Padlet – A Collaborative Tool for Building Webpages

Looking at a blank piece of paper brings all types of possibilities to mind. Padlet is an application that brings that same freedom and flexibility to online publishing, giving people a way to create their own multimedia websites without relying on the templates and other constraints that usually tie people down.

The sky is the limit, in terms of what you can use Padlet to create. Click “Build a wall” when you’re ready to begin, then get started by dragging any file from your desktop right onto your blank Padlet canvas. If you’ve added an image or video, for example, then you’ll want to click on it to add a title or a caption. Continue dragging and dropping various files, links, and multimedia content into place until your page feels complete. Padlet autosaves your work along the way, and lets you decide how private you want your project to be. When you give classmates, colleagues, or friends permission to edit your wall, you can open up the door to group collaboration and work together to create all different types of content.

Sharing your Padlet page with others is easy. Embed the provided code on your blog or website, grab a QR code to make it easy for mobile users to find your Padlet site, or export your page as a PDF, Excel, or CSV file. You can also share your Padlet page with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, or LinkedIn.

Practical Uses:

• Post classroom files for students to download at home
• Design a tribute page where anyone can post words of appreciation for local heroes
• Collect photos from anyone who was in attendance at a particular event
• Create a story outline with writing colleagues

Insider Tips:

• Each wall gets its own URL
• Customize your Padlet page by adding a unique wallpaper background
• WordPress users can post Padlet pages using a special code
• Pages can be embedded on any blog or website

What we liked:

• The drag-and-drop interface is easy to use
• Multiple people can add to a page in real-time
• Users have the option to make their pages public or private
• Padlet is a great way to pull multiple types of media content into one place
• Padlet pages are all optimized for mobile viewing

What we didn’t like:

• Nothing

Alternatives:

• Checkthis – http://checkthis.com
• RebelMouse – https://www.rebelmouse.com
• Scoot & Doodle – http://scootdoodle.com

Company Info:

• Launched: 2008
• Privately Held
• Founded by: Pranav Piyush and Nitesh Goel
• Web site: http://padlet.com

Costs:

• Free