Many of you have been messaging me via email and on Facebook asking me why on earth I haven’t posted on this blog for a few weeks when I had been posting twice a week for the last two months like clockwork. Fret not, loyal readers, I haven’t decided to pack up blogging to spend my days playing video games or anything like that. But it’s clear I owe you guys an explanation and thankfully it ties in well with my monthly “technology tip” blog post.
Helping Out A Dear Friend
So here goes. A week and a half ago, Gemma, an old friend, reached out to me via LinkedIn and sounded super desperate. She had just landed a new job at a construction company and the first task her new boss had hit her with was taking the firm’s newly written and designed word document brochure and turning it into an engaging, interactive, PDF Flip Page. It didn’t help that her new boss wasn’t too helpful and just muttered “I want to see it in two weeks and make sure it is snazzy” before disappearing into his office.
Now, my dear friend Gemma and technology do not mix. Over the years, she’s tried hard to get to grips with using various software packages but the poor girl has only just managed to master the basics of the Microsoft Office suite.
So, in a fit of panic, she reached out to me as she knew I was one of her most computer savvy friends (not boasting, these were her words haha) and so I would be the only one she really knew that could really help her in a short space of time. And a short space of time it was. When she reached out to me for advice she casually dropped the fact that the deadline for what she needed to get done was a mere three days.
After calming her down I said I would accept her challenge of creating an engaging, interactive PDF Flip Page brochure for her in 3 days or less on the condition that I would then set up an hour with her at a later time to teach her how to use the software herself so she could complete the next publication task her boss sets her all on her own. Teach a man to fish and all that…
My Hunt For Software That Turns A Boring Word Document Into An Interactive PDF Flip Page
I hadn’t created an interactive PDF Flip Page in years and a quick online search uncovered that my usual go-to software back in the day had been discontinued which led me to search for something new and shiny.
What I thought would be a quick half-hour search turned into a day and a half manic hunt. I downloaded a total of 8 PDF Flip Page maker from countless companies, both free and paid. And NONE of them were suitable.
They all had their own different serious weaknesses and flaws. One was so dated it looked like it was made before I was born and then never updated, another one insisted on crashing on me every time I scrolled anywhere on the screen. And so on…Understandably, I was feeling pretty annoyed and dreading having to tell Gemma she was on her own.
Then I looked back at my original Google search and realized that for some reason (probably due to Gemma constantly messaging me while I was searching) I overlooked one of the top search results. It was for an online PDF Flip Page maker called Yumpu Publishing.
As soon as I landed on their homepage I was met with a site that was elegant, fast, slick, and well put together. Usually, if a software’s site is well put together and up to date it usually means the software product itself will be. I was getting excited and for good reason.
I signed up for an account and logged into the online software platform.
Three words.
It was incredible.
What Makes This Software Platform So Much Better Than The Others?
What makes it so fantastic I can hear you ask. Well truthfully, too many things to mention in this article but I’ll give it a shot at summarising a few of the key things that make it truly fantastic:
- Cloud-based, fast, and bug-free – This was the first thing I noticed upon signing up for the software online. The cloud-based software ran as smooth as butter and was entirely glitch-free, which is more than I can say for all 8 of the other downloadable PDF Flip Page I had tried previously. And as it was cloud-based I could continue with the publication anywhere there was an internet connection. Fantastic!
- Hotspot Editor – This feature was “hot”. Get it? Okay, lame joke aside. This feature did really blow my mind. In a nutshell, it enabled me to drag a video Gemma had provided me right into the publication and then drag it around where I wanted and even enter the precise size I wanted the video to be on the page. I only needed to drag one video in this case but I quickly learned that their hotspot editor also lets you drag in slideshows, audio clips, and links.
- Social Media Embedding – I came across this feature by accident and I’m so flipping glad I did and so was Gemma when I told her about it. Basically, it lets you natively embed your whole PDF Flip Page or any specific segment of the publication into social media posts on social networks like Facebook and Pinterest. I’m not talking about pasting a link that leads to the publication, I’m talking about followers and fans actually being able to scroll through the publication while still on the social network! I didn’t see a single one of their competitors come even close to offering something like this.
- Easy To Use – This is something that gets overlooked, but the software was super simple, intuitive, and incredibly easy to use. It actually takes a lot of thought, planning, and testing to create a piece of software that takes something complicated and makes it super simple. So, bravo Yumpu Publishing. You’ve clearly hired super talented developers and designers.
Despite my initial fruitless search for PDF Flip Page software I still managed to get Gemma her interactive, online flip-page ahead of her schedule thanks to finding Yumpu Publishing. Needless to say, Gemma was over the moon and sounded like she was almost crying with happiness when I spoke to her on the phone an hour after sending her the publication. Thankfully, her boss loved the publication as much as I and Gemma did.
Also, I’m pleased to say that Gemma took me up on my offer of me spending an hour with her to get her up to speed with the platform and after just 25 minutes she was churning out super slick, professional, well designed interactive PDF Flip Page like a pro. I’m so proud of her.
So, there you have it guys. That’s the reason for my brief absence from blogging. I hope you can forgive me, especially as I’ve now introduced you all to a super-fast, slick piece of software for creating head turn interactive PDF Flip Page brochures, catalogs, and magazines!