To finish 2019 in style, we are very proud to present the year’s final CALAMEO Magazine!
Starting now, you can browse our brand-new Shopping issue.
In this edition, we get into the spirit of the season and examine how shopping habits are changing around the world. You’ll find fresh stats all about holiday shopping online, our selection of great catalogs and a close look at the most important trends in ecommerce. Whether you’re focused on hunting for deals or selling the perfect gift, there’s lots to explore in the Shopping issue.
We’re
passionate about supporting the business owners who use Calaméo every day to
communicate with their customers. That’s why we can’t wait for you to enjoy the
Shopping issue during this festive time of year!
Have you kept up with CALAMEO Magazine this year? Follow us on Twitter to vote for your favorite issue in 2019!
Virtual libraries offer a great tool for showcasing content on your website and keeping it organized. In fact, the easy-to-use Library Widget is one of our favorite digital publishing features on Calaméo. You can create your own virtual library, customize it and share in only a few clicks.
Let’s dive in to all the essentials of curating your virtual library!
A virtual library is a convenient, fun way to display a collection of digital publications. Just like a regular bookshelf, your virtual library allows you to bring together a group of materials in one place. It’s an inviting space where you can browse, read or simply show off your beautiful publications!
How to set up your own virtual library
You can make a virtual library in just a few minutes on Calaméo. In order to create a library widget stocked with your own Calaméo publications, go to the Publications tab of your account.
First, choose the Folder whose publications you wish to include in your virtual library. All of the public publications in that Folder will appear in your library shelves. (Your private publications are never displayed in the library widget.)
Next, click on the three squares icon at the top of the page to create your virtual library.
Finally, fine-tune the look of your library widget by clicking on “customize options”. You can select:
A background texture or color
How many shelves to show
The thumbnail size of your publication covers
Publication information to show
How to order your publications
How to open publications when clicked
Thumbnail design features like the cover drop shadow
While you adjust the details, you’ll be able to see the changes in real time directly in the preview window. Once you’re happy with the appearance, just copy the embed code. And that’s it—everything you need to create your own virtual library!
Watch our video tutorial on how to create a virtual library below:
💡 TIP: Prefer to view the tutorial in a different language? Use the Settings icon in the video player to select your subtitles.
How to display a virtual library
Congratulations—your library widget is all set up and ready to go! Meanwhile, the next step is to consider how you would like to share your virtual library. For example, you might want to display your publications on your website or blog. Or perhaps you’d rather have a link to email to friends, contacts or customers.
Libraries on your own website
Sharing your virtual library on your own blog or website is a piece of cake. After you have finished customizing the design of your bookshelves, copy the HTML embed code.
If your site is built with WordPress or Joomla, you can install our plug-in and paste the code right into a blog post or page. For example, this code:
However, other websites may require you to specify a container for your virtual library. Consult your CMS’s specifications or check with your webmaster for more information.
To display all of the publications in your virtual library on Calaméo, you can share a link to a Folder or Favorites list. Although the bookshelf interface is not available on Folder or Favorites pages, your audience will be able to view and explore the entire collection.
Linking to a Favorites list
To share a Favorites list, start by going to the Favorites tab of your account. Then select the list that you want to share from the left-hand menu. Finally, click the Share icon. In the window that opens, copy the URL and start sharing!
Linking to a Folder
To share a Folder, head to the Publications tab of your account. Choose the Folder whose publications you want to share from the left-hand menu, then click the Share icon. Grab the link to your Folder and you’re set to share.
Why make a virtual library
There are lots of great reasons to create your own virtual library. In fact, we reviewed 10 of the best for anyone who needs convincing! But to keep things simple, here are the top three benefits of a library widget.
Perfect presentation
The biggest advantage of a virtual library is the easy, interactive way it lets you showcase different publications. Whether the shelves are filled with every issue of your magazine or a variety of materials, a library widget can boost your publications’ visual impact.
Plus, browsing your publications in a virtual library is a breeze thanks to its intuitive navigation. Visitors can click any cover to open the publication in full screen or a new window, then return to your library when they’ve finished reading.
Painless updates
Another great feature solves a major headache for many publishers: the content in your virtual library updates automatically. Whenever you add a new publication to your library’s Folder on Calaméo, it also appears on your embedded bookshelf. As a result, you never need to worry about manually importing content to maintain your site.
Likewise, removing publications from your virtual library only takes a minute. Set them to private, move to a different Folder or deactivate out-of-date materials.
Extra insights
You’ll benefit from useful viewership analytics when you create your own virtual library on Calaméo, too. Because it’s important to know where your audience comes from and how they interact with your content, your account statistics show library details. You’ll see what percentage of your publications’ views happen in your virtual library, as well as other advanced statistics like link clicks and downloads.
In conclusion, setting up a digital bookshelf couldn’t be simpler. All you need to start is a free Calaméo account! Join today and create your own virtual library.
Ever since we joined the social media universe back in 2008, we’ve loved seeing all of the publications our users have shared. You’ve tweeted us @calameo, chatted with us on Facebook, showed us your best on Instagram and curated with us on Pinterest.
Today we are announcing a whole new way for our users to share their publications with us—and with the millions of readers who visit our platform.
That’s right, from now on every publisher on Calaméo can nominate his or her publication to be featured on our homepage!
It’s easy to let us know you’d like your publication to be considered. Just use the hashtag #CalameoCoversClub when you share your publication on Twitter or Instagram!
Our Content Management Team reviews all of the publications posted with the #CalameoCoversClub hashtag and chooses their favorites to appear on the Calaméo homepage. While all selections are up to the Content Management Team, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Belonging to the #CalameoCoversClub means having a striking cover! Beautiful photography, bold colors and eye-catching graphics on the cover can help your publication stand out.
We love seeing our users’ creativity with digital publishing. If your publication makes great use of Calaméo’s features, it may be a good candidate for the #CalameoCoversClub.
Readers from all over the world visit Calaméo and our platform is available in seven languages. Try using the #CalameoCoversClub hashtag with your publications that would benefit from the widest possible audience!
We can’t wait to see which of your publications will be part of the #CalameoCoversClub this year!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram so you can keep up with all of the #CalameoCoversClub entries and see which publications are chosen for the homepage!
