Nancy Messieh
836 articles published since August 19, 2009
Page 30
About Nancy Messieh
Nancy is a writer and editor living in Washington DC. She was previously the Middle East editor at The Next Web and currently works at a DC-based think tank on communications and social media outreach.
8 Unusual and Surprising Uses for WordPress
From social networks to intranets, from directories to RSS aggregators – WordPress has you covered. Between all of the free and paid themes and plugins, you can make your WordPress site pretty much anything you want it to be.
Should You Allow Comments on Your Site? The Pros and Cons
Should you allow comments on your site or blog? On the one hand, you can argue that quality content will encourage quality comments; on the other, there's always someone out there with something negative to say.
Gingko: An Online Word Processor That Could Change The Way You Write
At MakeUseOf, we're always on the look out for innovative text editors that can make our life as writers just a little bit easier. This relatively new service is unique and may just be the key you need to change the way you approach your writing. It could make you more productive too while making your workflow just that little bit easier.
SpellTower Is Boggle On Steroids For Your Phone
If you've been on the lookout for a new word game to play on your iOS or Android device, SpellTower may be just what you're looking for. This is Boggle on steroids, and is well worth the $1.99 price tag it comes with. Some word games can get tiring pretty quickly, but SpellTower is one of those games that will keep you hooked. The app is also available as a desktop Mac app, but in this review we're looking solely at the mobile version, specifically on the iPhone.
4 Easy Ways To Keep Up With Breaking News Online
In today's world of fast-paced breaking news, it can often times be difficult to keep up with everything that's going on. If you want a targeted experience — one that includes smartphone alerts from your preferred news networks, emails with breaking news as it happens, and, of course, a healthy dose of Twitter-delivered news — we've got you covered.
Medium: An Alternative Blogging Platform From The Founders Of Twitter
Twitter's co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone launched their own blogging platform, Medium, about a year ago. The founders say that the aim is to "re-imagine" publishing, by allowing users to choose the level of collaboration they prefer. It essentially means users can post their own content, but also share them with everyone else in public collections, as similar ideas shared in such collections help deepen awareness. Think of it as Flickr Groups for blog posts.
5 Ways to Harness the Power of the Crowd
Crowdsourcing can take on lots of different forms. Between social media and niche crowdsourcing sites, you can harness the power of the crowd to get just about anything. Whether it's raising funds, looking for information, news, photos, or videos, there are niche sites that can cater to your exact needs. We've listed five of the most popular types of crowdsourcing websites below.
5 Places to Find and Share Mouthwatering Food Photos
We all have that one person on our Facebook friend's list or Twitter who snaps a photo of just about every meal they eat. That can be annoying. Taking gorgeous photos of beautifully cooked food on the other hand can be an entertaining hobby. Even if you don't cook the food yourself, following a few tips can make a world of a difference when it comes to food photography. But why keep those photos to yourself? We've put together a list of places that are crying out for your sweet and savoury snaps.
Oggl: Hipstamatic's Social Network for Mobile Photographers
Back in May, Hipstamatic launched its own social networking app, Oggl. The free app brings Hipstamatic's filters into a social network environment a la Instagram, but with an admittedly unique feel to it. Available in the Apple App Store and the Windows Phone Store, Oggl not only gives its users a way to see what other Hipstamatic aficionados are up to, it also gives them a new way to use Hipstamatic itself.
8 Tumblr Blogs To Download Stunning Wallpaper Images
Are you big fans of Tumblr? Here at MakeUseOf, we certainly are. The blogging platform brings together the idea of blogging together with social networking and has become home to some of the most creative, entertaining, humorous and thoughtful posts we've ever come across. With an easy-to-use backend that lends itself to both creating new content and sharing content that you like, it is home to some of the most viral content on the Web.
Bring Facebook, Instagram & Twitter to Your Browser's Toolbar With These Chrome Extensions
Looking for a more streamlined way to use your favorite social networks? Developer 64 Pixels offers a series of Chrome extensions which let you take three major social networks — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — out of your smartphone and their native websites, and into a slick and easy-to-access window in your browser bar. You can keep up with what your friends are up to, interact with them the way that you would on the native website (commenting, liking, retweeting etc.), and all from the most convenient place possible: your Chrome toolbar.
5 More Places to Help You Find Quality Creative Commons Images
There are lots of reasons you might need to find Creative Commons images. Last year, we introduced you to five great places to find Creative Commons images, with the list including heavyweights like Flickr and Google Image Search, along with a few more services you might not have heard of. Today we're updating that list, and adding 5 more services that take the hard work out of finding Creative Commons images.
How To Embed YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, And Google Maps Responsively
One of the biggest buzzwords in the online design world in the past two or three years has to be 'Responsive.' With the advent of browsing on everything from a 4 inch smartphone screen to a 27 inch display, it can be difficult to make sure that your website or blog looks good no matter what. That's why a responsive design is essential because it can automatically detect what device you're using to access the site, and adjust it to fit the size of your screen.
Roon Is A Slick, Easy-To-Use Blogging Platform You May Want to Try
While WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr dominate the blogging scene, there are a few minimalist platforms that strip down the blogging experience to focus entirely on simply sharing your writing. Roon keeps things simple, all blogs are responsive (meaning you can view blog posts on your smartphone, for example, and it adjusts to the reader's device), and couldn't be easier to use.
Get Creative And Make Your Own Maps With Custom Layers On The New Google Maps
With Google unveiling a completely revamped Maps, now available to all, creating your own maps has become easier than ever. You can create private and public maps, share the maps with specific individuals, add descriptions to locations, and choose from several map styles and appearances. The new Google Maps features makes map creation easier than ever, and with Google's solid sharing settings, you have complete control over who sees the maps.
3 Awesome Ways to Add Text & Designs to Your iPhone Photos
There are more than a few apps that make it easy to add text to images using nothing more than your iPhone. The convenience of taking a picture, adding personal touches using an app on your device and then share it in a matter of seconds from the palm of your hand cannot be denied. Whether you want to create a creative watermark, your own greeting cards, or just fancy more interesting graphics for your blog or site, you can get all of that done using the following three apps.
8 Ways to Discover the Best Instagram & Vine Videos Online
Neither Vine nor Instagram offer a good way to search and find videos., but there are a few ways to search for Instagram and Vine videos from the comfort of your computer. We've already introduced you to 5 unofficial ways to watch Vine videos, and now we're adding to that list, and throwing in a few extra options for Instagram only. With all the creative ways people are using Vine and Instagram, these services make it a little bit easier to uncover the best videos created on each app.
The Ultimate Guide To Instagram Video: Everything You Need To Know
Another major update seen in Instagram since it was acquired by Facebook is the addition of Video updates in June. Are you using Instagram video? Do you know how to shoot a good one? Everything you need to know about how Instagram videos work — how to shoot them, how to get creative with them, how to make sure your videos get more attention, can be found in this post.
Save and Reopen Your Web & Document Sessions With Cupcloud
Ever find yourself with a ton of tabs and Word documents open, but then have to reboot your computer? Whether it's an update or a new app that requires a reboot, rather than put it off, or bookmark a bunch of tabs you only need for the time-being, Cupcloud will actually temporarily save your tabs, documents and more, and restore them with a simple click of the button. Cupcloud goes beyond saving just website tabs in your browser and extends to the desktop itself.
More Than Photo Sharing: 5 Unique Uses for Flickr
Flickr is best known as one of the easiest ways to share and store your photos online. We've come up with a few unique ways you can get more out of Flickr that go beyond photo sharing. Whether it's preparing for your travels, furnishing a new home, learning a little bit about history, or more, Flickr has you covered.