Starting yesterday, I decided to try out a web-integrated service called RescueTime. This program sits in your system tray and logs (at a user-defined interval) the program that you are currently focused on. If you are using a browser like Firefox, RescueTime goes one step further and tracks the site that you are currently focused on, even if you have multiple tabs open. This information is sent to the RescueTime’s online servers, which analyze the information sent and give you a breakdown of the way you are using your time on your computer. User-voted categories are assigned to the programs and sites you use to help in organizing the information, and you can assign tags to increase the level of specificity. From there, you can define goals that help in minimizing the frequency of less-productive activities, while increasing the frequency of more-productive activities. You can even set the service to nag you or reward you via SMS or email based on how you are performing in your goals. Finally, the service uses your inputs to evaluate your efficiency and productivity. All-in-all, it’s a pretty neat idea with a lot of potential.

What’s that you say? “Jawmaster is stamping his approval on a program that monitors his every action and uploads that info to the net?” Yes and no.

-YES, because the makers of RescueTime have a very well-defined privacy policy that states they will never give out that information to anybody, and will never do things like keylogging, etc. Additionally, they give you the ability to access the info directly on your computer that is being uploaded. You can even delete info that is online through their website. Lastly, these concerns are kind of silly, because many programs and online services also have the ability to record your actions already (there is security in obscurity).

-NO, because the rest of the program is currently closed-source, and this always leaves open the possibility that additional data is being uploaded from your computer through a separate channel. I sincerely hope that RescueTime’s creators will make the program self-contained soon. They should allow users to do private, contained analysis and categorization, rather than having to upload that data to a server. Taking this approach instead, users could still vote on categories for specific applications and sites, but in a way that guarantees anonymity. But at the same time, let privacy-minded individuals have the option to make their own private classifications.

I can understand why the creators made this closed-source. The program has the ability to be used for teams, and to make the code available would allow team leaders to alter the code and spy easily on team members. With that in mind, I guess the creators have little choice as far as making sure that usage statistics are only recorded by them.

Perhaps the best way to appeal to everybody would be for them to leave the team release of the software the same, but change the private version of the software to be standalone. That way, individual users can conduct their productivity studies on their computers, but teams would still have to use the RescueTime servers.

For those looking for a private alternative to the software, TimeSnapper is a possible choice. That software takes screenshots of your system at a set interval, which you can review as a movie at a later time. Unfortunately, these screenshots can pile up over time (if you are not careful with settings), and the free version of the software does not offer up the level of categorized data analysis that RescueTime does. I can only speculate that the professional version doesn’t either. That said, I’m currently recommending RescueTime not as the best choice, but the only productive and straightforward choice. I would be glad to find an alternative that does everything RescueTime does, only completely private. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you find or develop such a program.