Most writers, designers and bloggers know that in the digital world of internet and mobile technology sites, content is king. Suitable content is what makes or breaks the effectiveness and engagement level of a site. In other words if yor pictures and content sucks then majority rules thinks that you suck. It may sound harsh but that's the reality when evaluating websites, blogs and social media pages.
If you notice. most of these sites that get the most visits and the best ratings are the ones that keep the visitor engaged with videos, pictures and other content. So knowing this how can a content creator find this killer content? Here are a list of both paid and free resources that content creators can use to build their reputation and audience.
Free Resources
Stock Photos
1. Rgbstock-www.rgbstock.com
This is a free stock photo site where a majority of the images are high quality and high resolution which is definitely a plus when searching for great pictures. The only kicker is that you need to register for an account and sometimes depending on what you are looking for you may have a limited selection.
2. Stock Xchange-www.stockxchange.com
This is also another free stock photo site. The images are not as good quality and at times it can be glitchy. If you are looking for just a basic stock photo site than this should be a good fit.
Office Suite Programs
3. Google Docs-https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/?showDriveBanner=true#
This is basically a free version of Microsoft Office. It has similar functions and has most of the bells and whistles Office has except for a few minor functions which I believe can be remedied with plug ins. It also has an auto save function so that you don't have to worry about losing your work. It all gets saved to the cloud.
Web Hosting
4. Wordpress-www.wordpress.com
One of the best platforms for both free and paid hosting. Their templates are quite versatile and can be easily customized. It's also cross compatible with other browsers and mobile applications and widely accepted by developers and designers alike.
5. Wix/Weebly-www.wix.com/www.weebly.com
These are also template sites that have free and paid options however their templates are not cross compatible among browsers and can be rendered incorrectly on mobile devices. However the ease of customizing the templates with their drag and drop interfaces more than makes up for it.
Video Editing
6. Windows Movie Maker/IMovie-https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14220/win.../www.apple.com/imovie/
These programs, I would consider using for basic, no frills movies, IMovie has some professional looking templates which can add some flair to a drab movie or presentation.
Paid Resources
Stock photos/Photo editing
7. Istockphoto-www.istockphoto.com
This is one of the best stock photo sites anyone can use for professional quality stock photos. They have a wide range of photos enough to tickle anyone's fancy.
8. Photoshop-www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
Maybe I'm biased but this is also considered to be a great photo editor. You can professionally blend, change colors, add special effects and other features to make your photos pop with elegance and flair. I would opt for getting a yearly subscription to get the best bang for your buck.
Video Editing
9. Adobe Premiere-www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html
This is also a very professional and versatile video editing software. Applying video and audio effects are easy and using the interface is not that difficult. It also allows you to export videos in several different formats so that you can hit the ground running in your next video project.
