Most every designer and project manager who has any knowledge of online web tools has heard of Basecamp, and perhaps even the creators of the project management application, 37 Signals. 37 Signals may be responsible for this "Web 2.0" phenomenon that we're now enamored with (along with Adaptive Path who take credit for creating AJAX, the savior of the online application).

These 2 companies forged ahead on their ideas for easy, (mostly) free, immediately accessible applications -- removing massive development, mass marketing, distribution and overhead for an adaptable, flexible, evolving, responsive online tools that ushered in a new wave of "software" developer. But, I don't want to talk about either 37 Signals or Adaptive Path or and their vast (and deserving) achievements, instead a new crop of online applications that have a strong niche in a market dear to my heart.

Element Fusion. The name probably doesn't ring a bell. How about Icebrrg? Or Light? Or Water? Or even Sky? Yes, they're all elements of nature, but also online design and management tools, with a large constituency in churches and non-profits.

Element Fusion is a 8 year old (founded in 1999), small Oklahoma City design firm (20 or so employees). There 3 products have more than 10,000 subscribers and users. The 3 founding members happen to be Christians, active in their church -- Life Church -- and provide a large portion of their servers (Sky in particular) for ministries and churches. You might say, they're the Web 2.0 company for churches. You can read a bit more about them, and one of their founders Tim Wall, at Church Communications Pro.

I find them interesting for no other reason than we share a common market, interest, passion, mission and service (to some degree -- though I have no online tools; yet). Its nice to see some guys getting it right, doing it well, and keeping it simple.