Cool Free Websites and Apps

Happy photo dieting! Author: Anna McNab Date Posted: 3/21/2014  Description: The immense proliferation of digital photography has made every one of us a photographer and with the ever improving technology and constantly increasing size of the picture files we are storing on our computers, the time has come to figure out a way to downsize these huge folders filled with hundreds of pictures of our children playing with toys, playing at a park or in the first snow. Don't get me wrong, these moments are invaluable, but they are starting to take up all of the storage space on our computers. You may also wish to read more if you have a website with many images, because shrinking them will decrease the load time for your content, or if you make presentations that include many images.  JPEGmini offers a possible solution to this problem by dramatically reducing the size of our JPEG files without the loss of quality in our pictures. Let me take you on a tour that will  sho...

Description:  Everyone knows the benefits of journaling, it relieves stress, makes you stick to your goals but what many don't know is that you can now also do it online from anywhere and never lose your thoughts again.  Penzu is an online diary that let's you write down your private thoughts securely. If you have been looking for a digital diary solution, look no more. I am confident you will love this free, private and secure way of capturing your thoughts and important events. It is of course entirely up to you what type of a journal you keep. Some people like to do a daily journal, while others want to capture their travels through Africa. And don't forget the bright minds looking for a solution to capture all of their ideas that are rushing through their creative minds, or the teenagers venting about their friends or perhaps their annoying parents. In addition to the free version, there is also Penzu Pro and Penzu Classroom with added functionality for those enth...

Description: Padlet (formerly known as Wallwisher) is a web-based tool that allows you to build a wall of thoughts. It is a simple, yet powerful website with unlimited possibilities. You can build a private wall to organize your own thoughts or maybe create a visual list of goals or you can create a public one and share it with the world or even embed it on your website.  Padlet  allows you to create walls using different templates and you can add various multimedia. You can even use  Padlet  for real time collaboration with others. There are so many possibilities, I am sure you will love it. Padlet - Travel Bucket List Example Padlet  is very easy to use and very intuitive. One of its strengths is also in the various ways you can share what you create. The following is the screen shot of the sharing options, which all come with the free account: Padlet Sharing Options Others have used  Padlet  to plan events, to organize their Christmas s...

Description: Many of us take images on our cell phones or even nice digital cameras. Later, when we look at them, we wish we had done something just a little different, or maybe we wish we had better light when we took the image, or even wish to have the ability to frame the image to give it just a little extra. Of course, we all know the powers of Instagram  that allows us to doctor up images directly from a smartphone. Today, I would like to introduce Ribbet - a FREE photo editing tool, you can use on your computer. The best part - you do not need to download anything, you do not need to sign up for anything (not even provide your email address) and you can edit your images using your browser. Below are some of my images I was able to edit in just a few seconds.  Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest This picture of the Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest was taken with an iPhone 5. The only effect applied to this image is called the Morocco Effect (my personal favo...

Wordle Tag Cloud Example Description: Ever wondered how the word/tag clouds you see so often at various websites are created? If you think you need great Photoshop skills, you will be happy to learn there is a tool for that. Wordle provides a FREE web tool that will allow you to create professional looking word cloud in seconds. No sign-ups, no hassle, you just simply visit the website, select create, provide your words and let your imagination do the rest when you start playing with the Layout, Colors, Direction of Words and Fonts. The Advanced version is great for those who want even more control over their creations. I was able to create the word cloud shown above in less then a minute. I am sure you will love it! Pros:  you will find a whole new love for showing off your WORDS Cons:  may be too simplistic for those who want full control, the applications runs JavaScript that could become problematic if you don't have the right update Link:   Wordle Cost: ...

Prezi Presentation Example Description: Have you ever seen a presentation look like the one you see in the picture above? No, then be prepared to be amazed by the possibilities Prezi provides. To view this amazing presentation, click on its title: The Syria Crisis: How Kids Can Help . I promise you will be intrigued by the options Prezi provides for its users. Prezi, is reinventing the way we present information by making visual communication a lot more dynamic. Its approach is in allowing you to create a story on a canvas and navigate it by zooming to its parts rather than having to approach everything in a linear fashion as you would with the more traditional approach of Microsoft's PowerPoint. You can start from scratch or use one of its multiple amazing templates that will make it easy for you to impress any audience. The tool is very intuitive and provides multiple different versions (free and paid for) that will meet the needs of any user. To learn more about these op...

Infogram Infographic Example Description:   Infogram is a website where you can create various different charts to visually portray your data. Anything from bubble charts and treemaps to simple pie charts.  You can either work with a built-in worksheet tool or import your data in an XLS, XLSX and CSV formats. You can download your infographic as a PNG or a PDF file and seamlessly share on various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Interest. So next time, when you are asked to present some data, test out Infogram and be ready to wow your boss, your teacher or your friends. Pros: You can create graphs using real data, you can add your own images and video. Cons:  There is limited availability of other objects to be used in your  infographics, such as people or buildings. Link:   infogr.am Cost:  FREE Experience: I was able to create the following infographic myself. The process was pretty intuitive and I would use ...

Timeline Example: Whitney Houston Description:  At this website, you can create and share a beautiful timeline. Timeline JS is an open-source solution available in 40 languages. It is especially appropriate if you are trying to convey a story that has a meaningful chronological component.  To learn more about this product, you can watch this promotional video . Pros:  It can pull in media from different sources and has built in support for: Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Flickr, Google Maps, Wikipedia, SoundCloud and more are being added.  Cons:  you create your timeline through Google Spreadsheet (which can become a benefit with frequent use) Link:   TimelineJS Cost:  FREE Disclaimer:  Please note that all of the information provided above is accurate at the time of posting and works within the United States, though access to this tool may be limited in some other parts of the world. 

Sliderocket  Description:  At this website, you can create and share your beautiful dynamic presentations. This tool provides a brand new take on presenting. You can create your presentations online or offline, you can collaborate on them with others, you can view them on mobile devices. One of the other features that is certainly interesting is the fact that you can track the effectiveness of your presentations. The list goes on...  To learn more about this product, please go here . Pros: Sliderocket allows you to create presentations that will be more interactive and dynamic than presentations you can create with Microsoft PowerPoint. You will also have an opportunity to track which particular presentations/slides are effective. Cons: It is not as transformational in its approach as Prezi , because it continues to have the linear feel. Link:   sliderocket.com Cost:  FREE Disclaimer:  Please note that all of the information provided above is ...

Easelly Infographic Example Description: At this website, you can create and share visual ideas online. You do this through  vhemes, which   are visual themes. To create your visuals, you simply drag and drop a v heme onto your canvas, then you customize it or add additional visual components.    To learn more about this product, you can watch this promotional  video . Pros: you can upload your own image, great built-in objects (people, landmarks, animals, etc.) and themes (map, flow-chart, comparison/relationship) Cons: you cannot create graphs using real data Link:   easel.ly Cost: FREE Disclaimer: Please note that all of the information provided above is accurate at the time of posting and works within the United States, though access to this tool may be limited in some other parts of the world.