Linking is a snap
19 Feb 07 Filed in:Blogging
We found loads of revised Snap PreView features listed in an email newsletter this morning. A screen shot of a website appears when you mouse over a link. Great concept that was a bit too intrusive (almost scary) in its early form. Now it has a lot of options to keep the pretty pictures under control and out of the user's face.
If you have a good blog software program, linking is a doddle. In Rapidweaver you highlight the text you want to link from, click on Add Link and paste in the URL - and even add title tags right there. It is almost the same in web-based WordPress. Snap Previews take the power of links one stage further, generating an on-demand screenshot of the site you are thinking of clicking to - right there on your page. And the good bit for blogmasters - you only have to copy and paste the code once into your template. Woo hoo.
To warn the user that something might happen, you can now add a small icon next to the link text! What does happen, depends on how you set up the code via a few click-on options.
Number one option: Limit the mouseover effect to that icon only. This was the advanced feature that persuaded us to try Snap Preview again, and sign up as guinea pigs for the next round of features!
Number two option: You can set it up so both the hypertext and the warning icon next to it activate the Snap Preview option
Number three option: Just keep it as before, with the link only, no warning signs. That way, when a visitor mouses over the link, a Preview appears unexpectedly and they die of a heart attack.
Also you can now generate screen shots of pages on your own site. To be honest, this is pretty useless unless you have some killer photo to differentiate each page. Hundreds of repeats of the same old shite isn't much of a feature.
Also, if you don't take advantage of the coding options, very clearly explained, you could end up with icons next to every navigational link on your site. That is kind of upsetting to the designer aiming for a certain look that did not involve hundreds of itty bitty images.
Gone are the days of GUI clutter with pop-up screenshot hell. The software is very flexible now and worth a look. Of course it is free, so what have you got to lose. Check them out.
Snap PreView turbo charges the look of links
If you have a good blog software program, linking is a doddle. In Rapidweaver you highlight the text you want to link from, click on Add Link and paste in the URL - and even add title tags right there. It is almost the same in web-based WordPress. Snap Previews take the power of links one stage further, generating an on-demand screenshot of the site you are thinking of clicking to - right there on your page. And the good bit for blogmasters - you only have to copy and paste the code once into your template. Woo hoo.
Killer Snap Preview feature
To warn the user that something might happen, you can now add a small icon next to the link text! What does happen, depends on how you set up the code via a few click-on options.
Number one option: Limit the mouseover effect to that icon only. This was the advanced feature that persuaded us to try Snap Preview again, and sign up as guinea pigs for the next round of features!
Number two option: You can set it up so both the hypertext and the warning icon next to it activate the Snap Preview option
Number three option: Just keep it as before, with the link only, no warning signs. That way, when a visitor mouses over the link, a Preview appears unexpectedly and they die of a heart attack.
Snap Previews of internal links
Also you can now generate screen shots of pages on your own site. To be honest, this is pretty useless unless you have some killer photo to differentiate each page. Hundreds of repeats of the same old shite isn't much of a feature.
Also, if you don't take advantage of the coding options, very clearly explained, you could end up with icons next to every navigational link on your site. That is kind of upsetting to the designer aiming for a certain look that did not involve hundreds of itty bitty images.
In summary
Gone are the days of GUI clutter with pop-up screenshot hell. The software is very flexible now and worth a look. Of course it is free, so what have you got to lose. Check them out.
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