Outbrain

Why use Outbrain Amplify?

Our unique placement allows us to find the right audience for your content while they are actively looking for something new and interesting to discover.

Grow traffic to your article and blog, mobile-optimized or video content and reach an engaged audience through a flexible, pay-per-click model. You control what you want to pay, and better yet, it’s as simple as sending us a URL.

What Kind of Content Can I Promote?

• Your own editorial articles or blog posts
• Videos
• Earned media and positive reviews
• Slideshows
• Mobile-optimized content

Only quality content need apply. Check out our Content Guidelines to see if your content makes the cut.

Who Uses Outbrain?

How Does Pricing Work?

Simply select a daily budget (minimum $10) and cost-per-click. You pay only for traffic you receive at the cost-per-click (CPC) you set, until you have reached your daily budget.

For example, with a $10 daily budget and a 15¢ CPC, you're willing to pay 15¢ for every click up until you spend $10. So this will get you 66 clicks to your content if you reach your maximum. The more clicks you get, the more you'll be recommended!

More Questions? See our full Amplify FAQ for more information.

5 Must-Have Tools for a Killer Presentation

A presentation is one of the best ways to convey ideas, especially for visual learners and thinkers. While many of us grew up creating class presentations with Microsoft heavyweight PowerPoint, sometimes you want to illustrate your ideas with a little more flair.

Below, we present to you five sweet digital alternatives to PowerPoint for when you need more than just static words on a screen. From cloud-based apps to websites that reinvent the slideshow, you'll find something to wow everyone from small classrooms to packed auditoriums.

SEE ALSO: 7 Ways Teachers Use Social Media in the Classroom

Are there any additional presentation tools that you'd recommend? Let us know in the comments.

1. Keynote

Image: Keynote

Popular presentation tool Keynote is one beautiful app, and it almost makes creating a slideshow enjoyable.

Keynote works through iCloud, so you'll stay up-to-date across the board. Available on whichever Apple product is your weapon of choice — iPad, iPhone or iPod — you can touch and tap your way through creating and delivering presentations, complete with new slide transitions and animated or 3D charts.

Use the full-screen view to present from your device, or use video mirroring to present on an HDTV. You get to preview your slides and notes — as well as a clock and timer — so you stay on track, but the audience is privy only to the main display. This is great for pacing yourself if you know you need to speak within a certain amount of time.

Keynote also allows you to record audio voiceover and set slide timing if you can’t be there in person. And if you like to roam about the room while you present, add the Keynote Remote for $0.99 to your iPhone or iPod Touch. It turns your device into a wireless controller from which you can also view your presentation.

Keynote is available for $9.99 on iOS.

2. Prezi

Why do we use presentations to explain our ideas in the first place? Visualization is arguably the most crucial aspect of learning.

Part PowerPoint and part whiteboard, non-linear Prezi is a next-generation presentation tool that incorporates the concept of visual mind-mapping and a zoomable user interface (ZUI).

Prezi’s customizable in-and-out zooming lets you literally hone in on certain ideas, so you can better demonstrate your thought process. This makes it easier for the audience to grasp what you're trying to convey. If you're feeling ambitious, you can can fully customize a presentation from scratch; otherwise, you can choose from templates.

Prezi is also cloud-based, so you can access your presentation, complete with videos, images, drawings, texts and PDF files that you can rotate, size and otherwise edit — from anywhere. Even download it for offline viewing.

It's clear that people use the tool. Since the company launched in 2009, Prezi has accumulated more than 26 million registered users, some of whom have contributed to the more than 500 million viewed Prezis.

There's a bit of a learning curve, but you can always build off of Prezi's pre-set designs. Watch this video tutorial for a more in-depth explanation.

You can build your first few Prezis for free. Beyond that, users looking for more storage space and a more professional finish can check out Prezi's two-tier pricing. "Enjoy" is $59 annually; "Pro" is $159 annually.

3. Google Presentations

Ubiquitous Google Drive needs no introduction. Cloud-based Google Presentations is essentially an easier-to-use version of PowerPoint — so if you’ve grown accustomed to Microsoft’s platform, you won’t have a difficult time transitioning.

Like Google Docs, Google Presentations are the easiest, most efficient way to collaborate in real-time on a project with other minds, no matter how far away — no excuses. Note, however, that because of very basic templates, the presentations may be lacking in aesthetics.

4. Haiku Deck

In our March interview with co-founderAdam Tratt, we call Haiku Deck the "Instagram for pitch decks." It's a presentation tool that harps on brilliant design. It believes that delivering ideas should be simple, beautiful and fun.

With that in mind, there are all the features you’ve come to expect from a presentation tool — such as creating in-house graphs — plus a few more. There are tons of themes, access to millions of photos from Creative Commons and Getty Images, and it’s also easy to import and edit images from your Facebook, Dropbox and more.

If you need some help with public speaking, private notes conveniently turn your iPad into a personal teleprompter.

Haiku Deck is available for free on iOS.

5. Projeqt

Have you ever wanted to include something great you found on the web in your presentation, but it looked sloppy in PowerPoint?

Non-linear presentation platform Projeqt, aside from combining responsive design and an intuitive user interface with a real-time twist, provides an easy way to pull material from multiple sources and insert it straight into your presentation. From LinkedIn and Facebook to YouTube and Spotify, the possibilities are endless. Even pull live tweets or blog feeds.

The social, multimedia future of presentations, Projeqts are embeddable anywhere, and you can share your ideas wherever you have Internet.

Sign-up is free.

Image: Flickr, adamtr

Create Loyal Customers and Raving Fans With Just Your Website | The Daily Egg

Create Loyal Customers and Raving Fans With Just Your Website | The Daily Egg

How do you turn casual browsers into loyal customers who rave about you to their social circles? You might be surprised to hear it starts with your first encounter.

Assuming that first encounter is your website, you need web pages thatcapture your visitor’s attention, build relationships, and generate the “know-like-trust” factor that everyone’s talking about.

Luckily, it just takes a few tweaks to your existing website copy to make first-time visitors trip all over themselves to work with you. Today, I want to share 5 tips for doing just that.

Plan What You’ll Say – and How You’ll Say It

Before you start writing the content on your website, it’s important to understand the basics of customer relationship marketing. Most importantly, people do not like to be sold. They do, however, like to shop.

By focusing on relationships (instead of sales alone), you can make fast connections with casual browsers so they’ll become loyal customers and raving fans.

To learn how to do this we’ll look at some tips from LKR Social Media’s Laura Roeder, who does a great job with customer relationship marketing and the concept of being yourself.

1. Care about your visitors and their needs.

Before you write a word, remember your website visitors don’t care about you specifically. They want to know if you can solve their problems or not. They care about “what’s in it for them” or what you can do for them and the value you’ll give them.

So, yes, share some personal information with your visitors. But, also show your potentially loyal customers how that information helps them.

For example, if you sell an e-book about happy and healthy marriages, don’t simply say you’ve been married for 40 years. Instead, talk about how your marriage experience is valuable to your customers. Maybe talk about some lows and how you overcame them. Get personal, but show them why it matters to them.

Here’s a great example from Laura:

She mentions they’re a small business, too — and explains why that’s good for the customer. Because LKR Social Media “gets it” they’re not going to suggest time intensive strategies that don’t work just to get your money.

They’re going to treat you like they’d want to be treated.

What a powerful way to share your message!

How can you do it?

Let’s say you are a dentist. Mentioning you have three children might be interesting. But, try adding something like, “I treat your kids’ teeth just like they’re my kids’ teeth.” You’ll connect on a deeper level with parents and turn them into loyal customers.

2. Be yourself.

No matter what your business is, you’re selling something to another human. By connecting with those people, you’ll become more than another product or service supplier.

Plus, you’ll get more repeat business and referrals because, when someone likes you, they want to tell their friends about you.

One of the easiest ways to connect with people who visit your website is to be yourself. Your personality is a built-in unique selling proposition that can quickly separate you from the competition.

Here’s a great example of this from Laura:

The examples in this blog post do a couple great things. First, they get the concept across quickly. But second (and most importantly), they build a relationship with the reader while teaching.

People love a “behind-the-scenes” look at what really goes on in a business. Sharing images like this will create a bond with your loyal customers and make them feel like they know you.

While many websites use stock images in blog posts, Laura goes above and beyond – and strengthens her relationship with readers – by including real pictures of herself and her team. This shows there are real people behind the company, not robots without feelings.

How can you do it?

Implement this principle of customer relationship marketing on your own blog by including snapshots of you and your team working, brainstorming the next big project, or even having lunch.

Just remember, don’t go so far you seem unprofessional.

3. Don’t be the mysterious “we.”

A lot of websites talk about “we.”

“We want to help you.”

“We care about you.”

“We won’t stop until you’re satisfied.”

But who is this “we” they keep mentioning?

If you’re a freelancer trying to appear like a big company, don’t use “we.” You’ll only sound fake. If it’s just you, say so.

If you have a small team, introduce them. If you have a big team, introduce the key players and the people who assist the customers.

Tip: Get everyone at your company on board with your customer relationship marketing plan so the final result is genuine.

LKR Social Media masters this by introducing their entire team – as a group and individually. They don’t try to hide the fact that they work from home. In fact, they accentuate it.

Their transparency builds trust.

Notice the fun facts included in the bios – such as favorite blog, favorite tech tool, and hidden talent. I feel an instant connection with Laura because I recognize and enjoy the blog and tech tool she mentions.

How can you do it?

Follow Laura’s example and create an “About” page. Give your potential customers an inside glimpse of your business. Also, include pictures and personal facts like Laura’s team did.

For example, if you’re a veterinarian, you might have each of your team members share their favorite animal, how many pets they have, or their favorite thing about working with animals.

And, because you should always include a picture with the bios, you might consider having your staff take the “About” page photos with their furry friends. Nothing says your pet is in good hands like a vet tech cuddling his or her own pet.

4. Keep it simple.

The easier your copy is to read, the more often it will be read. Period.

Before you start writing, brainstorm the words you use in your industry. Then, explain those words as simply as possible. Write like you’re speaking to a friend and use words that everyone will understand. Remember, you’re speaking to both loyal customers and first-time visitors.

Laura does this perfectly. Every page on her site is down-to-earth, easy and entertaining to read, and written so even beginners will understand it. After spending just a few minutes on her website, I feel like I’d recognize her voice anywhere.

Here’s just one example:

Laura’s target market isn’t social media experts. Instead, it’s business owners who are just getting started with social media.

They may not know all the social media terms and it’s okay because all of Laura’s sales copy is easy to understand. Instead of talking about her experience, she proves she knows what she’s doing by easily explaining social media to her potential customers.

Laura makes it crystal clear why business owners need social media and how it can improve their business. She’s clearly the perfect person to explain it to them in a way they’ll understand.

How can you do it?

Pretend you’re explaining your business to an eighth grader and write what you’d say. Try recording and transcribing your conversation to make it as close to the way you speak as possible.

Remember, confused people buy nothing. Clearly explain how you can help them to increase your chances of making a sale.

5. It’s all about your loyal customers.

Your customers care about you for one reason: They want to know how you can help them. To grab their attention, answer “What’s in it for me?” quickly.

Here’s a great example from Laura:

Notice all the things she’s doing right?

First, this copy gets directly to the point. It quickly explains how Laura will help them.

Second, there’s one big idea: “get more clients from social media.”

Third, it’s full of relationship-building copy — written just like people talk. (Notice in particular the extra o’s in “loooove” and the use of “it’s cool.”)

Laura clearly understands her target market. She speaks directly to them. They don’t want to play around on social media. They want results! And, results are what Laura promises.

How can you do it?

Go through your copy and read it out loud. Are there any phrases you stumble over? Or words you wouldn’t say in casual conversation? If so, remove them.

Then, go back and add a bit of personality. This may take some work to determine what phrases you use in casual conversations. Spend some time evaluating the words and terms that make you unique. Then, weave them into your copy.

Look at how Laura weaves her personality into this copy:

She says, “small businesses like yours.” Most companies stop there. But, not Laura. She goes on to explain exactly what she means, further demonstrating she truly understands her ideal customer and their needs.

Customer Relationship Marketing is a Long-Term Strategy

Okay, so I promised five tips. But I want to share a bonus tip.

Once you’ve achieved a conversational style on your website, you’ve come a long way, but… you’re not finished.

Continue to get to know your customers. Encourage them to talk to you and share your content. Blog regularly and be accessible (through email, phone, social media… or all three).

Here’s one last example from LKR Social Media:

Can you spot what she’s doing right? There are several things:

• The image is a picture of Laura working. This is one more opportunity for readers to feel like they know her.
• The headline uses the word “you” so it sounds like she’s speaking directly to the reader.
• The first few lines of copy position her as a friend – “I’m just like most of my customers.”

Start using these tips in your copy. Then, watch loyal customers and raving fans fall in love with you and your business.

Content - 13 'Secrets' to Engaging Your Blog Site Visitors : MarketingProfs Article

Content - 13 'Secrets' to Engaging Your Blog Site Visitors : MarketingProfs Article

Have you ever come across a blog, read (or skimmed) a couple of entries, and then surfed away for good? That's exactly what you don't want your blog visitors to do. You want return visitors who are engaged by your content, because they are the folks most likely to convert to customers.

The following "secrets" will help you turn casual visitors into loyal fans.

1. Keep your content fresh and simple

Constantly publishing new content makes for a happy reader and a happy search engine. You don't need to post every day (although some bloggers do), but you should add something new to your blog at least once or twice a week.

Also remember that you're blogging, not writing a novel. When online readers see long sentences and paragraphs, they quickly tune out and move on to something easier to digest.

Here are some tips to follow:

• Break up your points into short and to-the-point sections.
• Sections should be no more than three or four short paragraphs.
• Use bullet points and number lists as often as possible.

2. Fit in, but stand out

It's all well and good if your interests are in botany and your posts typically center on the rare indigenous species of the Island of Samoa. Just don't expect to draw a large crowd by writing about a subject only a few are interested in.

To gain a large follower base, choose popular topics, such as entertainment, news, finance, and fashion. State more than just the facts. Add your own opinions or discuss how current events might affect the lives and businesses of your readers.

For example, if you're an SEO company, don't just describe Google Penguin. Give your readers tips for weathering the new algorithm.

3. Invite comments—and monitor them

Engage readers in your blog by encouraging them to leave comments. One way of doing that is to end each blog post with a question. For example, if you're writing a post about Google Penguin, you might end it by asking, "How has Google Penguin affected your page rankings?" or "Have you changed your website to accommodate Google Penguin?"

Make sure you then answer those comments. Doing so will show your readers that you care about them and what they have to say.

Also pay attention to make sure that no one is leaving spammy comments. Most blogs require comments to be filtered or approved; if yours doesn't, make sure you're checking regularly for spam, or your blog will look neglected.

4. Feature guest bloggers

Guest bloggers can boost your blog's popularity by bringing in a new batch of readers—fans of the guest blogger. Reach out to other bloggers who cover topics similar to yours, or locate someone who has just published a book on the subject you're covering, and ask whether they would be willing to write a guest post for your blog. It's great publicity for everyone.

5. Offer contests and giveaways

Send a free e-book to every visitor who signs up to receive your newsletter, or hold a simple contest for prizes. For example, you might send the person who tells the best story in your "comments" section an Amazon gift card.

6. Select ads carefully

There's nothing wrong with monetizing your blog by placing a few well-selected ads where visitors are most likely to see them, but make sure they don't take over your content.

You should also vet your ads carefully so that you don't end up flashing X-rated sites or even sites that have nothing to do with your blog.

7. Keep your design clean

You can probably make your blog play music, flash pop-up ads, and turn the background color neon green... but don't. Too much razzle-dazzle can put readers off. Opt for an easy-to-navigate design with no surprising noises or pop-ups. Your readers will thank you. Better still, they'll come back for more.

8. Stick to a single topic

Your topic can, and often should, be broad, but every post should somehow relate back to an overarching theme. If you're writing about cars, you can write reviews of new cars or talk about problems you're having with your family car. What you don't want to do is compose a post that has absolutely nothing to do with cars. People didn't come to a car blog to read about your experience at your family reunion.

9. Solve your visitor's problems

Visitors usually come to a blog for a reason, whether they're looking for celebrity gossip, "how to" information about choosing a new puppy, or ideas for better parenting. Most blogs offer the ability to set up a poll so that you can ask readers why they are visiting your blog and which types of articles they find most helpful.

10. Sprinkle in some eye-candy

Whoever said that a picture was worth a thousand words had the right idea, especially online. You can use your blog to post pictures of products you are selling, infographics made by your company, and videos that support the substance of your piece and might catch the reader's eye.

11. Use eye-catching headlines

The title of your post is the most important factor in the reader's decision to click on your link; yet, somehow, countless inexperienced bloggers treat the title as an afterthought.

"Instructions for Changing the Oil in Your Car," is boring. "10 Easy Tips for a Do-It-Yourself Oil Change" is a much more interesting title, and it's likely to get more attention from readers.

12. Visit other blogs

You can publicize your blog by visiting other, similar blogs, reading the posts, and leaving appropriate comments. Don't spam and don't overtly invite readers back to your blog. Simply leave a relevant comment with a link to your blog.

13. Change it up

You don't always have to write the same style of article. Use lists, interviews, guest posts, "top 10" pieces, and even videos or podcasts to keep your visitors engaged and coming back to see what on earth you will do next.

Final Thoughts

Great writing and interesting content will put you in the position to grow your audience and increase your standing as a blogger on the Web. Whether you are posting about breaking news from the Middle East or providing insight into how to best organize computer tables,  take the time to do the little things that make a post stand out.

Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/10790/13-secrets-to-engaging-your-blog-site-visitors#ixzz2Vfg1NNng

Customer Engagement Tactics That Go Beyond Tweets & Shares | The Daily Egg

Customer Engagement Tactics That Go Beyond Tweets & Shares | The Daily Egg

Looking for a quick solution to customer engagement?

Maybe you’ve bought into content marketing and social media for just that reason. But it’s important to realize that simply posting articles and tweets isn’t enough.

Content marketing needs more than great writing to yield results.  As much as you focus on blogging, producing videos, and publishing e-books, you  need to strengthen the path from pageviews to sales.

This path can span a period of days, weeks, or even months. That’s why you need a well-developed retention strategy to keep your prospects engaged.

Here’s where social media enters your marketing mix.

To move users through your conversion funnel, you need to do more than tweet and share. You need to inspire action through contests, questions, custom apps, and multimedia.

The mobile and social app experts and ShortStack recently published an analysis of how these tactics measure up to one another. Check it out:

Source: ShortStack

Now let’s look at these strategies (and more) in conversion-optimizing action.

1. Make Engagement Personal (ModCloth)

If you’re a marketer, you need to think beyond the world of your computer screen. The world is more than just apps, status updates, and digital multimedia. That’s why ModCloth, an online storefront, is venturing out in the community by hosting a pop-up shop in the world’s fashion epicenter, New York City.

Is there anything more social than a live event?

When you host an event in person, your reach is likely smaller, but your ROI potential may have higher depth. You do the math. If 30 of 60 attendees make three $150 purchases next year, that’s approximately $13,500 in sales. Not bad, right?

2.  Bring Out Your Team (Credit Karma & Onboardly)

Your customers are people, and there are people behind your brand. Connect the dots!

Engagement is something that happens on a highly personal level. You can host all the contests and post all the status updates in the world — but nothing will ever replace that human-to-human bond.

Looking for an invaluable way to drive conversions for your organization? Make your team highly visible, and don’t forget to smile.

Example #1 is Credit Karma, an online platform with free credit monitoring tools. Typically, engineering is something that happens behind the scenes.

In bringing their star developer, Alex, to the public eye, Credit Karma emphasizes the humanity and hard work that goes into building this product — by people and for people. Trust is crucial.

Example #2 is Onboardly  — a startup marketing and PR agency. Their success depends on several core personality traits: energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and a strong team workflow. Through social media, the team conveys all of the above.

The people behind your brand are your company’s most powerful conversion tool. The key to sales? Relationship building.

3. Engage the Senses (Oreo)

The more senses you can engage in your customers, the more you can engage them. Multimedia is a great way to do this — but you need to do more than just post pictures and text.

Think outside the box. People love music, video, delicious tastes, yummy smells, etc. Here’s how everyone’s favorite cookie aims to engage the senses with a music download:

What’s better than a freebie from Oreo?  A freebie music download from Owl City. While Oreo is a brand well-known for food, it isn’t a company that’s famous for its rockstar jams. Here’s where strategic partnerships come in.

In the social media world, you’re never alone, so don’t be afraid to partner with the community.

Self-service Social Marketing | Offerpop

Self-service Social Marketing | Offerpop

Self-Service
Social Marketing

Launch campaigns on Facebook & Twitter in minutes with the easiest-to-use social marketing platform ever built.

Engage your fans anywhere, anytime

Build your campaigns once and reach fans on any desktop or mobile device, across all major social networks,
and even your website. From photo contests to refer-a-friend programs,
we take the guesswork out of social.

How To Monitor Your Brand Without Losing Your Head

How To Monitor Your Brand Without Losing Your Head

Even as social media is a ever-growing force in our pop culture landscape, many businesses are still hesitant to tap into its full potential. You probably already know how important it is to build, protect and monitor your brand. However, you may be surprised that social media can help you keep an eye on what people are saying about your brand, and stay sane, too.

Be Efficient

Although there are plenty of fee-based services that give insight into what’s being said about your brand, you can make good progress by using free tools. To succeed, strive to work smarter, not harder.

Google Blogs is an excellent starting point. Instead of sifting through thousands of blog pages and trying to spot a mention of your brand, use the filters offered by Google Blogs. There, you can set parameters so you’ll get an e-mail alert whenever a blogger mentions a brand, or any other specified words.

Sort Through Social Media

Although Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn have emerged as social media frontrunners over the past year, more destinations are popping up rapidly. If you’re not careful, you could easily spend hours each day just checking into the major social media websites to see if someone’s discussing your brand.

There is an easier way, and it’s called Social Mention. Like the tools offered by Google, this website allows you to search for certain terms, such as a brand name, or phrases associated with your products. However, it also allows you to hone in on the major social media websites that have become so engrained in our daily lives, plus other popular websites such as YouTube and Yahoo News. Select to search all websites at once, or narrow down to a select few.

Learn What’s Being Shared

Although content is important, you also need an understanding of who is sharing your content, and where. Google Analytics gives a visual breakdown of how people are consuming whatever you broadcast on the Web. This information is crucial in helping you choose topics for a business blog.

If you’re involved in selling Mustang accessories, for example, you might want to experiment with posts that are strictly meant to inform, versus those that encourage participation from readers. There’s value in telling customers how to get great deals on Mustang gear, but it might be fun to encourage them to discuss the size of their own collections.

By measuring the number of “Likes” that your posts get on Facebook, or looking at the number of times that readers share content with their friends, you can learn which topics are considered most interesting.

Brand monitoring is essential to the prosperity of any business. When you understand someone’s perspective, you can have a clear picture of your brand’s strengths and weaknesses, and are better able to keep business strong through unstable economic conditions. Get started today and discover that these principles aren’t complicated, but they can be effective tools for gauging how you’re performing in a competitive marketplace

The Best Google Features You're Probably Not Using

The Best Google Features You’re Probably Not Using

 Thorin Klosowski

Google is a vast machine with all types of apps, programs, and tools. A lot of these—like Gmail and Google Docs—are clearly useful and beloved by many. But hidden inside Google's network are some awesome, lesser-known gems that can make your life easier.

Over the last couple of years Google has experimented with a lot of products. Hidden beneath popular apps like Gmail, Google Search, and Chrome are a lot of cool features that most people don't mess around with. Here are some of our favorite unsung Google features, from Google Drive apps to Google+ to everything in between.

Use Google Drive Apps for Added Functionality and Features

For most of us, Google Drive is just a fancy rebranding of Google Docs. However, the recent integration of web based apps into Google Drive is starting to get interesting. These apps utilize your Google Drive folder directly either by storing new files there, or integrating with the files you already have. Here are a few of the Drive apps we find useful.

Send and Receive Faxes for Free with Hellofax

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HelloFax isn't the only service to send faxes online, but its tight integration with Google Drive makes it incredibly easy to use.

With HelloFax installed, every fax you send with the service is linked directly into Drive. Need to fax some forms? Send them from Drive. Waiting on a fax? HelloFax will stuff it right into your Drive folder so you can access it from anywhere. Most of us only need a fax machine on rare occasions and HelloFax is a handy alternative to a big clunky machine.

Sign Any Document Easily with DocuSign

Just like sending faxes, another thing you probably don't do often is sign and return documents.DocuSign is a Drive app that does just that. You can share documents that need signatures, or add your own directly from your Google Drive. You only get 15 free signatures with the service, but honestly, how often do you need physically sign something?

Edit Photos Right in Your Browser with Pixlr Editor and Aviary

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Both Pixlr Editor and Aviary are simple, but useful photo editing tools for Google Drive that work right in your browser.

If you're looking for a photo editing app similar in function to Photoshop, Pixlr Editor feature set makes it a pretty good choice. Pixlr Editor doesn't have the abundance of tools as Photoshop, but as a free cloud photo editing tool it works great.

If light touch-ups to photos are more your thing, then Aviary is all you need. Upload your photos into your Google Drive and you can make simple edits like color balance, and blemish correction right inside Drive.

Get Details About Your Google Docs Usage with Spanning Stats

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Ever wondered what you actually spend your time doing in Google Docs? Spanning Stats is an app that breaks it down for you in a graph. For most people this means you'll see a breakdown of what's taking up space in your Drive. Advanced users will benefit from graphs that show you the volume of documents created by week, month breakdowns, and more. You also get a nice visualization of the times you typically create new documents.

If you're a fan of the idea of the quantified self, then Spanning Stats is a nice app to keep around in your Google Drive. With Spanning Stats you can see how you're using Drive and hopefully use that information to use your time better.

Google+'s Handy Hidden Features

Google+ hasn't taken off as a social network, but as an open platform for social-type things it works really well.

Use Local to Find and Share Your Favorite Places

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Google+'s local tab doesn't really seem that interesting from the description alone: type in an address and Google+ shows you restaurants with a Zagat score. More interesting is the fact your Google+ peers can also write reviews and they'll show as recommendations. Done right, you can get restaurant recommendations from people you know every time you search for restaurants.

Even without the social features, Google Local is handy for finding a good place to eat quickly. Sure, millions of different restaurant recommendation services exist, but Google Local is integrated into where you probably already start most restaurant searches: Google Search.

Organize Your Parties with Events for Open Access and Invitations

Facebook has an Events system, but the problem with it is that you need a Facebook account to use it. Google's brand new Events is a lot easier to use. Create an event, share it with your Google+ friends, or anyone in your email list, and you're done. They don't have to sign up for Google+ just to see the invite.

After the event is going, people can share photos live as they happen directly on the event page by enabling Party Mode in the Google+ app, take a look at photos afterwards, and download all the pictures with one click. As a way to invite and document an event, Google Events is pretty strong.

Store Your Photos in the Google+ Cloud Automatically

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Even if you're not using Google+ for much of anything, it's a good place to store photos. Again, you already have the account, so you might as well make use of the space it offers. You can enable the Automatic Uploadfeature on your iPhone or Android and every picture you take will automatically be stored in the cloud. As a free, easy-to-use backup service, it's not a bad option.

As far as sharing is concerned, you can set up photos so they're visible by certain people in your Google+ circles, or make them private and share them directly through email. The recipient doesn't even need a Google+ account to look at the gallery. If you prefer a desktop client, all the Google+ photo settings integrate seamlessly with Google's free photo management tool, Picasa.

Run Any Meeting Online with Google Hangouts (and Its Apps)

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Google+ Hangouts is a simple video chat room that allows up to ten people to participate in a conversation together. It simple to use, and we here at Lifehacker use it for our weekly meetings. More interesting is the abundance of specialized apps developed for Hangouts that add all sorts of functions ranging from whiteboards to video poker. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Cacoo: Cacoo is a full suite of nerdy extras for Hangouts. Inside your Hangouts you can create mind maps, collaborate on diagrams, and even work on office layouts. Cacoo probably isn't something most of us will use every day, but it'll certainly come in handy on occasion.
• SlideShare: SlideShare is all about presentations. You can create slideshow presentations with SlideShare and share them with others in a hangout. Simple, easy, and doesn't require a bit of technical knowledge to use.
• ConceptBoard: Want to collaborate on a big project and let everyone just dump ideas into one simple image? ConceptBoard is a giant whiteboard for your hangouts. It might seem a little silly at first, but it works pretty well if you collaborating on something that needs visuals.
• Screen Sharing: Screen sharing is one of the built-in features of Hangouts that makes it great to use when you need to do tech support for friends or family. In a Hangout, simply click "Screenshare" at the top of your screen and you're done. You can't remotely control someon's computer, but you can share exactly what you're doing (and they can do the same with you) to make troubleshooting easy.

Google Drive and Google+ are certainly where Google is concentrating a lot of its momentum right now. Still, a few of its other minor services are just as interesting.

Everything Else: Apps, Products, and Automated Scripts

As we mentioned from the start, Google has a ton of different services, apps, and features. It's hard to really pay attention to them all, let alone care about most of them. Hidden inside their product list are a few smaller apps that have grown on us over time. Let's take a look at some of our favorites.

Google Schemer as a Planning Tool and Project Idea Generator

At its core, Google Schemer is a great way to find new things to do in your city. You can type in your address into Schemer and see what types of things people are doing around you. We've also talked about using to help achieve your goals because you can set public goals that your friends can track.

Essentially, Schemer is a means to not just find something interesting to do, but to share it with locals and friends. Schemer can help you find new things to do if you're popping into a new city for a night, or just want to explore your own town.

Custom Google Maps for Personalized Navigation

Custom maps in Google Maps are very simple to make and what you end up with is a completely personalized map of a city. We walked you through using custom maps with Yelp to create a personalized, shareable restaurant list, but that's just one of the many options.

You can, for instance, keep a running map of your life in general. Toss in your home address, your work, and places you like to go. As you discover new places, add them to the map, share them with family, and create a list of all your favorite places. Your list is integrated right into Google Maps on your computer so you'll always have an idea of where you are in relation to your favorite hangouts.

Activity Reports to Track Your Google Use

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Ever wanted to know what you spend your Gmail time on? Activity Reports breaks it down for you. Activity Reports look at your Google activity and show you what you're looking for the most, how many searches you do, how you use Gmail, and more.

What you do with all this data is up to you, and its usefulness is going to vary depending on how much time you spend on Google. Still, as a look back at how you spend your computer time, Activity Reports are a valuable resource that may help you figure out where you're going wrong (or right) with your computer usage each month.

Google Bookmarks as an Integrated Read-it-Later Service and Browsing History

Before read-it-later services like Pocket and Instapaper, there was Google Bookmarks: a service that allows you to save web pages for later viewing without clogging up your browser's bookmarks bar.

You can sort these bookmarks into labels so they're easy to find, and you can add any page to the list with a simple bookmarklet. Google Bookmarks doesn't have the flash of a service like Instapaper, but as a place to save links for research, or just to read later, it's nice to have around.

Google Apps Scripts to Automate Everything You Do in Google Apps

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Google Apps Scripts are essentially little Automator-style workflows you can create and share that automate tasks between your Google apps. The learning curve for making your own isn't high, but the best part is that you can easily download and utilize other people's scripts directly in your documents (open a new spreadsheet in Google Drive and click Tools > Script Gallery). Recently scripts have been integrated into the Chrome Web Store so using them is going to get that much easier. They come in a wide variety of flavors, but here are a few of our current favorites:

• Gmail Meter: The Gmail Meter script works a lot like the above-mentioned Activity Monitor, but with more data. Each month you get an email with a full list of all your Gmail-related activity. Gmail Meter breaks down your usage in crazy ways, including average word counts, email times, response times, and thread lengths.
• Gmail Attachments to Google Drive: This script sends every attachment sent to your Gmail account directly to your Google Drive. It's simple, but handy if you do a lot of editing in Drive.
• Gmail Snooze: Gmail Snooze does one thing: gives your Gmail Account a snooze button so you can rest and not worry about getting email for a little while.
• Gmail Filter to SMS(This ones in the Scripts Gallery): You can set up this script and you get a notification you through a text message when an email is labeled a certain way. It could come in handy when you want to shut your email down, but need to keep in touch with one person.

In the past, Google Apps Scripts have been geeky endeavors. With the addition of Google Drive support and the ability to upload scripts to the Chrome Web Store, they'll likely get a lot more user-friendly.