One of the most interesting features they announced in their last major release was the SlideRocket marketplace, a solution that lets you purchase content for your presentation from within the application. This past week they opened this up even more, with the addition of the SlideRocket Services Directory.

The Services Directory lets users connect with certified providers who can offer creative expertise in areas like design, copy writing, photography and more, all from right within the application. The collaboration functionality already built in to SlideRocket makes the process easy.

I’m a big fan of this trend to introduce and facilitate the connection between user and provider. It’s a win-win, offering customized presentation services to users and an additional outlet for web workers to offer our wares.

As it is a relatively new service, now might could be a great time for creative agencies and freelancers to align themselves with SlideRocket and establish yourself as an expert early on. The fact that it is a powerful platform and a joy to work with make it an even more compelling opportunity.

SlideRocket has also added two new content providers to the Marketplace. The addition of Andertoons and PresentationPro add to the offerings already available from Fotolia and Mimeo.

If you’re a service provider interested in a listing in the Services Directory, more information can be gained by emailing marketplace@sliderocket.com. Listings are free but premium placement advertising and opportunity are in the pipeline.

Are you using SlideRocket? Are your services a fit for its Services Directory?

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Flypaper wants to change that by providing tools that allow the general business user the ability to create and share rich content without the need for programming.

Flypaper is a Windows based application that makes creating Flash Content possible without the typical time and expense of hiring a developer.

Using just about any media content, you can create Flypaper Stories that aren’t just presentational, they can even be interactive and gather form data from your viewer.

Some examples on their site include everything from interactive sales presentations and brochures to portfolios and even fun things like a collection of Top 10 Monty Python Sketches.

Where Flypaper really pays off is that it is super easy to edit and reuse your stories. Make changes and revisions quickly so you can customize your content for a particular event or audience.

The creation process is very visual, sort of a cross between creating PowerPoint or Keynote slides and video editing. There is no code and no programming, but I would describe it as being very object oriented.

Everything that you create or add to a story has properties that define its appearance and behavior. If you create a page, you set the properties of that page. Add a button to the page and the interface changes to allow you to set the properties of that button. It is a very logical building block sort of approach and it works very well.

Creating branches in your stories to allow for user choice is really simple and a Story Map shows you how your pages fit together.

The Flybrary tool allows you to not only create libraries of your photos and other assets but it contains a bunch of sample templates and components that you can use in your own stories. It is also web enabled so you can search Flickr and other photo sites directly from Flypaper and drag and drop the content right in. (Be sure to check usage licenses on photos and other items found on the web)

When your story is created you can post it on the Flypaper.net or your own personal hosting site, or export to various formats including movies, executables  or even SCORM e-learning courses. The Dashboard lets you view statistics on your stories, know what was viewed down to the page level.

I found Flypaper to be relatively easy to use, and the drag and drop functionality sure makes the process pretty simple. It will still take some time to create a fully featured professional looking presentation though. And there is still no shortcut for writing good copy and preparing compelling content.

Flyaper is a Windows only app but it should run well in Parallels or similar on the Mac.

A 30-day trial is available, after which the app and access to your flypaper.net account will normally run you $249, although there is special offer in place now for $195.

Would Flypaper make it easier for you to use Flash Content in your marketing?

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SlideRocket has always offered a a feature rich authoring tool with all of the bells and whistles you would expect, if not more. With today’s release they up the ante by adding powerful collaboration features and an integrated marketplace.

Collaboration:

Even in a small organization, preparing a slide deck is usually a collaborative process, or at the very least involves the sharing of frequently used assets. SlideRocket’s new collaboration functionality gives you all the tools you need to collect and share your content including library management, content synchronization, and version control.

The library lets you collect frequently used items and assign permissions across your group as to who has access to what items.

Powerful versioning functionality keeps track of changes and lets you revert back to prior copies at the slide and presentation level.

The SlideRocket Marketplace:

Also launched today is the integrated marketplace, a store within SlideRocket which allows you to browse and buy presentation related assets and services such as images, templates, printing and more. Initial partners include Fotolia, Mimeo and PresentationPro with many more planned.

One of the most intriguing features is the built in analytic tools. See who is viewing your decks, how long they spent on each slide as well as tracking clicks and forwards. Rather than sending your presentations out blind, you can now track their effectiveness.

SlideRocket runs in any browser across multiple operating systems, in addition to offering an offline player so you can present on the go without an internet connection.

SlideRocket is offering limited time discounts on their pricing plans from free limited functionality single user accounts up to fully featured Business plans from $20/user per month. Pre-paid annual subscriptions are eligible for further discounts.

Are you still using PowerPoint or Keynote? Could SlideRocket be an option for you?

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SlideRocket, the online presentation designer and manager we raved about back in March has flipped opened their doors and entered an open public beta phase.

SlideRocket offers an extremely impressive set of tools for creating and distributing presentations, and as they move into this next phase they have also added some really nice collaboration functionality that lets you share presentations, slides and specific assets with others in your organization.

Take the online tour and then grab your free beta account – if you’re looking to make an impression with your next presentation, SlideRocket won’t disappoint.

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