A few months back we announced a feature that came by popular request: separate access settings for Online Buddies.

As you already know, the Online Buddy relationship type on Multiply lets you connect with a single individual, without becoming part of their network, and vice versa. This is useful when you want to add someone you may not know that well as a contact: if you don't know them that well, how likely is it that you know the people they know?

Using the new settings, you're able to choose whether to include or exclude your Online Buddies, not only when posting content, but also for sharing your profile information, like your last name, e-mail address, interests and such.

First we previewed it for you.

Then we announced that it was available.

And now, we're curious to hear how you've made use of it.

Is the feature as useful as you hoped it would be? Is it more?

Have you added more contacts you otherwise wouldn't have been able to before?

Were you able to reclassify any existing contacts following the introduction of the feature?

From time to time, we look back at features we unveiled in the not-so-distant past, both because they're worth bringing up once again -- and to try and get more of a feel for what Multiply users think of them and how they use them.

This is one such look, but this time, it's a little different.

Today we're looking at a feature that's been available since day one: Multiply's extensive privacy options. You know, the ability to share what you want, with precisely whom you want.

While we've looked at this a few times in the past on this very blog, we think it's worth revisiting, particularly as more people join Multiply. We understand that newer members who've used other services to share their content may not be used to having such powerful ways of sharing while controlling their experience.

We took an extensive look at a few aspects of our privacy options about a year and a half ago, in a few installments that are still worth reading:

• Defining Relationships
  (or: Yes, there's a difference!)
• You Control Your Content
  (or: Extensive privacy options are yours!)
• Know What's Public
  (or: Always good to double-check!)

How do you use these features? Have they helped you share content online that you otherwise wouldn't?

It's kind of hard to believe, but nearly three months have passed since we unveiled the Multiply Guestbook feature... and homepages haven't been the same since.

As we mentioned in the original announcement, guestbooks on the Web aren't anything new or revolutionary, but we recognized the unique value they could add to the Multiply experience: allowing discussions to revolve around people, the same way they already do around content like photo albums, videos and blog entries. And just like all other types of content on Multiply, one can easily choose just how widely or narrowly to share their Guestbook with others, be it their contacts, network or everyone.

Now that you've had some time with the feature, we're interested in hearing how you've been making use of Multiply Guestbooks. How have they changed the way you keep in touch with the people you know?

If you've been following the Internet blog buzz lately, you already know that privacy on social websites is once again a hot topic. Well, it never really ceased to be, but it seems to be back on everyone's radar this week, with a particular vengeance.

We figured that now would be a good time to point you to a series of past entries, Why Multiply is Safe, which we blogged in four parts back in February and March of this year.

• Part one: Defining Relationships
• Part two: You Control Your Content
• Part three: Know What's Public
• Part four: You Know Who Knows
  

Even without the recent buzz about other services, it's a good idea to be aware of the fine-grained privacy options that we provide on Multiply. The entries linked above highlight a few ways Multiply makes privacy possible... and easy.