#packagr

This week has been insanely busy here at the XOXCO office!

Damien has been refactoring our Packagr app using AngularJS. This is really neat because it allows an entirely new way to write modern javascript applications that gets rid of redundant code and opens the door to more features for the end user. Main point? Better features, faster.

On that note, we're at the tail end of a development sprint with the latest version of Packagr! I got to play around with the updated UI and the new editor, and it's so simple to use. Bushra has been working on establishing that UI by problem solving in some really interesting ways. For example, she asked herself this week if she could walk someone through using Packagr by verbal instructions alone. She also played around using iconography vs. text for visual cues and testing which works better.

Eric also got to play around with the new UI and editor, and used it to validate our approach by re-creating some Vice articles. Using Packagr's RSS feed importing feature, and matching the styling through CSS, he was able to recreate the existing look and feel in our more flexible format.

The team's other big effort this week has been on a "the Grande Burrito," a big, ongoing client project.

With a dozen pages, each with multiple screen sizes, there are now hundreds of comps to show. Bushra has developed a good organizational system using Sketch and InVision to present at design reviews, and leave behind with the client.

The client wants a way to make their web experience tell a story that their customer relates to, so Bushra has been thinking about that strategy as well. That narrative can really determine a customer's perception of a business, the quality of their experience, and whether or not they buy.

"You can only use so many pictures to tell the story," said Bushra "I've been trying to use the other tools I have to make the voice of the company personable on the web."

Link Roundup

Our friend Dave Rupert was kind enough to give a Packagr shout out on the latest episode of his Shoptalk Podcast. Thanks, Dave! Be sure to check out next week's episode, which features our good friend Sam Kapila.

In other news, the second piece of the ART issue of Dark Rye is out! Check it out here, and or get this and all issues in the Packagr-powered iPad app!

Our pal (and XOXCO part-timer) Michael Way shows off his ability to magically conjur a Packagr logo. The future is very bright indeed!

We are very pleased to announce that the folks at The Texas Tribune used our multichannel publishing tool Packagr to collect, curate and package an amazing series of posts about the Texas Legislature into an ebook called "Bidness as Usual."

From the Tribune:

Over the course of the 83rd legislative session, the Tribune produced more than 60 articles on ethics and transparency among the state's elected officials, a project we dubbed "Bidness as Usual." The revelations: Some members of the Legislature routinely carried bills and took votes on issues near and dear to their pocketbooks — and used the weight of their office to enrich themselves and their families.

...

But this series, reproduced in full in our e-book, sparked the loudest conversation in years around ethics and transparency reform in Texas.

Using Packagr, the Tribune was able to import their content directly from their existing web CMS, restructure and reorder the raw content into a book, and publish it in multiple formats. Bidness as Usual is available on Amazon, or directly from the Tribune in multiple DRM-free formats.

Last week, The Atlantic announced the launch of a new weekly publication that will combine content from the print magazine and several of The Atlantic's web properties. This material will be published via a subscription-based iPad and iPhone application, and delivered on Friday afternoons.

"We're aiming to provide a selection of stories and ideas on screens scrubbed of all distractions, for those moments over the weekend when readers can pause to sit back and let their minds roam," James Bennet, editor in chief of The Atlantic, said. "And for us, this is another experiment in putting to use any new means available to create and support the journalism of ideas that distinguishesThe Atlantic."

Today, TechCrunch announced the launch of CrunchBase Daily, a daily recap of fundraising activity in silicon valley. This daily broadcast publication is for people who want to make sure they get a comprehensive view of this fast based marketplace, but may not have the time to visit the CrunchBase site every day. TechCrunch will deliver this new publication via email and on their Twitter account.

These are great examples of publishers repackaging and repurposing their content to reach different audiences and satisfy different needs, a process which multiplies the value of the content to both the publishers and their readers. They also provide an opportunity for these publishers to change the relationship they have with their readers - from casual passers by to long term subscribers.

The new iPad version of XOXCO Dispatch hit iTunes yesterday, and it is currently featured prominently in the newsstand section of the app store! 

All of the back issues, now in a fancy, sliding iPad magazine format, are available for free in the app, and there are a bunch of goodies lurking in them like free copies of my low polygon app. And of course essays by Adam and I, cool illustrations by Bushra, and lots of links to nerdy stuff.

Now, our zine is available as an email, as an ebook on your Kindle (and other readers), or as a universal iOS app... all published and controlled in one place: Packagr.

We just redesigned the process of creating a new project within Packagr. The software will now guide users through creating different types of publication, such as curated weekly digests of their site, or stand alone anthologies based on a topic or category. These projects can be published to tablets, ereaders, smartphones, email and the web, and sold in app and book stores.

Preview: