Online Resources For Accountability Partners

Whether you’re connecting via phone or e-mail, or in person, the Internet presents a wealth of tools to make your accountability partnerships more effective. For little or no cost, you can use these tools and resources to make communicating with your partners and tracking your progress easier than ever.

Make sure to check out these options:

Skype. Skype is a free telephone service via the web. You both download the Skype software and then can connect via voice or video. If you’re in different parts of the country or world, you can save a bundle on long distance by logging on to Skype. There’s even the capability to let the other person see your computer desktop while connected, which makes computer/software training a breeze. 

FreeConferenceCall.com. For the price of a long-distance call, you and your partner(s) can host your own private conference calls, no reservation needed. The system will record the call and allow unlimited downloads and playbacks. While the basic service is free, the site will only archive your most recent conversation; it’s replaced with each new call you conduct. You can upgrade to a paid option for more robust service. 

Ning.com. Create your own virtual private community, with the ability to share videos, images, and more. Options for chat, message boards, and a hosted blog are also available. As of  July 2010, Ning charges a nominal monthly fee to host sites. While you may not want to shell out for a group of two (a free private blog at Blogger.com or Typepad.com would work just as well), Ning is great for groups with several members. 

Google. Google offers a plethora of fantastic collaborative tools, from GoogleDocs (shared documents) to Google Calendar, to the latest Google Wave and Google Buzz. If you’re working with an accountability group, you can create a free email group at Groups.google.com. All are free. 

TweetChat.com. Need an impromptu chat room? Hook your Twitter account up to TweetChat, enter a unique hashtag (#), and start chatting with your partner(s). Beware: there can be a bit of a lag, and your tweets will be public for anyone to follow. But when the service is free, you can’t be too picky! 

While you may already be acquainted with many of these resources, you can look at them in a new way when considering using them as tools for your accountability partnership. It’s efficient when you can employ solutions you’re already using for multiple purposes.

Stay tuned for the rest of this article which has of necessity been broken into a series:

1. Accountability Partners For Internet Marketers
2. Setting up An Accountability Partnership
3. Live and In Person: Setting up an “IRL” Accountability Partner
4. Virtual Accountability Partners
5. Mentoring Partnerships
6. The More the Merrier? Partners versus Groups
7. Five Tips for Great Accountability Partnerships
8. Trouble-shooting Your Accountability Partnership
9. Online Resources For Accountability Partners
10. Next Steps In Your Accountability Partnership
11. Conclusion