Just a few years ago, sites like Newspaper Death Watch, began tracking daily newspapers as they steadily went out of print. Since then, publications have adapted to the changing media landscape by creating online versions of their publications. But the delivery is different, and sometimes not as visually appealing as the copy you get to hold in your hand.
Online publishing tools offer just that. And not only are they useful for magazines, but they’re great for brochures and promotional pieces. Issuu and FlippingBook are two examples of online tools used by two Schipul clients to showcase their content.
The Houston Zoo‘s marketing team uses Issuu for their Events & Venue Guide.
Issuu lets users upload in any format and choose the best way to display their content (magazine, presentation or paper). One of the great things about Issuu is that it’s SEO-friendly. According to the site, every word inside publications on Issuu are available from any search engine. More than that, users can try it for free or just browse it’s catalog of online publications.
Rice Epicurean uses FlippingBook to showcase their weekly specials.
FlippingBook turns PDF files into flash on a specific site, rather than a searchable community. It allows users to share and view the content online. Also, the program lets users tailor the look of publications, has a download feature for multiple ways of sharing and a built-in text search that helps users find specific information within the text. The drawback of the program is that its free versions are watermarked and only available for Windows 7, Vista and XP.
The sleek presentation of publishing sites like Issuu can be intimidating. If you’re seeking something simple, Scribd. is worth a peek.
It’s an open reading platform, meaning you don’t need a flash player or web reader to view documents. It’s HTML based. The types of documents span the gamut –school work, how-to guides/manuals, books, presentations, spreadsheets – it’s all there. To get a better idea of the community Scribd caters to, I recommend watching their introductory slideshow.
Depending on your needs, FlippingBook, Issuu and Scribd are all suitable online publication tools with great features. FlippingBook is a good tool for content that will change consistently, yet it offers the functionality of a visually appealing, hand-held publication. Issuu is definitely the way to go for a more substantial publication, that won’t “expire.” And Scribd offers a bit of both worlds, where your document can live and breath in a widely accessible format.
Check out a previous post from @cwminor on online publishing services.
