Top 10 Web APIs — Bridging Today’s Technology

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Top Web APIsWith the explosion of application programming interfaces (APIs), the web has become an intermingling of technology, as if all your favorite applications got together at a speed-dating event.  Using web APIs, programmers can now mingle the capabilities of multiple applications together. By doing such, they eliminate the need of clicking through different applications—all serving different purposes. So, what is the best API deliverable? Instead of standing on opposite ends of a virtual wall, a window (with nice trimmings!) has been installed to grant data access, allowing different applications to socialize and make friends with each other.

With so many fish in the sea and increased availability of internet-based services, we all ask ourselves “What are the Top Web APIs out there?” After speaking to internal and external web service experts, we have published the answer. (more…)

Why folder structure isn’t enough

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

I was talking with a prospect the other day and he was explaining why an FTP site with a folder structure of company photos, product shots and marketing collateral just ain’t cutting it anymore.  Like so many of the organizations we talk to everyday, this is the current state of his digital assets.  Partners, vendors, and geographically distributed teams access the FTP site to browse the folder structure, find what they need and download it.  Sound familiar?  I’m sure to many of you it does because we hear this EVERY-DAY!  It never ceases to amaze me how many corporate giants are still operating in this way.  I could go on for hours explaining why this is a colossal waste of time – no search capabilities, lack of security controls, no way to preview before download, no track-ability, lack of accountability, no way to monitor or communicate usage rights, etc, etc, etc.

But the prospect said it best with this analogy…

“You know when you go to a friend’s house, and you need silverware, and have to open every single drawer to find a fork… and your friend is like, ‘Isn’t it obvious which drawer the fork would be in?!’ But, if it were your house, you would put the silverware in a completely difference place, so no it is not obvious! That’s what browsing a folder structure setup by our US headquarters is like for our partners in Asia.”

Awesome.

Jump on the DAM Bandwagon: Best Ways to Promote your WebDAM

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Jump on the Digital Asset Management BandwagonYou don’t need convincing – you’ve been enjoying all the advantages of WebDAM for some time. But sometimes, it’s not so easy to get everyone else to join in and get excited about digital asset management. Ok, so maybe DAM is not as exciting as the latest drama on the Bachelorette, but it does improve workflow, save time, and benefit your whole organization. If only your colleagues knew everything you knew about WebDAM, there’s no doubt they’d love it just as much as you do.

So, your mission is clear: spread the word and advocate to your colleagues about WebDAM and how they can and should use it.  After all, the more your DAM is utilized, the greater value it will bring across your organization.  We’ll get you started with just a few simple pointers:
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What’s New in WebDAM: Upload Notifications

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

In a large organization with designers, photographers, publishers and marketers all accessing and uploading creative collateral daily, it can get overwhelming!  How do you know when a photographer has completed a job?  Are any images awaiting metadata?  Upload Notifications are here to help!

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Breaking Down DAM (Digital Asset Management) Distribution

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

digital asset management distributionPartners, distributors, media outlets, web producers, ad agencies, publishers—all of those groups depend on your digital media every day.  How do you manage these needs? Surprisingly, many companies—both small and large—have no process in place to manage these requests, resulting in project delays and bottlenecks.

This process is known as digital media distribution and is a key component to digital asset management. A DAM’s core functionality includes managing, searching, organization and archiving assets, but what happens when you’re inundated by internal and external requests? (more…)

5 Best FTP Programs

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is commonly used by designers, photographers and other types of creatives to transfer large files between servers. Since WebDAM fully supports FTP transfer as one method of uploading to your online digital asset management system, I often get asked for my recommendations of the best, free (or cheap) FTP programs. Here are my picks:

FETCH SOFTWORKS
http://fetchsoftworks.com/

Fetch is a full-featured file transfer client exclusively for Mac users. Fetch supports both FTP and sFTP file transfer protocols to ensure compatibility with most internet providers, web-hosting companies, publishers, and more. The Droplet shortcuts and Dashboard widgets make it easy to upload files and track the progress of the upload through the user friendly interface. (more…)