Sharing smarter documents: How filesharing services fall short

In BEST PRACTICES
9 November 2018
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Filesharing tools have become an important part of modern digital life. Services like Dropbox store files on the cloud and synchronize them on different devices so that users can share and collaborate. However, they are not always the best option for distributing your documents online.

In this article, we will explain five ways that filesharing services can fall short and why digital publishing can offer a great alternative.

Lacks Polish

Most popular filesharing services began as a tool that allowed users to work on a single file across multiple computers. For teamwork and individual use alike, filesharing is strongly associated with drafts and projects in progress. This can make it a poor choice for sharing finished work. We recommend publishing your reports, presentations and newsletters digitally for professional results.

Statistics Not Included

Whether you’re sharing sales material with a potential customer, circulating a memo to your team or publishing a magazine, you want information about how it is being viewed. Filesharing services generally do not provide readership statistics, so you won’t know if your audience has opened your document a dozen times or not at all. To get insights on views and a full range of advanced statistics, opt for creating a digital publication on Calaméo.

Limited Enrichment

Although some filesharing services let users add external links and images to their documents, the possibilities for creating interactive publications are limited. With the Calaméo Editor, you can add links, video, audio and more to your publications in just a few clicks. Then all you have to do is share!

Privacy Headaches

Filesharing services often require users to choose between making their documents available to everyone and approving viewers for private documents one-by-one. Want a single, private link to send to your whole mailing list? It’s easy with Calaméo. Just select “Allow access with a private URL” in your publication’s Properties. If you need more security, set up password protection for your documents with our Subscribers feature.

One Look Fits All

Since filesharing solutions focus on drafting, editing and modifying documents, they offer few options for tailoring your publication’s final appearance to your needs. Digitally published documents benefit from a dedicated viewer and on Calaméo, it’s fully customizable. You can add a logo, change the colors and even add your own buttons so that your publication matches your brand perfectly.

While filesharing services can be great for collaboration, digital publishing is a better fit for sharing professional, interactive documents with your audience. You’ll enjoy publications that look polished, smart privacy controls and advanced readership statistics—and publishing on Calaméo is a breeze. Sign up for free and start sharing smarter documents today!

Interested in trying out digital publishing with our advanced statistics, Subscribers feature and customized viewer? Request your free 14-day PLATINUM Demo—no credit card required and no strings attached.

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7 professional tips for your account

In BEST PRACTICES
19 November 2015

Calaméo is a flexible tool, so personalize your content as much as possible! Tailoring your account to your brand and adding information about your organization can increase search results and reader engagement, as well as ensuring that your Calaméo account has a professional appearance.

Head to your Account info page to brush up the details and choose a custom account URL!

Here are a few tips for optimizing your account:

pro1

1 YOUR COMPANY NAME
Make sure your Calaméo account name is your company name, and not the person who manages the account or the email address used to create the account. This makes it easier for readers find your content on search engines and lets them know it is your official account. The same applies to your publications—make sure the title corresponds to the cover and is concise (with no typos!).

2 YOUR AVATAR
Add your company logo as your Calaméo avatar. Same thing—but this time a visual tool for letting readers know this is your company’s professional profile. These tips will help signal the legitimacy of your account.

3 YOUR WEBSITE
Fill out your account info with your website (we even have a designated box for this in your account settings). Readers can then easily navigate to your website from Calaméo. But be sure to include the “https://” protocol so that the link opens correctly!

4 ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION
Consider adding an account description if you don’t have one. This helps with search engine optimization and provides a context for your publications. A little introduction may encourage people to follow your work! You can also tailor this information to the audience you are aiming to connect with.

pro2

5 YOUR LOGO ON THE VIEWER
Add your logo to the viewer to put your own mark on your publications. People love interactive elements, so link it to your website so readers can refer to your website at any time.

6 CUSTOMIZE THE THEME
Creating your own viewer Skin means giving your publications your brand image. This then allows for a seamless integration in your website and a sophisticated viewing experience for your readers.

And finally…

7 SHARE SHARE SHARE
Increase your readership by making the most of our sharing features for a maximum number of views: embed your publication in a webpage, create a virtual library to display multiple publications, and share across social networks.

Want more tips on how to get the most out of publishing on Calaméo? Check out our Tutorials for free, in-depth guides to browse and download.

BEST PRACTICES

How to optimize your documents for digital publishing

In BEST PRACTICES
9 July 2020

There are many ways to make publishing your documents online easier, faster and smarter with Calaméo. From adding engaging video to developing a social strategy, our tools can help you enrich your publications and reach your audience. But before you start, be sure to check out our tips all about how to optimize your documents for publishing on Calaméo.

Just these five simple steps will get your documents ready to become great digital publications.

Check file type

You already know that digital publishing with Calaméo can help you go beyond the PDF. However, our powerful conversion technology handles many different file types. In addition to PDFs, you can upload text files, Word documents, Powerpoints and Excel files directly to Calaméo. Before you publish, take a moment to make sure that your document is in one our accepted file formats.

Reduce file size

When you work with high-quality images, complex layouts and other data-rich elements, the size of your file sometimes grows quickly. Since BASIC and PREMIUM users can convert files of up to 100 MB on Calaméo, it may be necessary to reduce your file size before upload. Don’t want to worry about limits? Upgrade to PLATINUM and start publishing with a maximum file size of 500 MB.

Format links

Our easy-to-use Editor is a great tool for transforming your documents into interactive digital publications with GIFs, video, audio and more. If you have external links to include in your publication, you can also take advantage of automatic link detection on Calaméo! All you need to do is add the site URL in a clickable zone on your PDF. Once your file is converted, a link will automatically appear in your publication.

Print to PDF 

Most importantly, every part of your document should always look impeccable online. To ensure a flawless conversion on our platform, try printing your file to PDF rather than exporting to PDF. (We especially recommend this for Word documents with images, tables and other layout features.) As well as preventing display errors, you’ll also benefit from a reduced file size by printing to PDF.

Prepare images

Our cutting-edge conversion technology offers vibrant, clear images for publications that are works of art. But for those times that you need ultra-high resolution, consider adding image files to your publication with our Editor. First, make sure that your file (.JPG or .PNG) is hosted securely online. Next, leave a blank space in your original document where you wish to place the image. Finally, insert your image and save. You’ll enjoy perfect quality, even at the highest levels of zoom.

Keep these tips in mind to optimize your documents for digital publishing on Calaméo. By taking a few minutes to prepare your files, you’ll get the best results faster than ever. And if you’d like to learn more about ways to optimize your publications, check out our guides to SEO trends, making a virtual library and more.

Our PLATINUM plan is packed with great professional features. To request your free, two-week trial, visit our Pricing page now!