Sams Teach Yourself Basecamp in 10 Minutes (Sams Teach Yourself Series) Book

Introduction 1

1 Getting Started with Basecamp 5

Introducing Online, Collaborative Project Management 5

Understanding Basecamp Account Plans 7

Signing Up for a Basecamp Account 9

Summary 13

2 Customizing Your Basecamp Workspace 15

Adding a Logo 15

Specifying Color Schemes 18

Defining Default Settings 20

Summary 24

3 Managing People, Companies, and Permissions 25

Setting Up People and Companies in Basecamp 25

Understanding Account Owner and Administrator Roles 26

Managing People in Basecamp 27

Managing Companies in Basecamp 33

Assigning Account Administrators 38

Summary 38

4 Working with Projects 39

Defining Projects 39

Creating a Project 40

Assigning People and Permissions to Projects 44

Managing Project Settings 49

Searching Project Data 53

Creating Subprojects 54

Summary 54

5 Entering and Tracking Milestones 55

Setting Realistic Milestones 55

Understanding Milestone Permissions 57

Adding Milestones 57

Adding Multiple Milestones 60

Editing Milestones 61

Commenting on Milestones 63

Completing Milestones 66

Viewing Milestones 67

Deleting Milestones 71

Summary 72

6 Entering and Tracking To-Dos 73

Understanding To-Do Lists 73

Understanding To-Do List Permissions 75

Creating To-Do List Templates 76

Creating To-Do Lists 80

Editing To-Do Lists 84

Commenting on To-Do Items 85

Completing To-Do Items 88

Reordering To-Do Lists 89

Viewing To-Do Lists 90

Deleting To-Do Lists 95

Summary 96

7 Working with iCalendar 97

Understanding iCalendar 97

Subscribing to an iCalendar Feed 98

Troubleshooting Problems with iCalendar 106

Summary 106

8 Posting and Commenting on Messages 107

Posting a Message 107

Leaving Message Comments 112

Formatting Message and Comment Text 113

Sending a Comment by Email 115

Viewing Messages and Comments 116

Editing Messages and Comments 119

Deleting Messages and Comments 121

Summary 122

9 Sharing Files 123

Uploading Files 123

Viewing Project Files 127

Editing File Details 130

Uploading New File Versions 131

Deleting Files 132

Summary 132

10 Tracking and Managing Time 133

Understanding Time Tracking in Basecamp 133

Entering Time Associated with a To-Do List Item 135

Entering Time on the Time Page 137

Viewing Time Entries 139

Editing Time Entries 140

Deleting Time Entries 141

Creating a Time Report 141

Exporting Time Entries 143

Summary 145

11 Collaborating with Writeboards 147

Getting Started with Basecamp Writeboards 147

Creating a Writeboard 147

Editing a Writeboard 151

Formatting Writeboard Text 154

Making Writeboard Comments 158

Viewing and Comparing Writeboard Versions 159

Exporting a Writeboard 162

Deleting a Writeboard 163

Summary 163

12 Working with Chat Functionality 165

Understanding Basecamp’s Chat Functionality 165

Understanding Campfire Account Types 166

Signing Up for a Campfire Account 167

Configuring Basecamp to Work with Campfire 170

Participating in Group Chats 171

Providing Guest Access to Your Chat Room 179

Summary 180

13 Viewing Project Activity on the Dashboard 181

Viewing the Dashboard as a Project Owner or Administrator 181

Viewing the Dashboard as a Basecamp User 187

Summary 188

14 Working with RSS Feeds 189

Understanding RSS Feeds 189

Selecting a Feed Reader 190

Subscribing to Your Global RSS Feed 190

Subscribing to a Project’s RSS Feed 192

Viewing Your Feed 193

Summary 194

15 Managing Your Account 195

Understanding Account Management Options 195

Changing Your Basecamp URL 196

Changing Your Credit Card 197

Viewing Your Invoices 197

Upgrading Your Account 197

Downgrading Your Account 199

Paying in One Lump Sum 199

Changing the Account Owner 201

Canceling Your Account 202

Enabling the Basecamp API 203

Exporting Your Basecamp Data 203

Joining the Basecamp Affiliate Program 205

Summary 205

16 ntegrating Basecamp with Add-ons and Other

Applications 207

Integrating with Other 37signals Applications 207

Understanding Basecamp Add-ons 209

Choosing the Right Add-on Application 210

Integrating Basecamp with Invoicing, Billing, and Accounting Applications 211

Integrating with Reporting, Charting, and Planning Applications 213

Integrating with Time-Tracking Applications 215

Integrating with Other Third-Party Applications 217

Summary 219

17 Accessing Basecamp from Mobile Devices 221

Understanding Mobile Access Options 221

Accessing Basecamp from Your iPhone 222

Accessing Basecamp from Other Mobile Devices 225

Summary 226

Index 227