BookMark Travel

As part of my university course I had to collaborate with other students to develop a new Digital Publishing idea. After much research and deliberation we decided to head down the route of book recommendations when travelling, and BookMark Travel was created.

Our Mission Statement

What do you do when you’re out of books right before you fly off on your next travelling adventure? You turn to Bookmark-Travel, your page in travel. Our itinerary based website provides book enthusiasts with the best reads for their journey. With our drop box system, users can search for books about the country or city they are visiting. They can get involved with discussions and comments from our other users and share opinions about their favourite books. We want to give literature back to the public; ignore those ‘Top 10 holiday reads’ chosen by the big brands, and take your choices into your own hands. Discover the forgotten, re-brand the old and ignite the new flame in literature from the readers themselves.

It is still a work in progress but you might be able to find recommendations based on your destination.

You can find the website here

Facebook

Twitter

And follow us on Instagram @BookmarkTravel13

Hashtags #BMT #PageinTravel

Snapchatting the Conversation

Social media has become one of the world’s most utilised aspects of the internet and mobile devices; including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This year has seen the up-rise of the new app ‘Snapchat‘. Instant status updates have proven to not be enough in communicating with others, and even with instagram the public seem dissatisfied with its uses. Snapchat allows consumers to take a photo and immediately send it to anyone on their contacts. The images only stay on screen for a matter of seconds but it provides the public with yet another way of presenting their every thought and action of the day.

Don’t get me wrong I have downloaded and enjoyed the app myself, it’s amusing to see some of the bizarre faces my friends and myself can pull, but it’s a very guilty pleasure. I find myself getting annoyed at the constant use of technology in our lives, I miss having a conversation with someone rather than sending faces to each other; it makes me sound very old fashioned but it’s true. The constant fear society has of being left out keeps us downloading these apps and I know I will succumb to the this temptation along with most others.

This ad for Snapchat highlights the benefits of the app, making messages seem more personal and occasionally cheeky. It aims the product at a fairly young generation, aged 16-25, as they are the ones more interested in the latest developments, especially when it comes to smart phones. However, despite its popularity at the moment I don’t have strong beliefs that it will last much longer. The novelty of the app will ware off and soon it will be known just as a craze of 2013.

Related articles

• Snapchat Fame (michaelamatt.wordpress.com)
• How Snapchat Became The Breakout Consumer Product Of 2013 (soshitech.com)

A Beautiful Mess App Review

After months of waiting patiently, ‘A Beautiful Mess App’ has finally been released on Google Play/Android. Released back in May, on iTunes, it has been a long wait for followers of this blog to get their hands on a non-Apple version of the app. Was it worth the wait?

As a lover of Instagram and ‘A Beautiful Mess’ Blog, I have waited alongside many others to get my hands on this app, purchasing it the day it came out. The blog itself is know for its quirkiness and vintage style, and it appears the app has been created in the same way.

So what’s good about it?The answer is a lot. You can take any of your photos, using them as a collage or individually, and then add a range of decorations and comments onto them. It takes the Polaroid aspect of instagram and adds a scrapbook feel to the images- providing hand drawn doodles by the creators it gives pictures a personal touch.

Once you’ve chosen your doodle, background, border, you can then change the colour of said decor and make it as small or large as you like. Then it gives you the opportunity to share your picture via instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Creativity and social media combined, what could be better?

Any disadvantages?

Not really. Unlike instagram it does cost a little, but 69p is an easy price to pay for such a lovely app. If I could change anything then it would be to provide a larger range of decoration and colours to use, but this is nothing major.

Also perhaps the link to Facebook could be to a photo album rather than as a status, but this is such a small thing and easily avoidable with instagram.

Photos edited using A Beautiful Mess App

Below is an image I have created using Instagram and ‘A Beautiful Mess App’

I have used the collage effect, writing and doodle decor. All done in white to create a better contrast with the photograph.

Related articles

• A Beautiful Mess 2.0 and Android Release!!! (abeautifulmess.com)
• A Beautiful Mess App is in the iTunes Store! (abeautifulmess.com)
• A Beautiful Mess App FAQ (abeautifulmess.com)
• A Beautiful Mess v1.01 for Android (appsforandroidapk.wordpress.com)