Document sharing site DocStoc has launched DocShots, a free service that allows publishers to convert any document on a website into a hoverable link that provides an instant online document preview. DocShots’ technology cuts long downloading times while also giving readers an easy way to preview documents in a pop-up window.
DocShots allows website and blog owners to easily add a custom DocShots code (by literally just copying and pasting) into the html code of the site, rendering any posted documents (Word, Powerpoint, PDF, and Excel) as DocShots links. The publisher can even specify the exact size of the pop-up window. When users scroll over the links, they can instantly preview files in the pop-up viewer. DocShots is similar in theory to Snap‘s Snap Shots application (whose technology we feature on TechCrunch), where a user can hover over a link to a site and see a small visual preview of what is on the site.
Issuu revealed a similar application late last year. Issue’s feature, SmartLook, appears to be equally as simple (and free) for publishers and readers to use, but provides a slightly different interface. And DocStoc claims its implementation is faster. DocShots includes tabs where the reader can click on related documents and see additional documents posted by the publisher. DocShots is easy for publishers to integrate into their code, and cuts out annoying download times for readers. And it’s free. What’s not to love?
