Category: Tutorials

Read More

Read More

Over the past couple months, we’ve started a new Ask the Editor series across the AppStorm sites. As you may have heard, I’m the new editor of Web.AppStorm, and am excited to get to answer some of the questions you have sent in over the past several weeks.

In today’s edition of Ask the Editor, we’ll see how you can read your Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and more together, tips for getting started building webapps, and ways to get inspiration. Additionally, we’ve got a special section with tips from our Twitter followers on managing multiple Gmail accounts. If you’ve got another pressing question about webapps, feel free to send in your own question at the end of this post!

Is there a web app that aggregates Twitter, Facebook, and a RSS reader, marking the read and unread items of all these services?

-Gabriel Fernandes Monteiro

A webapp to aggregate webapps definitely sounds like a good idea. The biggest problem with networks like Facebook is that they end up being data silos, with all of your data saved in that network and nearly impossible to move. Thanks to RSS feeds and APIs built into most major web applications today, though, you can build services that bring all of your data together from all of the networks you love.

The one webapp that does the best job integrating tons of networks and services, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader, is FriendFeed. It’s a social network in its own regard, and feels somewhat like Facebook mixed with the publicness of Twitter. But, if you just want an integrated way to view your Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader updates in one app, it works good for that too. The only problem is, FriendFeed was purchased by Facebook in 2009, and their blog and service have seen few updates since then. So it’s a service you can use for now, but it may not be around for forever.

Another great app for bringing together your Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, and more is Seesmic Desktop. Seesmic Desktop is actually a Windows and Mac desktop program, so it’s definitely not a webapp, but it does a great job letting you bring together your updates from literally dozens of services. Seesmic Web, the webapp version, lets you integrate Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, and a couple more services, but doesn’t include RSS feed support.

 

 

What are good starting points for building web apps? Or apps/extensions for Chrome?

-ripu jain

Reading about exciting new webapps can get you wanting to create your own. Today, there are many eBooks, guides, and websites that can help you learn how to develop in HTML5 and CSS3 to create future-proof webapps. Here’s some of the best resources, once we’ve learned from and use regularly:

• Mark Pilgrim’s Dive into HTML5 is a Creative Commons licensed eBook that you can read for free online or purchase from O’Reilly Press. It includes detailed information about HTML5 in a beautifully designed site. Best of all, it’s an interesting read.
• Designing for the Web is another free online eBook that you can purchase to read offline if you wish. This helps you think through the best approaches for designing sites and apps that are user friendly, and includes information on typography, layouts, design, and more.
• Chris Pine’s Learn to Program is available to read free online, and is a great resource for learning Ruby programming from scratch. Even if you’re not planning on using Ruby, it’s a great introduction to the world of coding.
• W3Schools is one of the best reference sites for CSS, HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and more. Be sure to bookmark it; you’ll be coming back frequently!

Once you’ve learned how to design web apps, it’s not a huge leap to design Chrome extensions. The Chrome team has put together a great guide to creating your first Chrome extension. That site also includes all the documentation you’ll need to get started creating even more powerful extensions. Then, if you want to create Safari or Firefox extensions, check out their respective documentations for more info at the Safari Developer Program and Mozilla Extension Wiki.

 

 

I’m interested in developing a cool web application. What do you think the internet is missing today? Do you think the world needs a simpler task management app , a better online personal organizer, a better personal diary app …

-Anand Narayan

As you can quickly see from Web.AppStorm, there are thousands of amazing webapps out there today. So many, in fact, that it can quickly feel like there’s no where to innovate. For almost any given app you can think of, there’s likely someone out there who’s already made an app like that. Does that mean you shouldn’t try to make a better one? No!

One only has to look at Flow, the newest task management app, for proof of that. There are so many GTD apps, including the ever-popular Mac programs Things and Omnifocus, as well as webapps such as Remember the Milk, Producteev, Wunderlist, and so many more. That didn’t stop the Flow team. Instead, the took the very best of Mac app design, brought it to the browser, then created a super-powered todo list that could take on Basecamp for project management! Flow is one of the nicest webapps we’ve used lately, and shows how much innovation is still left in webapp design.

So whether you take an existing idea (task management, email, diary, or anything), or come up with something no one has ever made before, there’s plenty of room for innovation. If you’re stuck for ideas, reach out to your network: your Facebook and Twitter followers, blog visitors, and more. Or, check out communities like BuilditWith.me, that aim to bring designers and developers that have great ideas for apps with others that have the know-how to build or design apps.

And, of course, once you’ve created an amazing new app, feel free to let us at Web.AppStorm know about it. We’d love to know what you’ve created, especially if you were inspired by our articles!

Your Say!

In a slight twist, this week I asked our followers on Twitter: What’s the best way to manage multiple Gmail accounts? I’ve got a standard Gmail account, as well as several Google Apps accounts on other domains, and it can get pretty confusing keeping up with all of you mail. My problem isn’t unique; most of us have many accounts to keep up with nowadays. So, I thought I’d see how everyone else handles this, and got some awesome responses, including the following:

That’s a lot of different ways to manage your email. Thanks for all the answers, everyone! Want to join in next time? Be sure to follow us on @webappstorm

Until next time…

That’s all for today, but there’s always another opportunity to get your questions answered. What would you like to learn in the world of webapps? Got a difficult problem you’re not sure how to fix with a webapp? Fill out the form below, and we’ll pick the most interesting questions to answer in the next installment of our Ask the Editor series!

Online Form – AppStorm > Ask The Editor

We may live in the information age, but today, communicating with your coworkers often isn’t as simple as just walking over to their desk. Often we’re working with people across the globe, and the internet is the main way we can stay in touch. To work efficiently in this new age, we need better ways to stay in touch.

The good thing is, there’s more ways to communicate now than ever before. You don’t have to wonder if you can stay in touch, but you do need to find the best way to stay in touch. Last week, we asked you what communications tools you use. We’ve rounded up the best and most popular communication tools, including old standbys and new tools you may have never heard of. Keep reading to find new ways to stay in touch with your team, wherever they are.

1. Email

Love it or hate it, email’s still most of our primary online communication tool. Whether you’re using Gmail, Exchange, or any other email system, it’d be strange not to have a company email account. And a personal email. And a school email. And likely an email address for your dog.

So what’s so great about email? The same thing that was great about paper letters, minus the dead trees and $0.42 stamps. Email is great because its universal; everyone’s using it. You can send an email from Gmail to someone using MobileMe, and it just works. That’s not the case with most other communication tools. Then, you can use it whenever. Unlike chat and phone calls, you don’t have to be there right then. Finally, you can add images, attachments, rich text, and more, making it a passable system for sending anything you need to communicate. It may have problems, but we’re not leaving email behind any time soon.

2. Skype

Skype may be primarily marketed as a personal communications tool, but it’s entrenched in businesses as well. Best known for cheap voice calls over the internet to traditional phones and other Skype users, Skype is also great for video chats. You can even do group video chats with up to 10 others at once. Surprisingly, though, I find I use Skype for traditional text chat the most, and have come to rely on it to ask colleagues quick questions no matter where they are. One great feature of Skype text chats is that you can send messages when someone’s offline, and they’ll get them the next time they login. That brings the convenience of email to IM.

3. Google Chat

Don’t let Google Chat’s dated homepage fool you. Google Chat could easily be one of the most popular chat services today, since it’s directly integrated into every Gmail and Google Apps inbox. You can use their desktop app or add Google Talk to Pidgin or other popular chat applications, but it works great from your browser too. You can even now do voice and video calls right from Gmail in your browser. Best of all, your chat logs can be saved in Gmail, so you’ll have an easy reference to what you talked about and can find it later with search. As more businesses Go Google, Google Talk will increasingly be the de facto standard chat service.

4. Twitter

Twitter has connected us to the world, and now increasingly it’s connecting us to each other. Many of us joined Twitter to follow popular writers and celebrities, but as more of our friends, family, and coworkers join in, it turns into a great way to keep up with your team, too. You can quickly let everyone know what’s going on, or send a private Direct Message for those things that aren’t meant for public consumption. It’s also great to see what’s being said about your products and services, and gives you the chance to support customers directly.

Turns out, now you’ve got a legitimate reason to check Twitter. You’re not wasting time, you’re communicating!

5. 37signals Apps: Basecamp, Backpack, Campfire

The team at 37signals has a knack for making powerful business apps that are still incredibly fast and simple to use. Their original product, Basecamp, is one of the most popular online project management tools. It can help your team communicate without email, by sending messages inside Basecamp about your ongoing projects. Campfire, the online group chat app from 37signals, lets you setup chat rooms for your team that keep records of everything said so you can go back and find specific conversations, anytime. Then Backpack, one of their lesser-known products, lets you create pages easily to share information and store important data and files for your team. All together, the 37signals Suite can keep your business communicating and collaborating with your clients with less hassle than you’d have with email and other tools.

6. Yammer

If you like Twitter, but don’t want all of your communications to be public, Yammer might be the perfect tool for your team. It’s a private group communication tool that only lets people with company email addresses sign into the network. Once it’s setup, it’s a simple microblogging service where you can update the status of your projects, send messages to others, and form groups for private team communications inside the company.

7. Chatter

Salesforce is one of the biggest names in enterprise webapps, and they’ve taken online communications seriously as well. Rather than lose out to Twitter, Campfire, and more, they built Chatter and released it for free. It looks similar to Google Buzz or Facebook, with status messages, images, and in-line comments. However, it’s designed to keep your company’s communications private, and only employees can join your network. With apps for mobile devices and desktops, as well as a powerful webapp that integrates with Salesforce’s other apps, it’s a strong contender for enterprise or smaller business communications.

8. HipChat

HipChat is one of the newest chat apps that’s designed to make team communications simple. At first glance, it’s very similar to 37signals Campfire, with an ongoing chat that’s easy to search and lets everyone join in. However, HipChat takes it further, with strong support for restricted groups. Additionally, you can start a direct private chat with any other person in your HipChat account. This lets you use HipChat for team and direct communications. It also includes support for video and voice chats, so it could easily be the one communications app for all of your team’s needs.

9. Teambox

Teambox is a surprisingly popular new collaboration tool. While it started out as a project management tool, it’s now grown to include powerful messaging tools. This makes it one of the best ways to communicate with your team about each of the projects you have going on. You can assign tasks to others, check your own projects, then discuss them with your colleagues, all in the same app. Best of all, it lets you create up to 4 projects for free, which makes it a great choice for smaller teams.

10. Codebase

Codebase is an interesting webapp that combines a code repository with a communications platform. You can use the included Git, Mercuial, and Subversion support to keep up with all the changes in your code, and then talk to your cowokers about the changes, all from the same app. It’s a great solution for team communications with development teams, and can keep you focused on your work while you’re discussing the project with your team.

Other Great Choices

Even with all of these great options, there are still many other apps teams around the world use to communicate and stay in touch. Many readers said they use AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, or even Apple’s new FaceTime video chat to communicate with their team. Even Facebook chat and SMS text messages count today. Plus, you can’t forget the venerable telephone; after all, our fancy smartphones are still supposed to be telephones for traditional voice calls. The best communications tool for any team is the one they find easiest to use, even if it doesn’t have the latest features. At it’s core, communication is all about exchanging thoughts. With the internet, there’s more ways to do that than ever before.

Did we miss your favorite app? What’s your favorite way to communicate with your team?

In this cross platform, web app driven, fully integrated world, we are always looking for ways to get our information faster, get notified quicker, get up-to-the-second updates, and do more without having to bounce around to different websites. It’s why we use RSS, it’s why we use Twitter, and it’s why we have a ton of apps on our phones and a bunch of widgets on our desktops. In my search for better integration, I overlooked a fairly simple solution for accessing my web apps- the browser. Yes, I still go to facebook.com or groupon.com to get my updates, but I never thought of looking to the browser for a tool that integrates my webapps together.

ALOT offers exactly that- a simple, browser driven solution for easily checking your favorite web apps and bringing information to you.

Installing ALOT

ALOT is not a webapp in the traditional sense. Rather than being an app you can access from any browser, it’s a browser toolbar that’s designed to keep all of your favorite webapps together. The first thing to note about ALOT is that it’s a PC-only browser extension for either IE or Firefox. That means you’re out of luck if you’re a Mac user, or if your browser of choice is Google Chrome, Opera, or otherwise. This severely limits ALOT’s usefulness to many of us, but if you happen to fall into the IE/Firefox on PC demographic, installing is pretty easy. Simply install ALOT’s Appbar, and restart your browser. That’s it!

As you can see from the screenshot, the ALOT Appbar is a pretty beefy bar, and increases the height of the browser chrome by over a third. This is a little bit of an issue for me since I like to keep my browser clean/minimal. However, for what it has in bulk, it makes up for in convenience.

ALOT App Selection

ALOT has, well, a lot of apps to choose from, all designed to make your browsing experience more convinient. The email app brings email notifications to you, the radio app pulls in radio stations from Windows Media Player, and the Facebook App brings you your feed, wall, and notifications without you having to leave whatever website you happen to be on.

On top of that, ALOT offers several tools and utilities, such as a todo list manager, a URL shrinker using TinyURL, and a screenshot app, which was very helpful when it came to creating screenshots for this article!

Their apps are broken down into several categories, including Entertainment, News, Shopping, Utilities, and of course, Games. Some of the games they offer include Solitare, a Farmville clone, Sudoku, and my personal favorite, Plants vs. Zombies. Each of these are online webapps, that live in your ALOT toolbar.

The functionality of the apps are pretty good. Just select the app you want to run, and it will open in a movable box above your other browser windows. The apps run fairly fast, and some offer notifications or updates right in the appbar. My only complaint is that in some of the apps, like YouTube and Amazon, I expected more than just a search bar that would then use your current tab to display the search results the respective app’s website.

If you’re using an app like this, make sure you’re not in an important tab, as you don’t get prompted or warned before leaving the page.

Managing Apps

Managing Apps in ALOT is easy. Go to the Manage Apps page and you’ll see (assuming you have the appbar installed) a list of your apps with the ability to reorder or delete them.

As far as in-app preferences, there aren’t too many to choose from. For most of the apps, the preferences include any personal information you need to make the app work (login info, location, etc). For the apps that don’t require any custom info, they likely do not have a preferences tab. That means there’s not much in the way of customizing ALOT’s appearance.

Extra Features

Aside from app integration, the ALOT appbar has a few extra features for your convininence. The first is a built in search bar that is powered by Google. While this isn’t anything too special since most browsers come with a search bar, ALOT includes an addon called, “Discover,” which collects anonymous data to help ALOT learn what sites users like best- therefore, the more you use ALOT, the smarter it will get!

Don’t worry! Discover is an opt-in feature.

ALOT also has an iGoogle-like interface where you can create a custom homepage and add apps there as well.

Conclusion

I was pleasently surprised by ALOT. When I started out, I was a little frustrated that it was PC-only since I am primarily a Mac user (and a Chrome user when it comes to browsers), and figured this was only going to be the actual sites wrapped in a custom frame. However, ALOT has a few really good apps (email, todo, the news ones, weather) that truely improve the browsing experience and are unique to ALOT. My only complaint is that some of the video ads for games can get a bit annoying since I need to watch them (or part of them) in order to play; but since ALOT is free, I can let that slide

If you’re a PC user, and would like to discover more games and other apps you can add to Firefox or Internet Explorer, ALOT is an interesting service you may find useful. By only working on PCs and in Firefox and IE, though, ALOT leaves behind the cross platform compatibility that we love about webapps.

For years, it seemed that Internet Explorer was the only browser most computer users would touch. The big E logo became the universal symbol of the internet, and the average computer seemed to have 13 browser toolbars and enough adware to make anyone hate using the internet. We tried in vain to get family and friends to use alternate browsers, but seemingly to no avail.

Then, it happened. IE was far enough behind that even average computer users started caring about their browser. It was dumbfounding to begin seeing libraries and internet cafés with Firefox and Chrome. Internet Explorer started being used less and less, and finally Microsoft realized they needed to catch up. IE9 has now been released for Windows 7 and Vista computers, and impressively it’s nearly as good as the other leading browsers.

As we use webapps every day, the browser has become the most important application on our computers. Between IE, Safari, Chrome, Opera, and more, there’s always something new in the world of browsers today! Let’s take a look at what the latest version of Microsoft’s maligned browser brings to the browser wars.

A Clean New Start

While most of us might remember Internet Explorer best for having a cluttered interface with seemingly endless toolbars, Internet Explorer 9 has taken design cues from Chrome and Windows 7′s own Aero glass interface. IE9 features a clean interface that removes most of the program’s chrome, focusing instead on the websites that you’re using the browser for anyway. The address bar has been combined with the search bar, much like Chrome, and the tab bar has now been moved inline with the address bar. Best of all, IE9 is now much more standards compliant than previous versions of IE. It includes support for many HTML5, CSS3, and SVG features, and supports h.264 web video, WOFF fonts, and GPU hardware acceleration for a smoother internet experience.

Internet Explorer is still deeply integrated with Windows, enough that you still have to reboot your computer after installing it. That’s almost frustrating enough to not want to use it. Still, with the focus on Windows integration, it’s brought some unique features as well. You can drag a tab to your Windows 7 taskbar or Vista quick-launch bar to create a pinned shortcut. Then, when you launch that pinned site or webapp, IE’s interface buttons will be recolored based on the site’s favicon colors. Sites can additionally add specific shortcuts to their Windows 7 jumplists to give you quick access, say, to Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store or to your Twitter direct messages. To see more of the sites that are deeply integrated with IE9′s features, check out http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/.

No, I’m Not IE6!

While IE9 does support many of the newer HTML5 and CSS features, many sites still look much worse in IE9 since they’ve been designed to work in IE6. I initially thought IE9 didn’t support box shadows and rounded corners, since most sites still looked boxy and flat at first. That’s because they included IE6 specific code, so IE9 renders them with the older rendering engine by default. To change this and enable better web standards support, press F12 to open the developer tools. Here you can select the Internet Explorer 9 standards mode, which brings back most of the design changes and makes pages look more like they would in Webkit.

Microsoft’s years reliance on IE 6 have cost it much of its marketshare in browsers. Even though Windows 7 is selling well, overall Internet Explorer usage has been slipping steadily over the years. IE 6 was nearly universally used in the early 2000′s. Today, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox have become increasingly popular, and the big blue icon has finally stopped being the universal symbol of the internet. IE 9 finally catches up to its competitors in many ways, but that’s still not enough to convince many of us to switch back.

Turning it up to 10

Throughout IE9′s development, Microsoft created a number of online demos to show off their browser’s new features. These interactive games and animated fish tanks showed impressive GPU acceleration performance and more, and IE9 could run each of these better than the competation. While Microsoft designed these sites specifically to show off IE9′s features, they still offer an interesting view of the potential future of the web, with rich animation and high FPS games right in native HTML5 and CSS3. Best of all, you won’t have to switch to IE9 to take advantage of it; Firefox 4 already shows impressive hardware acceleration that nearly matches IE9.

This time, Microsoft isn’t resting on its laurels with IE development. They’ve already released a developer preview of IE10, which you can check out at http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/ along with the demos of the new supported tech. IE10 has added support for CSS3 Gradients, ECMAScript5 Strict Mode, and more, and we hope it will be fully competitive with the other browsers when its released.

Conclusion

Whether you use Internet Explorer or not, Microsoft’s increased focus on standards compatibility is a boon for everyone. Developers can now begin to stop focusing resources on supporting IE 6, and eventually, the same code should run the same in all browsers. Unfortunately, this is still not the case today. IE 9 still doesn’t support text shadows, gradients, HTML5 forms, and more, while Firefox, Safari, and Chrome still use -moz and -webkit specific CSS extensions that won’t work the same across browsers. Still, the push for standards compatibility should pay off for all users over time. After all, competition is good!

I personally use Chrome as my default browser in Windows 7 and Ubuntu, and don’t see myself switching any time soon. How about you? Have you tried out IE9, and were the changes enough to get you to switch? Or have you moved away from Windows and can’t run IE9 even if you want to? We’d love to see your thoughts on browsers in the comments.

Wireframing and prototyping are two very vital aspects in web design. They take away ambiguity and guess work from the design equation. Moreover, with a detailed wireframe model lot of rework can be eliminated leading to increased productivity of web designers, which in turn leads to increased profitability.

ProtoShare is an online, collaborative, website wireframing and website prototyping tool that helps designers transform their ideas to usable design.

Overview

Used by popular companies like 3M and Sony, ProtoShare is a tool with a great reputation. Throughout their homepage, the makers of the web app make it their mission to emphasize how productive and profitable ProtoShare can be for your business. Statistics like how it helps to cut total project cost by an average of 30% and accelerates time to market by 40% are sprinkled generously.

If you still aren’t convinced, then take a look at the Return on Investment (RoI) page dedicated to explain how the app benefits all the members of a team, its impact when combined with Waterfall methodology of design and more. ProtoShare is by far the only web app I have come across that tries so hard to educate a potential customer about the value of their offering with statistics and data. Of course, the only way to know if it’s really valuable to you is to give it to give it a try!

Pricing

ProtoShare has three different plans starting from $29. While you can sign up and start using the app immediately if you choose their Standard or Professional plans, to evaluate or sign up for the Enterprise plan, you will have to contact the sales team. Apart from the enhanced features like exporting to various formats, multiple views and custom branding, number of users per account, storage space etc. are the major differentiators between the Standard and Pro plans.

You can sign up for a free 30 trail period to check if the app meets all your needs. Credit card information has to be submitted, but if you cancel before the end of the free trial, your account won’t be charged.

Getting Started

Once you validate your email, you can set a password and access the app. A thorough Getting Started screen will welcome you after logging in. For those with less patience and some prior experience with wireframing, the Twelve things about ProtoShare item will introduce the app in a nutshell. If you plan to dive a little deeper, check out the video tutorials.The developers have gone the extra mile putting together solid tutorials that cover all major components of the web app.

There is an example ecommerce wireframe waiting for you to get hold of all the features of the app. It’s a great way to learn the ropes, but you can start with a new project if want to build a design from scratch.

Dashboard

Creating a new project isn’t a demanding task. All you need is a name and the project will be created for you. All projects open in a new tab and this should help those who are working on multiple projects.

A spacious two column layout offers a lot of screen real estate to build an ambitious project. The left column is where the control and command center lies. All the vital aspects of a design – pages, page designs, views and elements – are organized in their own sections. On the right side is the dashboard.

The dashboard keeps track of the project status and tasks assigned to you. From here you can stay on top of all the tasks you are responsible for and if you have sufficient permissions, you can invite others to join the project too.

Ease of Use

Every new project is created with three pages and if you want more, you can add them anytime. Double click the page you want to edit and it will open as a new tab right next to the dashboard. From here, it shouldn’t be too hard to get the project going. The app is very intuitive and the sections on the left pane are neatly organized avoiding confusion for first time users.

Drag and drop elements from the Component Palette and start updating their dimensions and properties from the properties Window. From appearance to alignment and actions, every property of a component can be defined using this window. Use the Library feature to save and reuse design elements and full templates.

As I mentioned earlier, from this point on its such a breeze to bring an idea to shape. The app is so intuitive and you will find your fingers (the mouse pointer) reaching for components one after another with such ease. Almost all design elements known to mankind – from menus to scrollbars and forms -there is everything you need to get a fully functional prototype ready.

Collaboration Options

Hit Review at anytime to see the design in its real glory. In the review mode, the website is full functional and you can see that all components working the way they should be.

Once you think you are ready and it’s time to bring a fresh pair eyes to evaluate the design, invite the team members to have a look. All discussions occur in real time and hence lot of email back and forth is eliminated.

Final Thoughts

From brainstorming to creative review to building the webpage ProtoShare does it all. Realtime collaboration throughout the entire process from a central location is an icing on the top. From drag and drop elements to complex CSS and HTML coding abilities, the app serves both beginners and veterans well.

Even with multiple windows and projects open, the app didn’t put strain on my computer’s memory or processing power. If I were a web designer, I would definitely go with ProtoShare.

Share Your Thoughts!

What do you think of ProtoShare? Are there better alternatives available?

Last week, we took an in-depth look at Pulse CMS, an exciting new lightweight CMS. Pulse CMS lets you add CMS features to an existing static website in minutes. Even if you’re not excited about creating WordPress or Tumblr themes, Pulse CMS can work with the HTML and CSS sites you know and love.

Ready to give Pulse CMS a try? We’ve got 2 copies up for grabs from the developer, and one of them could be yours. One great thing about Pulse CMS is that each copy comes with free lifetime updates and support, and our giveaway copies are the same!

To enter the contest, just leave a comment below and let us know how you plan to put Pulse CMS to use! The contest will run for one week, so be sure to comment by Wendsday, May 11th.

Please Note: Envato staff or people who have written more than two articles or tutorials for AppStorm are ineligible to enter.

Whether you win or not, be sure to check out Pulse CMS and get more info at their website, http://pulsecms.com/.

At the end of 2009 I was fortunate enough to take over for Chris as Editor of Web.AppStorm. I’ve seen the site grow a lot since then and along with it so have our writers and the whole wide world of web applications. It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had so far and I’m happy to announce another talented individual will share in that experience — Matthew Guay.

I am handing over the reigns to Matthew, which many of you know from his past posts, and will be heading over to work with Envato’s marketplaces full-time. Matthew has been writing for the AppStorm network for quite awhile now and is a very talented individual, attending school and even running his own blog — Techinch.

So, rest assured, Web.AppStorm is in good hands. Thank you all for the great experience, I’ll still be around here and there so feel free to say hi. Now I’ll hand the show over to Matthew for a quick introduction. Let’s give Matthew a big warm welcome!

About Matthew

I’m Matthew Guay, the new editor of Web.AppStorm. Over the past several years, I’ve written hundreds of articles at a number of sites, including most of the AppStorm sites. I’ve enjoyed contributing to the team, and am now very excited to be directing this site as we continue covering the latest apps and find innovative uses for webapps we already know and love.

Webapps are some of the more exciting developments in tech today, since they can be used on any platform. Windows, Mac, Linux, and any of the zillions of mobile platforms today, all work great with the latest webapps. It seems like we’re using webapps more and more, and even some of the more exciting desktop and mobile apps today tie into great webapps. Webapps are the thread that ties everything together today, so stay tuned to keep up with all the webapp goodness we discover. We’ve got an exceptional team of writers at AppStorm, and I’m always excited to see what they write.

The most important part about any site is its readers. We write for you, and want to make sure you enjoy what we’re writing. If you have any tips or recommendations, feel free to let us know in the comments or send us an email from the contact form. And if you’d like to keep up with me, I’m @maguay on Twitter. Looking forward to the future of Web.AppStorm, and let’s make Web.AppStorm the best resource for webapp reviews and tutorials on the web!