Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.
Someone Made Ocean Wave Simulation as Real as Possible Using WebGL
A colleague recently said to me, “I’ve heard that you’re a client relations guru. Are there any tips or tricks that you have for starting to build up those relationships?”
I always love a question like this—something that makes me stop and reflect. It’s true. Working with people and developing new (or existing) relationships is something I have a knack for. Even though I self-identify as an introvert, I love doing it because genuinely connecting with other people, hearing about their experiences, challenges, wins, quirky-cool talents, what winds their clock (and sharing in return)…well, it actually means something to me.
Was that the big secret? Or was there more?
Could I summarize everything I do to establish a client relationship—things I do without even thinking— and distill it into a list of best practices anyone can apply?
Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.
Is Front-end Development Having an Identity Crisis?
Video marketing is now becoming an integral part of marketing strategies today. This paradigm shift is because more people are watching videos on their mobile devices daily.
Planning is required for companies to make video marketing strategies that will work in 2018. We take a look at steps you can take below:
Research
When it comes to your video marketing strategy, you can never do enough research. Good marketing foundations are essential, but you have to keep track of the latest trends with your audience, industry, and prospects so that your content will cater to their needs.
Having a well-oiled content marketing strategy gives you a basis for your video content. You need to think of ways to convert your content into video format.
What is the purpose of your video marketing strategy? Do you want to increase sales? Are you planning to promote your new service? Do you want to build your email list?
Coming up with answers will help you determine the type of videos that you need to produce.
Match this with the type of content that will appeal to your audience then you are now ready to go to the next step of pre-planning.
Plan
Once you have done all your research and your data is complete, your next step is to implement your research results to your video content.
Always keep in mind the goals that you have set so that your videos will focus on achieving those goals. We take a look at some examples.
You are a real estate company who wants to promote your project which is now in the pre-selling stage. Your videos need to showcase the plans and the development of your pre-selling project. You would also need to include infographics on the advantages of buying now than later showing how much they will be able to save. Aerial shots using drones would be an attractive feature in your video. You can also show people how to get to your site location the fastest way.
You are in the retail business, and your company sells weight loss products. Your videos should be on testimonials which show before and after shots of satisfied customers. Interviews would be a good idea with customers sharing their weight loss journey. A separate video informing prospects about your product and why it helps in weight loss is also relevant.
You are a nonprofit company that helps new businesses get started. Your videos can be a webinar type which shows a weekly class that you conduct with entrepreneurs.
You also need to choose a platform where you would upload your video. You can choose from Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and a whole lot of other social media platforms.
Each platform will require a different approach in your video content. For example, LinkedIn would have a more professional audience while Facebook allows you to target specifically by age, gender, location, and other categories.
Produce
Now that you have a plan based on your research you can now create your video content. There are options that you can choose to save on cost.
You can self-produce videos if you have a modest budget. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment if you can’t afford it yet. Smartphones with good cameras will do just fine. You need to research on proper techniques on video production and editing.
A more expensive option is to hire a production company like press release distribution services. If you need a video that is professional quality, then this is the way to go. Going directly to a video production company is ideal if you already have your content prepared. Going through an agency is an added expense because they will outsource your video production needs anyway.
Build
You have done your research, planned well and created your videos, now you want people to watch them.
Promote your videos on your website and social media platforms. Send out email promotions and ask your employees to share it on their personal platforms.
Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.
As a freelance writer, you know how important it is to remove grammar errors and punctuation mistakes from your articles. Having poor grammar can lower your value as a freelance writer. You might not even get a project at all.
Proofreading your work is one of the ways to get rid of mistakes, but it can be time-consuming. Hurray, for there are many free online grammar checker and punctuation corrector tools that are available now.
Use them to catch most of your mistakes before you submit your content to your editor or proofreader.
Here are free tools that you can use for your writing projects.
Grammarly
A favorite among freelance writers and the most popular free grammar and punctuation checker tool.
You can choose between a free and paid version, but for basic corrections on grammar and punctuations, the free version does the job well. For more advanced issues like style and plagiarism, the paid version is the one for you.
Grammarly can help you detect 250 writing errors. It has a browser extension for all popular web browsers. A useful tool for checking the content that you type on the web. Your Facebook posts, emails, and all other platforms will now be grammar and error free.
Ginger
Another popular checker for punctuation is Ginger. Some freelance writers prefer to use Ginger over Grammarly which shows that the difference is not that far off.
You can use the tool as a comma checker, sentence rephraser, and writing coach.
You can add Ginger as a browser extension or download programs for Windows and Mac. There is an Android keyboard that helps mobile users type correctly on their device.
After The Deadline
This tool is from Automattic, the same company who made WordPress.
This tool was designed mainly for use with WordPress, but it has a standalone service that you can use.
You don’t need to register an account to use this tool, go directly to the Polish My Writing site and paste your text to check all errors.
WhiteSmoke
This is a powerful tool for checking grammar, style, punctuation, and plagiarism.
It is a paid service, but it offers a free trial for a time. A useful solution if you need a checker right now.
Virtual Writing Tutor
This tool may not be as powerful as Ginger or Grammarly, but as a basic checker for punctuation and grammar, it can do the work for you.
If you keep on making errors with commas, this tool can help you make the needed corrections.
You don’t need to sign up for an account to use the service. You can have up to 500 words checked as an unknown visitor. For more words up to 3,000 max, you need to register an account.
Gregory’s Writing Site Punctuation Checker
For a basic scan for punctuation use, this tool can do the job for you. It does not scan for errors but analyzes your punctuation usage.
The free tool allows up to 10,000 words for checking without having an account.
Hemingway Editor
This tool focuses more on style checking than correcting punctuation errors. Using it as a secondary checker can make your writing better.
Hemingway can be enjoyed for free without having to register for an account.
All of the tools above are helpful in catching basic punctuation errors.
For 100% error free checking, there is no replacement for human proofreading.
The best tool among those shown is Grammarly, its free and does a great job of detecting errors. You can add it to your browser as an extension.
You can also use multiple tools for a more thorough check of your work.
Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.
You might notice a theme this month in our collection of new tools for designers: color. There are lots of color resources sprinkled throughout this collection. But there are plenty of other goodies as well, including a beta tool from Google and some new ways to think about layouts.
If we’ve missed something that you think should have been on the list, let us know in the comments. And if you know of a new app or resource that should be featured next month, tweet it to @carriecousins to be considered!
Logo Lab
Logo Lab is a new tool that helps you figure out if a logo is sound. Simply upload a logo, and you’ll be presented with visual experiments that test key factors like scalability, silhouette and balance. The visual tool shows where a logo succeeds and where it could use some improvement. This can be a great resource for individual testing or client presentations.
Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.
Creating Horizontal Scrolling Containers the Right Way
Hello Readers! Can you believe that I have not found one single Halloween-themed portfolio? I guess no one wanted to base their entire site on a one-day holiday. While understandable, this disappoints me.
Someone get me a vector skeleton!
What we do have is a general mix of calm and soothing minimalist sites punctuated by riotous color which might, if you’re not ready for it, hurt your eyes for a second. Enjoy.
Note: I’m judging these sites by how good they look to me. If they’re creative and original, or classic but really well-done, it’s all good to me. Sometimes, UX and accessibility suffer. For example, many of these sites depend on JavaScript to display their content at all; this is a Bad Idea, kids.
, kids.