Getting people to use your Web app is all about lowering the barriers to entry and making it as dead-simple as possible. The idea of uploading documents to the Web and embedding them YouTube style is still a foreign concept to many people. Docstoc just made that process as easy as sending an email.
If you have a Docstoc account registered to your email address, all you have to do is send the document you want uploaded as an email attachment to uploads@docstoc.com. It’s the fastest way to upload a document to the Web. I tried it with the press release below.
Once it’s been successfully uploaded, you receive a confirmation email with a link to the Webified document. Docstoc turns Word files, PDFs, Powerpoints, and other documents into a Flash embed (as does its main competitor, Scribd)
About one million public documents have been uploaded to DocStoc since it launched almost exactly a year ago today. But only two percent of Docstoc’s 300,000 registered users bother to upload documents regularly. Something tells me that number is about to go up.
What a great way for them to “Opt You In” to their mailing list and their targeted advertising… genius!
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That is why I prefer to use a Firefox extension like iMacros or Uploader to automate uploads
Can you BCC to uploads@docstoc.com when sending a document to someone else? Nice new feature.
Hey… good idea, if you can. I just may start using my account more then.
Interesting idea, but it does seem a lot of competition out there for it.
“Getting people to use your Web app is all about lowering the barriers to entry and making it as dead-simple as possible.”
This is exactly what I’m looking for in an app to create online forms(completely customizable) for my company. So much is manual… would be nice to have these forms available online.
PS: sorry, I know we’re not talking about form apps, but your comment stood out.
very nice work docstoc…
Hmm, don’t want to put them down but it’s not exactly a cutting edge idea, been running a service exactly like this for a quite a while already. However, it is a nice addition to their existing services and fits well with them.
Pity Docstoc don’t support OpenID. It’s my new barrier.
How do they stop pranksters/spammers though from spoofing e-mail addresses and submitting fake docs?
I wonder the same thing about TripIt. I’m sure they have anti-spam measures in place, but I wonder what they are…
Well, you still need an account. So captcha to sign-up (don’t know if they use it or not). Then when you send an email to them with an attachment they query the DB to find your email, and see which account is yours (to associate the file to your account). So I guess if they get spam it will go straight to /dev/null because the sender address won’t match an account.
But spoofing the from address is easy, I can send an email and it will “come from you”…
Errr… Scribd did this about a year ago.
http://www.scri...m/ipaper@scribd
Great app and feature. Wonder where is their API?
I was wondering the same thing Razan.
I see big potential for this on company intranets.
Nice work, Jason!
pretty lame if this is their coolest feature, leaves a lot to be desired