then access and add to your boxes wherever you are. Adaptability and portability are becoming more important and valued every day, and obviously SimplyBox got that memo.

Does anyone else use SimplyBox? If so, what do you use it for? And if you haven’t used it yet but know what you’d use it for, let me know!  As I said before, SimplyBox can be really, whatever you want it to be.