I seem to have had a spike in questions lately about Showcase's shared content features and the different options to make sharing easier if you have a lot of files in your library.

For a relatively simple feature, we do have a range of options on this one so I decided the topic is worthy of its own blog post. So here goes!

"We have a long list of files. Is it possible when viewing a document to share the document you are looking at, without having to go through the whole list of shared documents?"

Great question. This is absolutely possible. We call it in-place sharing.

If in-place sharing is turned on, the active document or video that you're 'looking at' will be top of the shared files list above everything else.

The remaining files in the list will appear alphabetically.

You can use this to your advantage by naming files with sequential number in front e.g. "01. Spanish Avocado Brochure" "02. Baby Food Brochure" - that way you control the order in which they show up in the list.

To turn on in-place sharing for a particular showcase:

  • Go to the 'Sharing' link for that showcase, from the Showcase website Home tab
  • 'In-place Sharing' is toggle-able on and off from the panel on the left.

A full explanation with screencaps can be found here in our knowledge base: http://support.showcaseworkshop.com/knowledge_base/topics/in-place-sharing.

Note: Enabling this feature applies to all files, so if you activate it, it will enable users to share all the files in your showcase.

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"Can you please explain for me, how does the 'View Showcase Online' feature work and how would I use this in my business?"

Enabling this feature allows you to share your entire showcase with anyone via a secure link, even if they don’t have the Showcase app.

The feature can be turned on/off at any time.

A compatible web browser and internet connection is all that is required on the recipient's end to view your Showcase. They can view all of the content just the same way you can, but they will be clicking around on a web page so content may load slightly slower than it does in the native apps.

The link remains active for 14 days and after it expires they will no longer have access to your showcase.

If you set up a showcase with a library of content about your business, you can use this feature very effectively at trade shows: grab the email address of a new prospect or buyer and send them your showcase as an introduction to your products and services. And of course, track in the showcase reporting area when and how often they open your showcase.

We've also seen the feature used as an innovative way to send proposals or demonstrations to a customer. Put together your proposal documents along with brochures, videos, spec sheets etc and send it all across to your customer.

The recipient will not be able to view your workshop or any other showcases; just the one showcase you send to them.

For details on how to enable this feature please see our Knowledge Base article.

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"Is there any way that a thumbnail preview can be generated on the device so when a user is looking for items to share it's easier to find what they need?"

The capability to have thumbnails in the sharing dialog is not available yet, but is something that has been raised in the past as a possible feature to add.

A slightly different way that this may end up being implemented is that a 'preview' of just the file selected shows up, i.e. as you tick it or choose it from the list - this would mean we are not having to load a large grid of thumbnails in a small space!

If you like the sound of this feature (or have any other feature suggestions) please email us so we can add your name to the list and we'll notify you when the feature is ready to roll: my2cents@showcaseworkshop.com