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About two weeks ago we announced that we were integrating with Google Drive, and since then we’ve seen tremendous interest in HelloFax from Google Drive users. In two short weeks we had 51,926 users install the Google Drive app. Alongside our previous Dropbox and Box integrations, we’re now seeing a lot of our users faxing and signing documents from cloud services.

From the day that Google approached us about Google Drive, we have been very excited about working with the Google Drive platform. We feel that we add a lot of value to any cloud storage service, so naturally we jumped at the opportunity. We were also excited to be included as Google Drive launch partners with other great products such as AutoCAD, Aviary, Balsamiq, and SlideRocket . What we didn’t expect was that we would be the most installed app.

So, thanks to all our great users, from those who have been using us for the last two years to those who signed their first digital document. HelloFax is very happy to be providing a service that has generated so much interest. We are continually trying to make the product better, so if you have any suggestions for us, leave a comment or send us an email: support@hellofax.com.

As you probably heard, Google Drive launched today and we are pleased to announce that were invited to be a Google Drive launch partner. We’ve been hard at work this last month, building out an awesome integration with this great cloud service.

Now there’s no excuse to have a fax machine. There’s no reason to ever print, sign & scan documents.

Impatient to get started? Download the HelloFax App in the Google Drive Store for free>

Here’s what HelloFax App does:

1. Send faxes directly from Google Drive

• Don’t go to your local copy store. Don’t race to work. Wherever you have Google Drive, you can send a fax.

2. Receive faxes directly in Google Drive.

• You get a HelloFax folder in Google Drive, where all your inbound faxes are automatically stored.

3. You can sign documents directly from Google Drive

• Never print, sign and scan documents ever again. With this integration, you can fill out and sign documents, all in your browser.

4. All your documents get stored in Google Drive

• Never lose an important document again. Every document you send through HelloFax will be stored in your HelloFax Folder in Google Drive.

A few incentives to integrate:

1.You get 50 outgoing fax pages / month, until the end of the year.

2.You get unlimited online signatures, until the end of the year. We’re talking business grade online signatures. Some services charge $15-$25 / month for this. We just made it completely free.

3.We’ll enter you to win 1 TB of Google Drive Storage

4. We’ll enter you to win a MacBook

Scope it out and let us know what you think!  Integrate and enter to win a MacBook Air and 1TB storage.

We’re always looking to make HelloFax easier to use. Last week we released two changes as a result of customer feedback. These changes to our document signing process should address two of the bigger pain points we heard from those requesting signatures.

Non-required form fields

When you send out a document to be signed, you can now insert additional form fields to be completed that don’t need to be filled out. For example, you can now include an “Address 2″ form field so people can fill out apartment numbers and the like. You can also include a non-required checkbox to allow yes/no responses and other multi-answer fields.

Signature option for signees

We’ve also updated the signature options for people sent a signature resquest. Now, when someone gets a signature request they can still use the mouse to sign, but they can also upload an existing signature file that they have on their computer, or they can upload a signature by taking a picture and emailing it to us.

We hope that these changes help make requesting signatures an even easier and more enjoyable process for both you and the signee. If you have any suggestions about other product improvements, as always, send us an email: support@hellofax,com

Government places an incredible role in society. It funds our police, our roads, and schools.

It also produces websites (and regulations) like the City of SF Business Registration Office, which takes an accountant to figure out. Instead of building the registration process like TurboTax and funneling you to the right answers, it lists a lot requirements and fines if you if you make a mistake.

Why does this happen? Because conversion doesn’t matter. We can’t walk away and try an easier signup process.  100% of the businesses in SF has to do this. 100%.  It could be 10x worse and we’d still have to comply. Until there’s an incentive to be easier, these agencies will simply not get better.

Until then, I’ll be dreaming of a government website that looks like this:

We got some very persistent emails from our users in the UK. It got harder and harder to put off.  So, we finally set it up! Also, you can get UK numbers for the exact same price as US numbers.  Basic, Premium or Ultimate Plans can get a local number. See if we have a number in your area >

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick the UK for your country:

2. Pick an area code, based on your city

3. That’s it! Then, whenever someone faxes that number, we’ll forward it as a PDF to your email account. You never have to touch a fax machine again.

I bought Steve Job’s biography a few weeks ago and since then, there’s been a few changes to the book. So, Amazon sent an email to me. All I have to do is reply with “Yes” and Amazon will download an updated copy to my Kindle.  I don’t have to log in, click on anything or agree to any terms of service. This is user friendliness at its best.

Read more at Minimum Viable Personality. Loved this picture. It’s now on my desktop.

One of the best ways to grow your user base is to have your users advocate for you. The most common way to do this is bribery. Many companies will offer a month free or some kind of cash incentive for referrals. That works, but it’s highly unoriginal. Sometimes, it can be a disincentive to share. I want to give my friends an honest referral, not make a trivial sum of money by helping them out.

HipChat does something completely different. For everyone you refer, they make you a custom emoticons. They already have a lot of secret emoticons released. Check them out on Quora.

A custom emoticon has absolutely ZERO tangible value. ZERO! But, I love it. They make you laugh, and that’s it. In fact, our team has been playing around and requesting ones all day.

So, if you sign up for HipChat, use this link

One of our engineers just moved out from Connecticut. His furniture hasn’t arrived yet, so he built his own desk… out of cardboard boxes. He says it’s “surprisingly strong,” since his iMac isn’t that light.