In this article, I’ll walk you through the key features of UPDF and show you how its AI-powered tools can enhance your daily workflow.

UPDF supports desktop PCs, Macs, and mobile devices like iPhones and iPads.

UPDF for Windows UPDF for Mac

UPDF Features Overview

Before we get into the AI-driven features, let’s take a closer look at what UPDF can do.

• Edit PDF: Easily modify text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds, offering a seamless editing experience similar to a Word document.
• Read PDF: Open and read PDF files with adjustable settings to enhance your reading efficiency, supported by AI on both desktop and mobile platforms.
• UPDF Cloud: Manage your PDFs more efficiently with cloud-based storage, accessible across various devices to boost productivity.
• Annotate & Markup PDF: Employ a variety of tools to annotate and markup PDFs for better collaboration and feedback.
• Convert PDFs: Swiftly convert PDF documents into other formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images.
• OCR PDF: Extract text from scanned documents and images in 38 languages, making them searchable and editable.
• Organize PDF: Manipulate PDF pages by adding, deleting, rotating, replacing, extracting, splitting, cropping, and reordering them as needed.
• Batch PDF Processing: Streamline repetitive tasks such as printing, creating, converting, combining, and encrypting PDFs to enhance efficiency.
• Protect PDF: Enhance the security of your PDFs by adding passwords, redacting content, embedding watermarks, and utilizing security features.
• Compress PDF: Reduce PDF file sizes with a single click, making them easier to share.
• Create, Fill, and Sign PDF Forms: Design, fill, and digitally sign PDF forms, supporting a secure and paperless workflow.

UPDF AI

UPDF AI, powered by GPT-4, offers tools that help streamline your document management tasks. It’s designed to make your workflow smoother by providing features like document summarizing, text translating, and more.

Translate

Translate PDF content into multiple languages accurately. Simply highlight the text, right-click, and navigate to UPDF AI > Translate > [Choose Language].

You can also save translations as sticky notes for easy reference.

Summarize

Quickly summarize lengthy documents to capture the main points. Highlight the text you want to summarize, right-click, and choose UPDF AI > Summarize. It’s pretty useful for reviewing large volumes of information efficiently.

Explain

Clarify complex terms or sections within your PDFs. Just highlight the part you need explained, and UPDF AI will provide a straightforward explanation, making it easier to understand dense or technical documents.

AI Chat

The AI Chat feature allows you to converse with an AI about your PDFs, ask questions, and get assistance with analysis. This is particularly helpful for complex or detailed documents that require deeper understanding.

UPDF AI Web

If you like the features of the UPDF app, you’ll be glad to know there’s also a web version called UPDF AI Web.

Just like the app, this online tool is your all-in-one AI assistant for PDFs. Powered by GPT-4, this online version llets you do everything from summarizing and translating to asking questions and chatting with AI, just like you would on the app.

And since everything is done in the cloud, if you’re using the app, you’ll find all your PDF files and previous interactions with the AI on the web version too, once you log into your account.

Conclusion

UPDF Editor is a great tool for handling all your PDF needs. It offers easy PDF editing, smooth reading modes, handy cloud storage, comprehensive annotation tools, and advanced OCR features, making your work with PDFs more efficient and straightforward.

The AI-driven capabilities, like summarizing documents, translating text, and interactive chat, provide an extra level of convenience that can save you time and effort.

Right now, you can get UPDF Editor at a special discount. Click here to take advantage of this offer and upgrade to the premium version. This is a great opportunity to enhance your PDF management experience, so don’t miss out!

The post AI-driven UPDF Editor – Your Ultimate PDF Companion appeared first on Hongkiat.

Well, this post is all about that. Read on to find out more!

Advanced Method: Use Spoofing Software

The first method on our list involves using the iMyFone AnyTo app. This software allows you to spoof your location easily, without needing much technical knowledge. Importantly, there’s no need to jailbreak your iPhone.

Here’s a guide on how to use iMyFone AnyTo to achieve this:

1. Download iMyFone AnyTo for your operating system and install it on your computer.
2. Open iMyFone AnyTo and click “Get Started.” Connect your iPhone to your computer using an original or MFi-certified cable. Make sure to trust the computer on your iPhone and enter your passcode if needed.



3. Select the cable connection for stability. Ensure your iPhone doesn’t lock automatically by setting Auto-Lock to “Never” under Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock.
4. Once your device is connected, a map will appear. Enter the Teleport Mode, type the name or coordinates of your desired location, or simply pin a location on the map.



5. Click the “Move” button to update your location to the new destination.

Once you’ve set your desired fake location or route, all location-based apps on your iPhone, including Find My, will reflect this change. This ensures that any app that uses your location data will now show your new, spoofed location.

Additional Features of iMyFone AnyTo

Beyond simply changing your location, iMyFone AnyTo also lets you design custom routes and easily revert to your original location.

Creating a Route

• Two-Spot Mode: Transition from your current spot to a chosen destination with customized movements to simulate realistic travel patterns.



• Multi-Spot Mode: Design a route involving multiple stops, enhancing the realism of your movement simulation.

Resetting Your Location

To revert to your original location, simply click the “Reset Location” button on the software’s dashboard. Should your location not update immediately, a restart of your device will ensure the changes take effect.

Here’s a video to learn more about the app:

Method 2: Disable “Share My Location”

Turning off your shared location is perhaps the easiest method to hide your device’s location. By disabling this feature, anyone you have previously shared your location with will no longer be able to see it. Follow these steps to turn off “Share My Location” on your iPhone:

1. Navigate to the Settings app.
2. Scroll to “Privacy & Security” and select it.
3. At the top, tap “Location Services.”
4. Find and tap “Share My Location.”
5. Switch the toggle to off.

Method 3: Enable Airplane Mode

Enabling Airplane Mode is perhaps a more straightforward approach to hiding your location and requires fewer steps compared to disabling “Share My Location.”

When Airplane Mode is activated, your iPhone disconnects from all networks, effectively freezing your last known location. To resume normal tracking, simply swipe down and turn off Airplane Mode.

Method 4: Use Another Apple Device

If you have an additional Apple device, you can configure it to share its location instead of your primary iPhone.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open the Find My app on the secondary device.
2. Tap the “Me” tab at the bottom right corner.
3. Enable location sharing from this device, not your primary iPhone.

By doing this, the location displayed to others will be that of the secondary device, allowing you to maintain privacy about your actual whereabouts.

Conclusion

There you have it – four discreet ways to freeze your location on an iPhone. These methods allow you to effectively freeze or spoof your iPhone’s location without raising suspicions.

Quick fixes like turning off “Share My Location” or enabling Airplane Mode are simple yet effective; for other scenarios, such as creating a route, an app like iMyFone AnyTo may come in handy.

The post Top 4 Methods to Spoof Location on iPhone appeared first on Hongkiat.

You’re not alone. Even the most organized managers face challenges managing teams and multitasking across projects.

Luckily, a variety of managerial tools exist to streamline your workflow, enhance team collaboration, and enable more efficient decision-making.

In this article, we’ll look into the most effective tools for managers, covering areas like project management, communication, and time tracking.

These tools cover different aspects of management and productivity, offering solutions tailored to your specific needs. Whether you choose to adopt a single tool or combine several, you’re sure to find valuable assistance. Let’s explore these options.

Overview:

ProofHub

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that help you plan, organize, collaborate, and deliver projects efficiently. With ProofHub, you gain a comprehensive overview of all your projects, tasks, and teams, enabling you to make informed decisions and effectively manage resources.

This tool centralizes your workflow, bringing all elements and team members onto a single platform. You can monitor project progress, assign tasks, establish deadlines, and communicate seamlessly with your team.

By consolidating multiple functionalities into one platform, ProofHub simplifies collaboration, enhances productivity, and aligns everyone with the project objectives.

Key Features

• Task management with deadline setting, file attachments, and comment capabilities.
• Built-in chat, discussion boards, shared notes, and @mentions for real-time communication.
• Automatic timer for detailed tracking of time spent on tasks and projects.
• Interactive Gantt charts for visualizing project timelines and dependencies.

Pricing

ProofHub offers a 14-day free trial. Beyond the trial, it provides two pricing plans with no per-user fees:

• Essential Plan: $45 per month (billed annually) for up to 40 projects and unlimited users.
• Ultimate Control Plan: $89 per month (billed annually) for unlimited projects, users, and access to all features.

Visit ProofHub

Chanty

Chanty is a team collaboration tool designed to enhance communication within teams. It enables project managers to boost teamwork, ensure seamless interaction, and maintain alignment across the team.

Featuring an intuitive interface and versatile features, Chanty simplifies team management significantly.

Key Features

• Direct messages and group chats for real-time communication.
• Convert messages into tasks and assign them directly to team members.
• High-quality video and audio calls integrated within the app.
• Effortless sharing of all file types and sizes with the team.

Pricing

Chanty offers the following plans:

• Free: Available forever for teams of up to 5 members.
• Business: $3 per user per month, billed annually.

Visit Chanty

Buffer

Buffer is a user-friendly social media management tool designed to help you schedule posts, track performance, and manage all your social media accounts efficiently.

If you’re aiming to streamline your social media efforts and maintain a consistent online presence, Buffer is an excellent choice.

Key Features

• Schedule posts across multiple social media platforms for efficient content management.
• Access performance analytics for insights into post engagement and reach.
• Use a calendar view to strategize and visualize your social media plan.
• Store, categorize, and reuse posts to maximize content utility.

Pricing

Buffer offers a 14-day free trial, followed by a range of plans including a free option:

• Free: Manage up to 3 channels without cost.
• Essentials: $6 per month per channel.
• Team: $12 per month per channel.
• Agency: $120 per month for up to 10 channels.

Visit Buffer

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly tool that effortlessly manages your customer relationships, streamlining your sales process to help you focus on business growth.

This CRM enables you to track deals, manage contacts, and analyze sales performance efficiently.

Key Features

• Centralize all contact information in one accessible database.
• Visualize your sales pipeline with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
• Automatically log and track all email interactions by connecting your email to HubSpot CRM.
• Generate detailed reports on sales activities and performance.

Pricing

HubSpot CRM offers four pricing plans, including a free option:

• Free: Available for up to 5 users.
• Starter: $15 per seat per month (billed annually) for up to 1000 contacts.
• Professional: $1080 per month for 5 seats (billed annually) for up to 2000 contacts.
• Enterprise: $4000 per month for 7 seats (billed annually) for up to 10000 contacts.

Visit HubSpot CRM

Email Analytics

Email Analytics is an email management tool that offers insights into your team’s email activities. It helps monitor productivity and streamline communication by analyzing data from your email accounts.

This tool delivers essential metrics and visualizations, showcasing how much time is spent on emails, and assists in making decisions to enhance efficiency.

Key Features

• Track email response times to gauge responsiveness.
• Access detailed reports on emails sent and received.
• Visualize email activity patterns and productivity trends.
• Create personalized dashboards tailored to your specific needs.

Pricing

Email Analytics provides a 14-day free trial and offers two pricing plans:

• Pro: $13.50 per inbox per month (billed annually).
• B2B Email Outreach: $900 per month (billed annually).

Visit Email Analytics

Canva

Canva is a graphic design tool that simplifies the creation of stunning visuals, making it accessible for users without any design background.

From engaging presentations to eye-catching social media graphics and marketing materials, Canva’s vast template selection and intuitive drag-and-drop features empower you to design like a professional.

Key Features

• Comprehensive template library for presentations, social media, and more.
• Easy drag-and-drop functionality to add and arrange images, text, and other elements.
• Real-time collaboration tools to comment and edit designs with your team.
• Tools to maintain brand consistency, including options to upload logos, fonts, and colors.

Pricing

Canva offers a free plan along with several premium options:

• Free: Ideal for individual use with basic features.
• Pro: $14.99 per month for enhanced design capabilities for individuals.
• Teams: $29.99 per month, suitable for up to 5 team members.
• Enterprise: Pricing details available upon contact.

Visit Canva

MeetingHand

MeetingHand is an all-in-one event management software that simplifies the planning and execution of meetings, conferences, and events.

This software streamlines the entire event process, from registration and ticketing to post-event surveys, ensuring a smooth experience for both organizers and attendees.

Key Features

• Online registration forms and ticket sales management.
• Comprehensive handling of scheduling, speaker, and venue arrangements.
• Easily build professional-looking event websites without needing coding skills.
• Customizable templates for personalized branding.

Pricing

MeetingHand offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different needs:

• Free: Up to 25 registrations without cost.
• Pay as you go: $3.99 per registration.
• Pay as you plan (small): $790 for up to 250 registrations.
• Pay as you plan (medium): $2490 for up to 1000 registrations.

Visit MeetingHand

SocialBee

SocialBee is a social media management tool that enhances your online presence by streamlining and optimizing your social media activities.

This tool allows for efficient planning, scheduling, and analysis of your social media content across various platforms, saving you time and increasing engagement.

Key Features

• Categorize posts into different content types for organized management.
• Schedule your posts in advance with automated posting features.
• Access detailed analytics and reports for insights into your social media performance.
• Facilitate teamwork with role assignments, content collaboration, and approval processes within the platform.

Pricing

SocialBee offers a 14-day free trial and three structured paid plans:

• Bootstrap: $24.2 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 5 social profiles.
• Accelerate: $40.8 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 10 social profiles.
• Pro: $82.5 per month (billed annually) for managing up to 25 social profiles.

Visit SocialBee

Birdview PSA

Birdview PSA is a robust tool tailored for managing your projects, resources, and finances with precision.

It provides a comprehensive view of your operations, enabling informed decision-making and ensuring your projects remain on track.

Key Features

• Extensive project management capabilities.
• Efficient resource management features.
• Monitor budgets, expenses, and profitability to maintain financial health.
• Real-time reporting for deep insights into project performance.

Pricing

Birdview PSA provides a 14-day free trial and offers two pricing plans:

• Team: $37 per user per month (billed annually), suitable for teams of 5 to 100 users.
• Enterprise: Pricing details available upon request.

Visit Birdview PSA

Clockify

Clockify is a time-tracking tool that helps you and your team meticulously manage work hours. It enables project managers to oversee time management efficiently, monitor productivity, and keep track of project progress.

This tool helps streamline your workflow and provides insights into how time is allocated across different tasks.

Key Features

• Time tracking for individuals and teams to ensure accurate work hour recording.
• Robust project and task management functionalities.
• Detailed analytics and reports for comprehensive insight into time spent.
• Seamless integration with a variety of third-party applications.

Pricing

Clockify offers a 7-day free trial, followed by several tiered pricing options:

• Basic: $3.99 per user per month (billed annually).
• Standard: $5.49 per user per month (billed annually).
• Pro: $7.99 per user per month (billed annually).
• Enterprise: $11.99 per user per month (billed annually).

Visit Clockify

Conclusion

Selecting the right tools can dramatically enhance your work efficiency. By integrating suitable tools into your daily tasks, you can heighten productivity, enhance team collaboration, and make informed, efficient decisions.

More than just simplifying your managerial tasks, the right tools empower you to achieve your goals and manage your resources with precision.

The post 10 Useful Tools Every Manager Should Know appeared first on Hongkiat.

As we rely more on technology, protecting yourself while traveling goes beyond just physical safety – it also includes digital security. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned traveler; dangers can be unpredictable, and cybercrime could be just around the corner.

According to an ExpressVPN blog post, the travel and tourism industries are ranked third-most affected by cyberattacks. It’s always wise to be prepared for the worst-case scenario (knock on wood!).

This article will guide you through practical steps and tech tools to ensure your travels are safe and enjoyable.

1. Secure Your Devices

Your smartphone, tablet, and laptop are essential tools when traveling, but they can also be vulnerable targets for theft or cyber attacks.

To start, set up a passcode, fingerprint, or facial lock on all your devices if you haven’t already – this is absolutely essential.

For smartphones and tablets, ensure that “Find My” (or a similar tracking feature) is turned on. In case your device gets lost, you can easily lock it to prevent unauthorized access.

Also, make sure all the software and apps on your devices are updated to their latest versions.

Keep all the essential apps and programs you anticipate using easily accessible. For example, have map apps, translation apps, and other vital tools readily available on your home screen or desktop. This ensures quick access when you need them most.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a critical security measure that adds an extra layer of protection to your online accounts. When enabled, 2FA requires not only your password but also a second piece of information to verify your identity. This second factor could be a text message code, an email confirmation, or an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Authy.

One important thing to keep in mind is that when setting up 2FA for the apps you anticipate using overseas, it’s best to use an authentication app like Authy or Google Authenticator for the second layer of identification, instead of having codes sent to you via SMS. You might not have access to your local phone line when traveling abroad.

3. Use Travel-Specific Apps

Travel-specific apps can be incredibly useful not only for staying safe but also for keeping you informed and organized when you are abroad. The apps you need may vary depending on where you are traveling to, but here are some types of apps to keep in mind:

• Navigation Apps: Maps.me and Google Maps offer offline maps, ensuring you can find your way even without internet access.
• Language Translation Apps: Google Translate and iTranslate can help you overcome language barriers, which can be crucial in understanding safety signs or communicating in emergencies.
• Local News Apps: Keeping a local news app on your phone helps you stay informed about any potential hazards or important updates in the area you’re visiting.
• Ride-Hailing Apps: Uber, Lyft, or local equivalents can provide safe and reliable transportation options.
• Local Government Immigration Apps: These apps can offer crucial information on immigration policies, local laws, and emergency contact details.

4. Keep Backup Copies of Important Documents

Losing important documents like your passport, travel insurance, and booking confirmations can be a major setback while traveling.

To mitigate the impact of such losses, it’s essential to keep backup copies of all your critical documents.

• Digital Copies: Store digital copies of your documents in a secure cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. This allows you to access them from any device with an internet connection.
• Local Copies: Take photos of your important documents or keep digital copies stored on your phone. This way, even if you are without internet access, you can still access them.
• Email Backup: To be extra safe, email copies of your important documents to yourself. This provides an additional layer of backup that can be accessed from anywhere.

5. Use Smart Travel Gear

Smart travel gear can provide you with extra peace of mind when traveling.

Here are some smart travel items to consider:

• Smart Luggage: Luggage with built-in GPS tracking can help you locate your bags if they go missing. Some smart suitcases also come with locking mechanisms controlled via your smartphone, ensuring your belongings are secure. If you want to track smaller devices, you can also consider using Apple AirTags.



• RFID-Blocking Wallets: These wallets protect your credit cards and passport from RFID skimming, a method used by thieves to steal your information wirelessly.
• Portable Battery Packs: Keeping your devices charged is crucial, especially if you rely on them for navigation and communication. A good portable battery pack can ensure your phone is always powered up.
• Smart Locks: Smart locks for your hotel room or rental property provide added security. These can be controlled via an app, allowing you to monitor and control access.
• Security Cameras: Compact and portable security cameras can help monitor your hotel room or rental property. Some cameras even offer live streaming to your phone, so you can check in anytime.

Bonus: Monitor Your Financial Transactions

Last but not least, keeping an eye on your financial transactions is crucial. Setting up transaction alerts is a good starting point. Most banks and credit card companies offer these alerts via email or SMS, allowing you to be immediately informed of any suspicious activity. This proactive approach helps you catch potential fraud early and take necessary actions to protect your funds.

Additionally, it’s wise to keep your bank’s contact information handy. If you need to report any credit card fraud, having the right numbers at your fingertips can save you from panicking and not knowing whom to call. Being prepared ensures you can quickly address any financial issues, allowing you to enjoy a worry-free travel experience.

Final Thoughts

Traveling abroad is a thrilling way to explore new places and cultures, but staying safe should be a top priority. Using technology can really boost your security on the road. From securing your devices and using VPNs to setting up two-factor authentication and using smart travel gear, these steps help keep your information and belongings safe.

Also, be cautious with public Wi-Fi, keep backup copies of important documents, stay aware of local cyber threats, and monitor your financial transactions closely. These strategies will help you stay protected so you can focus on enjoying your adventure.

By following these tech-savvy tips, you can have a safer and more enjoyable trip, giving you peace of mind to fully enjoy your travels.

The post How to Stay Protected While Traveling Abroad (5 Tips) appeared first on Hongkiat.

This article focuses on a curated list of time trackers that operate directly within your browser, eliminating the need for any downloads or installations on your computer.

Continue reading to discover the best browser-based time tracker that suits your needs.

Overview:

Here’s a list of the tools featured in this post.

1. Replicon

Replicon offers a unified, cloud-based time-tracking solution that caters to businesses of all sizes -from small startups to large enterprises. This single platform tackles a variety of time-related challenges, including project time tracking, billing, and compliance with labor laws.

The platform features an intuitive dashboard that provides a complete overview of project hours, employee engagement, and billable vs. non-billable time. It also offers a pre-configured library of pay rules to help businesses adhere to local and international labor regulations. Furthermore, Replicon integrates effortlessly with existing CRM, ERP, HRMS, and payroll systems.

Utilizing the power of AI, Replicon’s ZeroTime™ feature captures accurate work-time data from over 100 apps like Jira, Slack, and Zoom. This eliminates the need for manual timesheet entries, thereby improving efficiency.

Over the past 27 years, Replicon has been a trusted name for time tracking solutions. Its platform not only boosts employee productivity but also enhances the overall profitability of projects.

• Supported Platforms: Browser, mobile apps.
• Is Replicon Free? Yes, a 14-day free trial is available.
• Replicon Paid Plans: Starting at $6.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Replicon

2. Zoho Projects Time Tracking

Zoho Projects Time Tracking is a cloud-based platform designed primarily for small to medium-sized businesses. The platform is rich in features that empower project managers to allocate tasks, oversee timesheet submissions, and manage team members efficiently.

One of its standout features is its dashboard and reporting modules, which are designed to help you create insightful business summaries.

The service offers a free plan that supports two projects and up to three users. For larger teams, there are paid plans such as the Premium plan at $5 per user per month (up to 50 users) and the Enterprise plan at $10 per user per month (unlimited users).

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is Zoho Projects Time Tracking Free? Yes.
• Zoho Projects Time Tracking Paid Plans: Yes, Starting at $5/user/month.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Zoho Projects Time Tracking

3. Time Tracking by Freshbooks

Time Tracking by Freshbooks is designed to make your work life easier by automating time-tracking tasks. This feature-rich platform allows you to record work time down to the very last billable second. Additionally, it can effortlessly convert timesheets into invoices.

One of its standout features is the ability to capture the time spent by an entire team on a specific project or for a particular client.

FreshBooks offers a range of plans to fit various needs. The Lite plan costs $15 per month and supports up to five clients. The Plus plan is priced at $25 per month and caters to up to 50 clients. The Premium plan costs $50 per month and offers support for an unlimited number of clients. Custom pricing is also available for specialized features.

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is Time Tracking by Freshbooks Free? Yes.
• Time Tracking by Freshbooks Paid Plans: Yes, Starting at $4.50/month.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Time Tracking by Freshbooks

4. Timely

Timely offers an automated time-tracking solution suitable for freelancers and small-to-medium-sized businesses. The software auto-generates detailed timesheets based on the apps, documents, and websites you interact with. With a focus on user privacy, similar to Timing, Timely also allows you to monitor project budgets and assess team performance.

A 14-day free trial is available for those interested in trying out Timely. Post-trial, you can choose from a range of subscription plans. The Starter plan is priced at $10 per user per month and allows up to 50 projects and three teams. The Premium plan costs $18, and the Unlimited plan is priced at $26. For a more tailored experience, there’s also an Unlimited+ plan with custom pricing.

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is Timely Free? Yes, with a 14-day free trial.
• Timely Paid Plans: Yes, starting at $8/user/month after a 14-day free trial.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Timely

5. TimeSolv

TimeSolv excels in offering the ability to run multiple timers and track various tasks at the same time. It’s an ideal fit for professionals like accountants, consultants, and law firms. The software allows for unlimited clients and projects and supports variable hourly rates and recurring expenses.

Additionally, TimeSolv offers a desktop application, TimeSync, for offline time tracking without requiring a browser. After a free trial period, subscription plans are available starting at $39.95 per user per month for 1-4 users. Volume discounts are provided, similar to actiTIME, reducing the cost to $34.95 for 5-14 users and $29.95 for 15+ users.

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is TimeSolv Free? Yes, with a free trial.
• TimeSolv Paid Plans: Yes, starting at $24.95/user/month.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About TimeSolv

6. Trigger

Trigger is designed for project managers and small teams who juggle multiple projects at once. It offers a centralized platform to manage all project-related tasks and track time for various clients, eliminating the need to switch between different platforms.

The service starts with a free plan accommodating up to three team members. Paid options are available with the Standard plan costing $11 per user per month, and the Premium plan priced at $15 per user per month.

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is Trigger Free? Yes, offers a free plan.
• Trigger Paid Plans: Yes, starting at $11/user/month.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Trigger

7. Timenotes

Timenotes streamlines the management of projects, billed hours, and absences through a single, user-friendly dashboard. This allows teams to concentrate on project tasks without getting bogged down by time tracking complexities. A standout feature of Timenotes is its robust system for managing and tracking team absences.

The software offers two flat-rate plans: a Small Team plan priced at $6.99 per month for up to 10 users, and an Unlimited plan priced at $69 per month for an unlimited number of users.

• Supported Platforms: Browser.
• Is Timenotes Free? Yes, offers a free plan.
• Timenotes Paid Plans: Yes, 14-day trial available, plans start at $6.99/month.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Timenotes

8. Kimai Time-tracker

Kimai Time-tracker is an open-source platform with a user-friendly web interface. Designed to accommodate multiple users across various projects, Kimai lets you track time and manage expenses seamlessly. Role-based permissions ensure that only authorized individuals can access certain features, making it an ideal choice for small businesses needing to monitor progress and generate invoices.

As a free and open-source software, Kimai doesn’t offer paid plans. However, it does require a self-hosted web server for installation and operation.

• Supported Platforms: Browser-based, Open source.
• Is Kimai Time-tracker Free? Yes, entirely free and open-source.
• Kimai Time-tracker Paid Plans: No paid plans available.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About Kimai Time-tracker

9. WebWork Time Tracker

WebWork Time Tracker stands as a comprehensive solution for both employee monitoring and time tracking. Suitable for businesses of all sizes, this software delivers accurate insights into how time is being spent across various tasks, websites, or platforms. It proves especially useful for freelancers and companies employing remote teams.

The utility of this software extends beyond mere time tracking. With its varied screenshot monitoring features, it captures screen data to yield valuable insights into employee activity. The built-in Team Chat ensures seamless communication, while the platform’s task history features make productivity assessment straightforward. Available around the clock, it guarantees customer satisfaction and smooth operations.

• Supported Platforms: Browser-based.
• Is WebWork Time Tracker Free? No.
• WebWork Time Tracker Paid Plans: Yes, starting at $2.99/user/month.

Key Features of WebWork Time Tracker

• Time and screenshot tracking.
• Attendance monitoring.
• App and website usage tracking.
• Productivity and activity level analysis.
• Mobile and GPS tracking.
• Task management capabilities.
• In-built team chat for seamless communication.
• Comprehensive online reports and statistics.

What We Like:

What We Don’t Like:

Learn More About WebWork Time Tracker

The post 9 Best Browser-Based Time Tracking Tools appeared first on Hongkiat.

This new model promises to enhance productivity, creativity, and overall user experience with features like a new Mac app, faster performance, and real-time voice conversations.

Let’s explore everything that makes GPT-4o a groundbreaking update in the world of AI.

Availability and User Limits

The app will be available to everyone, both free and paid users, though the rollout will be gradual. Paid users get a better deal with five times the capacity of free users and higher messaging limits.

Improved Performance and Cost Efficiency

GPT-4o is a game-changer – it’s twice as fast and 50% cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo, which came out in late 2023. GPT-4 Turbo offered more up-to-date responses and could handle larger chunks of text. GPT-4o takes it up a notch with even quicker responses and lower costs, making it a powerful upgrade.

Enhanced Speed and Reduced Latency

Expect responses from GPT-4o to be super quick and with less waiting time, making your interactions smoother and more efficient.

Real-Time Voice Conversations

GPT-4o isn’t just about text anymore. Now, you can have real-time voice conversations with it. You can talk directly to ChatGPT and get verbal responses, making it feel like you’re chatting with a real person.

New Desktop App for Mac

There’s a sleek new desktop app for Mac that promises a minimalist and intuitive interface. You can activate the AI with keyboard shortcuts for instant help in apps like Google Docs. This aims to make ChatGPT not just a tool but a handy assistant, boosting your productivity and creativity.

Plus, the release of a dedicated Mac app suggests a potential partnership between Apple and ChatGPT. Windows users, don’t worry – a version for you is expected by the end of 2024.

Image Creation with Readable Text

Creating images with readable text has always been tricky for AI, but GPT-4o nails it. The text in images can be clear and creatively arranged, like on typewriter pages, movie posters, or with poetic typography.

It can even mimic handwriting so well that some images might look like they were made by humans.

The post What’s New in GPT-4o appeared first on Hongkiat.

Zapier stands out as a highly popular automation tool. It’s compatible with hundreds of web services and even supports conditional workflows. Plus, you can start using it for free! While the free version does have some limitations (like missing out on conditional workflows), it’s definitely worth exploring. Intrigued yet?

How does Zapier function?

Zapier operates by establishing links between various web applications and services. These links are referred to as “Zaps”, which are based on the concept of cause and effect, or more specifically, triggers and actions. In Zapier’s terminology, a “Zap” is a connection that binds a trigger and an action together.

To illustrate, suppose you post an image on Twitter, which is set as a trigger. Zapier recognizes this activity and then executes the corresponding action. For instance, it might take the image from your tweet and save it to your Google Drive. Fascinating, isn’t it?

How to create and use zaps?

Before talking about the useful zaps, let’s see how to create and use them:

1. First of all, open and log in to Zapier (or sign up if required).



2. You’ll see the home screen asking you to create your first zap. Type and search for the apps you wish to connect. Next, select a trigger and an action from their dropdown and click “Use Zap“.

   Note: Alternatively, you can click the links given below to check out those zaps directly, and then, you can continue below to configure them.



3. In the zap editor, click “Connect an Account” to connect the trigger app or service first. Then, click the “Save + Continue” button.



4. Now, pick a sample (if asked) to test the zap and click Continue.
5. Then, select the app or service to carry out the action when the trigger happens. You need to select this again even if you picked it earlier.



6. Now, select an action to perform in the zap. Of course, if you selected it before, it will be pre-selected for you. So, just click Continue.



7. Then, press “Connect an Account” to connect the app or service you wish to perform an action. After you connect it, click Test to check its connection with Zapier, and finally, click “Save + Continue“.



8. Next, you must configure the options for the action. It will differ per the action in your zap, but it will be simple as shown here. For example, I am creating a zap for saving my tweets’ links to a text file in Dropbox.



9. Finally, on the next screen, test your zap before activating it. If you’re satisfied with it, click Finish to save and activate your zap.

Zaps for Google Apps & Services

Allow me to introduce you to the concept of “zaps”, a tool for automating Google apps and services. While Google Apps Scripts offer a more customizable approach to automation, Zapier provides a quick and easy alternative.

For those seeking greater flexibility, we recommend exploring our collection of handy Google Apps Scripts. These scripts can help you master Gmail and automate tasks in Google Drive.

Gmail

Google Calendar

Google Contacts

Google Drive

Google Forms

Google Sheets

Zaps for Productivity Tools

Next, let’s check out the zaps aka recipes for automating productivity apps like Evernote and Slack. Then, you can boost productivity even more.

HubSpot

Evernote

Slack

Todoist

Zaps for Social Media

Let’s now explore the automation tools, often referred to as ‘zaps’, for social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. With these tools, you can conveniently share images and updates across multiple networks by simply forwarding them from one platform to another.

Facebook Pages

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

More Zaps & Recipes

Finally, let me list some recipes for a few more apps and tools — all the useful ones like Dropbox and WordPress.

Dropbox

Typeform

WordPress

I believe in automation in spite of the debates going on around its issues as it boosts productivity. It helps me every day in my work, and I hope it will help you too.

The post 100+ Zapier Zaps (and Recipes) to Boost Productivity appeared first on Hongkiat.

Thanks to many free web services, you don’t have to pay an artist for your cartoon illustrations. All you have to do is upload your photo or run some mix-and-match. Here are 13 websites that allow you to create a cartoon character of yourself.

Sapiens Character Builder

Explore a variety of customizable body parts, backgrounds, and poses in three styles to create character illustrations for your projects. Sapiens Character Builder by UI8 provides a straightforward way to assemble unique characters.

Cartoonify.de

Cartoonify is a straightforward online tool for creating cartoon avatars. You can choose from 300 different graphic elements to add to your character and save your creation in PNG, SVG, or upload to Gravatar. There’s also a how-to guide to help you create your character on the site.

AI Cartoonizer

AI Cartoonizer can turn any photo into a cartoon-style image. It lets you turn your face into anime, caricature, or Disney-style characters within a few seconds. The tool is also available for Android and iOS. You can edit and tinker with the created characters and add text, frames, and additional effects.

Media.io

Meda.io is an instant cartoon character maker that fast and free. Just upload your photo, start the process, and get an interesting image within seconds. You can give effects to your photos or turn them into caricatures and share the characters with friends or on social media. Plus, you don’t have to create an account to convert your photos.

VanceAI Toongineer

VanceAI Toongineer is an AI-powered tool that turns your normal photos into cartoons in the quickest way possible. You can give your pictures some amazing effects and artistic touch. The created images are high-quality, so you can easily get them printed.

Image to Cartoon

Image to Cartoon enables you to turn your photos into cartoon characters and avatars with just a few clicks. You can add any interesting body (batman, superman, aviator) to your characters and add your characters to a cool background and have fun with it. The best part is, the image you’ll create will be deleted from the app within 3 hours.

Bitmoji

Create realistic and creative cartoon characters with Bitmoji. On the website, you need to create an account and start making a perfect bitmoji adding your peculiar features. Moreover, you can share the created bitmoji in any iOS or Android app and add them to iMessage, Gboard, or as a Chrome extension to your browser.

Photokako

Claiming to be one of the best online photo editors in Japan, Photokako lets you turn your photos into different effects and characters. Interestingly, the site features hundreds of effects or editing samples so you can easily pick the best for your photos. Plus, its free and really easy to use.

Avatar Maker

Avatar maker can help you create an interesting avatar for yourself or for your projects. Through an interesting interface, you can add different elements to your avatar in terms of hair, face, eyes, clothes, and background. Once done, you can download your character in SVG or PNG format.

Cutout.pro

An AI-powered tool, Cutout.pro, can turn your portrait photos or selfies into 3D cartoon characters. You can drag-and-drop, upload, or paste the image URL and cartoonize it with one click. The website is also available as an Android and iOS app.

Befunky Photo to Cartoon

Befunky Photo to Cartoon lets you upload your photos on PNG, JPG, or BDF format and convert them into cartoon characters. There are different editing features for changing color, touchups and adding text, graphics, and frames etc. You can also choose from a number of pre-made effects and apply to your photos.

Instructables craft

The site has detailed instructions how to create a drawing or cartoon of yourself in Photoshop or Illustrator. Note: you need to have Photoshop or Illustrator to follow the instructions and perhaps some drawing skills.

Portrait Illustration Maker

Portrait Illustration make is a free cartoon avatar generator. Just hit the “Randomizer” button and the site will automatically generate avatars randomly. You can save the Avatar image by right-clicking them and using the Save Image As option from the context menu.

Pho.to

This awesome site can not only turn your landscape photo into a watercolor drawing, but also make your face morph. Just upload your photo to the website and get numerous changes of facial expressions.

The post 10+ Online Tools to Create Cartoon Characters of Yourself appeared first on Hongkiat.

These systems are more than mere tools; they’re vital lifelines for businesses dedicated to exceptional customer service and efficient support processes. The ideal ticketing system can elevate your support strategy, transforming every customer interaction into a chance for growth and building loyalty. If your aim is to streamline and keep track of customer interactions, these systems are indispensable.

In this post, we’re excited to spotlight the best support ticketing systems available, both free and paid.

Overview:

	Zendesk: Great when integrated with other Zendesk products. See details ↓ Starts at $19/agent/mth. Try for free
	Atera: All-in-one IT management with flat-rate pricing See details ↓ Starts at $99/user/mth. Try for free
	NinjaOne: Boosts IT efficiency with rich features. See details ↓ Visit site for pricing. Try for free
	Front: Centralizes multiple communication channels into one collaborative inbox. See details ↓ Starts at $19/user/mth. Try for free
	Hiver: Integrates with Gmail. See details ↓ Starts at $15/user/mth. Try for free
	SysAid Helpdesk: Easy to set up. See details ↓ Visit site for pricing. Check price
	Freshdesk: Free for up to 10 agents. See details ↓ Starts at $15/agent/mth. Has free plan. Try for free
	Zoho Desk: Great choice for current Zoho users. See details ↓ Starts at $14/user/mth. Try it
	ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Easy-to-use interface. See details ↓ Starts at $10/user/mth. Try it
	Salesforce Service Cloud: With the most comprehensive features. See details ↓ Starts at $25/user/mth. Try for free
	Hesk: Free and self-hosted content management system. See details ↓ Free. Download
	Tidio Ticketing System: Easy to set up, requiring no coding knowledge. See details ↓ Starts at $29/agent/mth. Has free plan. Try for free
	osTicket: Free, open-source, and community-supported. See details ↓ Free. Cloud-hosted starts at $12/agent/mth. Download

Zendesk

The first in our list is Zendesk. It is a great tool created to cater to the requirements of customers, service agents, and managers. It has a user-friendly interface that lets customers raise their concerns or issues through different platforms such as websites, emails, phone calls, and even Facebook. Service agents can view customer details and participate in group discussions, while managers have access to important data and reports for analysis.

Additionally, Zendesk can be used on Android and iOS devices.

Zendesk’s price:

Zendesk starts at $19/month. Try a demo.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Zendesk

Atera Helpdesk

Atera Helpdesk is an all-in-one IT platform that combines remote monitoring and management with professional service automation. This powerful tool simplifies IT operations by integrating various functions into a single, easy-to-use interface. IT professionals can efficiently manage support tickets, monitor client networks, and conduct remote troubleshooting.

Featuring real-time analytics and automated workflows, Atera optimizes efficiency and reduces response times. Its comprehensive set of tools supports everything from patch management to security monitoring, ensuring IT systems operate smoothly and securely. Atera’s predictive analytics enhance proactive maintenance and facilitate informed decision-making, improving customer satisfaction.

Ideal for small to medium-sized IT businesses, Atera Helpdesk offers a cost-effective, flat-rate pricing model that allows for unlimited scalability, helping IT teams reduce manual tasks and focus on more strategic initiatives.

Atera’s price:

Atera offers a free 30-day trial with no credit card required.

Its Pro paid plan starts at $99/month. Other paid plans include the Growth plan, starting at $129/month, and the Power plan at $169/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Atera

NinjaOne

Formerly NinjaRMM, NinjaOne’s ticketing system enhances IT support efficiency with its feature-rich platform. Its standout customizable ticketing system allows detailed device information display and quick actions like remote access from the ticket, centralizing control and streamlining IT problem management.

NinjaOne also optimizes IT team workflows by auto-filling ticket details, minimizing errors and saving time. Intelligent ticket routing directs issues to the most qualified technicians, ensuring effective problem resolution. Additionally, features like messaging and activity feeds foster team collaboration, aiding in efficient problem-solving.

NinjaOne’s price:

NinjaOne does not publicly display their pricing options on their website. However, they offer a 14-day free trial for those interested in trying out their services. For detailed pricing information, potential customers can request a quote directly from their pricing page.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out NinjaOne

Front

Front is a customer communication platform that consolidates email, social media, SMS, and voice channels into a single inbox, simplifying management and response processes.

It offers features such as automated message routing, shared drafts for team collaboration, and integrations with third-party tools to enhance the context of customer interactions. Workflow automation reduces manual tasks, allowing teams to focus on more important interactions, while analytics tools provide insights into team performance and customer engagement. Other features include snooze, rules, templates, collision detection, and customer history.

Ideal for industries like technology, financial services, and logistics, Front combines automation with a personal touch to improve customer satisfaction and team efficiency. By streamlining communication and providing valuable tools for managing interactions, Front helps teams deliver a better, more personalized customer experience.

Front’s price:

Front offers four main pricing plans:

• Starter at $19 per seat/month for basic features,
• Growth at $59 per seat/month for essential features,
• Scale at $99 per seat/month for advanced management and increased automation, and
• Premier at $229 per seat/month for maximum usage and custom integrations.

Each plan is billed annually and offers additional add-ons like AI Answers and premium channel integrations. Front also offers a 7-day trial.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Front

Hiver

Hiver stands as a unique support ticket or helpdesk solution that is based on Gmail, specifically designed for businesses looking to optimize their customer support operations within their existing email environment.

It enables effective team collaboration and communication across multiple channels, including email, live chat, and voice communication, all integrated within the Gmail interface. This integration creates a unified inbox experience, which simplifies the handling of multi-channel support and boosts team productivity.

Hiver’s price:

Hiver starts at $15/user/month

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Hiver

SysAid Helpdesk Software

SysAid is a flexible customer support software designed to help customer service and IT teams handle customer problems effectively. Rather than manually creating and sorting tickets, this tool automatically categorizes, directs, and prioritizes tickets to the appropriate teams.

Additionally, it provides features that allow your support staff to solve numerous customer issues via a self-service portal. They can also remotely connect to user computers and oversee IT resources through the service desk.

Read our review on SysAid.

SysAid’s price:

SysAid Helpdesk Software provides a free trial. The Basic or Full Edition starts at $1211 per year, which includes 500 assets and 5 users, or $1611 per year for 1000 assets.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out SysAid Helpdesk Software

Freshdesk

Freshdesk, a product of Freshworks, is among the top support ticketing software available. It even offers a lifetime free plan for three support staff members. In terms of features and simplicity, it is on par with Zendesk, and it is also quite user-friendly and easy to manage.

Freshdesk allows your customers to submit complaint tickets with ease and equips your support staff with the necessary tools to handle these complaints efficiently.

Freshdesk’s price:

Freshdesk can be used for free, with plans ranging from $15/month to $79/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like

Check out Freshdesk

Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk provides a multi-channel customer service tool that enables you to respond to and follow up with your customers. This tool utilizes AI technology to proactively sort support tickets, and you can incorporate workflow automation to handle repetitive tasks.

Furthermore, you can address customer inquiries via email, social media, chat, phone, and your website.

You also have the option to link your account with third-party tools using REST APIs.

Zoho Desk’s price:

Zoho Desk is free for up to 3 agents, albeit with limited functionalities. Paid plans commence at $14/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Zoho Desk

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an intuitive tool for IT and customer management. It boasts a plethora of advanced features, including multi-channel support compatible with nearly all platforms, customer account and contact management, a self-service portal for customers, and a help desk that provides comprehensive information.

To obtain pricing information, you can input your specific details and requirements to receive a personalized quote. However, you have the option to test the service via a limited free trial before subscribing.

ServiceDesk Plus’s price:

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers a free trial. After the trial period, you can request a pricing quote.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce’s Service Cloud enables you to deliver an efficient and personalized customer experience. Customer agents can access all customer data through a unified dashboard. Additionally, managers can optimize their sales team’s performance using apps and AI-powered insights.

Some of the most impressive features of Salesforce’s Service Cloud include a service console with keyboard shortcuts and templates, efficient case management with access to comprehensive customer interaction data, service automation, analytics, and an extensive knowledge base for agents.

Read our review on Salesforce Service Cloud.

Service Cloud’s price:

The Essential plan starts at $25/user/month; the Professional plan at $75/user/month; the Enterprise plan at $150/user/month, and the Unlimited plan at $300/user/month.

Salesforce Service Cloud does not offer a free plan, but all plans include a 30-day trial.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Salesforce Service Cloud

Hesk

Hesk is a free help desk software that can be utilized for customer support or as an IT help desk.

Its features encompass the submission of support tickets via a web form or email integration (including OAuth for Microsoft 365), organization of tickets by category and urgency, automatic assignment to users, response templates, customization, and reporting.

Hesk is equipped with a fully-integrated knowledge base that can offer self-help guides to users either through a search function or by automatically suggesting relevant articles when a ticket is submitted.

Hesk’s price:

The self-hosted version of Hesk is available at no cost. The cloud-based version commences at $29.99 per month for 10 support agents.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Hesk Hesk Live Demo

Tidio Ticketing System

Tidio is a comprehensive customer communication tool that incorporates a live chat, chatbots, email marketing templates, and a proprietary ticketing system. It enables the management of all support requests in a single, organized, and efficient location.

With Tidio, you can establish priorities, delegate tasks, and revisit older conversations without the need for any third-party tools. This streamlines the process, making it more straightforward and enjoyable for both support agents and clients.

Tidio’s price:

Tidio’s ticketing system is available for free. However, paid plans that offer additional features start at $17 per month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Tidio

osTicket

osTicket, the most popular open-source ticket system, is available in two versions: downloadable and hosted. The downloadable version is free and requires hosting on your own server. The hosted version, marketed as SupportSystem, is a paid ticketing service that offers the reliability and security of managed cloud hosting.

osTicket’s price:

osTicket’s downloadable version is free.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out osTicket osTicket Live Demo

Spiceworks

Spiceworks is a free software suite designed for IT professionals and businesses. It provides a variety of tools that streamline IT tasks, such as a network manager, help desk software, and a question-and-answer forum. The help desk software is furnished with features like ticket submission through a web portal or email, ticket organization, automated ticketing tasks, and a knowledge base.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Spiceworks

Request Tracker

Request Tracker, developed by BestPractical.com, is a free (when self-hosted) and open-source issue tracking system. It boasts a plethora of features such as a dashboard, relationship graphs, a mobile-optimized interface, time-tracking and reporting, PGP support for emails, branding and custom theming, and a knowledge base, among others.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Request Tracker

Vision Helpdesk

Vision Helpdesk is a multi-channel, web-based helpdesk software. It distinguishes itself with unique features such as a Satellite helpdesk, Ticket billing, and Blabby. It also connects separate helpdesks to a central helpdesk. Its functionality can be expanded with modules and app integrations, and it also offers a mobile version.

Vision Helpdesk provides a free 30-day trial, with plans starting at $12/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Vision Helpdesk

HelpSpot

HelpSpot is a comprehensive, web-based help desk software. It offers a wide range of features such as a centralized help desk portal, ticket management, filtering, automation, a mobile-optimized interface, customer management, time tracking, benchmarking and performance reporting, and multi-brand support.

HelpSpot offers a free 21-day trial, with plans starting at $14/agent/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out HelpSpot

JitBit Helpdesk

JitBit Helpdesk is available in two versions: Web-Based Help Desk and SaaS Help Desk. The former can be downloaded (upon purchase) and hosted on your server, while the latter is hosted remotely in JitBit’s cloud and can be accessed via the web. It offers features such as a knowledge base, reporting, asset-tracking, a customizable interface, unlimited agent allowance, email integration, and more.

Plans for JitBit Helpdesk start at $1699/year.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out JitBit Helpdesk JitBit Live Demo

Kayako

Kayako provides unified help desk support and multiple channels to over 30,000 organizations. Some of its features include ticketing through the helpdesk or email, ticket routing and prioritization, reports, feedback, and ratings.

Plans for Kayako start at $30/month.

What we like:

What we don’t like:

Check out Kayako Kayako Live Demo

Bonus: Ticket Systems for CMS

Support Genix (WordPress)

If your objective is to enhance customer support directly from your WordPress dashboard, Support Genix is the ideal choice. With its robust WordPress ticketing system plugin, you can swiftly generate and manage support tickets. The transfer feature facilitates easy movement of issues between departments or teams as needed.

For businesses with a rapidly expanding customer base, the Genix Support ticket plugin is ideal for managing all customer inquiries. Consequently, this remarkable WordPress Support Ticket Plugin can manage everything from a single location.

Support Genix offers both a free and a pro version, with the pro version providing additional features and support. The most economical Personal package is priced at just $29/year, which includes unlimited tickets and business email piping. Alternatively, a one-time payment of $59 grants access to similar features with lifetime updates and support.

WordPress Advanced Ticket System (WordPress)

This ticket system is feature-rich and comes in two versions. The free version provides basic ticketing features, while the premium version offers more features for handling customer tickets more efficiently. Features can be expanded using plugins.

Support Ticketing System (Drupal)

This is a ticketing system designed for Drupal. It offers basic ticketing features such as ticket creation, ticket assignment to users, email integration and notifications, ticket overviews, and ticketing activity charts.

RSTickets! Pro (Joomla!)

RSTickets’s help desk ticketing system for Joomla. It includes features like ticket creation and management, automatic ticket assignment, performance management, an integrated knowledge base, customized email messages, and a dashboard for quick access to all customer support areas.

The post 10 Best Support Ticketing Systems for 2024 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Hongkiat.

Here is a list of some of the most interesting websites that you may find useful in one way or the other. From website creating tools and content idea generators to classic entertainment sites, the list has a whole gamut of coolest resources you’ll find online. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed compiling this list.

Axiom.ai

A productivity tool, Axiom enables you to create bots for your browser to automate repetitive tasks. You don’t have to do any coding for that, download the Chrome extension and automate processes on any website or web app.

Related: Automating Repetitive Tasks on Windows 10

Flash Museum: Reliving the Classics

Using Ruffle, a Flash Player emulator, Flash Museum revives beloved flash games and animations, making them playable on modern browsers. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, iPadOS, Chrome OS, Linux, and more, you can dive back into the golden era of Flash content with ease.

NicePage

Nice Page is a quick and easy website builder that enables you to build a website with drag-and-drop functionality and absolutely no coding required. There are hundreds of pre-made templates you can choose from. Plus, the websites created are responsive and mobile-friendly.

Related: 8 Websites and Page Builders to Try

CodeMonkey

Unlock your child’s potential with engaging, game-based platform at CodeMonkey. Teaching real coding languages like CoffeeScript and Python, CodeMonkey makes learning fun and accessible for kids aged 5-14. Start their coding journey today and watch them develop valuable skills for the future!

CareerGuru99

Career Guru is a great search engine for finding the right interview questions for each category and sub-category of the professional field. You can find inquiries about any field and prepare yourself for your dream job accordingly.

Related: 10 Most Asked Interview Questions

Old Games Download

An archive of retro games, Old Games Download has a huge database of video games from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. This way you can relive your childhood memories and have a great time with your friends.

Related: 20 Retro Video Games for iPhone

Slidesgo

Make your PowerPoint slides more interesting with Slides Go. It has a huge collection of interesting PowerPoint slide design templates that you can download and customize to your needs.

Related: 20 Free PowerPoint Templates

Calendly

Calendly is a scheduling tool to help you organize and manage your work schedule. You can create simple rules and add your availability preferences in the tool. By sharing the link of your schedule, you can let people know when you’re available so they can book a meeting with you that doesn’t consider with your other engagements.

Hunter.io

Hunter is a search engine that lets you search for the names and email addresses of people from any website that you enter. It has more than 100 million email addresses indexed and offers effective search filters to help you find exactly the emails you need to find.

Related: 14 People Search Engines to Find Old Friends

Removebg

Removebg is a clever AI-powered online tool with which you can remove the background of just about any image. You can have a plain white background or a transparent one as PNG. Through plugins, you can integrate it with your existing tools or workflow.

Related: How to Remove Objects From the Background in Photoshop

Unscreen

If you want to remove the background of a video, you can use Unscreen. It is an intelligent online tool that lets you remove the background of any clip in different supported formats. You can keep a transparent background or replace it with something else – 100% automatically.

QuillBot

Quillbot is an AI-powered online paraphrasing tool. It helps you rewrite and enhance your sentences in different forms. You can also choose from Standard or Flow mode and get it integrated into Chrome or Microsoft Word for a smoother workflow.

Revolancer

Revolance is a platform for freelance designers that works two ways. As a freelancer, you can find design projects, and as an employer, you can find professional freelance designers for your work. Apart from designing, you can find clients or freelancers from web development, marketing, writing, and other fields as well.

Related: Best Job Sites for Freelancers and Independent Professionals

WolframAlpha

Ever wonder about a source that could answer just about any question? Well, WolframAlpha is the one. From complex calculations to answering questions from any field, the tool has the knowledge base and AI technology to do it all.

TinyWow

A truly versatile and totally free tool that can do so much for your files. You can remove the background of images, merge, convert, unlock, and edit PDFs, convert files from one format to another, edits videos and images, and a lot more.

Open Source Alternative to

Open Source Alternative To is a site that gives you suitable open-source alternatives to SaaS products. It features 300+ alternatives to proprietary tools, and you can use the efficient search function to find one for you.

Magic Eraser

As the name says, Magic Eraser is an online tool to remove any object from an image. Just upload your image, mark the object or area that you’d like to remove, and done! You can download the edited image. It is free for an unlimited number of images as well as other features.

Cleanup.pictures

Cleanup is an online photo retouching tool that can remove people or objects from your images, erase watermarks, and time stamps, etc as if they were never there. You can use the free version to edit unlimited pictures but up to 720p resolution. It’s available as iOS app as well.

Custom Cursor

To add a little funk to your system, Custom Cursor lets you change your pointer to any of the amazing objects. From your favorite characters to random funny objects, you can change your cursor to anything. It’s available on Chrome browser and Windows PC.

Kickresume

Kick Resume is an online resume maker tool. You can create a professional resume from scratch or use of the templates to customize one for yourself. You can opt for a creative or a more conservative resume template and even add cover letter to it.

Related: Free Tools to Create Professional Resumes

AnswerThePublic

If you ever run out of content ideas, Answer The Public can help you. Just add any word or two in the search field, and it will tell you what people are asking about it on search engines. This gives you a deeper understanding of people’s search habits and lots of content ideas to work on.

Streams Speak

Powered by AI, Big Speak lets you generate English speech from the text that you enter. You can generate speech in the US, UK, or Australian accent in both male or female voices. You can download the generated speech or share the link online.

Related: 10 Best Text-to-Speech Apps

Justdelete.me

A tool by Background Checks, JustDeleteMe enables you to find the information of deleting your account from a website. The directly has hundreds of URLs and with each you can see how easy, difficult, or impossible is the process of deleted your account.

Related: Delete Yourself From The Internet With These Tools

Alison.com

Alison is a search engine to find a free online certificate or diploma courses all over the web. The site curates more than 4000 free courses from an array of fields. You can also mention your goals to make the search even more accurate.

Related: 9 Best Websites For Online Courses & Open Courseware

VoiceChanger.io

This cool website can change your voice into some of the most interesting things or characters. Just upload your audio, or use the microphone to record your sound and click on the many voice options ranging from aliens and robotic snakes to Bane (from Batman) and even Chipmunks.

SuperDesigner

Super Designer is an online shape-generator tool with which you can create amazing backgrounds, patterns, shapes, and images. You can also create 3D shapes, blobs, and gradients etc. Its totally free and doesn’t require any login or sign-up.

Related: Free Pattern Generators to Create Repetitive Pattern Bg

Fronty

Claiming to be the world’s first image to HTML converter, Fronty is an AI-powered online tool that converts your images into CSS or HTML code. You just upload your image and get a clean code. Its other features include no-code website editor and website launcher.

Related: Best PSD To HTML Services

Phase

Phase is an online app to design your website and app prototypes in a quick and easy way. With a clean interface and an adaptive layout, it enables you to create amazing web and app designs in a completely code-free way. Plus, you can customize and edit any component and collaborate on the projects with your team.

Remover

An AI-powered photo editing tool, ZMO lets you remove any object from an image. From watermarks to people photobombing your holiday picture, you can remove just about anything. What’s best, it’s free and doesn’t require you to login.

Here are more:

Gnoosic

Gnoosic is your go to spot for new music recommendations. It asks for three of your favourite bands, and based on your interests, spits out an artist that you might like.

You then have the option to “like”, “dislike”, or mark it as something you aren’t familiar with – which further refines the results. This will be enjoyable for music enthusiasts who are looking for a musical adventure.

Tickld

Tickld is your go-to spot for anything humorous and funny, for anything that’s really cool and interesting, or stuff that’s just plain WTF.

Guaranteed to provide hours of mindless fun and laughter.

CoolThings

CoolThings is a collection of cool things. From entertainment, to gadgets, to even toys and inventions, there is bound to be something here that will interest you.

There is even a section for really cool gifts, split into categories for men, women. It updates every day, so make sure to drop by once in a while for your fix of really cool stuff!

Cool Hunting

CH is a really cool publication platform that uncovers the latest in design, technology, style, travel, art and culture. If you are into art, architecture, and culture, then this website is perfect for you.

You’ll find lots of interesting articles here, and the best part is that there are new articles almost every day.

Not Always Right

Had a bad day at work? Did that one annoying, pesky customer or client who just wouldn’t shut up tried to give you a hard time, and succeeded? Then this website is just perfect for you!

It’s a collection of stories about customers who just don’t know when to shut up. From incredibly funny to just downright horrifying, there’s a little bit of it all here.

The Art of Manliness

A blog dedicated to uncovering the lost art of being a man. The topics range from fashion to relationship advice – an attempt to fill the void that has been created by magazines that try to perpetrate the idea of a “machismo” man.

Although solely aimed at men, it can be an interesting read for women as well.

Drench

A very simple browser game, Drench gives you a board with different colored tiles, and you use the buttons to flip the colors around.

Do this until your board is full of tiles of a single color only. It’s a bit more difficult to explain, but once you get the hang of it, it can be really addicting and for some, relaxing.

Cooking for Engineers

Cooking for Engineers is a godsend for those who love to cook. This website has it all, from recipes, to kitchen gear, to cooking tests, down to a handy dictionary.

The best part about this webstie is its classic 90’s layout, which makes accessing the recipes and files intuitive and easier.

PostSecret

PostSecret is a very interesting website. Visitors are encouraged to send in anonymous postcards on which they write their secrets.

There are all sorts of secrets on all kinds of postcards, and the variations make this a really interesting project. However, be warned – these secrets are very real… and very heavy.

River Styx

An interactive website that takes you through the river Styx and the Underworld. You will meet many Greek Gods and Goddesses here, and you will also be learning a lot about their myths and legends.

The website works much like how a point-and-click game would, with your cursor turning into a different icon when you hover it over relevant objects. An interesting, visual crash course to Greek mythology and philosophy!

Zooniverse

A really neat website that brings people together to create one of the largest platforms for people-powered research. Volunteers come together to assist professional researchers.

There is no need for a specialised background or training; all you have to do is to answer simple questions.

MusicFX by AI Test Kitchen: Create Your Own Music

At MusicFX, you can enter a prompt to generate a song of your design. There’s even a DJ mode, enabling you to mix live songs with settings for various music styles, such as reggae, Afrobeat, cello, etc. Let your creativity flow and see where the music takes you!

NOIYS – Post, read, forget

NOIYS is a place to post an anonymous note to be viewed by many people, only to be deleted within 24 hours. It’s the perfect website for venting anonymously and not worry about the consequences, as it will be deleted within a day.

The best part (or maybe worst) is that strangers can reply to your note, too. That way, you can have a running conversation with a complete stranger.

Riffusion: AI-Powered Music Creation

Riffusion offers a unique way to create music. Just type in your lyrics or record them, and Riffusion will generate a song for you. Powered by cutting-edge AI, it’s a fascinating exploration into the future of music production.

Scott H Young

Scott’s blog is a collection of articles and musings that he has written himself. Perfect for anyone who is doing some soul searching, his site touches on light topics such as productivity to heavier ones like the meaning of life.

Definitely an interesting read and a good way to wind down during the evenings, if you like to crunch through articles like I do.

Addicted 2 Success

Need a little pick me up? Addicted 2 Success is the place to go. It features articles that are designed to inspire and empower people who are looking to turn their life around.

There’s entrepreneurship, self-development, and an all-round focus on success and on getting things done!

Truthdig

Truthdig is something for the people who have been keeping up with the news and politics. It aims to provide you with insightful and accurate repoting on current subjects and issues by having a situation seen from all possible angles, and including all the details relevant or seemingly otherwise.

Found anything that struck your fancy? Did you already lose some hours trying these websites out? Make sure to let us know in the comments!

The post 45 Interesting Websites You Should Know (And Bookmark) appeared first on Hongkiat.

In this guide, I will show you how to get around these paywalls in a few simple steps. But before we dive into that, let’s take a moment to understand what a paywall really means.

What are Paywalls?

A paywall is a digital gatekeeper that websites use to control who gets to see their content. Big names like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist use paywalls to ask visitors to pay up for a subscription if they want to read their articles.

When you bump into a paywall, you’re usually greeted with a message encouraging you to “Subscribe now for unlimited access!” This means if you want to read beyond the headline or the first few lines, you’ll need to open your wallet. Sometimes, you can read the beginning of an article for free, but then you’re asked to subscribe if you want to read the rest (it’s a good idea to save the article to check back later in these cases).

It’s not just news sites that use paywalls. Some blogs that earn money from ads will also block certain articles or content unless you log in as a member.

How do Paywalls Function?

As we’ve already covered, paywalls are essentially barriers that restrict free access to a website’s content, asking readers to sign up for a subscription instead. The type of subscription can vary – some publishers offer an all-access pass to their entire range of content, while others might allow you to buy access to specific articles or a limited number of articles each month.

There are a few different kinds of paywalls, and how they’re set up can differ from one publisher to another. Here are a few examples:

• Hard paywall: This type of paywall is uncompromising; if you’re not a subscriber, you can’t access any content.
• Soft paywall: Soft paywalls are more flexible, allowing you to read some content for free but restricting the amount without a subscription.
• Metered paywall: A metered paywall lets you read a certain number of articles for free each month before asking you to subscribe.
• Freemium model: Under the freemium model, some content is available for free, while other, more premium content requires payment.
• Patron model: The patron model asks readers for donations to access content, relying on their generosity rather than a fixed subscription fee.

With a clear understanding of what paywalls are and how they work, let’s move on to explore some straightforward ways to bypass these digital barriers.

10 Ways for Bypassing Paywalls

1. Bypass Paywalls with a Firefox Extension

For Firefox users, there’s a convenient extension called Bypass Paywalls that allows you to access articles behind paywalls without a subscription.

To get started, open Firefox, navigate to the Add-ons page, and search for “Bypass Paywalls”. Hit the Add to Firefox button to install it.

After installation, whenever you encounter a paywalled site, simply click on the Bypass Paywalls button in your toolbar. This handy tool grants you access to the article, bypassing the need for a subscription.

2. Search for the Article on Other Sites

Often, articles behind paywalls are reposted on other websites without such restrictions. If you’re looking for a specific article, try Googling the title along with keywords like “free access” or “no paywall”.

For instance, if you’re keen on reading something from The New York Times without a subscription, a search for “new york times article free access” might lead you to sites that have republished the article.

Another trick is to append “pdf” to your search. This often uncovers PDF versions of the article, available for free without subscription barriers. Check out our article on how to search more accurately with Gooogle.

3. Use the ‘Unpaywall’ Chrome Extension

The Unpaywall for Chrome is capable of helping you access content behind paywalls without needing a subscription.

Simply go to the Extensions page in Chrome, search for “Unpaywall”, and click Add to Chrome to install.

With Unpaywall installed, visit a paywalled site and click the Unpaywall icon in your toolbar. Instantly, the article becomes readable, subscription-free.

4. Bypass Paywalls by Resetting Your Browser Cookies

Getting around a paywall can sometimes be as simple as clearing your browser cookies. Many websites track how many articles you’ve read and then enforce a paywall, limiting your access. By clearing your cookies, you effectively erase this tracking, making the website treat you like a new visitor, thereby resetting your article count.

To clear your cookies, head to your browser’s Settings or Options menu. Look for the Privacy section, select Clear browsing data, and ensure Cookies and other site data is checked. Hit Clear Data to freshen up your browsing slate.

5. Remove the Paywall Manually

Some websites have paywalls that are not very sophisticated. In these cases, you can bypass the paywall by editing the website’s source code yourself.

To do this, use your browser’s developer tools to locate the element responsible for the paywall. Once found, simply delete it. This action will allow you to access the article without needing a subscription.

In Google Chrome, for instance, you can bring up the Developer Tools by pressing Ctrl + Shift + I. A window will appear where you can navigate to find the paywall code. When you’ve located it, right-click on the element and choose Delete Element, then refresh the page to see the results.

6. Prevent the Paywall from Loading by Stopping the Page

Stopping a web page before it fully loads can also serve as a clever tactic to bypass paywalls. By interrupting the loading process, the script that triggers the paywall might not execute, allowing you to read without a subscription.

You can do this by opening the article in a new tab and immediately stopping the page’s loading. On many browsers, holding down the Shift key while clicking the link will achieve this, preventing the paywall from appearing.

7. Explore Archive Websites for Free Articles

Archive websites are online libraries that save snapshots of web pages, making them an invaluable resource for accessing content that’s otherwise locked behind paywalls. These sites store articles in their entirety, available at no cost.

To find an archived version of a specific website’s content, use Google with the search pattern:

site: website name archive.org

This search will list all the archived instances of the specified website. Navigate through these results to find and read the article you’re interested in without encountering a paywall.

Use a “Read-it-later” Tool

Read-it-later tools are applications designed to save web articles for offline viewing, which is a clever way to bypass website paywalls. When you save an article with these tools, you can read it anytime, without internet access, and without running into paywalls.

One of the leading read-it-later services is Pocket. Installing the Pocket browser extension allows you to quickly save articles behind paywalls for later enjoyment.

Other notable read-it-later services include Instapaper and Evernote. Experiment with these to find which one suits your needs the best.

9. Convert Page to PDF

Another way to read articles offline and bypass the paywall is to convert the web page into PDF.

To convert the page to PDF, use a website like Web to PDF or PDF My URL. Paste the URL of the article into these websites, and they will convert the page to PDF for you. You can then save the PDF for offline reading.

10. Sign Up for a Free Tril

Last but not least, if you want to access articles on a website for a limited number of days, you can sign up for a free trial. Many websites offer a free trial of a varying number of days before you can subscribe so you can try out the service before paying.

But don’t forget to cancel your subscription before the free trial ends, or you’ll have to pay the subscription fee.

Wrapping up

There you have it – 10 ways to read articles that are behind a paywall. Try out a few of these methods and see which one works best for you. Happy reading!

The post How to Get Around a Paywall appeared first on Hongkiat.

In this post, we will share ten straightforward yet essential YouTube tips and tricks that tend to go unnoticed. From easier video navigation to discovering hidden functions, these suggestions can help you use YouTube more effectively and enhance your overall video-watching experience.

1. Excluding Keywords in Searches

Did you know you can fine-tune your searches on YouTube to include or exclude specific keywords? Say you’re on the hunt for a tutorial about ‘registering a domain‘. If you search in the usual way, you’re likely to see a flood of videos on how to register a domain with GoDaddy.

But what if you’re looking for alternatives and want to avoid GoDaddy-related tutorials? Easy! You can tweak your search to exclude certain keywords. Simply add a minus sign before the keyword you wish to exclude.

For instance, searching Register domain -GoDaddy filters out GoDaddy-related content, streamlining your search results to suit your needs.

2. Sharing Videos from a Specific Time

Ever wanted to share just the best part of a YouTube video? You can easily direct someone to start watching a video from any specific moment.

Just pause the video at your desired starting point and right-click on the video screen. You’ll see an option to Copy video URL at the current time. Sharing this link will take viewers directly to the chosen moment, skipping everything before it.

3. Looping Videos Automatically

Ever found yourself wanting to replay a song or video on YouTube over and over again? Rather than pressing the replay button each time, YouTube has a nifty feature that lets you loop videos automatically, perfect for those times when you just can’t get enough of a good thing.

To set a video on auto-replay, simply right-click on the video you’re watching and select Loop from the menu. Voilà! The video will now play in a continuous loop until you decide to stop it by unselecting the Loop option the same way.

4. Setting HD as Default

YouTube’s default setting adjusts video quality based on your internet connection’s speed and reliability. However, if you’re sure about your internet’s performance and prefer watching videos in the best quality available, you can make HD your default.

To achieve this, download the Magic Actions for YouTube extension, available for Google Chrome and Firefox. Once installed, activate the Auto HD feature and choose your preferred resolution. You can also adjust the video volume with a simple scroll of your mouse wheel.

5. Refining Video Searches

Finding that one needle in the haystack of YouTube videos can feel like a daunting adventure. But what if you could make the search needle a lot bigger and the haystack a lot smaller?

For results that hit closer to home, preface your search query with allintitle:. This command zeroes in on videos whose titles directly contain your specified keywords, significantly narrowing down your search to more relevant results.

By using this trick, you’re more likely to find exactly what you’re looking for, without wading through pages of unrelated content.

6. Viewing Video Playback Speed

Wondering if the buffering is due to the video itself or your internet connection? YouTube offers a neat feature to get to the bottom of this.

Simply right-click on the video you’re watching and select "Stats for nerds" from the menu. A small box will pop up on your screen, displaying a wealth of information including your internet speed, network activity, and how well the video is buffering.

This feature doesn’t just stop at your connection speed; it also provides detailed stats on the video such as the Video ID, frame rate, optimal resolution, and codecs, among others.

7. Creating and Managing Clips

You can easily create clips from any YouTube video or live stream and share them on social platforms or directly via email or text. These clips are public, meaning anyone with the link can view them and potentially the original video as well. Find your created clips and those made from your videos in the Your Clips library page.

To create and share a clip, just follow these steps:

1. Sign in to YouTube.
2. Navigate to the video you want to create a clip from.
3. Select Menu > Clip.
4. Give your clip a title (up to 140 characters).
5. Select the part of the video you’d like to clip. You can adjust the clip length between 5 seconds (minimum) and 60 seconds (maximum) by dragging the slider.
6. Click SHARE CLIP to finish.

8. Queuing Videos

Ever been watching a video on YouTube and thought about what you’d like to watch next? There’s an easy way to line up your next videos automatically.

Simply right-click on the video (or videos) you want to watch next and select “Add to queue.” This action creates a Queue list. Once your current video ends, YouTube will automatically play the videos you’ve added to your queue.

Plus, you can change the order of your queued videos by dragging them up or down in the Queue window.

9. Clearing Watch History

Did you know YouTube keeps track of every video you’ve watched? You can review everything you’ve previously watched under You > History.

If you’re trying to find a video you watched before to rewatch it, searching your watch history might help. And if privacy is a concern, you have options: “Pause watch history” stops YouTube from logging your activity, or “Clear all watch history” wipes your slate clean, removing all traces of your viewing history.

10. Using Shortcut Keys

Last but definitely not least, getting familiar with YouTube’s shortcut keys can dramatically improve how you interact with videos.

For instance, you can press the space to play or pause the video, the M key to mute, and the up and down arrow keys to adjust the volume. These shortcuts are just the tip of the iceberg! For a comprehensive rundown of all the YouTube keyboard shortcuts available, check out our post on YouTube keyboard shortcuts.

The post 10 Basic Youtube Tips You Should Know appeared first on Hongkiat.

But what makes an online magazine not just survive but thrive in this digital age?

It’s all about understanding the landscape we’re navigating. The digital realm is vast, offering unlimited potential for creativity, audience reach, and, yes, profitability.

The key? Knowing how to tap into that potential.

Whether you’re passionate about fashion, tech, or anything in between, there’s a space for your voice.

And the best part? You don’t need a hefty budget to start. With some savvy planning and a knack for engaging content, you can turn your vision into a flourishing online magazine.

So, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the essentials of creating and running a profitable online magazine. It’s a journey filled with challenges, learning, and triumphs, and I’m here to guide you through each step. Ready to make your mark in the digital publishing world?

Let’s get started!

Conceptualizing Your Magazine

Identifying a Niche

Venturing into the online magazine world starts with a crucial step: finding your niche.

But what exactly does that mean?

It’s about pinpointing a specific area or topic that not only sparks your interest but also resonates with a particular audience.

Why is this important?

Because the digital space is crowded, and having a clear focus helps you stand out. Think about what you’re passionate about – is it sustainable living, indie music, or perhaps cutting-edge technology?

Now, consider if there’s an audience looking for content in that area. Doing some research on existing publications and audience interests can help you identify a gap that your magazine can fill.

Developing a Unique Value Proposition

Once you’ve found your niche, the next step is to define what sets your magazine apart.

This is your unique value proposition (UVP). In a sea of online content, why

should someone choose your magazine?

Your UVP could hinge on several factors, such as offering in-depth analysis on topics that are only superficially covered elsewhere, bringing fresh perspectives, or showcasing exclusive interviews and stories. It’s about delivering something that readers can’t find anywhere else, whether it’s through your content’s angle, your visual storytelling, or the community you build around your brand.

Remember, the goal here is to create a magazine that not only interests you but also fills a specific need for your audience. It’s a blend of your passion and market demand that creates a recipe for success.

As you refine your concept, keep asking yourself: What can my magazine offer that no one else does?

This question will guide you as you lay the foundation for a distinctive and engaging online publication.

Building Your Platform

Creating a home for your online magazine involves making some key technical decisions. Your platform is not just a website; it’s the digital embodiment of your brand and content.

Here’s how to ensure your magazine’s platform is as engaging and accessible as possible.

Choosing the Right Technology and Platform

First off, you need to decide where your magazine will live on the web.

Will you use a website builder like WordPress, which offers a balance of customization and user-friendliness, or something more advanced like a custom-built site?

Your choice should reflect your magazine’s needs for functionality and scalability, as well as your own technical expertise.

If you’re aiming for rich multimedia content, ensure your platform can handle it smoothly. Consider factors like mobile responsiveness, as a significant portion of your audience will likely access your magazine via smartphones.

Design and User Experience Considerations

The design of your magazine plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining readers.

It’s not just about looking good; it’s about creating an experience. Your design should mirror the essence of your content – sleek and professional for a business magazine, vibrant and dynamic for an entertainment hub.

Navigation is key; readers should effortlessly find what they’re looking for. Incorporate intuitive menus, well-organized categories, and a search function.

Equally important is the speed at which your pages load. In the digital age, patience is scarce, and slow-loading pages can turn readers away before they’ve even seen your content.

Investing in good hosting, optimizing images, and minimizing unnecessary plugins can help keep your magazine speedy and smooth.

Lastly, don’t forget about accessibility.

Making your magazine accessible to people with disabilities not only expands your audience but also demonstrates inclusivity and care. Simple adjustments, like ensuring text can be enlarged and that your site is navigable with a keyboard, can make a big difference.

Your platform is the foundation upon which your magazine’s content will shine. It’s worth investing time and resources to get it right, setting the stage for a seamless reading experience that keeps your audience coming back for more.

Content Creation and Curation

At its core, your online magazine’s success hinges on content. It’s what attracts readers, engages them, and keeps them coming back for more.

Here’s how to approach content creation and curation to build a loyal audience.

Developing a Content Strategy

A content strategy outlines what you publish, how often, and in what formats.

Start by defining your magazine’s tone and voice – will it be formal and authoritative, or casual and friendly?

This sets the stage for everything you produce. Next, consider the types of content that will resonate with your audience. This might include long-form articles, interviews, reviews, and multimedia elements like videos and podcasts.

Frequency is another key consideration.

While you might aspire to publish daily, it’s important to balance ambitions with your team’s capacity. It’s better to consistently release high-quality content than to overwhelm your schedule and compromise on quality.

Building a Team: Writers, Editors, and Contributors

Unless you’re planning a very small operation, you’ll need a team to produce and manage your content.

Look for writers and editors who share your vision and understand your niche. Diverse voices can enrich your magazine, offering fresh perspectives and expertise.

Don’t overlook the power of guest contributors either; they can bring new audiences and add credibility to your publication.

Remember, a successful online magazine relies on more than just writers. Photographers, videographers, and graphic designers play a crucial role in creating visually appealing content that captures readers’ attention.

Ensuring Quality and Consistency

Quality content is what will set your magazine apart. Invest in thorough editing processes to ensure that everything you publish meets a high standard.

Consistency in tone, style, and publishing schedule also helps build trust with your audience. They’ll know what to expect and look forward to each new release.

Creating a content calendar can be incredibly helpful in managing this. It allows you to plan ahead, balance different types of content, and ensure you’re covering a variety of topics that interest your audience.

Crafting content that informs, entertains, and engages is an ongoing process. It involves understanding your audience deeply, experimenting with different formats, and constantly seeking out new stories and angles that align with your magazine’s mission.

The effort is well worth it, as compelling content is what will grow your readership and, ultimately, contribute to your magazine’s success.

Monetization Strategies

Once you’ve established a solid content foundation for your online magazine, the next step is to think about monetization.

After all, creating and curating high-quality content requires resources, and developing revenue streams can ensure the sustainability of your publication.

Here are some effective ways to monetize your online magazine.

Subscription Models vs. Advertising

The subscription model is a direct way to monetize your audience, where readers pay for access to your content.

This could be a full subscription-only model or a freemium model, where some content is free, but premium content requires a subscription. The key to a successful subscription model is offering value that readers can’t find elsewhere, compelling them to pay for the full experience.

Advertising, on the other hand, involves displaying ads on your site. This can be a lucrative option if you have significant traffic.

You can sell ad space directly to advertisers or use ad networks to fill the space. While advertising can provide steady revenue, it’s important to balance it carefully to avoid compromising the reader experience with too many ads.

Additional Revenue Streams

Beyond subscriptions and advertising, consider other creative ways to generate income:

• Sponsored Content: Collaborate with brands to create content that aligns with your magazine’s theme and interests your audience. Ensure transparency by clearly marking such content as sponsored.
• Merchandising: Sell branded merchandise related to your magazine or its content niche. This can range from apparel to digital products like e-books.
• Events: Host virtual or in-person events, workshops, or webinars. These can be ticketed or sponsored, providing another revenue channel while also engaging your community.

Implementing Monetization Strategies

When choosing your monetization methods, consider your audience’s preferences and the nature of your content.

It’s crucial to implement these strategies in a way that feels natural and doesn’t detract from the user experience. Start with one primary method and gradually introduce additional streams as your magazine grows and you better understand your audience.

Transparency with your readers about how your magazine makes money can also build trust. Whether it’s through a clear explanation of your subscription model or marking sponsored content appropriately, honesty reinforces the value of your content and the integrity of your brand.

Marketing and Audience Engagement

Growing your online magazine involves more than just creating great content; it requires proactive marketing and engagement strategies to attract and retain readers.

Here’s how you can amplify your reach and build a loyal community around your magazine.

SEO Strategies

Search engine optimization (SEO) is your best friend in the digital publishing world.

It helps your magazine’s content get discovered by readers searching for topics you cover. Focus on keyword research to understand what your potential readers are looking for, and optimize your articles accordingly.

Remember, SEO is not just about keywords; it’s also about creating quality content that earns backlinks and improves your site’s authority.

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms are powerful tools for promoting your magazine and engaging directly with your audience.

Choose platforms where your target readers are most active, whether that’s Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok. Share not only your articles but also behind-the-scenes content, teasers for upcoming issues, and interactive posts that encourage comments and shares.

Social media is also a great place to listen to your readers and understand what content resonates with them.

Building a Community

Engagement goes beyond likes and shares. Building a community means fostering a sense of belonging among your readers.

Encourage discussions by enabling comments on your articles and creating forums or groups where readers can interact. Newsletters are another effective tool for keeping your audience informed and engaged.

By regularly sharing updates, exclusive content, or personal notes from the editor, you create a direct line of communication with your readers.

Email Marketing

Don’t underestimate the power of email marketing. Collecting email addresses through subscriptions or sign-ups allows you to reach out directly to your audience.

Tailor your emails to provide value, whether that’s through content round-ups, exclusive previews, or special offers for subscribers. Personalization can also increase engagement, making readers feel like part of your magazine’s community.

Engagement is key to growing your online magazine. It’s about creating a dialogue with your readers, understanding their needs and preferences, and delivering content that keeps them coming back for more.

With the right marketing strategies, you can expand your reach and build a strong, engaged audience.

Conclusion

Diving into the world of online magazines is an adventure full of creativity and connection. It’s about more than just sharing content; it’s about crafting a space where your passion meets the interests of your audience.

As you navigate through the challenges of building, monetizing, and growing your publication, remember that your unique voice and dedication are what will truly make it shine. Here’s to the journey ahead – filled with stories waiting to be told and communities waiting to be built.

The post Creating and Running a Profitable Online Magazine appeared first on Hongkiat.

This guide is here to help you fix common PC issues by yourself. Below, you’ll find a rundown of the top 15 hardware problems that PC users encounter and how you can deal with them without outside help.

1. PC Overheating

A heating PC slows down the entire system and can lead to frequent crashes. Moreover, PC components might permanently damage due to continuous exposure to heat.

There are two primary reasons your PC might overheat: either the cooling system isn’t functioning correctly, or the PC is generating more heat than the cooling system can manage. For both scenarios, I’ve detailed a comprehensive guide on various methods to manage an overheating PC. Make sure to check it out.

2. Dysfunctional USB Port

If your USB port stops working, it might not necessarily be broken. Here are some solutions that can help resolve this issue:

Method 1: Restart the PC

Restarting your PC can solve many issues, including problems with the USB port.

Method 2: Uninstall USB Port Driver

Uninstalling the driver of the USB port will prompt Windows to reinstall it upon restarting your PC, potentially fixing the issue. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows + R keys and enter devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog to open the Device Manager.
2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers option.
3. Right-click the entry USB Host Controller and then click on Uninstall.
4. Repeat this for all entries with USB Host Controller to uninstall drivers for all the USB ports.
5. Once deleted, restart your PC, and Windows will automatically reinstall the drivers, fixing any driver-related issues.

Method 3: Disable USB Selective Suspend

The USB Selective Suspend feature in Windows saves power by suspending idle USB ports, but sometimes it might prevent a USB port from working. Here’s how to disable it:

1. Press Windows + R keys and type powercfg.cpl in the Run dialog to open Windows Power Options.
2. Click on Change plan settings next to your current plan, then click on Change advanced power settings.
3. Expand USB settings and disable USB selective suspend setting.
4. Restart your PC to see if the issue with the USB port is resolved.

Note: Keep this option enabled to save battery power. If disabling it doesn’t resolve the USB port issue, consider enabling it again.

3. PC Keeps Disconnecting from WiFi

If your Wi-Fi is functioning properly but your PC keeps disconnecting from it, the issue may be due to your PC’s network card not receiving full power. Windows features a built-in power saver option that reduces power to the network card. You’ll need to disable this feature by following these steps:

1. Navigate to Advanced settings in the Power Options.
2. Expand Wireless Adapter Settings and then Power Saving Mode.
3. Adjust this to Maximum Performance.

Alternatively, if your PC continues to disconnect from Wi-Fi and the issue persists, the problem might be a faulty wireless adapter driver. Consider using Auslogics’ Driver Updater to detect and resolve issues with device drivers by fetching and installing the latest official driver software.

4. PC Beeps

The motherboard of your PC is equipped to detect issues and uses beeps of varying rhythms to communicate problems. For an in-depth understanding of what different beep patterns mean, check out this detailed article on interpreting these signals.

If your PC fails to start after emitting these beeps, solving the problem can be challenging. Nonetheless, I’ll discuss two common issues that cause beeps and how you can resolve them yourself.

Problem 1: RAM Displacement

One common issue I encountered is the RAM becoming loose or displaced, leading to 2-3 beeps from the PC without it booting up. The solution is straightforward: open up the PC (though laptop users might prefer professional help) and reseat the RAM. Here’s how:

1. Clean any dirt from the RAM slot using a cotton bud after removing the RAM completely.
2. Reinsert the RAM, applying sufficient pressure on both ends to ensure it is fully seated.
3. Secure the clips, ensuring they’re properly locked, as even slightly loose RAM can prevent your PC from working.

Refer to this video for guidance on installing the RAM properly:

Problem 2: Issues with Newly Added Hardware

Beeps can also result from damaged or incorrectly installed hardware components. Remove any hardware you’ve recently added to see if it addresses the issue. If your PC functions correctly afterward, ensure the component is installed correctly or consider repairing or replacing it.

5. PC Fans Not Working

If you discover that one or more fans within your PC are not functioning, it might be due to accumulated dirt. You’ll need to open your PC and clean the fans and other components using a can of compressed air or a leaf blower.

For guidance on the cleaning process, watch this helpful video:

If cleaning doesn’t solve the issue, consider using the SpeedFan app to diagnose and possibly fix the problem. This app allows you to control your PC’s fans, though your motherboard must support fan control to utilize this feature.

6. PC Not Using Full RAM Capacity

There are times when your PC might not utilize all the RAM installed. For instance, you could have 4GB of RAM, but the Task Manager only shows 2GB in use. Often, this is due to a specific Windows setting.

Note: If a small amount of RAM (200-400MB) is not being utilized, it’s likely reserved for hardware use, and there’s not much that can be done about it.

The solution is straightforward – Windows may have been set to use only a part of the available RAM. Here’s how you can adjust it:

1. Press Windows + R keys and type msconfig in the Run dialog to open System Configurations.
2. Navigate to the Boot tab and click on Advanced options.
3. Check the box next to Maximum memory and enter the total amount of RAM installed (in MBs).
4. Click OK and restart your PC to apply the changes.

Good to know: While adjusting these settings, also consider checking the Number of processors option to ensure your PC is using all available CPU cores. Set it to the maximum number to utilize full CPU power.

If the issue persists, it’s possible that one of the RAM modules may not be properly installed. Attempt reinstallation to see if it resolves the issue.

7. Overworking Fan

Your PC’s fan speeds up based on your PC’s temperature—the higher the temperature, the faster the fan runs. If your PC’s temperature is normal (you can check it using HWMonitor), but the fan is still running at full speed, you might need to manually adjust the fan speed.

The SpeedFan app can help you monitor and adjust the speed of your PC’s fans. This issue of fans overworking typically occurs only with motherboards that have fan control capabilities, so compatibility with the app shouldn’t be a concern.

8. PC Crashes Before Loading the OS

If your PC crashes immediately after showing the manufacturer logo and before loading the operating system, the issue likely lies with the RAM or the hard disk. This means the operating system can’t load because the RAM is corrupted or the hard disk is damaged.

For those with multiple RAM slots, removing each RAM module one at a time and starting the PC can help identify the faulty component. Ultimately, you’ll need to replace the corrupted RAM or hard disk.

9. PC Isn’t Powering On

If your PC isn’t powering on at all, with no lights turning on, the problem could be with the power source.

Desktop users: Ensure that the extension cord, power outlet, and all connections are functioning correctly. If they are, try swapping the power cable with another one, such as the monitor’s, to see if the PC turns on. If this resolves the issue, you’ll need a new power cable.

Laptop users: Try removing the battery and then reinserting it before starting the laptop. If that doesn’t work, remove the battery again and connect the laptop to the charger to try powering it on without the battery. If the laptop powers on, the battery may need to be replaced.

Note: It’s also wise to disconnect any external devices from your PC when attempting these solutions, as a malfunctioning device could be the cause of the power issue.

10. Noisy PC

A noisy PC often signals the need for a thorough cleaning. You can clean it yourself using a can of compressed air or a leaf blower. Overclocking your PC’s GPU and CPU might also contribute to the noise.

Here’s a video demonstrating simple methods to clean your PC:

Sometimes, the noise could be coming from a disc in the DVD ROM. For more details on PC components that can cause noise, check out this informative article.

11. Noisy Hard Drive

Clicking or grinding noises from your hard drive are warning signs that it may be failing. Hard drives have a finite lifespan, and these sounds often indicate imminent failure. The CrystalDiskInfo hard drive monitoring tool can help assess the health of your hard drive, displaying conditions like “Good,” “Caution,” or “Bad.”

It’s crucial to back up your data immediately and consider acquiring a replacement hard drive before the current one fails.

12. Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)

The feared Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) can be triggered by both software and hardware issues, though it often points to hardware problems. It’s crucial to address BSOD promptly as it indicates significant trouble.

BlueScreenView, a helpful Nirsoft utility, provides valuable information following a BSOD event, aiding in the identification and resolution of the issue. Here are some common BSOD triggers and their fixes.

Corrupted Drivers

Corrupted drivers can lead to BSOD. To diagnose and address this issue, follow these steps:

1. Access Device Manager by typing devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog.
2. Expand each category and look for any drivers marked with a yellow triangle icon.
3. If any are found, right-click on the driver and select Update Driver Software to update it.

Alternatively, third-party apps like IObit Driver Booster can automate the process of identifying and resolving driver issues.

Excessive Load on RAM

Opening more programs than the RAM can handle might freeze the system and trigger BSOD. Limit the number of concurrent programs or consider upgrading your RAM to avoid this issue.

Faulty Hard Disk

A BSOD can also signal a failing hard disk. Refer to the guidelines in problem #11 to detect hard disk issues.

Overheating PC

An overheating PC may lead to BSOD if excessive stress is placed on the components. Follow the instructions provided in problem #1 to address this.

13. Blank Monitor

If your monitor displays nothing, it could indicate an issue with the monitor itself or the graphics card. Test the monitor with another PC to determine the source of the problem.

If the monitor doesn’t power on at all, try replacing the power cable with one that’s known to work. For more troubleshooting tips, here’s a useful article on fixing a monitor that shows nothing.

14. Monitor Goes Black After a Few Seconds

If your monitor goes black after displaying for a few seconds, it may be related to color quality or screen adjustment settings. Try pressing the auto-adjust button on your monitor. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, consider changing the display color from 32-bit to 16-bit.

Connecting your PC to a different monitor to adjust the graphics card settings could also be helpful. Using the auto-adjust feature might briefly restore the display, allowing you to tweak the color settings in that short window.

15. Keyboard Issues

If your keyboard is noisy or fails to type repeated words correctly, it’s likely not a hardware issue. Windows settings such as toggle keys and filter keys might be activated, leading to these symptoms. To disable them, follow these steps:

1. Access the Control Panel and select Ease of Access.
2. Click on Change how your keyboard works.
3. Uncheck the boxes next to Toggle keys and Filter Keys to resolve the issue.

Wrapping Up

While many hardware issues can be resolved by adjusting settings or using specific software, some problems may necessitate a trip to the computer repair shop. Knowing what’s wrong with your PC enables you to take appropriate action. We’d love to hear about any PC hardware problems you’ve encountered and how you solved them, so please share your experiences in the comments.

The post 15 Common PC Problems and How to Troubleshoot Them appeared first on Hongkiat.

Easy collaboration, dynamic animation effects, offline editing, a library of pre-designed and customizable templates, and other user-friendly features and capabilities of Google Slides make it the most popular choice among teachers. Teachers can use this platform for multiple purposes, like creating digital portfolios of students, formative assessments, collaborative projects, etc. In a nutshell, with Google Slides, you can explore a world of opportunities to make learning effective and fun.

In this article, we have provided a few Google Slides tips to help teachers keep online and in-classroom students engaged.

1. Use Available Themes to Make Your Presentations More Engaging

Google Slides has a wide range of pre-designed themes that you can use to create educational presentations without investing much time.

You can also import aesthetically designed free Google Slides themes downloaded from online sources or created by you. To do this, click on the Import theme (the yellow-colored tab). It will open the following window.

Here, choose the theme you want to import and click ‘Insert‘.

2. Enhance Collaboration by Sharing the Slides

Google Slides enables you to facilitate student collaboration. You can either share the entire presentation or specific slides with students.

To share the entire presentation/slide, click on Share located in the screen’s top right corner.

If the presentation is intended for a specific student or group of students, you can add their name or email address here. You can also assign roles, such as Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.

Google Slides also allows you to keep access restricted or public. If you set General Access to restricted, only people with access can open the link; otherwise, anyone with the link can open it.

3. Use Grid View to See Student Activities in Real Time

You can check the activities or progress of all students on a specific assignment in real time through Grid View.

Google Slides opens the Filmstrip view by default, which shows one slide (on which you are working) in the main window at a time and other slides on the screen’s left side. You can choose the Grid view by clicking either the ‘View‘ menu or the icon on the screen’s lower-left corner.

The Grid view appears this way, giving you a glance at all the slides.

4. Add Sound

If you want to add instructions or guidelines for students in your own voice, Google Slides will let you do this with ease. This Google Slides feature is very useful in storytelling.

Adding sound, music, or narration can make your presentations more informative and exciting, thereby keeping the students intrigued.

You can insert audio saved on your Google Drive or paste the audio URL.

Go to Insert > Audio.

Choose the audio file that you want to insert.

5. Add Video

Add interactivity to your Google Slides presentations by inserting videos. Videos also make complex concepts easy to comprehend and retain for students. Besides, they reduce boredom and promote engagement.

Go to Insert > Video.

You can insert the video saved on Google Drive, paste the video URL, or search for a video relevant to your topic on YouTube.

6. Insert Diagram

Diagrams make learning complex concepts or topics, such as cycles, relationships, processes, hierarchies, etc., effortless for students and make your presentations more accessible.

Here, we are choosing the Timeline diagram. Depending on your topic, choose the dates, color, and design of the timeline.

Replace the sample text in the diagram with your own content.

7. Print Your Presentation

After delivering your presentation, you can provide its printed handout to students for future reference.

Go to File > Print.

Set settings related to pages, copies, color, paper size, pages per sheet, and scale. After that, click on Print.

You can also save the Google Slides presentation in PDF format, which you can share with students via email. To do this, click the “Destination” dropdown menu and select the option “Save as PDF“.

Conclusion

We have covered only a few ways of using Google Slides to impart education. Teachers can also use this tool to create interactive notebooks, virtual field trips, digital posters, etc.

If you are still using the traditional way of teaching, it’s high time to learn modern ways to captivate students of today’s digital era. You can see online tutorials on How to Use Google Slides or seek expert guidance. Once you master it, you can make a huge difference in your teaching career. So, don’t stay behind!

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