David Busche

I keep Facebook mainly for local groups and Marketplace. It’s still the easiest way to coordinate events with non-techy family. But every time a new privacy-policy update hits the news, I’m reminded that my data has probably been harvested ten different ways already. I’ve locked down my profile as much as possible, but trust is low.

I got the Premium plan for my studies, and the plagiarism checker has been very useful for making sure my papers are properly cited. The suggestions for rephrasing sentences to improve clarity are also better on the paid plan. It's a solid tool for students and professionals.

While the database is huge, a lot of profiles are out of date or inactive. You have to send a lot of InMails to get a few responses. The 'Open to Work' filter helps, but it's not always accurate. It's a volume game, and it can be a grind.

Otter joins my Zoom meetings automatically, records everything, and sends me a summary email. The speaker identification is surprisingly accurate. Being able to search the transcript for 'budget' or 'deadline' later is a superpower. It allows me to actually pay attention in meetings instead of scribbling notes.

I switched to 1Password after using another popular manager for years, and the difference in polish is night and day. The 'Watchtower' feature is incredibly useful for spotting compromised passwords before they become a problem. I especially love the Universal Autofill on Mac; it just works everywhere, not just in the browser. The Secret Key model gives me much more peace of mind regarding security. It's not the cheapest option, but for something that secures my entire digital life, it's worth every penny.

I run the Semrush Site Audit on all my client websites. It provides a clear, actionable checklist of technical SEO issues to fix, from broken links to missing alt tags. It's a fantastic tool for demonstrating value and building a roadmap for improvements. The customer support team is also very responsive and helpful.

We used to pay for ZoomInfo, Outreach, and a separate email verifier. Apollo replaced all of them for a fraction of the cost. Is the data 100% perfect? No, but neither was ZoomInfo's. The convenience of having prospecting and engagement in one tab saves my SDRs hours every week. The Chrome extension is also super handy for LinkedIn prospecting.

The software is good, but the billing is a scam. I subscribed to Pro on desktop but couldn't use it on mobile without paying again? And then cancelling was almost impossible; the button was hidden deep in settings. I was charged for three months after I thought I cancelled. Great tool, terrible business practices.