Tablet publishing trends revealed

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A new report released from Gartner yesterday revealed some interesting information on the future trends and uses of tablet devices. There was a time in the early days of these devices where many stated that tablets would not replace the computer, however many including Techcrunch believe that ‘The age of the tablet is definitely upon us’.

Techcrunch reported on Gartner’s latest findings in an article yesterday. The key findings were:

- This year, Gartner says there will be sales of 118.9 million tablets, growth of nearly 100 percent on a year ago.

- Whilst the competition in the tablet market is increasing, this space is very much still Apple’s as they hold on to 45% sales. It is worth noting though that Apple’s market share was 83% in 2010, so the competition are catching up.

- Tablet usage figures highlight that 50% of owners replace with 2 years. However, could this be due to early days of the device where significant changes being more frequent require more frequent updates during this phase?

The report certainly highlights that this is no ‘phase’. Today it can be very straightforward for content marketers to convert their content into tablet optimized publications. Reading and consuming media on the go can be enabled in just a few steps to provide readers with a unique reading experience that best suits their device.

Here are some useful resources to get started:

HTML5 Web App or Native App?

Digital editions pre-publish checklist

7 free tools to help with your digital publishing projects

Digital Publications – Part 1 Beginners guide to output formats

Digital Publications – Part 2 Beginners guide to devices

Digital Publications – Part 3 Beginners guide to digital publishing considerations

Also…Don’t forget you can join us for one of our daily webinars. These show you how to get started with 3D Issue, starting with adding your PDFs, adding interactive elements and then publishing to your website. You can even ask questions along the way. Register for a live demo >>

5 ways to generate more leads from your digital edition

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1) Allow new readers to sign up

Is your publication a free publication which can be passed on from current subscribers to their friends or via social networks? Then you should consider how to ensure these referrals have a way of opting in so they receive their own copy. Creating an inviting call to action subscribe button in the design of your pdf is a great way of doing this. This button can then be linked to a landing page on your site which allows new subscribers to sign up. Don’t forget you can also use this landing page to gather other data too about sector, preferences and so on.

2) Link to related publications

One great advantage of digital is that it is much easier to direct readers to older or related editions. Think about which other publications this audience could be interested in and add these as links from the edition they are reading. Don’t let your older content go to waste.

3) Offer a trial, download

Engage readers of your digital edition by providing them with enticing offers, content or promotions. It could be a download of a whitepaper, a free trial of a service or entry to a competition. These offers can be linked to a well optimized landing page on your site to capture information and then provide them with the advertised offer.

4) Banner or in magazine advertising

If you are looking to generate revenue from your publication then it can be very easy to set up advertising in your digital editions. You may look at offering your advertisers banner advertising or ads within the page. Don’t forget with the tracking information available in digital editions you can then provide your advertisers with full performance reports so they can determine the ROI.

5) Let them take it away with them

Digital readers often want to download the edition so they can take it with them on the go. You will need to keep in mind that readers may be accessing content from different devices, so PC, Mac, Laptop, iPhones, iPads and other tablet devices. Therefore ensure that you have your digital edition in different download formats to suit the audience. More information can be seen here about whether to create HTML5 or ePub files. So let your reader read the publication when and where it suits them.

Create an offline edition of your digital content

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3D Issue offers many ways in which your content can be presented from epub or mobi to digital magazine.

There is one format which is asked about time and time again so in this blog post we will take a brief look at the reader option – Download.

What is the download option? In a nutshell the reader download button allows the reader to download a copy of the publication to their desktop.

How do you offer a version of the publication so my reader has the option of downloading?

- Select Download on the Design Tab under the Menu Option;

- In the Output tab ensure that you have checked the off-line version box;

- Select whether your readers should have the option of Digital edition, basic PDF or both

- If the PDF is selected then you’ll need to navigate to your file when prompted

- Note that the PDF you select need not be the same as the one imported originally

- If you have not selected the Download option from step 2 you’ll be alerted to this and offered the opportunity to switch it on – there is no point otherwise!

Can I email the downloaded file? Due to the nature of the publication once downloaded, it takes the form of an .exe file or an executable file; they can therefore be sometimes unfairly recognized by security software as potential viruses so they cannot be e-mailed. (Best send the original link via email so they can download their own)

Are they for eReader devices? These files are from the digital magazine mode of the software so they are not for the eReader devices out there; they are purely desktop bound and allow for colourful page flip publications as opposed to the epub and mobi files.

How can I create ePub and Mobi files? Check out this blog post for more information on this.

Is the PDF file based on the file I imported on the Content tab? No you will need to specify the PDF files for the offline version which you will be prompted to do when you select off-line on the output tab.

Does the offline version open in a browser? No the off-line editions are self-contained files which open even where a web browser is not installed making them particularly suitable for auto-start.

Look out for a future blog post on our off-line version and how to add this to USB or CD.

Image is from the nice folks here.

Is your digital edition a success?

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“How will I know if my digital publication is a success?” This was a question posed to me by a new user of our digital magazine software yesterday. It’s vital that any marketer or publisher creating digital (or printed for that matter) publications can track the success and performance, not only can this information then be used to determined ROI for marketing campaigns but also it can identify any hidden warning signs.

So is your digital publication a success? and first how do you know if it is or is not?

1) Know what success looks like

It is important to identify and set targets, without having a target you can’t begin to identify how successful a publication or campaign was. Success may look different to different publications; for example if the end goal is to attract new subscribers then success would be measured by the number of new readers. If however it is a promotion that includes a ‘share to win’ type promo then the total number of readers may be a more accurate measure. So identify what success looks like for you and set targets.

2) Add the tracking ID

To ensure you are able to track reader numbers, stats and analysis ensure that you add your Google Analytics tracking ID into the 3D Issue software. More information about how to insert the tracking number and what information can then be discovered from reader statistics can be found here.

3) Check for hidden problems

Although there are a stack of statistics that can be extracted from Google Analytics there are a few key figures that can highlight potential problems. For example if you notice that your Bounce Rate is particularly high one month then perhaps consider checking the elements of the front cover (are the key articles highlighted and engaging?). Also check that the speed versus quality of the publication is at a good balance – people don’t like waiting for a publication to load so perhaps you could reduce the quality to enhance the speed or enable the load control if it’s a large publication.

If you have a high proportion of new users then consider using the ‘intro area’ space to include introduction instructions of how to use the digital magazine.

4) Think more than the number of hits

Just because your publication has had a record number of hits may not necessarily mean that the publication was the best yet. Is it quality or quantity of readers you are looking for? Check other stats such as how long the average person spent reading the publication, how many shares and likes were received and how many referrals the publication sent to your advertisers.

3D Issue magazines fully compatible with the New iPad

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The new iPad release a few weeks ago from Apple has been a key talking point for the technology and publishing industries. Publishers have enjoyed the iPad’s power of drawing in online audiences and engaging them with stunning mobile digital editions since the launch of the first iPad back in 2010.

This latest launch from Apple of the ‘new’ iPad however has caught the attention of many online magazine readers as the new retina display and 2048 x 1536 resolution seems to have caused a disruption. Many readers are noticing that magazines just don’t look as good on the new iPad.

So why do some digital magazines look poor quality on the new iPad? A recent article on Mashable! stated that the problem stemmed from the way publishers exported the publication. Most publishers have always created digital editions by exporting the publications as image based PNGs. This was fine with the previous iPads where the resolution was lower, but now with the new iPad many of these Magazine Apps are not looking so sharp. Koch, senior director of product management, Adobe digital publishing explained to Mashable ! ““When the [new] iPad came out, you were now dealing with a device with four times as many pixels.” This results in the text of these iPad Apps created for the iPad 1 and 2 looking ‘fuzzy’

So as many publishers rush to make adjustments to their affected digital magazine Apps, there are some that have no changes to make as their publications still look great on the new iPad. Why is this? Well, whilst Native Apps use the 2048 x 1536 display, HTML5 web apps viewed through the Safari browser will still display the publications as 1024 x 768 (or 768 x 1024 in portrait mode). This means that publications like this iPad magazine sample look great on the iPad 1, 2 and the New iPad.

So don’t panic, if you are a current 3D Issue version 5 customer your publications are iPad optimized. 3D Issue customers running version 4 and older can contact us for information on upgrading to this iPad compatible version by contacting the sales team at sales@3dissue.com

Whilst we’re on the iPad publications subject, here is another related article you may be interested in publishing for iPad free ebook .

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Niche Publication? Why sometimes not using Apple Newsstand can be a good idea

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Apple’s Newsstand was a hotly anticipated and welcome addition in October 2011 for many with the release of iOS5 – here we look at some of the reasons why a Niche publication may be better off outside that particular market place.

The basis for this argument is of course the well known marketing rule of thumb – if you are a Niche product you should use this to your advantage, your market is smaller but interested people will work harder to find you.

Newsstand requires that each application has a subscription model in place and that there is the capability for in-App purchasing – even where your publication is a free one. Readers are required to set up an iTunes account the reader must ‘purchase’ the free editions, this is entirely in Apple’s interest as if your content is free you probably do not want to irritate people with receipts with ‘nil’ on them.

Apple like this process as it builds the list of credit card details for them providing potential for purchases elsewhere in their stores which covers the full marketplace, Newsstand, iTunes, App Store and iBooks.

Newsstand requires an iOS5 based device, this requirement will not be a problem for new users so readers on iPhone 4S or the new iPad are all good – however there is a significant number of users out there who are using iOS4 and will not be upgrading to the latest iOS whether out of feat or near bricking their device or lack of interest. Users on older operating systems will only see an App in the App store. By the end of 2011 80% of iOS users were expected to be on iOS5 (really?…)

Newsstand requires that you must build an App which is Newsstand compatible and that you upload everything via the application which will sit ‘neatly’ inside the Newsstand folder on an iOS device, the publication icons are individually styled and come with badge notification for new content, but what if and there is a possibility here you do not want to compete in this market place?, if you’re a niche publication chances are that your target market will seek you out regardless and access your publication in other ways.

Newsstand is a competitive place to be the publishers on board invest heavily in high cost production the possibility for distraction is much higher so Niche publications may well be best sticking to a sole publication on their site with their own pay wall – remember Apple will take 30%* of the transaction for their services and that sure is a lot of extra sales margin to make up.

*may vary from location to location

Image is from the nice folks here.

8 ‘to-do’ tasks after completing your digital magazine

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After publishing a digital magazine there a few tasks you can get straight onto that will increase the likelihood of a successful campaign. Don’t sit back after launching the publication without performing some simple tasks which can give the publication a kick start in signing up new subscribers and engaging existing readers.

Here’s our quick check list:

1. Inform and distribute to staff

It’s important that your colleagues across the business are aware of the publication and can gain access to it quickly so that they can promote it too. Staff in different areas of the business with customer facing roles could pass on details of the publication to prospects and customers inquiring about areas covered by your publication. You may also find as staff get more involved in learning about the publications you create they can add vital contributions to future editions.

2. Create your landing page

How do new subscribers get access to your publication? It’s important that you have a good performing landing page where you can let new members register for your publication so they can receive future or related releases instantly next time round. It also gives you the chance to gather the all important subscriber data for your intelligence.

3. Create an iPad offline version

Is your digital magazine an online digital publication? If so then you should consider creating a version for offline iPad readers. With 3D Issue you can also create epub formats – eBooks which can then be downloaded to then accessed when the reader needs it in the iBooks app. Here’s some more information about creating offline iPad digital publications

4. Add it to the archive Ensure you add your publications to your digital archive. This means that readers of future and older publications in this series can access this edition too with the click of the mouse (or tap of the finger!) Here’s some more information about adding your digital publication to your archive .

4. Add it to the archive

4. Shorten the url

URL shortening tools are great as they allow you to provide a more usable link when sharing the link via Twitter etc.. One example is bit.ly, it not only gives you a much shorter url to post using fewer characters, but you can customize the link and then track it’s use too.

5. Status and tweet posts

As soon as your publication is ready, ensure you inform your loyal social followers. These followers should feel that they get something extra from following you on Twitter or Facebook, so giving them access to your publication as soon as it is ready is a great way of achieving this.

6. Create teasers

If you have related product or topic sections on your site, then provide a snippet or teaser to the publication in this area to gain interest of your publication. Post an intro to an article or survey findings, then provide a link for them to get access to the full publication download.

7. Broadcast to subscribers

Your email subscribers should receive an email notification that the publication is ready as soon as possible with a link to download the edition.

8. Check the tracking Don’t forget to keep an eye on the performance of your digital publication via the tracking. This tracking can not only alert you to potential problems (fewer than expected views or downloads for instance… does the promotion around the publication need to be increased?) but also to highlight strong performing articles, pages or multimedia elements. Check out this quick video all about analyzing the data from your digital magazines

8. Check the tracking

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10 Digital Magazine Customization Elements

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When you create your digital magazines with 3D Issue, take a moment to integrate your desired looked and feel into both the skin and rich media elements. We’ve created a graphic below outlining some of the key customizable areas, and don’t forget you can change certain elements for each publication (background, banners etc..)

So are you putting your own stamp on these areas:

1. Button Colours

Select any colour of your choice for your menu buttons. You can ensure they stand out against your chosen background image

2. Background image or colour

Upload your own image file (png, jpeg or gif) to be displayed in the background area. This image is best if it is a pattern as the image will be stretched to fill the end readers’ browser. Alternatively choose a plain colour.

3. Intro Area

This is the space to the left of the front cover. You can use this default intro which is the quick start guide. Or you can upload your own image of swf to sit in this place.

4. Top Banner

The Top Banner area allows you to upload your advertisers banner ads which can then link to their site. You may also use this area to upload banners containing notices or feature highlights for your readers.

5. Navigation View

The navigation area can be displayed as thumbnail options (as shown in the image above) or simple navigation next / previous buttons. Choose the option that best suits your publication.

6. Menu items

Change the order or remove any of these menu items from the reader viewer.

7. Buttons / Hotspots

Set your preferred rollover and rollout colours (and the opacity) for the hotspots. Alternatively you can have these clickable areas as buttons, which again you can customize.

8. Page Transition

Select whether the reader should experience a page ‘flip’, ‘slide’ or even ‘presentation’ view (show one page at a time)

9. Page Flip ‘sound’

This feature can be set to on or off.

10. Publication / Company logo

Add in your company or publication logo which will then be automatically inserted into the skin of all future publications.

What does 3D Issue do for my SERPS?

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What is a SERP? I hear you ask! SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page and for anyone out there investigating or thinking of engaging some assistance where it comes to optimizing your site for Search engine results the term ‘SERP’ will become more and more relevant.

Traditionally flash conversion software didn’t work any favours for search engines, Flash is difficult for the search engines to scan as the spiders at work like text – plain old text and not the ‘jazzy’ Flash files which to be fair 3D Issue has created it’s fair share of but fear not…also don’t forget that we do HTML5 publications too for your mobile editions.

Since the initial release of 3D Issue the software has been conscious of the above fact and worked to alleviate the potential loss of search juice which is available when a content curator adds new information to their site. Adding new and original content to your site is the best way to establish and maintain a successful SEO campaign.

3D Issue helps in quite a few ways.

1. By extracting all text in the publication

3D Issue works hard for your publication the software scans every part of your PDFs and if the text can be read (acid test here – if you can highlight in the PDF then your good) it will be extracted and added to a page of HTML code which is then made available in the output folder.

2. Adding Search Engine Optimization information

In 3D Issue version 5.0 and above there is also the opportunity to add the all important Publication title, Keywords and a description to each publication. These may be customized depending on the publication in question so that your marketing collateral doesn’t necessarily end up sharing SEO data with your sales pieces.

3. Use your site map

HTML text is only of use if recognized as part of your website so you will need to connect these pages so they appear as part of your website – then build your site map and submit to Google and Bing (Did you know that in the USA right now Bing accounts for almost 35% of search?)

For information on submitting a site map for Google check out this search result.

For information on submitting a site map for Bing check out this search result.

4. Use 3D Issue as part of your SEO campaign

Ensure that everyone is clear on 3D Issue and the capabilities above, on first inspection one might worry and even exclaim ‘Flash is no use for SEO!’ like most of the hard rules in SEO there is such a combination of information out there you need good advise so get in touch info@3dissue.com for more info on how to ensure that your new content is not being missed out on!

Image is from the nice folks here.

3D Issue table of contents for every edition*

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The table of contents is often an overlooked feature which is nonetheless vital for certain publications. Whilst only in the Professional version of the software the table of contents is a sure fire way to ensure that your reader can navigate their way around a publication easily and in an informed way.

The table of contents option is in the ‘Design’ tab under ‘Table of Contents.’

To add a table of contents into a 3D Issue publication you have a few options.

1. Ask your graphic designer to add Bookmarks to the PDF – as with many of the automatic features in 3D Issue adding elements to the flat PDF prior to importing can save time when it comes to conversion with 3D issue this will not save time for all (if for example you are the designer as well as the designated 3D Issue user..!)

Bookmarks in a PDF are automatically detected and used to populate the 3D Issue table of contents.

2. Manually enter the parts of your table of contents piece by piece. The software has the ability to add in each part of your table of contents in a ‘mind map’ style, so you enter your Root Section which might be Chapter 1 then add in the Additional Sections building your table as you go.

3. Use the table of contents for URLs, the Table of contents also allows you to enter a section or a few sections with URLs so that your readers can navigate from your publication to some recommended sites or even to other 3D Issue publications but you may prefer to use the Archive for that. We’ve blogged little on this before here.

4. Use the table of contents templates if your publication has a similar layout or section names each week or month save the template in the table of contents then re-load each time you need to use it this is a sure fire way of saving time though not quite as fast as the embedded bookmarks via InDesign. Remember that the roll over text for bookmarks will be extracted from the information entered when the PDF is being built and cannot be edited in 3D Issue itself.

5. Tip if you have used the ‘page numbering starts on’ feature and set to a page other than the front cover,(done via the Design > Advanced option) when building your Table of contents this is not relevant the links from the table of contents will be according to the number of pages imported not where the reader navigation starts ‘a counting.

*3D Issue Professional only.

Image is from the nice folks here.

Getting started with creating digital magazines

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So you are getting started with digital editions! The last few years has seen a tremendous increase in the number of marketers and publishers moving publications from being available only in print to introducing digital and in some cases completely replacing the print copies with the digital versions.

We understand this transition to digital requires an element of learning the new digital editions software and so here we have put together a few resources that can help you get started with 3D Issue very quickly.

Live demo

Join us for one of our daily webinars. These show you how to get started with 3D Issue, starting with adding your PDFs, adding interactive elements and then publishing to your website. You can even ask questions along the way. Register for a live demo >>

Video Tutorials

Check out the specific video tutorials that focus on particular areas of the software. You can view specific videos or watch the entire series. Watch video tutorials

User Manual

A complete user guide to how to use and get the most out of 3D Issue software. This is useful to have as a reference guide if you need to quickly look into a particular feature. Download User Manual >>

Guides

We have a number of guides and articles below that can give you inspiration, tips and tricks. You’ll be creating first class digital magazines in no time!

Stuck for content creation ideas?

HTML5 Web App or Native App?

Digital editions pre-publish checklist

7 free tools to help with your digital publishing projects

Advertising opportunities for your digital magazines

Formatting your digital publications

Digital Publications – Part 1 Beginners guide to output formats

Digital Publications – Part 2 Beginners guide to devices

Digital Publications – Part 3 Beginners guide to digital publishing considerations

Or, feel free to contact us if you need any guidance at info@3dissue.com

Add custom buttons to your 3D Issue Digital Editions

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The 3D Issue default buttons allow Professional software users to add buttons to their content for movies, audio, comments, e-mail and more – from experience we know people like the defaults – the set provided are a purposeful and a good ‘safe’ set they could be used on any number of publications a solid set of images which are used lots but there are other options out there too!

So to follow on and complement our recent blog on:

“Brand 3D to work with your brand Guidelines”

we’ve plucked out #3 which to refresh was ‘Add custom buttons for readers’ and wanted to flesh the topic out a bit so content owners can feel more comfortable in adding this key feature.

All 3D Issue users will know that in the Professional Version of the software you may add in reader buttons directly onto the page and the hotspot is not to be forgotten in this piece it still has a role to play e.g. in the use of creative content + hotspot they are vital (see our iPad screen video on this sample to see page one to what we mean)

In order to add new buttons to your publication you’ll need to make a purchase or you’ll need to get some designed. The latter option is quick and relatively inexpensive whilst the latter will offer more scope as the piece can be directed as you require and amended where necessary.

1. When choosing your icons bear in mind that the allocated space for each button image in 3D Issue is 128×128 pixels.

2. A good provider of icon kits which we use from time to time is www.istockphoto.com there are thousands of images available on this site and the pricing model in use is very competitive you purchase a number of credits with kits ranging in price from 15 credits to 20 a credit roughly equates to US$1

3. A good approach to take is start with the goal of being consistent with the most prominent colour in your logo or brand identity, then that colour will be instantly recognisable and more effective – imagine Coca-Cola for example changing their red colour? Even a slight variation on the shade of red would be deemed dangerous to brand equity, hence Coke go to great lengths to keep this exact red shade correct throughout all their branding.

4. On the other hand, the goal may be for your buttons to ‘work the publication’ rather than the brand this can be achieved quiet easily too. By choosing a good contrasting colour – your buttons will stand out. Examples or contrasting colours are: grey and yellow, orange and blue, purple and green, refer to ‘the color wheel’ pick the colours that are opposite to each other on the wheel as they are proven to work best.

5. Note the wide range of button options available – There are circular, square, rectangular, etc…There are even matte looking shades (perhaps you’re looking for that stainless steel effect) or there are very glossy looking buttons, with a reflective glass-like appearance, thus making it more ‘pushable’ via click and on iPad or other tablet with a finger– all the time motivating the person reading your digital magazine to click on it therefore increasing interactivity. Think texture and feel.

6. Remember it is not a good idea to make a complicated button – or one too small – remember above all it has to be functional. We could have the most beautiful buttons – but if the eye is not drawn they will be redundant, so discreet may not necessarily work.

7. Remember too that in 3D Issue V5.1 we added the iPad and iPhone app icon image option which we blogged about here so when adding new icons for the buttons be sure to add one here too for more inforamtion on this icon and a video check out adding an app icon to your 3D Issue publication .

If you are using the trial version of 3D Issue and you are seeing dots rather than buttons select options from the menu toolbar then buttons and change the option to button.

We hope you find this article useful and for more information or tips on button choices let us know your thoughts at info@3dissue.com

Stuck for content creation ideas?

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It’s important to keep new and fresh ideas for articles and features in your digital magazines, blog, eBooks and guides. However, we understand sometimes finding new, relevant content can be tricky.

If you’re stuck for ideas, then check out our top tips here!

6 content creation ideas..

1. Research based articles

Collect interesting industry or user research and write about yourfindings. If you are in the tourismindustry, then perhaps create a pollto discover your readers’ key event or element that influences their holidaydestination choice. Polls are actually very easy to set up, here’sa good solution we’ve used . Once your poll is set up and theresults are in you have some great research that you canshare with your readers.

2. Look through your emails

Of the emails you receive daily are there any trends, anyfrequentlyasked questions that customers and prospects continueto seek your advice on? Contact your customer service departmentor other customer facing colleagues and see if there are anysubjects they get asked about frequently. Once armed with thisinformation you can create articles, guides or blog posts answering these questions,these will not only assist readers but also gives you and yourcolleagues a related article to send along with an email replynext time they are asked the same or related question.

3. What does your data tell you?

Website statistical analysis can be fascinating, next time you go andtake a look at your visitor data, look for patterns in yourvisitor behaviour – is there a subject that is becoming increasinglypopular? If so then write more content on this or relatedsubjects. Perhaps you discover that you’re receiving more visitsfrom a certain geographical location than you have before? If sothen consider writing targeted information for these local areas.

4. Consider other presentation methods Instead of just text-based articles consider including images, photos,diagrams, infographics and charts. These different ways ofportraying content can interest more readers and enable you to addsome variety to your posts.

4. Consider other presentation methods

5. Keep a list Always keep a list on your computer where you can note down interesting stories or news that you come across each day. If you find you’re having one of those days when nothing is jumping out then refer to your trusted list for inspiration.

5. Keep a list

6. Share tips Whilst speaking with your customers or readers you will often comeacrossa case where you are faced with a challenge that needs a little more thought, you find solution and then have a happy customer. Have you thought there could be others out there with the same problem? Sharing tips is an excellent way of engaging with your readers and also encourages them to come back for more useful tips and hints.

6. Share tips

Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for articles, guides and eBooks that you could create today!

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Freemium applications to help digital publishing

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We’ve been in touch with quite a few ‘start-up’ companies this week so we thought it would be a good opportunity to look at 3 useful applications which can be used in conjunction with 3D Issue to create engaging and measurable marketing communications which do not cost the earth.

All you’ll need are a few hours from a graphic designer and a little imagination to get started allowing your content to be whisked away around the web.

First up is Tiny Letter, tiny letter allows you to create newsletters and e-mail lists which are easily managed, you can compose and send to a large mailing list and keep track of who responds and who does’nt so you are not contacting those who don’t appear interested. The great thing about the new service from Tinyletter is that it is free and although branded will offer a convenient way to send out your weekly or monthly newsletter containing a 3D Issue link of course!

Tiny Letter also has a big brother Mailchimp (Tiny Letter was recently acquired by Mail Chimp). Beta sign up for Tiny Letter is fully booked at present but sign up is available for when the service launches. ( PS ya just gotta love that Mailchimp monkey!)

Google Translate, lots of companies say that they must ‘look global’ we say at least speak a little of the lingo! many customers are reaching out to new markets and faced with the costs of a full translation service it can of course be prohibitive, whilst not for the faint of heart (we’ve tested with a few languages and natural speakers) if you keep the copy simple and clear Google actually does a pretty good job in this useful tool.

Rememeber too that in 3D Issue all reader interactions can be translated into a custom language too so you can adapt to your target audience.

PressJack– OK this is one of ours….but PressJack really still is the simplest and easiest way to convert your RSS feeds to digital magazines and with the upgrades and new features which we added in V5 you can create epub and mobi files too so that your content is always up to date – PS watch out for the upcoming automated feature coming soon which will allow PressJack to build a publication automatically at a set time every day/week/month and upload too.

Oh and lest we forget no graphic designer required for PressJack. For PressJack samples follow this link and scroll to the bottom.

Feedback as always is welcome so why not get in touch? E-mail us at info@3dissue.com

Image is from the nice folks here.

iBook or Digital Magazine HTML5 Web App?

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Some interesting conversations with customers this week about publishing their content for the iPad has unveiled some great suggestions and practices which we think could benefit a lot of our customers. So should you create your publication as a ePub or Digital Magazine web app? – We say, why not do both, here’s how and why….

In the 3D Issue software you will notice that once you enter the main Design tab there are two modes; Digital Magazine Mode and Ebook Reader Mode .

The Digital Magazine Mode allows you to create a web based browser viewed digital magazine, a bit like this online magazine . Now although this is a browser viewed version, your readers can turn this into a web App on their iPads/iPhones enabling them to have a unique icon on their home screen (of your own magazine or company design) that launches the web app in a fullscreen mode (without the safari toolbars etc..)

Now because this is an online magazine version it means that your readers on other devices too (such as the good old Windows desktop, Mac or Laptop – remember them?!) can view the page-flip publication too.

Then comes your question….”what if the reader wants to access this content offline” I hear you say.

Well, readers on laptops, Macs and Windows computers can download an offline edition to their machine for viewing at their leisure, when and when they want to, retaining full interactivity and digital viewing capabilities. iPad users, well although they cannot download the offline web version (because it is not a native App) this is where you can provide them with an ePub, which can then be stored in their iBooks App on their iPad.

How to do this?…

When you create your digital publication in 3D Issue, you could create a Digital Magazine Mode web app version, but you could also then enter the Ebook Reader Mode tab and set up an ePub version. You may need to do a little formatting in this version via the Design tab, to ensure you get the text to format how you want it to. Then head over to the Output tab and select to create both your online and epub versions.

Great, you now have your two versions, but how do you connect the two? Once you have created your ePub, you can upload this ePub file to your website server. Take a note of the location of this, you will need the url in this next stage…

Great, you now have your two versions, but how do you connect the two?

In your Digital Magazine Mode, you can provide a link in a number of ways to direct readers to download the ePub version.

You could place a web link button on each page with the web link being the ePub url location. However, one great way of doing this is to design your PDF with a notice/button within the design. You can then place a hotspot over this button in the Design section and have this link to the ePub.

Something like this could work well..

A button designed in the PDF, with a hotspot on top of the button linking to the ePub.

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7 free tools to help with your digital publishing projects

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It’s always nice to get some tips and recommendations from people carrying out similar functions and tasks. There are a number of free web tools that can help marketers and publishers carry out tasks throughout the digital publication production process – many we use here at 3D Issue, and a number that we have heard customers using. Thought we’d share some of the most useful free tools here…

Tools for planning digital publications and content creation

Dropbox

This great tool allows you to save files to a ‘dropbox’ folder. This folder and therefore your documents in that folder can then be accessed via the Dropbox website or via devices synced with your Dropbox account. If you need access to your digital publication files on multiple machines, on the go or simply need to share particular files with others then this is a great tool.

Springpad

A web app that can also be connected to your mobile device via an app, this tool allows you to create ‘really smart notes’. Quickly and easily save ideas and information you want to remember, on the go and access when you need it.

Tools to build surveys and get reader feedback

Polldaddy

If you want to know what your readers think – ask them. PollDaddy is a web based tool that allows you to get direct suggestions and opinions from your readers. You can get set up for free on the basic package which allows you to collect 100 survey responses per month or if you need more, opt for a paid plan.

You could use this tool to quickly establish what your readers want to see more of, less of or even let them suggest future topics to discuss. By getting your readers involved in the content creation process you can make them more engaged in your publications.

Tools to distribute digital publications

Mailchimp

If you are looking for an email marketing tool that lets you communicate with your subscribers to let them know about the latest edition of your publication then this could be a great solution for you. MailChimp has over 1,000,000 users. They provide a user friendly way to create and send email newsletters and campaigns and track campaign performance.

Tool to automate announcements and actions

ifttt

This is a great application with so many different uses. Think of all the things you could do if you were able to define any task as: when something happens (this) then do something else (that). For example you can set up auto tasks such as:

- Thanking people in Twitter when they mention you or RT

- Send a tweet or facebook status to let subscribers know latest edition is available

- Google Plus Post to Facebook Wall

It’s really worth looking into to see what tasks you can automate, the tool can link with Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, RSS feeds, dropbox, wordpress and more!

Tools to manage social media efforts more effectively

TweetDeck

There are lots of free applications to track and manage your social media accounts. TweetDeck is one of our favorites, it is a desktop application that helps manage and organize your Twitter account.

Tools to analyse digital reader behaviour

Google analytics

3D Issue has an analytics feature allowing you to access reports on the digital magazine performance. By simply entering in your Google analytics ID in the software, your publication will feed the statistics to your Google account and record all interactions that a user has had with your digital magazine.

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Advertising opportunities for your digital magazines

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3D Issue users create a number of different types of digital publication. For some customers the software is used to create digital brochures for their marketing efforts, for others it is a digital version of their print magazine. Certainly for publications such as magazines there is a large opportunity for publishers to generate advertising revenue by utilising some or all of the available 3D Issue advertising features. Here is a run down of the features available to 3D Issue users that could be used for advertising.

1. Top Banner Area

Where is it and what is it?

The area at the top of the reader interface can be enabled as the top banner area. You can upload any number of banner style images that you or your advertisers create. Once uploaded you can then associate a url for each banner which the reader will be directed to if they click on it. You can also set the speed at which the banners rotate.

What formats the ads can be?

Banner images need to be either .png, .gif or .jpeg. The size of the banners need to be 60 pixels in height. The width of the banners displayed will be dependent on the end readers’ browser width, but as a guide it is advised to design the ads at least 2000 pixels wide with the main content justified to the left. See here for more detailed information on the dimensions for your banner ads.

2. Intro Area (page ’0′)

The intro area is the space to the left of the front cover. This area can contain any uploaded image of your choice.

The intro area ads can be .png, .jpeg, .gif or .swf. The size can be up to 400 pixels in height and width. This image can be centred by entering the exact dimensions in the software.

3. Image ads

Image ads can be placed by you as part of the PDF design. So you could even include a directory which includes image ads from your advertisers formatted on the page. With these already in place, once you upload your PDF into 3D Issue you can then use the hotspot tool to make these ads clickable. Simply draw a hotspot over the ad, set the destination url and that’s it. You can also set the colour of roll over and roll out for the hotspots as well as their opacity.

Formats the ads can be

This is up to you as these ads will be included in your PDF as part of the PDF design.

4. Video or Flash ads

Videos are often used to portray information in a more engaging way, and has certainly risen in popularity with digital magazines. These videos can be set to play from a specific place in a page of your digital publication (using the ‘embedded video button’ ) or you could set the video to play in its own pop up layer on top of the digital magazine – giving the video more space (using the ‘video button or hotspot tool).

Videos can be either uploaded via a file in either .mov, .mp4 or .flv or alternatively you can stream a video in your magazine direct from YouTube, you just need the YouTube ID. Videos should typically not exceed 2 minutes in length.

5. Audio ads

If you have existing radio ads or simply want to introduce a spoke ad into your digital publication then you can do so by either adding an audio button or hotspot. These buttons/hotspots can be added to anywhere on a page. Once the reader clicks on this button or hotspot the audio starts. You can even set an audio file to auto start as soon as a reader turns a particular page.

Audio clips need to be uploaded to the software in .mp3 format.

6. Link ads

You may simply want to add a link to an advertiser’s site. You can do this by using either the hotspot tool over any word or text in a page, add a web link button, or you can make use of the contents menu to the side of the interface to list advertisers with direct links to their sites.

If your pdf contains any written or embedded links then these will automatically be converted into hotspots. You can of course also add additional hotspots or buttons to any of the ages. Links simply need to follow a http://www. format.

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I want my publication to be formatted like ‘this’

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There are many different ways our customers want to have their digital publications formatted, some want a traditional double page spread, others one page at a time, and others…something in between the two.

We were speaking with a few customers this week who wanted a specific layout to be presented to their readers, and went through a few tips and tricks with them so they could get the exact layout they wanted….worth sharing I thought…

Before we start this tutorial…..

What original types of PDFs can 3D Issue handle?

3D Issue users can upload their PDF file or multiple files in the three possible formats; single page pdfs, double page spread pdfs or a mixture of the two (i.e the front and back cover are single pages and the centre pages are double page spreads)

3D Issue then understands the original format and can then convert the publication into a book format. However, there are a number of different presentation modes that you may want to achieve…

Out of these, you can then format the end result digital edition into different reading preferences, here’s some of the top requests and how to achieve them.

I want…. individual pages to show, not a double page spread and the user to not ‘flip’ the pages

Original PDF layout: Your original PDF can be single pages, mixture of both or double page spreads.

Settings to apply: In the DESIGN tab, navigate to APPEARANCE and select the default view mode to be ‘presentation mode’

Result: Here is an example of a publication showing single pages without a ‘flip’

I want…. individual pages, not double page spreads but the user to ‘flip’ the single pages

Original PDF layout: Your pages of the PDF should be as you want them to view on one interface, so this may be a landscape page for example. Select ‘double page spreads’ in the CONTENT > LAYOUT area. This will get the software to treat the pages as a double page spread to get the flipping effect so one page flips onto the other.

Settings to apply: As you have selected double page spreads the software will assume that the first page is the front and back page, so we need to apply a trick.

1) Create a blank page exactly the same dimensions as your other pages.

2) Make the colour of this page the same colour as the background colour you will select for the 3D Issue interface (so it is not visibly a blank page).

3) Add this blank PDF in the CONTENT tab and position in at the top in the PAGE Order section.

4) In the DESIGN tab navigate to the ADVANCED section and enter ‘2’ in the ‘page numbering starts on’ field.

5) When you have uploaded your publication to your site, add the text ‘files/2.html’ to the publication folder destination url – e.g www.MyWebsite.com/issue1/files/2.html’

Result: Here is an example of a publication showing single pages with a ‘flip’

I want…. the publication to open on a double page spread not a single page

Original PDF layout: Your PDF will need to be designed as double page spreads

Settings to apply: If you want the reader to open up on the first spread, then there’s a little trick you can apply:

2) Make the colour of this page the same colour as the background colour you will select for the 3D Issue interface.

5) When you have uploaded your publication to your site, add the text ‘files/2.html’ to the publication folder destination – e.g www.MyWebsite.com/issue1/files/2.html’

Result: Here is an example of a publication opening on a double page spread

I want…. the publication to be flipped through like a regular book. i.e a front cover as single page, double page spreads in the middle and a back cover as a single page

Original PDF layout: Single pages, double page spreads or mixture of both

Settings to apply: In the DESIGN section under APPEARANCE select the default view mode as ‘flip’

Result: This is a standard publication with the most common settings, here is an example of this.

So there are some other ways of formatting your publication. Of course you can also choose to have the publication flip like a regular book with a front and back cover as single pages and the middle pages as double page spreads as in this sample

4 eBooks in epub format for viewing in iBooks you can create today

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You may have seen our recent news items covering how you can now create epub files from both your PDF files and online content (your blog or RSS feeds for example) with the 3D Issue software. We’ve been speaking with more customers this last few days about different types of publications they are creating using these features so here are some of the favourite eBooks you can start creating today. You can create in minutes and give to your customers to download to view on their iPads/iPhones via the iBooks App.

1. Complete guide to [Insert your specialist area here] ebook

With the blog and RSS feed to epub feature you can create a epub file from the content of a specific RSS category. So for example, you could take a particular topic of your blog, feed that RSS feed into the software and it generates an epub from the content and images.

Example: Download our epub file “Complete guide to 3D Issue Tips and Tricks!” you can download the file and import it into iBooks on your iPad to view whenever you like.

*please note this ‘Tips and Tricks” is a specific RSS category we have here on this blog which we used to create this eBook.

2. Monthly/Weekly Newsletter

In the same way as you do the above complete guide, you can create a company newsletter. This time instead of doing a category specific RSS feed you could feed the entire blog RSS feed into the application – you then have an epub of the all the latest news from your blog accross all the categories.

Example: Download our epub file “Digital Publishing News – Feb 2012″ you can download the file and import it into iBooks on your iPad to view whenever you like.

3. White papers

It’s not just RSS feeds that can be converted into epubs. If you have PDFs of whitepapers you have written, then simply converting this PDF into epub via the 3D Issue software can give you a file that you can offer to readers to download to iBooks to read when they want to.

4. Manuals, brochures or sales material

If you have sales people on the road visiting clients and prospects, you can equip them with the latest epub files to show. For example, if you have a pdf product spec or brochure then convert to epub and have the sales staff download the epubs to their iPads. Then whilst out visiting they can show the case studies, brochures or products specs to the client on their iPad – even if they have no internet connection.

Example: Download our epub file “3D Issue User Manual” you can download the file and import it into iBooks on your iPad to view whenever you like.

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Add an App style icon for your publication, then change the content not the icon.

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As we blogged about last week there are many benefits to developing App style publications for your readers i.e. A publication intended for consumption on an iOS device (iPad or iPhone) or other tablet device which can run on your device without any need to download from the Android Market place or the Apple App store.

Using 3D Issue V5.1 you too can create a cloud based reading experience for your readers by creating lots of content in V5.1 and adding to your Archive as you work through each publication you’ll be able to build a library of content easy to navigate and access from the home screen.

Also why not take advantage of sharing content in this way so that you remain in control and may potentially us the same link for different content all the time?

Update your content then redistribute the same link

So you could update the content whenever you want to via the same reader link, their icon stays the same but the content will change through a clever move of the previous publication on your server you can still build your archive which readers can then access via their “current edition” if your readers have the App icon on their home screen all they need to do is reopen the publication to access the most up to date version prompted via e-mail for example.

Be sure to add in your App Icon

In 3D Issue for iOS devices it is possible to specify a file image which will display on the readers device when they add a short cut to homes screen giving the full ‘App effect’ without having to deal with the App store hoop jumping to get their.

When readers open a publication for the first time on iOS devices readers are presented with a box suggesting they add an App Short cut to their home screen. Convenient and another opportunity to brand a little part of their iPad, but there is more.

One such publication which has taken this route is the financial times having developed their own App based publication in HTML5, another is the Kindle App which runs on HTML5 and allows readers to access their books over the internet via the Cloud.

Create iPad magazines in a tick!

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Each day we speak with business across the world regarding creating digital publications for their audience. There has been an increase in mobile friendly publications over the last few years as a result of the explosion in popularity of mobile devices including the iPad. So here we thought we’d answer a few of the top questions we get asked about creating iPad magazines and share with you…

Q. Does 3D Issue create iPad friendly publications?

Yes. 3D issue creates both flash and HTML5 digital magazines from your PDFs. These two versions can be created by checking the’ online’, ‘mobile’ and ‘tablet’ options in the Output tab of the software. Once these options are checked and you upload the publication to your website, readers will automatically be directed to the version that is most suitable for their device. So for example iPad users will automatically be presented with a full page-flip interactive HTML5 magazine.

Q. So does 3D Issue create Apps? 3D Issue creates HTML5 web apps, not native apps. This means that you do not need to submit your digital magazines to Apple to be downloaded via the App store. Readers viewing the iPad HTML5 version can do so via a browser and can even add an app style icon to their iPad home screens giving them quick access to your magazine when they need it. You can of course design, create and upload your own App icons. Take a look at this quick video that shows how a reader can access the web app via their iPad or iPhone homescreen . iPad readers will need to be online to view the publications via 3G or wifi.

Q. So does 3D Issue create Apps?

Q. How can iPad users access my publication if it’s not a native App? iPad and iPhone users can access your digital publications via a link to its online location. So whether you provide the link as an image of the App icon you created that links to your online magazine, a link sent via email or a ‘view our latest magazine issue here’ text link on your site – the choice is yours. Once an iPad reader has clicked on such a link, the publication will launch in their web browser.

Q. How can iPad users access my publication if it’s not a native App?

Q. What about my readers on other mobile and desktop devices? Of course it’s not just the iPad that your readers may be wanting to view your content from. Readers may be on iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, PC, Mac or other device. As the digital magazines created by 3D Issue are in flash and HTML5 format it means that devices that have an internet browser such as Safari, FireFox, Explorer or Chrome can all access the magazines too.

Q. What about my readers on other mobile and desktop devices?

How to analyze your digital magazine reader statistics

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Once your digital publication is online and published it’s vital that you look into the stats and track how successful the edition is. How is the magazine performing? Is it attracting the right person/your target audience? Without tracking and analysing the performance it will be difficult for you to make the necessary adjustments to future editions to improve performance and reader satisfaction.

3D Issue has an analytics feature allowing you to access reports on the digital magazine performance. By simply entering in your Google analytics ID in the software, your publication will feed the statistics to your Google account and record all interactions that a user has had with your digital magazine.

There is certainly a lot of information that can be extracted from these reports, and we therefore recommend that you have a clear idea of what information is important for you to track, stats that can identify whether how the publication is performing when compared to the objectives you set.

Here are some key statistics to look out for:

Total number of readers per issue

Be familiar with this average figure for your publications – if one edition is receiving significantly less views than previous issues you may want to look at how the reader accesses the magazine/newspaper/brochure. Is the link and promotion compelling? Is the release date and time suited to your audience? Do you provide your readers with a taster of what is in the publication that would entice them to read on further and click through to the whole publication?

Percentage of new readers per issue

This figure could be the result of the marketing activities of the digital publication. Analyse how successful the marketing campaigns were to your prospects. You can then work out your ROI from specific marketing activity to ensure in future the most successful marketing activities and campaigns are used again.

Most viewed pages

Know your reader. Look at the most popular pages, what is in these pages that make them popular? You may find that pages containing video clips are being viewed more than those without , if so, then perhaps in the next edition why not make a feature interview as a video instead of text?

Top exit pages

From this information you can analyse if there is a point within the publication that is turning away your readers, perhaps they lose interest at pages of text? If so, then in the next edition why not experiment by breaking up long areas of text with images/videos/Quotes?

However, if the a page has a call to action on it that links to your website away from the publication and this page has a high percentage of visitors leaving – it may show that your Call to Action is a great success! So something you can repeat in your next edition.

There are a number of other facts and figures that you can take a look at, the key is to discover the ones that are relevant to you and keep on measuring!

Top tip….How to set up with Google Analytics for your digital editions:

To help, we’ve created a introduction to the Analytics and tracking features available with 3D Issue. Check out this short video tour which will get you set up with your tracking in no time. Then you can discover what content is working for your digital publications!

Digital Publications – Part 1 Beginners guide to output formats

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iBooks, ePubs, digital magazines…what does it all mean and what are the differences? This is a question we are frequently asked, there are now a growing number of terms being used around digital publishing, which if you are looking at publishing your content into a digital form could be confusing to know which option and or route is best for you.

Here we are putting together 3 blog posts that will quickly run through the key digital publishing basics of files, formats, devices and considerations. This first one covers the differences in the output formats of your digital publications.

1. Online Publication (browser viewed)

Online or web based digital magazines are created so that the end reader views the publication via a web browser. The actual file output format will usually be Flash or HTML5 or both. So your digital publication can then be launched via a link on your website or by simply sending the reader a link to the online location.

2. Web App

These are great for iPad readers for example, a web App would be a HTML5 digital publication, which can be launched from a iPhone or iPad home screen. The web App is then the digital magazine – without the browser toolbars, url bar etc.. Check out this quick video which shows a good example of a digital magazine web app .

3. Native App

A native Apple App would be a digital magazine that must be submitted first to the App Store, then once approved readers could download via the App Store. These native Apps are specific to certain devices that have access to the App store.

4. eReader formats Often referred to as eBooks, these publications are either in .epub or .mobi. These files are fore eReader devices such as the Kindle, Sony eReader and can also be imported into Apple iBooks. These publications tend to contain less media rich (videos, animations, audio etc..) than online digital magazines.

4. eReader formats

See also:

- Digital Publications – Part 3 Beginners guide to digital publishing considerations

Digital Publications – Part 2 Beginners guide to what devices view which formats?

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Following on from part 1 of our beginners guide, here is our next instalment. This post goes through the different devices you may wish to consider publishing your digital content too, and which formats are used on these devices.

What Devices require which formats?

Tablets

The tablet category contains the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy. These devices have web browsers (for example Safari on the iPad) so readers can view digital magazines via the browser. The consideration to be aware of here though is that Apple will not run flash on these devices so be sure that your online browser viewed publication is built using a solution that creates a HTML5 output.

These devices often have Apps that can view eReader formats (.epub and .mobi) For example the iBooks App can read epub files and these can be viewed offline. Check out this article that explains in more detail how to get PDF to epub to be viewed in iBooks .

Mobile Devices

This category of devices is treated very similarly to the Tablet section above. Devices such as iPhones and Android phones also have a web browser, so as above these devices can view online magazines. Again, consideration needs to be made as Apple iPhone like the iPad cannot view flash – so the HTML5 digital magazine would be the best option here.

Again, like the Tablet category, these mobile devices often have eReader Apps such as iBooks, so eReader (.ebub) files can be viewed in iBooks.

Desktops, Laptops, Macs/PCs, Netbooks

This category would view digital magazines via a web browser. Most web browsers run both HTML5 and Flash too so online magazines created in this way can be viewed on these devices.

eReaders

eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle, Sony eReader and eReader Apps such as iBooks on the iPad require eReader format publications. So these publications would be either .Mobi (for Kindle) or .ePub for other eReaders. These files can be downloaded to the eReader device via an online store such as Amazon or simply by supplying the file to your readers directly.

See also:

Digital Publications – Part 3 Beginners guide to digital publishing considerations

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Part 1 and Part 2 of this beginners guide went through the various different publishing output options and which devices could show this content.

Here we look at some further considerations you may want to look into before choosing which digital output and devices to publish for.

1. Your content source

Where is the source?PDF format (already designed), online via RSS feed or is it unwritten? Most Digital Magazine software solutions convert PDFs into web versions, but if you have a Blog or RSS feed consider PressJack (an application bundled with 3D Issue) this application can convert feeds into browser viewable digital magazines or into eReader formats – and ePub for example can be viewed via the iBooks App on iPads and iPhones.

2. Your publication type

When deciding which format to create, consider your publication type. If the publication is a traditional book/novel then you would probably consider publishing in eReader format. Whereas if you have a more graphical, media rich publication such as brochures, magazines, etc.. then an online publication may suit better.

3. Your audience

There are many devices available to your audience. If you want to create a publication that is viewable to iPad readers then consider that if you have a Native Apple App, then readers on other devices would not be able to view these. If you create a Web based digital magazine then your audience on devices that have a browser which include iPad, iPhone, Desktops, Laptops etc… can all view the publication.

See also:

- Digital Publications – Part 1 Beginners guide to output formats

- Digital Publications – Part 2 Beginners guide to devices

Blog and RSS to iBooks: Part 2 of How to publish your content to iBooks.

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Following on from the previous blog post How to publish your content to iBooks…. Part 1: PDF to iBooks there’s also another great tip we wanted to share with you. This tutorial shows you how you can convert your blog content or RSS feed content into a epub that can be read with Apple iBooks and on eReader devices such as the Kindle.

Perhaps you have a blog that provides category specific content, these categories often have their own RSS feeds associated with them. Take this blog that you are reading now, it has RSS feeds for categories such as ‘Apple iPad’, ‘Going Digital’, ‘ePublishing’ and many more such as one RSS feed for the main blog content. If you have content online in a blog or RSS feed then this tip could be very exciting….

Here we are going to take this Blog and using the tool PressJack which is packaged free with 3D Issue we are going to convert the blog content into an epub which we can then read via the iBooks app or even with our Kindle, then allow our customers to download and read on their iPad, iPhones and eReaders.

1) Select the feed or feeds you want to convert

Open up PressJack which comes packaged along in the 3D Issue suite. Once here, in the CONTENT tab. Click the ‘+’ sign and enter in the RSS feed. Tip: if you are not sure of the exact RSS feed you can click on the search button and type in the name of your blog to find the feed.

2) Click Build Still in the CONTENT tab, click on ‘Build’ this then goes off to the sources you defined in the first part, the software collects all the content and images from these feed(s).

2) Click Build

3) Any edits?

Are there are articles you do not want to include in the epub? If you do want to remove any, click on the ARTICLES tab and edit or remove articles.

4) Complete the build process

To complete the build process and get the output epub file, head over to the OUTPUT tab. Check the EBOOK option from the left side and ensure both the epub (iPad iBooks) and Kindle versions are checked. Then click PUBLISH on the right.

4) Download to your iPad, and upload to your site to allow your readers to download

Once the software has created the epub and kindle files, you can access these from the message that appears:

Locate the ‘ebook’ folder, you will then see the two files; epub (for iPad) and mobi (for Kindle). Open iTunes on your computer, connect your iPad and drag and drop the epub file from your computer into the ‘Books’ section in iTunes. You will now see your publication in iTunes, and when synced with your iPad, you can see the publication in iBooks:

and here is the publication on the iPad available for reading in iBooks:

Try it out for yourself!

Download the 3D Issue trial where you can follow these steps to create your own book for iBooks from your own Blog or RSS Feeds with PressJack.

You can of do this tutorial, upload the file to your site to allow your readers to download a epub of your blog or RSS feed to view on their iPad through iBooks – and remember Extra Tip: because this is in iBooks, the reader does not need to be online to view once they have downloaded.

PDF to iBooks: part 1 of How to publish your content to iBooks…

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The publishing world is all a buzz today after Apple’s announcement yesterday. Apple released an update to iBooks – welcome iBooks2. There has been much hype around these updates as it recognises the move towards digital reading and consuming of content, with Apple particularly targeting the Textbook market.

The textbooks that are to be sold through iBooks 2 will give students a more interactive learning experience which ultimately aims to enable students to get better results. Apple has some key textbook publishers on board too for this latest venture including Pearson and McGraw Hill.

So with this new announcement from Apple we thought we’d let you into a few tips and tricks of our own that will enable you too to get your content; whether that is a book, magazine or even your company blog into iBooks using 3D Issue. And guess what, it really is pretty straightforward!

Tutorial 1 – PDF to iBooks

1) Import your PDF to 3D Issue Launch the 3D Issue software (Lite, Pro or Enterprise) and click on ‘Create New’. Select the PDF that you want to convert. This now uploads the PDF into the software and you are ready to make any amends to the publication.

1) Import your PDF to 3D Issue

2) Make any edits required In 3D Issue, navigate to the DESIGN tab, and select the ‘eBook reader mode’ from the selection box on the right of the screen (highlighted in red below). This takes you into the eReader mode (opposed to digital magazine mode which creates digital editions for viewing via a web browser)

2) Make any edits required

Here you can make edits such as; formatting, add/edit text or images, add table of contents and front cover.

3. Publish your ‘eBook’ Once you are happy with the way the book looks, head over to the OUTPUT tab. On the left hand side, check the EBOOK option. Tip: check the ‘epub’ to create a version for iPad and iPhone iBooks, but also check the ‘Kindle’ to create a publication for download on Kindle eReaders too. Then, click BUILD.

3. Publish your ‘eBook’

4) Download to your iPad, and upload to your site to allow your readers to download

Once the software has created the epub and kindle files, you can access these from the message that appears:

Locate the ‘ebook’ folder, you will then see the two files; epub (for iPad) and mobi (for Kindle). Open iTunes on your computer, connect your iPad and drag and drop the epub file from your computer into the ‘Books’ section in iTunes. You will now see your publication in iTunes, and when synced with your iPad, you can see the publication in iBooks:

and here is the publication on the iPad available for reading in iBooks:

Try it out for yourself!

Download the 3D Issue trial where you can follow these steps to create your own book for iBooks from your own PDFs.

Or

Here is the epub we created in the above tutorial, it is the 3D Issue user manual, you can download this epub, put into iTunes and then sync it to your iPad or iPhone and read in iBooks.

Download the epub to view on your iPad in iBooks

You can of course do this to, upload the file to your site to allow your readers to download a epub of your content to view on their iPad through iBooks – and remember Extra Tip: because this is in iBooks, the reader does not need to be online to view once they have downloaded.

Coming up next…. how to publish your blog or RSS feeds to a epub and view them in iBooks!

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- 3 frequent mistakes to be avoided during the creation of your digital publication

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It’s not just digital ‘magazines’ you can create..

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We’ve realised that the term ‘digital magazine’ is used fairly frequently when digital publishing software such as 3D Issue is concerned. But don’t think it’s just magazines that can be turned into digital versions using the software….you could try some of these publications to give them a whole new, interactive look and feel, as well as reaching a wider online audience across tablets, mobiles and desktop users…

1. Newsletter (Customer or Company)

By converting this newsletter into a digital edition you can drive traffic to your site to view the online digital newsletter. This newsletter can contain multimedia that makes the newsletter more engaging to your audience as well as the added benefit that the reader analytics can be tracked and analysed to see how effective the newsletter was.

2. Case Studies Collection

Consider collating case studies and testimonials to create a unique testimonial publication, giving your clients the information they require in a professional, accessible format. If your customers fall into different sectors then create a unique testimonial digital edition for each sector. As you can upload multiple or single pdfs into 3D Issue to convert – collating these brochures can be a quick process.

3. Presentations

Tired of PowerPoint? Stand out by converting your presentations into digital format. You can simply save your PowerPoint presentation as a pdf, upload to the 3D Issue software and add your interactivity. Your digital presentations will have the page turning effect, can include videos, audio and hyperlinks and be viewed online so a customer can view at a personalised url address (by calling the file by the customer name for example) at a time that suits them.

4. Sales proposal documents

Sales proposals as a digital edition can transform the static pdf proposals into an edition that can include multimedia videos and links to further related information such as associated product brochures and customer case studies.

5. Company or Product Brochures

Sending out hard copy brochures via the post can be both time consuming and costly. If your brochure is in PDF format then converting it through 3D Issue will allow you to email your clients a link to view a digital version in minutes of their enquiry.

…and if that isn’t enough, you could try these too!

- Training document

- Event guide

- Whitepaper

- eBook

- Marketing document

- Company annual report

- Report

Digital publishers – Are you making the most of your older content?

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An interesting stat was released earlier this week by Hearst Magazines, it seems that there is a significant rise in the number of back issues being accessed and paid for by digital readers. In fact Hearst Magazines stated that 30% of the single copies sold on tablets are back issues. Wow that’s a big opportunity publishers and marketers can be taking advantage of…and the good news is it’s very easy to increase accessibility of your content!

So why are we seeing this rise? It is most likely down to accessibility as readers can now have options in a digital edition that have never been available to print readers. Have you as a print reader ever been flicking though a hard copy magazine and wanted more information that is referenced about? Read an article that states this was covered more on July 2011′s edition? Hmmm… to get July 2011 edition via print could take some time in ordering and tracking it down, making it a difficult, long process. Digital editions eliminate the time and difficulty for readers to access this older content. If you’re a 3D Issue user, this is how..

Link to previous editions or related Digital Magazines

One of the features 3D Issue digital magazine software offers you the creator is to allow your readers to have access to related or back issues from inside the magazine they are currently viewing. This is commonly referred to as the Archive Feature. It is very simple to set up, and once done your readers can access a graphical library of front covers of other publications you think may be of interest to them also, clicking on a front cover takes them to that edition. To check out more detailed information of setting this up see this article on setting up your digital magazine archive in minutes

Create an eBook from your blog archived posts or particular topic category

How many times are you asked a question from a customer and you think ‘I’m sure I’ve written about this before’ ? If you take a look through your blog archived posts, chances are you come across articles that are still applicable today. There is often golden content that has become less visible and hidden as newer content is added. Your blog readers simply do not get to see all the content from the first page.

Here’s a tip you can use today to reinvent this content – produce it as an eBook, all thanks to PressJack, the new RSS to digital magazine tool that is packaged free with 3D Issue software. Think about what your eBook could focus on – some ideas are “The ultimate guide to ______” or “50 tips to improve ______” entering in your specialist subject and solution as appropriate. Unless the content is time-specific or no longer appropriate then there’s no reason why this content should be pushed to the hidden depths of your blog archive never to be seen again. Right? The eBook creation process will only take you 10 minutes with PressJack and you don’t even need to have specialist IT programming or design skills which is a bonus.

So you thought creating a lead-generating eBook would be more time-consuming? The truth is, if you have the content already then reproducing this content is a great, fast way of creating something stunning and relevant to your audience.

Publishing for mobile devices – Trends revealed

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Following on from our recent news post “ Mobile growth in 2012 – are you reaching this expanding digital audience? ” Techcrunch reported on OS share of smartphone sales on their site yesterday which highlights some further interesting points around market share and where the mobile market is heading. This is particularly useful for publishers and marketers to see the trends in which devices and operating systems are being used most widely to access content.

The article reports on the race for market share which is seeing a tough battle at the top:

“iOS’s U.S. market share (by sales) jumped from 26% in the third quarter of 2011 to 43% by October and November. Android, however, came out on top, with 47% market share during those two months, down from 60% in Q3.”

This is a significant change, when comparing historical market share figures. Previously Android had been the leader by a good margin, and it had been this way for some time. RIM’s share seems to have declined at a steady rate with Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile and others staying around the 5% mark.

So what caused the rise of iOS and apparent fall of Android between Qtr 3 2011 and October/November 2011? Looking at the breakdown of handset sales it seems the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S has made a strong contribution to this topping the chart of the top 10 models during October and November 2011 in the mobile device category; iPhone 4 in 2nd place topped only by the iPhone 4s in 1st place. The holiday season also contributed to a rise across device sales.

It’s important for marketers and publishers to ensure their digital editions can be viewed across multiple mobile devices, as the competition between devices continues to be a highly competitive and changing space. HTML5 digital editions enable this (so be sure to check the HTML5 mobile and tablet option if creating 3D Issues of your publications!)

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5 easy ways to increase sharing of your digital publication

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Have you ever published a digital magazine and received fewer readers than you had hoped for? Or do you have a loyal subscriber base but you’d love to increase these subscribers? The key is sharing and recommendations from current readers. Your existing readers and subscribers can very easily reach out to their friends and colleagues…but they need a reason, a driver to do so. Here are our top tips:

- Make it easy for your readers to share

If you want your readers to do something then you need to make it as easy as possible for them. Firstly the content has to be unique, interesting and worthwhile to be shared. Your readers will want their friends to be grateful of receiving this content…they don’t want to be seen as passing on uninteresting material. Also ensure that if you want to encourage sharing that you enable the sharing features in 3D Issue. This simple button in the interface allows readers to easily select to share via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or email. You could also use the ‘intro’ area to the left of the front cover to add a custom image or message highlighting sharing options.

- Give your readers a great first impression

You need to keep your subscribers happy, and this starts with giving a good first impression. How? Well is it easy for them to access the publication – do you have attractive ‘read our latest issue’ button on your site? When the reader clicks to read the digital edition does it load quickly? (TIP: Remember in 3D Issue you can enable the ‘load controller’ to launch large publications faster, and control the quality and size of the publications) Can your mobile readers on iPads or other mobile devices also view a stunning fully digital page-turning version? (TIP: Check the mobile and tablet output options for creation of HTML5 digital editions for these readers) It is often extremely worthwhile asking someone unfamiliar with your publication to test it out and give their honest feedback, you can then make any necessary adjustments before sending out to your subscribers.

- Provide a ‘subscribe’ route

Revisit the process of signing up to your publication. How easy is it for a new customer to opt in to receive the newsletter / brochure / magazine? Do you have a user friendly sign up page that is reachable from key pages on your website? Can your existing subscribers forward on the publication to their friends? Put yourself in the position of a new visitor to your site and go through the process, noting any opportunities which could be tapped into to increase your subscriber rate. For more information on making the most of your subscriber sign up page check out this article

- Think about timing

Often the key to people forwarding on your publication is dependent on when they receive it themselves. For example do you receive a bunch of emails first thing in the morning that you then automatically ignore whilst you address important actionable emails in your inbox? You want to try and avoid your digital edition link via email hitting the subscribers’ inboxes at the wrong time. If you catch them at the right time they are more likely to a) open it b) read it and then c) recommend to their friends.

- Write killer headlines

Following on from the last point, you need to ensure you have the highest chance of your publication being read so that they can then recommend it themselves. If the subscriber does not read it then there is 0% chance that they will recommend to their friends to read. Therefore revisit all the routes of how the subscriber receives and accesses your digital publication – are your headings, links and access text inviting and exciting enough to make the subscriber open and move forward with reading the publication?

14 Top Digital Marketing Resources

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We like to provide our users with good tips, tricks and information that ultimately helps create even better digital editions and become more successful with your marketing efforts. We’ve been on the lookout for the best articles out there that could help you and have presented them here so you can read what the experts have to say!

There are 14 top resources here covering a number of aspects of digital marketing. Enjoy!

Digital content creation

- The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers

- 5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With a Bang

- 5 Steps to Creating an Effective Content Mix

- How to Produce Timeless Content That Helps You Today, Tomorrow and Forever

Planning and strategy

- How to Put Together an Editorial Calendar for Content Marketing

- 5 Actionable Tactics for More Efficient Content Marketing

- Maketing Grader

- The Noob guide to Online Marketing

Content Distribution

- 4-Step Guide to Writing Flawless Marketing Emails

- “How to Use Twitter for Business – An Introductory Guide”

- “How to Use Facebook for Business: An Introductory Guide”

- “How to Use Google+ for Business: An Introductory Guide”

Tracking and Measurement

- Content Marketing Metrics for Newbies: 28 Content-Related Measures to Track

- 5 Website Metrics Every Marketer Should Be Tracking

Blog to Digital Magazines! Have you tried it yet?

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A few weeks ago we launched Version 5 of 3D Issue which introduced several great new features to the HTML5 digital magazine software you can take a look at all the new features of 3D Issue Version 5 here . You may have noticed that we packaged a new digital magazine solution along with 3D Issue version 5 – This application focuses on your existing web content, so whilst 3D Issue converts PDFs into digital magazines, PressJack (the added application) converts your RSS and Blog content into digital magazines!

To get you started and fill you sith some ideas – Here are some of the top uses, all of which can be created in a matter of minutes!

Customer newsletter

It’s common for businesses to use their blog content to form a weekly or monthly newsletter.

Historically, creating newsletters could be a time-consuming task. First the lead text needed to be extracted from the articles and the associated images, then these would be placed into an html style newsletter, links to the correct articles and then testing……as we say, time-consuming! PressJack users now take 5 mins to create their monthly newsletter. By simply telling PressJack the location of the blog and clicking ‘build’ the digital newsletter is then complete with the latest blog articles and images and ready to send to the subscribers!

Recycling older, (but still great!) blog content

When a blog article gets older, new blog articles push the older ones down the list, then onto page two of the listings. Once articles are not on the first page, there can be a dramatic decline in visitors to that article. Many businesses get visitors back to these articles by posting the link on their Twitter or Facebook account, now they can also use PressJack to get traffic back to these articles too! Just because content in a blog is not listed on the first page of the blog doesn’t mean this content is not great content – some articles are written about tips or tricks which are still relevant a few months later for example.

PressJack users have created digital magazines on content that has been pushed off the first page, so they build the publication based on their blog feed and then select which articles to feature in the digital publication and send this out to subscribers interested in all articles in a specific category – including older articles that could be missed on the blog..

Focused, topic based publications

Web visitors often have specific interests rather than ‘everything’. PressJack can be used to create digital publications on specific subjects; for example an online local news site could have a huge number of news categories, however visitors could sign up to customized digital publications on their specific interests such as ‘Soccer News’ or ‘Out and About’ and ‘Local Reviews’ – one magazine customized to them that cuts out areas of less interest.

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