WebWorkerDaily » screencast

WWD Screencast: Picmeleo

Simon Mackie — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:00:41 +0000

While there are plenty of free online image editors available, what makes new offering Picmeleo stand out from the crowd is that it’s embeddable. It’s very simple to set up and offers your visitors an attractive, easy-to-use image editor built into your own site. I made a quick screencast to show you how it works:

Which online image editor do you use?

WWD Screencast: Firefox 3.6 Tab Previews

Simon Mackie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:30:12 +0000

With the new beta of Firefox 3.6, new tab previewing functionality has been made available in Firefox — you can preview tabs using the “List all tabs” button, and you can see a preview when using Ctrl-Tab to switch between tabs.

These two new features are not enabled by default, so you’ll need to go to the about:config page and toggle “browser.allTabs.previews” and “browser.ctrlTab.previews” to “true” (either right-click on the entry and hit “Toggle”, or just double-click the entry).

I made a quick screencast showing how to enable tab previews and how it works:

(Via gHacks)

WWD Screencast: Toobla

Simon Mackie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:59 +0000

Toobla is a new social bookmarking service that lets you collect groups of sites together into neat visual folders that you can then easily share with others via a shortened URL or embeddable widget. While it seems to be largely aimed at the consumer market, for web workers, I think it could be useful for sharing collections of inspirational sites during a design project, for example, or resources during a research project. I recorded a screencast showing how it works:

Let us know your thoughts on Toobla in the comments. Do you think it offers advantages over, say, Delicious?

WWD Screencast: KwiClick Enables Fast, Unobtrusive Searching

Simon Mackie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:44 +0000

Firefox add-on KwiClick lets you perform searches in a small additional browser window, making searches faster and less obtrusive, as you don’t have to open a new tab or window, or leave the page that you’re on. KwiClick can search using Google, YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia and more. To demonstrate how it works, I recorded a quick screencast showing it in action:

WWD Screencast: KwiClick from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

KwiClick is free, works with Firefox 3+ and can be downloaded from the Mozilla Add-ons site.

Let us know what you think of KwiClick in the comments.

WWD Screencast: Cluster Tabs Firefox Add-on

Simon Mackie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:56 +0000

I often end up with way too many tabs open at once, particularly when I’m researching a particular topic. To cut down on tab overload, I’m experimenting with a nifty Firefox add-on called Cluster Tabs. In conjunction with a web service, it lets you group tabs together into “clusters.” Once you’ve clustered your tabs, you can then share them with others through Twitter, email, IM, Facebook, etc., via a unique public URL. I recorded a quick screencast to show how it works:

WWD Screencast: Cluster Tabs from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

Cluster Tabs is easy to use, free (the cluster pages have some advertising), doesn’t require registration, and works with Firefox 3+.

Have you tried Cluster Tabs? Did it help you cut down on tab clutter?

Fast, Easy Screencasts With Screenr

Thursday Bram — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:00:08 +0000

By relying on Twitter, new screencast tool Screenr has created a really simple option for recording and distributing short videos. Recording a screencast is as easy as logging in to your Twitter account and pressing the record button. From there, you can easily post the link of your video. There are no downloads, uploads or even fees to slow down the process.

Once you’ve started a recording, you can move and resize the active recording area like any other window. You can also choose an audio input source to record sound if you don’t want to use the microphone Screenr automatically detects on your computer. Once you’ve finished recording your screencast, Screenr will automatically queue up the video so that you can watch it and make sure that it’s satisfactory. You can also add up to 117 characters of written description to your video — 140 characters less those necessary to add a link to your video when your description is posted to Twitter. You do have the alternative of stopping the automatic tweet Screenr sends out, as well as the option of deleting a video before it becomes accessible to anyone who wants to look.

All of Screenr’s videos are public, allowing you to browse through those that other people have already posted. You can re-tweet or reply to a video as well as share it as a link or embed it on another site. Many of the videos currently up are simply examples of users test-driving the application, but there are quite a few quick tutorials posted, along with fast reviews of other services. You can get a feed of new videos as well as check out popular screencasts already up on the site.

Given Screenr’s integration with Twitter, it’s no surprise that the team behind the web application is quick to help anyone who tweets about a problem with it. I learned this through experience when I had a bit of trouble getting Screenr to work with my system. The issue turned out to be on my end, but Screenr’s staff was quick to respond. The site also offers a brief help page, as well as support through GetSatisfaction.

Screenr seems to be an ideal fit if you just need to create a quick video and get it online — perhaps quickly showing a team member how to do something online or provide a little customer service that your Twitter followers can view immediately. But Screenr may not fit the bill if you’re looking for something a little more robust. Screenr limits videos to five minutes and there’s no way to edit your videos. I don’t think that the typical Screenr user will have a problem with that, but it will limit who winds up using Screenr on a regular basis. The logistics of depending on Twitter could also create some difficulties, given Twitter’s ongoing stability issues.

Overall, Screenr is a fast tool: its biggest benefit is that you can get a screencast recorded and distributed in less than 10 minutes. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all recording tool, but it doesn’t need to be.

What screencasting tool do you use?

Redliner: Collaborative Editing Made Easy

Simon Mackie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:54 +0000

If you need to collaborate on a document with someone, you can simply email a Word document back and forth, but that can get messy as it’s hard to keep track of the various versions of the document moving around. Or you could use an online document collaboration tool, like Google Docs, Show Document or doingText. Unfortunately, none of the available online tools tend to have a complete feature set. For example, Show Document can’t be used for collaborative editing, and Google Docs doesn’t have a sophisticated commenting system.

Enter Redliner, a new collaborative live document editing tool that marries an online word processor with a commenting and revision tracking system. It is based on Microsoft Silverlight, and even though it’s only in technical preview, the app is quite impressive. The best way to demo it is to see it in action in a screencast:

WWD Screencast: Redliner from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

Redliner is powerful, has smart workflow management features, and looks great. For those used to working with Word, its change tracking and commenting system should feel very familiar, which should make it easy to adopt for even the most non-technical of users. I wonder how it will stack up against the live collaboration tools that will likely be built into the next version of Word, but right now, Redliner is definitely worth checking out (a live demo is available) if you often collaborate on documents with your team.

Redliner is currently free during the technical preview period. When the full version is released later this year, paid monthly accounts will become available.

What tools do you use for collaborative editing?

Build a Twitter-Monitoring Dashboard Using TweetGrid

Simon Mackie — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:00:27 +0000

There’s a huge amount of interesting conversation happening all the time on Twitter, about your company, your project, and countless other things in which you’re interested. But keeping track of all those conversations is hard. That’s where free web app TweetGrid comes in. It enables you to easily build a monitoring dashboard to track topics by arranging real-time Twitter searches in a customizable grid layout.

While some Twitter desktop clients, like Tweetdeck, have this kind of functionality, Tweetgrid is interesting because it’s a web app; you don’t need to download anything or even need a Twitter login to use it. You can search for terms, hashtags and conversations and you can save your dashboard just by bookmarking the page.

Here’s a quick screencast showing what it can do:

WWD Screencast: TweetGrid from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

What do you use for monitoring Twitter buzz?

(via DownloadSquad)

MilestonePlanner, an Online Planning Board

Simon Mackie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:00:00 +0000

We’ve covered lots of great project management apps here on WebWorkerDaily, from collaborative tools like 5pm to estimating and planning tools like Gantter. However, these tools are quite complex if all you need is a simple chart showing who does what, when.

Enter Flash-based timeline planning app, MilestonePlanner. It’s a bit like an online equivalent of the magnetic planning boards you see in some offices, and it’s nice drag-and-drop interface makes it really easy to use. It will handle multiple projects, and you can export your plans to send them to colleagues or use them in presentations or other documents.

Here’s a screencast showing MilestonePlanner in action:

WWD Screencast: MilestonePlanner from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

What’s your favorite planning tool?

Meeting Scheduling’s a Breeze Using MeetingMade

Simon Mackie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:34:43 +0000

Scheduling a meeting can be a trying business with all the back and forth over email trying to find a time and date that suits everyone. Fortunately, there are a few scheduling web apps available that can help to streamline the process. What makes MeetingMade stand out from the options we’ve previously covered here on WebWorkerDaily (like WhenIsGood and TimeBridge) is that it has a nice, easy to use interface for participants to select the times that they are available and does a very good job of working out the best time for your meeting to occur.

Here’s a screencast showing MeetingMade being used to set up a meeting:

WWD Screencast: MeetingMade from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

The interface is very easy to use, which is important in a tool like this as there’s no point in sending out a meeting request using a scheduling tool only to get an email back when the recipient can’t figure out how to use it. Only the meeting organizer neds to have a MeetingMade account.

MeetingMade also distinguishes itself from the crowd of meeting scheduling apps by being able to handle partial availability and timezones. MeetingMade uses the iCalendar email standard so meeting requests from the app will work with most calendaring apps like Microsft Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple iCal.

MeetingMade is free to use while it’s in beta (it will move to paid subscription at some point in the future), and is worth checking out if you’re looking for a meeting scheduler.

What meeting scheduling tool do you use?

ScreenToaster: Simple, Free, No-Download Screencasting

Simon Mackie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:00:45 +0000

If you need to create a screencast, perhaps to demonstrate an app, there are many tools out there that can help you get the job done. We’ve covered Jing and CamStudio previously here on WebWorkerDaily. If you want a really simple free solution that you can use from any browser, though, you might like to check out ScreenToaster — especially in the light of some great new features that have been announced today.

ScreenToaster is an eay-to-use application that runs as a Java applet; it works in pretty much any browser on any operating system. It can record audio from a microphone and video from a webcam, as well simultaneously recording the action on the screen. The results are high quality and you can add subtitles after you’ve finished recording. Here’s a quick screencast of ScreenToaster in action (made using ScreenToaster, naturally!)

WWD Screencast: ScreenToaster from WebWorkerDaily on Vimeo.

ScreenToaster announced some nice new features officially today, although I believe they may have actually been available for a little while. You can now choose to upload your screencast to YouTube in HD, or download your video in .mov format. This greatly increases your flexibility: it means that you’re not stuck with hosting your screencasts at the ScreenToaster site, and you can also edit your screencast videos. Choosing one of these options has a few drawbacks though: you’re left with a ScreenToaster logo on your videos, and you lose your subtitles and webcam footage (as you can see in my video). The other new feature is a beta test of the Recorder API, which might be interesting if you’re a web developer looking to add screencasting into your app.

What do you use for recording screencasts?

Flowgram Could Beat Traditional Screencasts

Aliza Sherman — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:00:30 +0000

I demo about 5-6 new tech products every week, often with a little handholding from the company behind the technology because my brain absorbs information much better when somebody tells me about it rather than when I read something or try to figure it out myself. The other day, I was on the phone with the CEO of a new startup, Flowgram, and he directed me to a link with an explanation of Flowgram created as a Flowgram. My reaction? Absolutely Brilliant!

Every once in a while, I come across a Web 2.0/social media tool that not just speaks to me but sings to me. Right away, I get it and really, really want to use it. Flowgram is like a screencast, only better. A screencast uses software on your desktop to capture your visuals and your audio, and you end up with a self-contained file that is…well, contained and not interactive.

Flowgram, however, provides the functionality of screencast software entirely online so any web site you show in your Flowgram is totally live. That means that as a person views your flowgram, they can click on a link and explore a site. So if you made a Flowgram as a tour of your online store, a person could click on an item you show in your Flowgram and immediately purchase the item from your site.

A person can also pause, rewind and skip through a Flowgram so they view at their own pace and in their own way. You can even build stops into your flowgram with instructions for a person to click the Play button again when they are ready to proceed. Even though you are not really there guiding people through your Flowgram, you can produce it to make it feel like you are.

Sharing a Flowgram is a cinch. You can copy and paste a link to your completed Flowgram or lift the widget code and embed it into your blog or site. You can even save it as a YouTube video!

The Elements of a Flowgram

You aren’t just limited to live web pages for your Flowgram. You can also use:

PowerPoint slides and other documents
Photographs
RSS and Atom Feeds
Custom Pages – pages you create using the Flowgram WYSIWYG program

Flowgram provides you a number of editing tools including

Highlighting pen – handy for highlighting text on the page you are showing.
Flowgram notes – to add a digital “sticky” note to a page with additional information or instructions.
Timeline – to view your Flowgram timeline like a video or audio timeline.
Add Media – to add background music.

Web Worker Uses of Flowgrams

Right away, I can see using a flowgram for

Explaining something about the Internet to my clients;
Showcasing work I’ve done for clients and talking through a case study;
Developing a portfolio of my work and giving some commentary on pieces;
Showing off the Second Life products I’ve produced and link people to my CafePress store;
Offering lessons on my web site or blog explaining Internet and social media concepts.

These ideas barely scratch the surface of ways I can use Flowgrams.

Using Flowgram

So I had all these great ideas and attempted my very first Flowgram. It’s a little rough (to put it mildly) as I get used to the tools. I think I need to watch another Flowgram that gives more detailed instructions about the mechanics behind creating a Flowgram.

The tools weren’t as easy to use or intuitive as I had hoped. In fact, if I didn’t already have a bit of audio and video editing experience, I would have been totally lost. But even with my editing abilities, my Flowgram is still rough, especially the transitions and mixed audio quality. The audio is being pulled from my built in microphone but I find the audio quality on Flowgram to be almost as bad as Viddler’s record function. I don’t seem to have the same problem with a site like Seesmic so not sure what is causing the bad audio.

And I can’t figure out how to get the page scrolling I do when I record the Flowgram to show up in my finished Flowgram unless I highlight text somewhere on the page (maybe that’s the secret). I’m sure as I use it more – and seek out more instructions – I’ll be able to produced much more polished Flowgrams.

Despite the momentary frustrations and the learning curve, I’m excited about this product and how it will help me with my work.