Where do you find fun at work? Experts tell us that play and creative activities feed our minds and help us come up with better ideas. Here at TechSmith, we have a collaboration room with Tinkertoys, plastic bowling pins, magnetic toys, Nerf guns, and other handy items for taking a break from the serious work of making software.

But I think fun can take on many different forms. There's the obvious, like sending a goofy photo around the office. Then there's the joy that comes from developing a new idea, improving a process, or knowing that your work makes a difference. One of my favorite books on workplace culture, Joy at Work, argues that the opportunity to make important decisions is what makes work enjoyable for most people.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the lighthearted tone of this issue of the newsletter and are inspired to have a little fun in your work today!

Daniel Foster
Newsletter Editor

P.S. - Be sure you don't miss the survey; we have some specific questions about how we can make SnagIt even more of a joy to use.

Richie Johnson works for a large telecom company—he's also a big fan of SnagIt and of going paperless. In fact, Richie promotes SnagIt within his company as a means of using less paper.

"I have convinced at least six of my friends to buy their own copy and I have convinced whole departments at work to purchase copies for all their people and even showed them how to go paperless," he said.

One co-worker, in particular, was printing reams of paper and making countless trips to the printer every day—until Richie helped her find a better way with SnagIt.

Read Richie's story and get some ideas for how you may be able to cut down on paper waste and work more efficiently at the same time!

Do you use AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) to chat with friends, co-workers, or family? Download the new AIM output for SnagIt and you'll be sending captured images to your AIM buddies with just a few clicks.

As you know, things can move pretty quickly in a chat session. If it takes you too long to capture, save, and send an image file...you might miss your opportunity!

So don't wait...download it now!

(Like all the other accessories for SnagIt, the AIM output doesn't cost a thing and installs in seconds.)

Do you wish it were easier to share a quick procedure or "how-to" with co-workers or customers? Maybe your boss's email signature has a broken image and you want to show him how to fix it. Or maybe you want to instruct resellers how to download marketing materials from your site.

The SnagIt team would like to hear about the various kinds of formal and informal documentation you do in your daily job. We are always looking for ways to speed up and enhance your visual communication. So, please, take just a few minutes to answer this seven question survey to help us better understand how you use SnagIt.

Your input directly affects how we develop new features and solutions, so don't miss out on your chance to guide our product strategy at TechSmith.

Thanks!

Tony Dunckel
SnagIt Product Manager

As you know, SnagIt comes with several default profiles like Region or Object capture. But have you ever made your very own custom profile? One that fits your project perfectly and saves you a ton of time? I found myself tweaking the default captures but never saving them. I would set up these same capture options over and over again...so finally I set up a custom profile in SnagIt. I saved time and life was better!

SnagIt Tutorial: Create a Custom Profile

Well, in this video I'll show you how to:

    * Build a capture
    * Save a custom profile
    * Set a hotkey for your custom profile (extra credit)
    * Become a SnagIt Ninja

This tutorial is just one in a series posted at TechSmith's Visual Lounge blog. You may want to check out the whole series.

A couple of highlights for SnagIt users: a behind the scenes look at how the Training Department uses SnagIt to create arrow callouts for Camtasia Studio videos and a tutorial on creating images with interactive hotspots.