Where When and How of Zapd
Many travelers choose to record their journeys via daily blog posts. However, only a handful of creative individuals decide to document their adventures from a completely different point of view. Take a look at these cute and witty travel blogs from a few furry (and not so furry) friends:
Do you know of any other Zappers documenting their travels with the help of an unconventional travel buddy? Send us the links on our Facebook or Twitter pages!
Love,
The Zapd Team
Over the past few decades tattooing has become less of a taboo, and increasingly more of a culture norm. Whether or not tattoos fit your fancy, there is certainly no denying the beauty and talent behind this craft. Enjoy our selection of featured tattoo artists and enthusiasts who are sharing their body art on Zapd:
Sam’s Tattoo Appreciation Blog:
Are you a tattoo artist or fan? Feel free to send us your best Zaps via Facebook or Twitter. Happy Zapping!
Love,
The Zapd Team
A simple photograph or an influential story can tug at the heartstrings of a complete stranger. Mobile technology is making it easier for people to share their benevolent endeavors on a viral scale. We have noticed that individuals and nonprofit organizations are using Zapd to connect with their supporters and document good deeds through photos and blogs. Meet some wonderful Zappers who inspire us:
Ryan fosters animals from The Winnipeg Humane Society:
A close-knit community picks fresh vegetables for a local food bank:
4 year-old Tegan paints beautiful pictures for the less fortunate:
A teacher pushes the boundaries of a conventional classroom by teaching her pupils in the great outdoors:
A coffee house concert benefits a family hoping to adopt a baby from Korea:
A hula dancing performance benefits the victims of the tsunami in Japan:
Tell us about what drives you to make a difference! You can reach us on Facebook or Twitter.
Love,
The Zapd Team
Zappers consistently create Zaps to showcase beautiful photographs taken from their iPhones. The artistic motifs range from the abstract to the mundane and everything in between. Enjoy these featured iPhoneography Zapd highlights:
Take a moment to send us your favorite iPhoneography Zaps via our Facebook or Twitter pages. Have a great weekend!
Love,
The Zapd Team
Mouth-watering cooking blogs are taking the Internet by storm. Zappers are blogging about everything from their favorite restaurant dishes to homemade organic recipes. Food blogs serve as creative outlets to document both trials and successes in the kitchen. Zapd makes it even easier for food enthusiasts to share their passion because a Zap can be updated instantly. Instead of relying on a computer, simply use Zapd to upload pictures and recipes straight from your phone!
The Keys to Starting a Zapd Food Blog:
A successful blog is composed of three main components: fantastic photos, solid recipes, and interesting descriptions.
1.) Photos
There is no need to be a professional photographer in the blogging sphere. Simple cameras or cell phones have the ability to capture high-resolution images. Just double check that you are taking your photos in a well-lit area and that the flash settings are not creating a bright glare. Experiment with arranging your dish or taking pictures from different angles. A simple backdrop or table works best but you may also experiment with adding some photo filters or additional props. Use Zapd to upload your photos within 60 seconds!
2.) Recipes
The recipe component of a blog sounds simple at first. Make a list of the ingredients of a homemade dish. (Unless you don’t want to share your grandma’s award-winning pie recipe with the world.) 
List the ingredients in the order they are used. Organization will make your recipes straightforward and easy to replicate. Let your blog readers know if your recipe didn’t work out like you planned. Honesty is always the best policy.
3.) Description
You can either choose to write your food blog in a professional manner or spice it up with a little personality! Some of our favorite cooking blogs are written in a way in which the author seems like an old friend. Include restaurant reviews if you decide to compile a range of dishes from various local eateries. Add the recipes and descriptions under the uploaded photos in text boxes and publish your Zapd blog!
Remember: Zapd blogs can always be added to and edited once they are published. Most of the current Zapd food blogs are updated about once a week.
In the end, realize this– There is actually no “correct” way to maintain a food blog. These are just a few suggestions to make your blog more tempting to read. We encourage you to get your creative and cooking juices flowing! Feel free to send us your favorite Zapd food blogs on Facebook and Twitter.
Love,
The Zapd Team
Some great examples of Zapd food blogs:
Sydney Food (restaurant reviews)
What better way to brighten up a not-so-great day than to browse through photos of adorable pets? Countless Zapd users dedicate “Zaps” to their prized animal companions. Some pet owners even put a creative twist on their websites by blogging from the animal’s point of view. Although it was difficult to choose from the abundant number of exceptional animals, here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy!
We would love to hear from you! Send us your favorite animal Zaps via Facebook or Twitter.
Happy Zapping!
Many people start a blog before they embark on a trip, intending to frequently update it to share their experiences with friends and family. But more often than not, updating the blog takes a backseat to everything the vacation has to offer. On top of this, there is the inconvenience and liability of carrying a laptop when you’re backpacking through rough terrain or staying in a dorm-style hostel.
The latest smartphones have built-in cameras with megapixels and capabilities that challenge many point and shoot cameras, allowing you to take high quality photos on the same device as blogging and accessing the internet. For a minimalist traveler in particular, this means your phone is all you need to share your adventures in real time. Snap a photo, give it a caption, and publish it to the web. With Zapd, you’ll have more time in your trip to enjoy the sights, and more room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
Not sure whether to write about your experiences or just upload photos? Finding the right balance between text and photos depends on your personal blogging style.
Here are a few examples of different travel Zap styles for inspiration:
Among the most popular travel Zaps are those that follow a photo essay style. Some are composed of only images, while others use captions to give the information that the picture alone might not reveal to those at home.
Example from http://tomtom.zapd.net/
Captions allow viewers to identify the what and where of your trip and are also a good way to include a fact or share a personal experience alongside an image.
Another nice way to lay out your travel Zap is to group posts by dayor location, with a brief summary followed by subsequent images. The following screen-cap is an example from http://timmermansinvietnam.zapd.net/
The third style functions most like a traditional Blog. Descriptive posts summarize each day of the trip or sight visited, and photos are interspersed throughout to serve as illustrations. Zapd is a great choice if you write lengthy posts and would like to update on the go!
Example from http://46hk.zapd.co
Do you have a completely different blogging style you’d like to share? Post your zap’s url as a comment below!
Love,
The Zapd Team
Draw Something is the latest mobile craze in gaming -it’s basically Pictionary in an app! Posting your screenshots to a Zap is an awesome way to showcase your talent. If you don’t have Draw Something yet, check it out at this link! http://omgpop.com/drawsomething
We found some amazing drawings online at izismile.com and created a Zap so you could guess what some of them are! Here are a couple of our favorites, but click here for the complete Zap: Amazing Draw Something Creations!
How many can you guess?
To discover more awesome creations visit:
http://izismile.com/2012/04/07/awesome_draw_something_creations_100_pics.html
Happy Zapping!
Take a look back on your child’s first steps, their first tooth, 8th grade graduation, the keys to their first car…. Zapd provides parents with the tools to instantly share all the precious milestone moments with family and friends. Reflect on special family memories with loved ones near and far with the Zapd mobile app. Zapd supplies custom designed themes that are the perfect backdrop for any occasion.
Pick a theme, brainstorm a title, and you’re well on your way. You have most likely accumulated a large collection of pictures over the years– so why not start uploading them onto an easy-to-use website?
Zaps are a fun way to get the whole family involved. Grandma and Grandpa can add their own pictures or comment on “how adorable” the grand-kids are. Cousins have the ability to reconnect to each other’s lives more than ever before! Brag to your friends about how well your kids are doing in school or sports. Share holidays, birthdays, and family gatherings quickly with the touch of a button.
The sky is the limit and what better way to document a time you will cherish forever than by creating a family Zap? You have the option to make your Zaps private to keep the viewers within the family circle or to make it public in order to easily share your Zap with others. It’s up to you! You can also add pictures and edit the Zap whenever you feel like it.
One of the best parts about creating a Zap is that it’s easy to add memories as they happen. We know you won’t always have a camera with you and there’s no need to wait until you get home to upload the photos. Upload pictures straight from your mobile device within minutes. It’s that simple!
Love,
The Zapd Team
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Check out these Family Zaps:
Zaps tend to have the reputation of being used for recreation, but they can also come in handy for serious business! Recently we have seen an influx of small businesses building Zaps for quick and easy company websites. Zaps are sprouting from restaurants, Cake Pop shops, jewelry design, wedding photography, extreme sport venues, clothing boutiques, and practically every industry under the sun.
By creating a customized business Zap, business owners don’t have to hire outside help in order to establish a company website. Remember- no coding knowledge is needed! Avoid paying big bucks for a website that may appear less than satisfactory. Instead, take a walk through your business snapping a few choice shots, add some quick product or service descriptions, then finish it off with your contact info and you’re done.The Zapd app is a free tool that numerous small businesses are taking advantage of to get online in literally a couple of minutes.
The keys to producing an effective business Zap:
Company websites are meant to provide information to potential customers, gain exposure, and to build your business over time. We have a few suggestions to help your business Zap make an impact:
• Upload appealing images: In order to make your business Zap visually engaging, you should add good looking business logos and photos. Customers trust what they see! In turn, logos help remind users of your brand(s), and additional images set the tone for your business, products, and services.
• Organize your information: We recommend that you don’t overload your Zap with too much information. A large block of text tends to be more difficult to read so sort the text into paragraphs or bullet points to make it clearer. Remember to provide the business’ address, hours, and the contact information.
• Include a map: Along with sharing the building’s address, add a photo, link, or screenshot of a map to help viewers find your location.
• Customize the URL: This is important! After publishing your business Zap, customize the URL so that the name of your business is featured in the Zap URL. This way, your Zap truly represents your business, and can be easily recognized.
• Be creative! Last but not least- Since your business is one of a kind, your Zap should be too! Add personal touches to the Zap to make it your own. Happy Zapping!
Love,
The Zapd team
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Some Current Business Zaps:
Restaurants
Victoria Plum Tea Room
New Delhi Restaurant
Tile Work
Extreme Sports
Beauty Products