It
is really difficult to emancipate ourselves from technology. The more
it gets advanced periodically, the more we become so dependent on it.
Looking back at the past, we would just get by a day through reading our
favorite comic books or novels, watching our favorite soaps while
having a quick chat with our family members after a long day. Before,
having an old school cellular phone is just for people who were always
on the go. But looking at us now, our reliance to technology is apparent
and even myself cannot break away from digital slavery. There are times
that our internet service provider would experience server downtime and
we'd feel a sudden detachment from the cyber world.
What we mostly see are the perks we get from utilizing technology but we
hardly see its disadvantages. I won't talking about its cons right now,
instead, I will be sharing with you several mobile apps I find useful
and helpful in my daily activities. However, I will be dividing this
post into two parts so it won't get too tedious for us both. So, what's
in my phone? I'm not certain if this will interest you or if you prefer
the apps I will be featuring at all. I'd be delighted to share what I
frequently use anyway. Albeit, what I will be doing a rundown on are the
mobile apps that I personally go for and that offer straightforward
operation in my opinion. I do not in any way state that the apps that I
support are the best.
- See more at: http://raveandview.blogspot.com/2016/03/rundown-17-mobile-apps-we-need-part-one.html#more
It
is really difficult to emancipate ourselves from technology. The more
it gets advanced periodically, the more we become so dependent on it.
Looking back at the past, we would just get by a day through reading our
favorite comic books or novels, watching our favorite soaps while
having a quick chat with our family members after a long day. Before,
having an old school cellular phone is just for people who were always
on the go. But looking at us now, our reliance to technology is apparent
and even myself cannot break away from digital slavery. There are times
that our internet service provider would experience server downtime and
we'd feel a sudden detachment from the cyber world.
What we mostly see are the perks we get from utilizing technology but we
hardly see its disadvantages. I won't talking about its cons right now,
instead, I will be sharing with you several mobile apps I find useful
and helpful in my daily activities. However, I will be dividing this
post into two parts so it won't get too tedious for us both. So, what's
in my phone? I'm not certain if this will interest you or if you prefer
the apps I will be featuring at all. I'd be delighted to share what I
frequently use anyway. Albeit, what I will be doing a rundown on are the
mobile apps that I personally go for and that offer straightforward
operation in my opinion. I do not in any way state that the apps that I
support are the best.
- See more at: http://raveandview.blogspot.com/2016/03/rundown-17-mobile-apps-we-need-part-one.html#more
As promised, here's the second part of my rundown on mobile apps I find useful and entertaining at the same time. In the first part,
I featured two unheard-of yet promising apps like Peach and Viddsee and
it received a great amount of response from those who already read the rundown. I
categorized Viddsee as one of the unheard-of apps (although it's not
totally new to others) because it seems that this app is still in the
underground level in comparison to Youtube, Vimeo and Daily Motion. I
like how this app sounds raw to others and I'm all praises because I
can't get enough of my fondness of it. This time, let me bring to you my
favorite social media apps and learn more why they are beneficial to me
in terms of freelancing.
- Instagram - Gone are the days that social media apps just serve as tools to keep in touch with our friends and loved ones. Since different social media platforms have dominated the digital world of marketing, they are not just there for mere selfie and chat purposes. Prior to taking my Instagram account seriously, I used to post random photos that don't even concern anyone in the universe. Now, I keep my Instagram account for an attempt to grow my following base and lead them to my blog and let them know that Rave & View exists. I'm thinking of giving tips and tricks on Instagram and how to maximize this app in simple ways but that will be on another post.
a. It allows me to share my blog posts by posting a thumbnail relevant to the post and caption it enticingly. Making use of hashtags strategically helps me to reach out to photo-centric users, as well.
b. Through it, I found some small shops that sell good quality products in a much lower price. But of course, it is still important to know how to spot legit online stores on Instagram to avoid being scammed.
c. It has made video and photo-sharing a lot easier because of its features and peripheral apps associated to it. Secondary Insta-apps like Instarepost/Regram, Viva Video, Instasquare and many others actually aided Instagram in tweaking its glitches and coming up with built in add-ons.
- Pixlr Express - I've tried other photo enhancement apps before and I would say this is by far the best in terms of interface, simplicity of features and usability. Pixlr has two types on its desktop version: Editor (not available in mobile app version) and Express (which I frequently use). However, I use Photoshop in creating my thumbnails on each of my post and other complicated photo-editing tasks and not Pixlr Editor.
What I like about Pixlr?
1. It's so easy to use and its file size of 17MB doesn't take much of my device's storage.
2. You can make collages with it instead of using a separate collage maker app that would eat more space up in your device.
3. It occasionally adds holiday-themed features that are perfect if you're DIYing your Christmas/New Year/Thanksgiving cards or Halloween party invites before sending them out to your friends.
4. It's got wider selection of tools, brushes and fonts that would give a pro vibe to your photos.
- Skype (mobile) - Unlike my WhatsApp, WeChat and Viber apps, Skype is commonly used for ConCall with clients and people I work with. It enables me to view my urgent messages real time even if I'm away from my PC. Consuming another 38MB of my storage is worth it than missing important messages and calls which I can't afford as I consider freelancing as my own business.
- Facebook + Messenger - To be honest, if not for the several pages I manage under my main account, I would have deactivated it a long time ago. But with how they tweaked Facebook and added some business-useful features that didn't exist before; I drastically changed my mind and kept it. Let's face it, having a decent number of followers on any social media platform assists a company or a brand gain credibility. It's a fact nowadays that brands look at the number of followers an influencer or public figure has got to ensure wider reach or network in terms of advertising and marketing. After all, Facebook is a great platform especially if utilized wisely.
- SoundCloud - Singing is my first love and I always feel the need to include music in my daily routine. This app has nothing to do with my work but it is a good diversion. I don't upload tracks that often though, only if I can't get rid of a particular song in my head as if it's telling me to cover it. Recently, I strayed from my usual SoundCloud activity and narrated one of my favorite Pablo Neruda poems - If You Forget Me. Many of you who are currently reading this didn't come here to listen to my singing voice, but I thought of sharing with you anyway.
a. It serves as my stress reliever by exploring my inner musician and showcase my passion for music.
b. Like the previously mentioned apps, SoundCloud is free. It gives you an ample amount of minutes for your tracks. But if you are a budding musician who is looking at taking your music career to the next level before producing your songs independently, you need to avail this app's premium membership. Going premium on Soundcloud enables you to unlimited upload, spotlight your tracks, and manage a more detailed analytics which can't be done in a free membership.
c. It allows you to store your tracks online as long as you keep the account active.
Scan this code to follow me on Snapchat!
- SnapChat - My relationship with SnapChat app was not a love-at-first-snap kind of thing because using it was not a piece of cake. I never really used it until version 9.26.0.0 was launched. Thanks to my friends who taught me how to snap. With its growing users (nearly 100 million snap-chatters) who use this engaging app everyday, it seems a lot more social media aficionados are jumping on the bandwagon. It has gained its popularity overnight in the digital world because of its flexibility. It got me hooked, too, right after I got the hang of its funky method. With its latest version (9.27.0.0 for Android) and new chat features like photo attachment, voice / video call and unique emojis recently integrated, more and more brands think they have found the best mobile video platform with the most engaged audience. Read on for more Snapchat audience information, here.
- Twitter - How is Twitter beneficial to its users? Like most of the social media platforms now, Twitter has been one of the most effective digital platforms for marketers, brands, content creators, or anyone who intends to build their online presence. My account was created in 2010 because my then job required me to do so until it became a personal account when I left the company. After a few random tweets, I decided to take advantage of my account for Rave & View's sake. Twitter has helped me big time in letting others know that my contents are somehow worth their while. What better way to establish a good online reputation than connecting to people you share the same goals with.
The ability to share especially great contents with others through this social media app has made a big impact to both creators and clients. Proper usage of shortened links and hashtags made it easier to search for users who tweet about substantial information which you may need.
- Youtube - I have finally come to my top favorite app and can't wait to rave about it. I'm so grateful to the creators of YouTube and probably most of you are, too. Everything I know about building a site from scratch, some basic CSS coding techniques down to learning the art of makeup and baking; I owed it to this biggest video sharing site on the internet. Youtube and its creators have contributed a priceless amount of knowledge and made me a certified autodidact.
Youtube, which originated as a dating site in 2005 has helped a lot of people in so many different ways. Had it not been changed its path, it would have been a different story for most of us now. The world has become much smaller and possibilities seem endless through the videos being uploaded everyday. Whether it be about cooking, DIYing, crafting, free life consultation, inspirational contents and the list goes on. Of course, not everything you watch on Youtube is useful. There are some crappy ones, too, but it would be up to you how to filter according to your viewing preference.
There you have the second part of this rundown, summing up the mobile/social apps that changed my perspective towards my independent employment journey. These little perks from the digital world may not be big of a deal to others but for me, they are. It's how you perceive small things that make them larger than life.
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