PhotoPad app from Virtual Gestures gives photos a personal touch with a gaming twist

Seatle, WA – August 9, 2012 – A new photo-sharing app from Virtual Gestures turns static Facebook photos into personalized creations for users to   share - and as of today it’s available to the public. The only app of   its kind, PhotoPad transforms the passive Facebook photo experience into one that engages  users, allows them to express  themselves through customized images, and  rewards them for their  efforts with participation-based incentives. Just  released from beta,  this free app is now available to Facebook users  worldwide. If the  pre-release buzz is any indication, the way people  share and view  photos on Facebook is about to change forever.

Unlike  software programs or photo-editing sites, the PhotoPad app works within  Facebook, making customization and sharing easier  than ever. The app  lets users choose from a collection of animations or  "gestures" to share  with friends, or to post on their own walls to  enrich their status  updates. PhotoPad also comes with templates for eCards, postcards and  photo books. Users simply select photos from their personal albums and  use PhotoPad's tools to craft personalized images to share. PhotoPad makes it quick and easy to turn a Facebook album into an impressive  photo book and share treasured memories with family and friends.

"I created PhotoPad after realizing how limited the photo-sharing experience on Facebook truly is," says Diane Najm, founder of Virtual   Gestures. "At the time, I had just returned from vacationing in  Europe.  I had so many amazing photos to upload and I was beyond excited  to  share them, but I quickly realized that Facebook's flat features  were  incapable of capturing my story as I'd hoped to tell it. That's  what  ignited the spark that eventually led me to develop the PhotoPad app."

Although  most Facebook users use the site to interact with friends, many of them  feel the simple "post and comment" photo structure limits their level  of communication. "PhotoPad lets users connect on a much deeper level,  and I think that's  incredibly important," says Najm. Creating a network  of engagement and  support is an issue that's close to Najm's heart,  given her background  as a social worker. "Many of my colleagues were  surprised to hear I'd  become an app developer, but the two fields are  more intertwined than  they realize. My experience working with children  and families really  taught me how important communication is, and  allowed me to realize  that Facebook's photo-sharing tools could be doing  a lot more to foster and deepen our connections with each other."

Now   that the app has ended its beta phase, every user on Facebook can take   advantage of its features – and Najm has no doubts that many of them   will. "Based on the massive response we received just in the beta   phase," she says, "I expect to see a huge influx in new users and   activity." In other words, get ready for a new era of photo-sharing on  Facebook. 

After  establishing Virtual Gestures in October, 2010, Najm received a patent  for PhotoPad.  The beta release of the app shortly thereafter was met  with an  overwhelming response, quickly earning more than 81,000 "likes"  on  Facebook. The app proved to be especially popular with women between   the ages of 18 and 35, possibly because women in this age group are   leaving home, traveling, getting married and starting families –   documenting their experiences with photos along the way. PhotoPad gives  users the opportunity to share these kinds of events with their friends  and family in ways a simple photo cannot – and it rewards them every  time they do. Each interaction with  the app benefits the user by  increasing their chances of winning  monthly sweepstakes, of earning  badges and of leveling up. In doing so, PhotoPad transforms passive  photo sharing into an interactive gaming experience.