In a couple of weeks we will launch an app that enables you to build websites. The initial launch will be only about personal websites: websites for individuals that want to present themselves online. If you’re a one man show, a photographer, a designer, a carpenter, a sport addict, a stylist, a blogger, a cook, a martial arts guru, an influential individual or so, we’re offering to make a free website for you and to promote it on the examples page.

We expect to have over 1 million monthly views on this page. If you like the idea, please contact us and let us know about who you are (send us your Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin pages), and we’ll contact you back.

It’s been a while since my last post, but me and my team have had our hands busy with a bunch of changes and improvements to BannerSnack. You’ll definitely like what we did:

Import SWF in banners
Now, when you upload images, you can also choose to upload SWFs (including other banners that were made with BannerSnack). You can also have animated stuff within your slides, or partly interactive content… I’m sure you’ll figure out more.
Note. Since we can’t control what’s in a SWF file, stuff can go really ugly when you add a SWF into a banner; the app may stop responding and the banner may become stuck.

Images from Flickr directly to stage
Now you can simply click on a Flickr image in our Flickr browser and import it to the stage as background or object. We’ll automatically select the smallest size that would cover the stage and import it into your banner. You can also open the photo for image editing right inside the banner.

Image editor
We’ve just added a cool image editor to BannerSnack. Click on any image within a banner and choose “Edit image” to open it for editing. You will be able to autofix, resize, crop, sharpen, enhance and adjust color, brightness, saturation, exposure, highlights, shadows, and apply lots of cool image effects.

Layers, Multiple selection, Align magnets  
Last month we also added a few other features to the banner maker app. You can now see, activate and move the layers (open Layers from the left side by clicking the floating arrow button). You can select multiple objects (buttons, texts, images, cliparts) and then copy/paste, align or move them together. We’ve also added so called “Align magnets” in order to enable easier, intuitive aligning of the current object with other objects on the stage.

New look & feel
The app got a fresh new look. We’ve changed the interface’s look and feel and made it a little bit more easier. We’ve completely reduced the loading time for effect previews, we’ve added an option to hide the slides timeline, improved all the visual components and their functionality, added some basic templates to start with and reduced initial loading time.

So what do you think?
Let us know, and make sure to stick around – we have other surprises on the way!

Emma and the SnackTools team

PHP Programmers
Here is the chance of your lifetime. Get to work with one of the best web app development team in Romania.

UX designer
Usability, user experience, visual interfaces, stats and user metrics… how does it sound to you? Web applications, desktop apps, mobile apps, you name it, we’re building them all. Wanna get involved?

Animator/Video (full time or part time)
We’re looking to build a lot of demo and instructional videos for our web apps. Take a look at what these guys do: http://www.youtube.com/user/epipheo Are you able to help us create this kind of videos?

Social “Ninja”
Help us achieve a better social image and maintain a better relationship with our community. Do you want to make the world a better place? Amaze us with your social skills and you’ll get the job of your life.

Please send your CV at   jobs @ snacktools .com 

For this year’s Super Bowl, a lot of companies went overboard to deliver viral clips that promote their products and services. From goosebumps to an increased heart rate, these videos will wrap you in emotions meant to take your breath away and blow your mind.

Now, note that not all these videos were created by big shot companies, so when you have the right idea, success is a sure thing. Here’s the top 20 most shared YouTube ads in January 2012. Keep a close eye on the video description, it’s quite useful.

We use quizzes all the time in our daily lives, or at least I do. Whenever I talk to someone, I always ask a bunch of questions about this and that, and that’s really what a quiz is. Sure, real life conversations are not like those TV show quizzes where you get a prize at the end, but quizzes are still part of our life, though we don’t put that label on them.

You see moms doing it all the time. “What is that? A dog.”, “Who is that? It’s daddy.” Mothers do it because it positively impacts their children’s development. And if you think about it for a second, you’ll find many other real life examples.

Whether you want to bring some traffic to your website, promote a product, get some feedback or you are curious about what your friends might think – QuizSnack is the online app that can help you ask these questions and more.

These posts will help you create the most awesome quiz online: Survey Tricks in Advertising and The DIY: Online Quiz.

And when you’re finished (in a few minutes) you can share it with friends.

How to promote your Quiz – SnackTools sharing options

Send your quiz via e-mail

If you want to use this option, people will instantly receive an email with an invite to your quiz. Friends and family will be sent to the Direct Link page where they can see and respond to the quiz questions. Also, make sure you edit the title for the quiz, as this will be the subject for your email.

If you log in with your Facebook, Twitter or Yahoo account, all your friends/followers/contacts can be invited. Nice, huh? There are also a lot of other different sharing options inside each app from the SnackTools family. You can have access to all of them, according to your needs, when you upgrade to Premium.

Post on Facebook – A link to your quiz will instantly be posted on your Facebook wall
Post on Twitter – You are just a tweet away from sharing the quiz to all your followers
Embed button – If you are not that into social networks, you can still promote your online quiz. Copy the Embed code and paste it in any HTML frame on a blog or website.
Download – You really like what you did, but you are not quite ready to share your quiz. Just download it to your computer and use this app later on.

Tip: I know that sharing options are great ways to make your friends complete your awesome quiz, but what’s even better, you can have live stats on how many completed the quiz. This way you know for sure you are headed in the right direction!

I get those goosebumps and thrills of excitement whenever I come across new products. But If I’m bored I leave that page as fast as Speedy Gonzales and be sure I’ll never go back.

Customer satisfaction is a sensitive topic and you can’t negotiate on it. The simple truth is, customers need to receive the best. But no matter how hard you try to do just that, you need their constant feedback to make sure you’re on the right track. Feedback is the key to getting more out of your work. Once you know what they think, you can mix a recipe that will make everyone happy.

Let’s get a little insight on how you can publish a survey with all the right questions to get to know your customers.

How to post a survey in Jimdo:

1. First, you need to create a survey in QuizSnack. (For more info on how you can do this, check out:…)

2. Go to Jimdo and log in to your website page.

3. Press Add new element from the left-side menu.

4. Click Widget/ Html so you can embed the code of the survey.

5. Return to the survey in QuizSnack (press View  - Embed code – copy the code)

6. Paste the code in the HTML frame in Jimdo.

7. Save your work and instantly see the changes.

Tip: A survey created with QuizSnack can be posted on any platform. No matter where you display your work, if you want to get some quality feedback, this is the right online app to use.

Banners are the most common form of online advertising, and I’m pretty sure it will always be this way. You see them everywhere: in your e-mail, on your favourite website, and even when you perform a mere Google search. While you might think you need serious design knowledge to create an amazing banner, you must know that BannerSnack makes everything as simple as it gets. But no matter how creative your banner image is, it still needs to direct potential customers to your website or an e-mail form. Not just so you know the number of clicks and views, but also to make sure people can go buy your product fast and easy.

When you create a banner in BannerSnack, you can place links anywhere on your image, clipart or buttons.

Log in and select the background color or image. Once you’ve done this, select a clipart or other object and click Action.

Select the GotoURL or ClickTag and place the link in the URL field below.

That’s it! Click Play to preview your banner and see the changes.

If you like the banner ad and you are done editing, press the Publish button to save your work.

Tip: You can embed your banner on any online platform. Even more, if you have a Premium Account, you can download the banner to your PC.

Logos are the new trend. They are the creative signature for your work. You don’t have to own a big and popular website to have a cute little logo. Every blog deserves a personal touch to stand out. With BannerSnack, you can create any type of flash content. I previously wrote about how to create banners, how to make killer website intros and now after the last post about newsletter templates, you can rock your blog by creating a representative image to be used as a logo.

Here are some fantastic examples of blog headers that have a logo image:

Use BannerSnack to create a logo for your blog

BannerSnack lets you create a logo image, the easy way.

1. You need to log in to BannerSnack and select a size (this is entirely up to your vision of the logo).

2. Upload an image, add text or apply other objects (like cliparts).

3. Save changes and download your work.

Press the Dowload .GIF or Download to .SWF buttons.

You can only do this with a Premium Account but it’s totally worth it.

Bellow you have the steps for posting on an online platform. Here is how you can do this if your blog is either on WordPress or Blogger.

How to post a logo in WordPress

Wordpress is the most famous and highly used blogging platforms. Most of the websites run on this platform, not to mention blogs. But the future in online is about making everything more personal, placing your mark on everything.

A logo is a unique way to do that. If you have a WordPress blog, log in and go to:

1. Appearance – Header.

2. Upload a header image.

3. Save changes and there it is: your customized header.

How to post a logo in Blogger

Blogger is another famous blogging platform that you can access with your gmail account.

If you already have a blog here, you will surely like the idea of posting a small logo in your header. This way,  your blog will have a customized look.

1. Log in to Blogger with your Gmail account.

2. Press the View Blog button.

3. Click the Design button from the upper side of the page.

4. Press Layout and click Edit.

5. Upload your logo and if you are satisfied, click Apply to blog to save the changes.

Tip: There are many great things you can add to your personal blog, but no matter the quality of the content, always give the visual side its credit.

This might be a hard truth to swallow: unconsciously you do like others telling you what to do. Now, don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean you like to be bossed around, but some people function better when somebody else tells them what to do. It’s not because we like taking orders; clearly nobody does. But there is something about decision making that we definitely want to avoid. All that responsibility, and then what if something goes wrong?! Consciously or not, we all prefer others to make those calls.  

Decide now: What banner color is best for the social event of the year? The choice is more difficult when you have to think of all the colors out there. But let’s simplify: you have to choose between pink and blue. Somebody else selected these from the color range. With two rights, the probability to make the wrong choice is clearly diminished.

There is an emotional component to every advertising message. Something that makes people relate with what they see or hear. There are 6 principles that can make people give in to your marketing message.

Reciprocation:  We feel obligated to return favours.

If someone helped us, we have to help back, right? This is how communities like Digg were build up.

Authority:  We look up to experts. They should know what is right.

If someone has a title (say, PhD) to accompany their name, chances are we actually listen to what they have to say.

Commitment/ Consistency: We want to act according to our beliefs and values.

If you are a religious person, a request from the church be more successful with you than it will with an atheist.

Scarcity/ Limited: The less available an object, the more we want it. “Buy now. Offer available until” – sounds familiar? This is the most used marketing message.

Liking factor: The more we like someone, the easier we accept their message. This is why football players, successful singers and actors are used in ads to persuade the general public. Who could refuse Brad Pitt when he wants you to buy that perfume?!

Social proof:  We look at others to guide our behaviour.

That is why publishers persuade consumers to buy those “Be like Oprah” books.

Tip: I hope you use these advertising strategies to make great banner ads. BannerSnack is the tool we recommend – if you trust us, trust our amazing apps!

I just made a few points about how you can create killer website intros using BannerSnack, but if you are having a creativity block, here are some amazing intros to inspire you.

A website intro is the first thing people see on your website, and it’s not an easy job to sum up your whole business in just a few words and images. But when you are on a creative drive, this is surely not an obstacle. You can add video, flash, just about anything you can think of. I don’t recommend adding things that are totally unrelated to your business, though.

Here are the 3 principles to consider when creating a website intro:

1. Be direct and show off the personality of your business.

Give hints about your website and what message you are sending.

2. Leverage the visuals with text style.

3. Use call-to-action messages so that users are enticed to explore the website.

Still at a loss for ideas on how to blow your users away? Check this list of amazing website intros.

The friendly duck website – clear, creative and full of brand personality.

http://www.bythepond.co.uk/

SundayBestDesign has a short but clear introduction message and a catchy image. But, most importantly, it has a call-to-action inviting you to do more.

http://sundaybestdesigns.com/

The Chris Thurman presentation website does the trick. This is a freelancer site for an UI designer that presents all the complicated things around usability in a friendly way. Who wouldn’t like working with him?

http://christhurman.com/

Little kids dressed as fruits. Seriously? How cute is that! And because you didn’t expect to find this on a web apps website, you might decide to use their services.

http://thinkorange.pt

A lot of the websites brag about how cool they are and how a single app can do multiple things. But when you are looking for something, you need that specific app to do one thing, but do it right.  Assistly focused on what they do best in a clear, objective message.

http://www.assistly.com/

For more creative juice on website applications made easy, check out our future posts.