We recently got an Apple iPad as a gift. I knew I would like it because I love my iPhone, and in many ways the iPad is really just a big iPhone.
But at first it was a little bit too much like an iPhone–just one I couldn’t put in my pocket.
But the more I used it more I liked it. I downloaded apps for the iPad. I also bought the keyboard dock so unlike my iPhone I wouldn’t be stuck pecking away one letter at a time on the screen’s keyboard.
The keyboard dock dramatically changed my experience with the iPad. I felt liberated!
It wasn’t long before I started thinking how I could use the iPad for cause marketing. Here are some of the ways it’s already become a helpful tool.
Blogging. The keyboard dock was an absolute must here. While I’ve read that some bloggers type posts right from the iPad’s keyboard, this wasn’t for me. Next, I needed a platform on which to type my posts. iPad wouldn’t let me type them on the WordPress web interface as I usually do. Using Apple’s Pages or iWorks didn’t seem the right solution as my desktop and laptop are both PC’s. Ultimately I went with the WordPress app, which is nothing fancy but it works. I still have to jump on my PC to add photos and links, but all the writing can be done on the iPad.
Meetings. This is where the iPad really shined. It’s so easy to share with everyone in a room. We all know how much more difficult this is to do with a laptop, or with an iPhone, which is too small. But the iPad is a perfect size. I made it even easier to use in meetings by adding the Evernote app. I’ve written glowingly of Evernote as a cause marketing tool before, but the Evernote app for the iPad is impressive. Evernote has been a great way to share everything from cause marketing campaigns to videos to pinups to pictures.
And having an iPad for meetings has a coolness factor that can’t be beat! Just make sure you sign up for the 3G service if you plan to go online. Don’t be like me and learn the hard way that the company you’re at doesn’t have Wifi. Because as I learned, well, that’s just not cool.
Another iPad app that’s helpful in meetings is FastFinga. Instead of typing notes I can just write them with my finger, turning the iPad into a real writing pad. I can even ship these notes off to Evernote. Give Fastfinga a try.
Presentations. I share Chris Brogan’s frustrations with the iPad for creating presentations. But the gorgeous Dropbox app for iPad makes viewing and sharing them with others a breeze.
The iPad truly shines in meetings when you want to share examples of cause marketing campaigns or other types of media. But I plan to stick with it for blogging posts like this one. It won’t be long before WordPress improves its app so I can write my posts start to finish (links, pic and all) on the iPad.
How do you think you might use the iPad for your fundraising?
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The iPad is super for fundraising committee meetings when everyone needs to see what the invitation or raffle flyer will look like, or what auction items look like. Need to pop up that email from the printer and review the pdf file in beautiful color? No problem. Need to see what the alternative chair looks like from the rental company? No problem. The screen is the perfect size and passing it around works great!
Thanks for sharing, Carolyn. iPad has lots of uses for event peeps!
Joe – The other app I like is Keynote (slide presentations). It's a brilliant way to share presentations in small groups.
Thanks, John. I've heard good things about Keynote, but Brogan has said there he's had trouble syncing Keynote between the iPad and his Mac. Have you had similar issues?
I haven't had any issues synching KeyNote or Pages.
Nice review! Check mine at the below link..
Gear Lust (part one) iPad –first impressions
http://mousejockey.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/hello…
Like so many other Apple users I’m enamored with each deliciously-designed product that they release. But I understand what they are doing to us – they are changing the way we think, compute, consume and buy. As a futurist and early-adopter of most technology I’m ok with these changes. But Apple seems to be single-handedly launching us into new markets long before the public knows what to do with them. On one hand it’s the entrepreneur’s dream to have a new wild-west to conquer. But as consumers we are easily tricked into putting money back into Apple, AT&T and so many other companies’ products to feel like we are on the cutting edge of technology in this brave new age of computing. My first impressions of the iPad are exactly these thoughts. It’s not a matter of is it cool (it totally is) or do I want one (couldn’t wait.) It does everything I wanted and more. It’s got a few limitations I find frustrating. But once I got my hands on it I was drinking Apple’s kool aid once again and didn’t put it down for about 14 hours. Below is a brief review of the product and some initial impressions of the philosophy behind the technology, some questions about productivity and some excitement about the possibilities.