Flipboard is an extremely popular app for tablets that allows users to view content by flipping through it like they would to read a magazine. Flipboard presents tablet-friendly content to users in an attractive manner and people love it so much that this application was able to attract close to 50 million users in a very short span of time.
Creators of this application are now looking to convert Flipboard into an ecommerce website by partnering with Etsy – the famous online marketplace for handmade products – and users of this application can now buy products off Etsy without having to leave the Flipboard app on their tablets. More importantly, Flipboard is now allowing users to create and share their own virtual magazines with other users of this app. This tablet app is poised to become a social networking platform as users will now be able to view and follow magazines created by other users. Users of this app can even follow each other, which was not possible in the earlier version of the app.
User-generated magazines
Flipboard has just opened up its application allowing users to save content, create magazines and share their magazines with other users. This change allows people to become digital magazine editors and allows them to create magazines on any topic or topics. Users of this app can now add content from websites like Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, Soundcloud, etc. to their magazines. Flipboard now has a tiny “+” button on items that users can click on to add content to their magazines and once the content has been added, users can come back to the app later on and view their magazines leisurely.
Users can also look for content directly from the app with the content search feature by conducting searches on people, topics and even hashtags. To make user-generated magazines even more attractive, the app now allows users to set an image as the cover of their magazines.
Is Flipboard a possible social network?
The older version of the app only allowed users to follow Facebook and Twitter feeds in the application. The new version allows people to follow others and their magazines through the application. Once magazines have been created, users can share them with others with the help of Flipboard. Flipboard sends instant notifications to a user when there is any engagement with any one of their magazines. Developers have also created a content guide highlighting user-generated magazines under different topics. With these new features, the app now seems more like a social media platform than a mere tablet app.
Major publishing firms have responded enthusiastically to these new changes with Rolling Stones magazine creating and sharing a virtual magazine dedicated to the Beatles using old articles combined with audio and video files.
Integration with Etsy
As mentioned earlier, users can now buy things on Etsy from the Flipboard app. With this app, users can flip through Etsy products like a catalogue and buy the items they want without having to leave the app. Creators of Flipboard receive a cut from the sale when items are bought from Etsy via Flipboard. This will allow the company to earn revenues to develop the app further.