Happy Mother’s Day!

We had such a great response to our Mother’s Day contest—thank you so much to everyone who participated!

Our Grand Prize Winner!

There were so many fantastic decks it was difficult to choose, but this one by Josh Zagorski (and his two super cute little boys) really touched our hearts. We hope their #1 mom loves it, along with her new iPad Mini! Congratulations, Jenn!

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Awesome in Two Languages

This one, by JR Garcia, was notable both for its beautiful message in both English and Spanish as well as the extraordinary number of views it has received—wow! We were so impressed we decided to surprise JR with a $50 iTunes gift card. Be proud!

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

All-Around Awesome

And this one, by Jeff Brown, was a late entry but we really loved the style, humor, and creativity. Jeff also scores a $50 iTunes gift card, for general awesomeness.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

More Inspiration

There were really so many fantastic entries—be sure to check them out on our Pinterest board, and it’s not too late to create your own Mother’s Day Haiku Deck message! Making mom feel celebrated and loved is an outright winner, we think.

Thanks again to all who participated–and a special Hai-5 to our amazing moms.

You know that Haiku Deck puts millions of beautiful, free Creative Commons licensed images at your fingertips to grab your audience’s attention and bring your words to life. Our built-in keyword search makes the searching part easy, but selecting the perfect one can take a little creativity (and sometimes patience, grasshopper). If you need a little presentation inspiration, these power tips will help you pick images like a pro.

Keyword Search Tips

1. Don’t limit yourself to literal: There’s no need to get stuck on a specific search word or phrase—try zooming out and exploring different angles in to your topic. For example, if you’re making a “Summer Road Trip” Haiku Deck, try evocative phrases like “highway” or “scenic route” if  ”summer vacation” or “road trip” isn’t doing the trick. (more…)

1. Hot Stuff! Most Viewed Haiku Deck

“Most People”

Click to view on Seth Godin’s blog

We’re huge Seth Godin fans, and we were thrilled when he embedded a Haiku Deck to complement his awesome “Most People” post. “Most people don’t care enough to make a difference….Fortunately, you’re not most people, and neither are your best customers.” (Exactly!) Read the short, sweet, gemlike post and check out the most-viewed Haiku Deck of all time here.

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The Internet is a bountiful place, full of information, wonder, and an endless supply of heart-melting puppy videos. But what may sometimes seem in short supply are fantastic, free photos to easily–and legally–use for your presentations or blog slideshows.

While Google image search is convenient, it’s up to you to make sure you’re using any images you find lawfully. Flickr is an incredible resource for Creative Commons-licensed images–as long as you apply the correct filters and include proper attribution, which requires a bit of legwork. We believe that Creative Commons images are an incredible cultural treasure trove, and they are central to the Haiku Deck experience. We want to make it as easy as possible to do the right thing AND bring your stories to life with beautiful, free photos that you are free to use, like these:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Finding Images

Every image search you perform within Haiku Deck taps into the millions of ready-to-use Creative Commons licensed images that have been posted to Flickr by photographers all over the world. We match keywords from your slide text to tags supplied by the photographers to streamline the process, but you can always search for any word or phrase you like, whether it’s “giant blueberry pancakes” or “bearded pirates.” We’ll even give you a list of related keywords to get your creative juices flowing. (Power tip: We have all found that allowing ourselves a little time to play with keyword searching often reveals fresh inspiration that leads to stronger slides and decks.)

Using the built-in image keyword search

Automatic Attribution

Once you select the perfect image, Haiku Deck magically embeds the image credit, so proper attribution is always just a click away. When you play a Haiku Deck directly from your iPad, tap the screen and click the CC logo in the lower right corner to view the photographer and the license details. You can even Click the “i” button next to the photographer’s name to view their Flickr photostream in a pop-up window.

If you’re viewing a Haiku Deck on the web, look for the CC logo in lower left corner of each slide.

Tap the CC logo for image credit attribution

Click it to reveal a black bar filled with useful links. Click “photo” to view that exact image on the Flickr site, click the photographer’s name to view their photostream, and click the CC icon for more details about the specific license. The image attribution is preserved even if you export your deck to Powerpoint or as a PDF.

The upshot: There’s no need to resort to lackluster clip art, or to act like a bearded pirate, if you want to add visual interest your decks. With the superpowered Haiku Deck image search, finding beautiful free photos has never been easier. And with the knowledge that every photo is licensed through Creative Commons and properly attributed, you can create rock-star slides AND sleep soundly.

P.S. Want to use your own images? You can just as easily upload photos and screenshots straight from your iPad or from the Cloud.

No, we don’t want to punch you in the face. In fact, we like you quite a bit. But trust us, this is awesome.

When Jennifer Worick–author, consultant, public speaker, and friend of Haiku Deck–launched her book Things I Want to Punch in the Face, a hilarious and wickedly satisfying collection of all things obnoxious, we knew a collaboration was in order. We collected our favorite rants into a Haiku Deck, which received more views than the book’s trailer (more than 6,400 in 4 months!) and headlined our Popular Gallery for quite a while.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

“People flipped out when they saw the TIWTPITF Haiku Deck. With great images and text, the Haiku Deck is a really powerful way to convey a message in a glance. The TIWTPITF Haiku Deck distilled my book down to its cheeky essence!” Jennifer Worick, author of Things I Want to Punch in the Face

Now Jennifer has responded with a list of seasonal holiday-inspired things she’d like to punch, from themed Christmas trees to Scrooge-y misers.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

What’s more, she’s hosting a contest on her blog for a chance to win a free signed copy of the book. To enter, create your own “Things I Want to Punch in the Face” Haiku Deck and email it to jen@jenniferworick.com with your name and contact info before December 21st. Jennifer will pick the winner and announce it on her blog (which is highly entertaining, by the way). Meanwhile, we’ll be collecting all the entries on Pinterest for you to browse and enjoy.

Click here for more contest details, and get started scheming your revenge on those things that drive you nuts. Good luck!

You don’t need a promo code to give the gift of Haiku Deck, or even your wallet, for that matter. For one thing, 50% off of free is still free (no tax, no shipping, no minimum purchase, no nonsense).

But more to the point, what’s magical about the holidays to us isn’t another cyberspecial or a doorbuster sale. It’s connecting and reflecting. It’s sharing beautiful stories and memories.

So here’s a thought. Put your credit card away and curl up in a cozy spot with a hot chocolate or a hot toddy. You’ll need your iPad, of course, and a little Peggy Lee in the background never hurt anybody. In just a few minutes you can create a unique, beautiful gift from your heart for someone you care about.

Need a little inspiration?
Tell someone you appreciate them.
Tell someone you care about them.
Tell someone you miss them.
Capture a few favorite memories you shared in 2012.

And, because it’s how we do just about everything, here’s some inspiration in Haiku Deck form:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

You see, when you give the gift of Haiku Deck, you’re incredibly likely to make someone special smile, laugh, and remember what really matters. And, like most of the best things in life (snowflakes and hugs, just for starters), it is free.

All the best to you and yours,
Team Haiku Deck

Amid the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, our potential tumble down the infamous fiscal cliff, and the not so sweet bankruptcy of Hostess Brands, there is plenty to feel down and out about. But we here at Haiku Deck believe it is important to always count the good things and remember what we are all thankful for, be it firefighters, family, or football. Create a Haiku Deck dedicated to all the things you give thanks for, click through to the web view to add personal notes, and share it with those you love most! Here’s one to get you started:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

And what are we most thankful for, you ask? Our fans, of course!

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Every day at HDHQ we love checking out the daily report, which showcases the decks that have been published in the past 24 hours. It’s like a dynamic visual poem of the hundreds of stories being created with Haiku Deck each day. We look for decks to showcase in our Gallery and power users to become Haiku Deck gurus. It’s how we keep our finger on the creative pulse and get new ideas for making Haiku Deck better and more useful.

Every once in a while, one of us notices a Haiku Deck that’s so mind-blowingly awesome we get the team to drop everything and huddle around a desk to check it out. This was one of those.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

The creative use of visuals really make this Haiku Deck a work of art in and of itself, but we were really intrigued by how these young artists used Haiku Deck to drive support for their Kickstarter campaign (now in its final hours–be sure to check it out!). We got in touch with Steph and Erin of KeseyPollock, who shared their story.

Haiku Deck: How did you end up using Haiku Deck?

KeseyPollock: We heard about it from our friend Debbie’s GoldieBlox Kickstarter campaign! As women artists seeking funds in a city that is currently celebrating lots of women artists (many of them already dead!), we wanted to communicate our role in that lineage. We wanted to celebrate the beautiful women of this city, the amazing artists and the potential for a vibrant city of arts, highlighting how important it is to support contemporary art if we want it to continue to exist. Haiku Deck allowed us to do this in a quick, visual, easy-to understand way. We really didn’t have the time or equipment to do a video. But we wanted a platform that was easy and fast to click through, where the pictures conveyed a narrative message.

Haiku Deck: How did you go about making and circulating your Haiku Deck?

KeseyPollock: Nothing fancy. We simply made signs, asked lots of women in Seattle to hold them and participate in what we called a photo-poem, and took photos with our phones. To circulate it, we just sent it to all of our friends!

Haiku Deck: And how has the response been?

KeseyPollock: The response has been great. It really helped us bridge the gap between all the celebration of women artists and what we are trying to do right now.

Our official sources tell us it’s love note day. Of course you already know how we feel about you, but it seems like the perfect opportunity to share some of the warm and fuzzy Haiku Deck love that’s been pouring in. Behold, three exquisite fan haikus about Haiku Deck, that we’ve taken the liberty of making into exquisitely illustrated Haiku Decks. Wait, what? We need more coffee…

Fan Haiku #1, by Annie Weisman of Spark* Inc:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Fan Haiku #2, by @kindergeek:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Fan Haiku #3, by Michael Gowin of Renovate Communication Design (and which originally appeared in this fantastic review of Haiku Deck):

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

Feel inspired to use Haiku Deck to write a love note (to someone special, to your fans, to a brand, to a sports team, to the world)? Let us know in the comments!

And, above all else, thanks again for all the love.

Over the weekend we were inspired by Nan Braun, who took us on a virtual trip to MOMA with this striking and thought-provoking Haiku Deck.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

She totally captures the flow of creative inspiration, when the experience of viewing art triggers connections and memories, and opens up new artistic possibilities. This is one of the reasons we talked about camping out in the Seattle Art Museum lobby for a week when we were building Haiku Deck. Although we never actually did that (well, not yet, anyway), we are reminded daily how being surrounded by creativity makes us feel more creative. As Kevin puts it, “When I’m putting a deck together and I’m scrolling through all these amazing photos, it inspires me to make my presentation even more amazing.”

What inspires your creativity? Leave us a comment and let us know.