Category: App of the Month

APP OF THE MONTH: Inside Theatre

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Education, Theatre
Name Inside Theatre with funding from Innovate UK
Product Description Set to replace the traditional programme or playbill Inside Theatre has created an environmentally friendly and educational app where the possibilities are endless. And this is only Step One!
Availability Available from the Apple App Store.
Key Features ·       Develop your own magical fairy avatar with different outfit choices, patterns, textures and wing shapes and sizes.

·       Design your set in 3D adding set pieces like mushrooms, steps and platforms. Scale, rotate and pattern your set pieces to make them completely unique.

·       Create your own theatre lighting from a central bar, sidelights and face lights, change the colour and intensity of your LX to generate whatever mood best suits your costume and set design.

·       Select the perfect soundscape to complete your show choosing from Traditional, Magical, Modern and Natural.

·       Watch your performance in your living room through the amazing power of AR with a real actor recorded through motion capture playing Bottom!

·       Eventually, you will be able to interact with a theatre show before, during and after with loads of specialist content and interactive activities. This is just the first step: the before, learning about A Digital Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Prices and Plans The bargain price £1.99 and worth every penny! A great way to support the arts and keep yourself entertained during the next inevitable lockdown. And, if you’re a drama teacher it is a very reasonable price for a few lessons worth of activity!
Biggest Pro It covers all aspects of technical production to allow for a proper understanding of how theatre works, the only thing it’s missing is the stage manager 😉
Biggest Con It’s only new, so it’s a little slow and glitchy, but bear with it. Inside Theatre is set to get bigger and better and you could be there when it all began.

 

If you’re a live theatre lover who is desperately missing going to performances during this pandemic this is the next best thing! And keep your eyes peeled on Inside Theatre, we can expect some great things from these folks in the very near future.

APP OF THE MONTH: Speechify

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Administration, App of the Month, Education
Name Speechify
Product Description Text to speech software. Either copy and paste in text, upload a pdf or simply snap a photo and Speechify will read it in a human-sounding voice.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and as an extension on Google Chrome. Currently available in Beta Form on Google Play Store. A desktop app for MacBooks can be downloaded from the Speechify Website.
Key Features ·       Choose your natural sounding voice from a selection and listen to text in over 50 different languages.

·       Change your reading speed so you can listen at up to 900 words a minute, which is 5 times the average reading speed.

·       Take a photo of whatever your reading and upload it to Speechify which will then read it to you!

·       Import articles directly from your internet browser or install the chrome add on so you don’t have to!

·       Compatible with loads of different apps including Dropbox, iCloud and Google Drive.
Prices and Plans Free! Premium packages starting from £11.25 a month which allows unlimited access and HD Voices,
Biggest Pro The voice! Having struggled with dyslexia all my educational and professional life this is BY FAR the easiest to use and best sounding software I have ever come across.
Biggest Con Pretty new, so a little glitchy here and there but you can’t have everything.

 

An effortlessly simple piece of software which integrates flawlessly with your internet platforms.

I wish I would have had this at university!

APP OF THE MONTH: TikTok

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Marketing, Social Media

If you haven’t heard of TikTok… where have you been all pandemic?

Name TikTok
Product Description A new social media video platform designed for teenagers but entertaining for everyone! A great place to experiment with video content and keep your Arts Business on the map during Covid times.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Key Features ·       Watch more videos than you could ever possibly have time for, all especially customised to you, dependent on your viewing habits, in a focused feed.

·       Explore different genres from Comedy, Art, Music, Gaming, DIY, memes and everything in between, not forgetting Pet videos, because no social media platform is complete without a cheeky pet video.

·       You have unlimited pauses when recording your videos and you can reshoot it however much you need.

·       There are millions of users and creators worldwide so get ready to get inspired and let those creative juices flow.

·       Add your favourite music or sound clips for free! If you’ve seen RuPaul’s Drag Race you’ll be familiar with the art of lip syncing. Well, with TikTok, you can have a go!

·       Loads of filters, special effects and AR capabilities to play around with to make your videos really stand out above the rest.

·       In app editing tools allow you to trim, cut, merge and duplicate footage to your hearts content.
Prices and Plans Free! And now has options to create business accounts and paid advertising plans within the app.
Biggest Pro It’s still relatively new, practically in its infancy for social media platforms. This means it is easier to come up with original content to grab follower attention.
Biggest Con Hugely addictive… I myself have been known to spend two to three hours trapped in a TikTok Typhoon.

The best platform for reaching a younger target audience and the most fun you will have ‘doing work’ to promote your business.

So, show off your creativity with a TikTok account for your Arts Business.

Have you already got one? We’d love to follow you. Let us know in the comments below.

APP OF THE MONTH: PhotoShop Camera

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Blogs, Social Media
Name Adobe Photoshop Camera
Product Description Take the perfect picture! Look like you’ve spent hours editing your images in Photoshop by just picking an awesome filter, then show it off on your Social Media.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Key Features ·       Loads of free filters with new ones uploaded every week. Whether you’re looking for Studio style lighting, enhanced sky in your landscapes or a detailed night time lens there’s something for everyone.

·       Photos are edited automatically so that you get professional shots with every photo you take.

·       Influencer designed lenses so you can create content just like that of your favourite Instagram celebrity.

·       Awesome artistic lenses from Pop-Art to Sketch to transform your images to look like the work of a master painter.

·       Inbuilt AI looks at your content and suggests filters to you, automatically applying the effects you need to make your photos look awesome with minimal effort.

·       Portrait controls for the perfect lighting and appearance! When taking group shots the built in AI recognises people as the subject so as not to distort images.
Prices and Plans Completely free! Which for an Adobe product is fantastic… hopefully a vision of things to come.
Biggest Pro The huge number of filters is bound to get your creative juices flowing.
Biggest Con It’s pretty basic, you’ll wanna stick to SnapChat for your selfie filters, but it’ll really enhance your other content.

 

So, not only can you spend hours of your currently monotonous locked in lifestyle scrolling through filters but you can make your social look sick!

Do you use Photoshop Camera to pimp up your Instagram? Share your pictures with us on Instagram @TheArtzBiz

We’d love to see them!

APP OF THE MONTH: FACEBOOK PAGES MANAGER

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Digital Marketing, Social Media

In lockdown it is crazy easy to go off on major tangents instead of actually doing any work, so help curb your urges with our App of the Month.

Name Facebook Pages Manager
Product Description No more getting distracted by your wall, get straight down to business with all your Facebook Business Pages in one place.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Key Features ·       Manage your page comments, posts and messages from one place without getting diverted by all that tempting clickbait on your feed.

·       Keep track of your Insights (Facebook Analytics) so you know what activity is performing well and what you need to work on.

·       Sync your Instagram account to manage all your messages together in a single platform.

·       Get your Facebook Advertising set up to achieve your company goals whether boosting existing posts or creating new content.

·       Schedule Events and Appointments and publicise available jobs through one easy app.
Prices and Plans It’s completely free! (Until you start purchasing Facebook Ads.)
Biggest Pro It’s simplicity! When working on your business pages it is so easy to get lost in your feed if you log on from your browser or the Facebook App, (we’ve all been there, just one more video…) now you can avoid the urge and get directly to the point.
Biggest Con Unlike online you can’t view your page as a customer, basically just as your personal profile, so you can see what it looks like from a visitor’s perspective. It’s being updated all the time though, so watch this space.

 

So, get to work with Facebook Pages Manager!

Instead of looking at all your photos ever, since 2007.

APP OF THE MONTH: ZOOM

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Administration, App of the Month, Business Skills
Name ZOOM Cloud Meetings
Product Description The perfect app for lockdown! For all your meeting needs whether you miss your friends and want to stay in touch or you’re still trying to run your business and keep all your colleagues informed and up to date.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and on your PC/Mac.
Key Features ·       Meetings – Including online meetings, training and support Zoom has been used for all manner of things this lockdown, from hosting quizzes, lectures, discussions, choir sessions and, my personal favourite, the Ultimate Disney Singalong!

·       HD video and audio – It really is the best quality video communicator I have found and through quarantine I’m pretty sure I’ve used them all!

·       Mute – This seems like a simple addition, but as the host the ability to mute your attendees means they can hear you clearly and effectively.  I’ve run a readthrough over zoom and people can mute themselves when they aren’t talking so the script can be as clear and clean as possible.

·       Device Flexibility – They claim to be available on any device and as a user of all devices, from android to apple and back around to windows I am yet to find one it isn’t compatible with.

·       Security – Probably not necessary for your family pub quiz but great if you are discussing private or secret information you don’t want getting leaked.

·       Calendaring and Integration – It works across your browser and inbuilt software effortlessly. Without even intending to do so, if I schedule a meeting on my Mac it is automatically added to my iCal. It also offers extensions for Microsoft Office, Email and Web Browsers.

·       Screen Sharing and Remote Access – If a lot of your team are working from home at the moment then it’s a great way to make sure all company software and hardware is kept up and running. With their screen sharing and remote control your IT maintenance team can keep on helping from home too.
Prices and Plans Your basic meeting account is free (hence its increasing popularity throughout lockdown!) It’s paid accounts (with a few more features) range from £11.99 p/m – £15.99 p/m for each individual meeting host.
Biggest Pro The screen sharing and remote control! Yes, it is basically an updated Skype but the easy to use screen share and the ability to remotely control someone’s computer from your own is seamless. It makes life so much easier! Even if you’re only using it to sort out a straightforward technically problem for your Mum, you can save a lot of conversation conflict!
Biggest Con The 40-minute limit on group meetings can be annoying, but the sneaky way around this is to set up a personal meeting so the meeting number and password remain the same. This way after you’re booted out after 40 minutes your party can simply log back in immediately.

 

I love Zoom!

And I think everyone will agree with me when I say that this lockdown certainly wouldn’t have been the same without it!

APP OF THE MONTH: SEMrush

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Marketing, Start Ups
Name SEMrush
Product Description For all your SEO needs! Any stats you could possibly need to know for your SEO Report and the quickest way to research if your SEO efforts are working and how you can improve your strategy.
Availability The best way to access SEMrush with all of its functionalities is directly through your browser. There is also an app available through Google Play Store and Apple App Store which can be used to track your existing projects.
Key Features ·       Analytics and Advertising: Unlike Google Analytics SEMrush can also tell you all about your competitors SEO and online advertising strategies and how well they’re working out.

·       Backlink Analytics: Assess your backlinks (incoming links on other peoples’ websites to your own) to see who is linking you from where and how successful it has been. In addition you can learn where your competitors have backlinks too.

·       Keyword and Keyphrase Research: Find the right words to improve your business’ ranking on search engines and how these change, dependent on countries you are active in.

·       Product Listing Ads: Understand Competitors best performing products and how this can be utilised in your business.

·       Traffic Analytics: The who, what, where, when, why, how, of the users visiting your page.

·       A/B Testing: Loads of ideas and practical guidelines for setting up A/B Testing on your website.

·       Projects: Set up a specific campaign for your website(s) with the exact information you want to track, from keeping an eye on your google position to scheduling your social media, available live to you whenever you want it.

·       And so much more information that can help you to monetise your business online.
Prices and Plans Price plans can be pretty expensive (ranging from $99 – $399 a month) so to access all its power you would ideally need to be a large scale business looking to expand further, but it has loads of free features so long as you set up an account.
Biggest Pro It is perfectly to the point and beautifully laid out to make the information quick and easy to read and understand.
Biggest Con You only get 10 searches a day with your free plan so make sure you’re strategic and leave yourself some time to write your plan.

 

Want to learn more about SEMrush and how to build your own SEO Report, click here.

APP OF THE MONTH: HoursTracker

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Administration, App of the Month

 

Name HoursTracker
Product Description The perfect app for freelancers! Track the work you do for the multitudes of companies you work for down to the minute by checking in and out and tracking your wages!
Availability Available on the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cribasoft.HoursTrackerFree.Android&hl=en_GB

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hours-tracker-hours-and-pay/id336456412
Key Features ·         If you spend your day flitting between companies and to do lists this app is perfect for clocking your hours for each individual job by hour, day, week and month.

·         Pay is added up for every minute you work!  HoursTracker also calculates an estimated net pay and any overtime.

·         Enter a job location to list in the order of jobs from closest to furthest

·         Tags help you to organise what jobs are active, billable and have been paid

·         Note how many hours your expected to do each day and when.  HoursTracker lets you know when to clock out and gives you a 15 minute warning so you can wrap up

·         Quick and easy to learn, as soon as you register your first job it’s all pretty self-explanatory

·         Shortcuts make navigation of the app super quick and easy.
Prices and Plans It starts completely free which only allows you to enter a limited number of jobs.  To upgrade from the personal to pro version is a one off payment of £4.99 and that pretty much opens all of the app’s capabilities.  Trust me when I say it is well worth it.
Biggest Pro It has a beautiful simplicity which basically allows all freelancers who work for multiple companies to live a much simpler, more organised life!
Biggest Con It would be nice to be able to figure out different amounts of tax through this app but you can’t have everything and even without this it’s still pretty great

 

All in all, a brilliant app which does exactly what it says on the tin!

APP OF THE MONTH: Doodle

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Administration, App of the Month, Business Skills

 

Name Doodle
Product Description An online voting app designed to make scheduling meetings and events super easy as well as create online surveys and questionnaires.
Availability Only Available through your browser at https://doodle.com/ on the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Store.
Key Features ·         Schedule events and meetings, big or small across any calendar and platform quickly and easily

·         Ask questions by creating polls to send to your team and get them to vote for the most popular option

·         Sync most calendar apps with Doodle in order to avoid double bookings

·         Create and share your own Doodle URL to try and avoid that emailing to and fro

·         Send out multiple times to enable users to vote on their preferred one

·         New Doodle Dashboard keeps all your doodles in one place and makes them really easy to access

·         Auto-arrange reminders to go out prior to the meeting

·         With premium you can customise Doodle to be in keeping with your own company branding and receive advanced security
Prices and Plans It starts completely free to develop a basic poll! But they also have different business options for Doodle ranging from €3.50 per month for one business user to €12.50 per month for five.  Are you an even bigger business? Get in touch with Doodle to receive a quote!
Biggest Pro It’s basically like next level organisation without all the faff! That endless email back and forth and the accidental reply alls are more or less completely eliminated.
Biggest Con It is kind of limited, but to be honest, it’s the simplicity that makes it so brilliant.

Whether or not you use it for big corporate meet and greets or to find a weekend for that school reunion it really is the perfect little bit of software!

 

APP OF THE MONTH: Ravelry

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Networking, Social Media
Name Ravelry
Product Description So, technically not an app but a great online community designed especially for crafters!
Availability Only Available through your browser at https://www.ravelry.com/
Key Features ·         A way for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to find like-minded folk!

·         Stay up to date with the latest yarns, tools and projects

·         Free and paid for patterns available to download.  You can use outright or as inspiration.

·         User based content from similar hobbyists

·         Meet and stay in touch with people from all over the world

·         Find different themed groups to suit any crafters needs

·         Upload your projects in an online notebook to share what you’re working on and make your patterns available online.

·         Create an advertising account with specific craft products or services and know you’re directly reaching your target audience!
Prices and Plans FREE!

Think of it like Facebook but for material makers!
Biggest Pro The instant community you find at the mere click of a button!  If you’re a designer or maker, or even a specialist product developer for the craft sector then you’re bound to find friends through Ravelry.
Biggest Con They don’t have any apps currently available for direct access from your phone or tablet but it’s easy enough to log in from your browser.  They also have a page that gives you a list of recommended apps here. https://www.ravelry.com/about/apps

 

Do you love Ravelry? Tell us all about your Ravelry experiences in the comments!