Going over the replies some astute users left on our recent feature announcement post, it seems we actually forgot to announce a (albeit small) feature we added along with the other two. Our mistake!

It's now possible to have your Viewing History pages display views from users in "Compact" mode.

Why is this great? With Compact mode, you can more easily get an overview of the people who've viewed a page on your site, or a particular piece of your content. You'll even see their headshots. Think: more information in less space.

We've also upgraded our "Headshot" view to a more sensible three-column mode that works just like Compact, just a bit larger.

As a side-note, if you're concerned with who's viewing your content, we'd like to remind you that the power to share your content intelligently — that is, as privately as you like — is in your hands! For more information on Multiply's access controls, see this FAQ.

We just released a couple small enhancements that we're sure varying percentages of loyal Multiply users are sure to enjoy!


Quick(ly) Remove Inbox items

So let's say you don't want to see content from groups you're in or users to whom you're connected, but for some reason, also don't want to leave the group or remove the contact. Let's also say they post a lot, so clicking the remove link next to each individual post, then clicking "OK" on the warning is just way too much trouble.

What's a Multiply user to do (aside from de-associating themselves from these contacts or groups)? Just head over to your Inbox preferences and enable the brand new Quick Remove preference... but remember that you need to first enable the Show Subscribe, Pin and Remove option, of course, to remove items in the first place!

This will eliminate the warning message you'll otherwise get when removing an item from your Inbox. But be sure to click carefully! "Remove" means just that, and as always, there's still no way to restore an item back to your Inbox once you've chosen to remove it.

As an aside, we think now is a good time to remind you that there's really no need to remove items from your Inbox; items you ignore (i.e. stop viewing) will fall down the page as new items are added. Unlike other "inbox"es you may be used to using, there's no storage limit on Multiply!


Safari + Blogging = <3

For Mac users who like their operating system's default browser (or Windows users curious to see how the other half lives), we're proud to say that it's now possible to use Multiply's rich-text blog compose tool in Safari!

As some of your may have already noticed, yesterday we added a small feature that's sure to make your lives a little easier.

While you're probably already aware that your homepage's sidebar displays your online status (and if you're offline, it'll show when you were last logged in), we made this information a little easier to find by making it available in an additional location.

This information is now part of users' mini-profiles as well, so it's possible to see another Multiply user's online status by clicking their headshot, whether on your Contacts page (for users who are your contacts, naturally), or next to a reply that any user has left to a particular post.

While we think that Multiply is almost certainly the best way to share pretty much all of your stuff with the people you know, we understand that there are legitimate reasons you might want to, from time to time, share links to interesting things you find on Multiply, elsewhere on the Web.

Go ahead. It's okay. We won't be jealous.

In fact, we make it easy! You know that "Share" link you'll find above the reply section on all of your posts (and others' "Everyone" posts)? This page has always made it easy to share content in a number of ways... by e-mail, simple copy-and-paste links, and of course, buttons for sharing on other services you may use.

So, last week, we made that last bit a little easier. We've integrated AddThis's one-button sharing widget, which ensures that the share links for dozens of other services stay up-to-date, even if the services change their URL format. And as AddThis adds more supported services (we hear Multiply support is coming soon! :-), you'll have even more options for easily sharing Multiply links in other places!

Remember how we had that great new feature that was coming "soon"?

Well, "soon" is now... though "feature" may have been an understatement.

It's actually a whole bundle of features, including...

Separate Online Buddy settings   Yes, the wait is finally over! The things you now share with your contacts, whether it's your content or profile information, may now be selectively shared (or not, if you choose) with your "Online Buddy" contacts. (Confused? Click here for a complete explanation.)


Flash-enhanced photo slideshows  Using our certifiably awesome Flash-based video player as a base, we've created a slick, optimized photo slideshow player. Find your favorite photo album and give it a try; it is nothing short of amazing. (Cool bonus thing: you can now embed slideshows of your photo albums elsewhere on the Interwebs, just like you can videos!)


Filter Inbox by your replies  We've added a new filter to everyone's Inbox. It's called "I've Replied" – select it to filter your Inbox to only display content to which you've replied, making it easier to keep track of the conversations you're interested in. (As with all filters, click the "Custom" link you'll find near the top of your Inbox to set it.) In addition to this preset filter, there's a brand-new "only posts I've replied to" option that can be added to any custom filter.


Block HTML in your guestbook  The choice is yours – you can now choose to only allow others to leave text replies to your guestbook. Say good riddance to large, flashy, glittery animated images (and other paragons of tasteful, modern graphic design.) Unless, of course, you like that sort of thing. If you do, feel free to continue allowing them on your guestbook.


Easier social bookmarking  If you ever link to great content you find on Multiply using an outside "social bookmarking" service, you'll be pleased to know that we've replaced the old, individual bookmarking links with a simple, single link to an outside service responsible for keeping these links up to date. (Click the "Share" link you'll find under any post, followed by the "Add to" link.)


Photo album navigation beautification  You guys asked for it, and here it is. We've made navigating Multiply's great new (fasterer) photo albums more visually pleasing, making the text controls look like they actually belong on your page.


Fix for deleted guestbook replies  If you've ever deleted a reply from your guestbook, are you tired of seeing "Comment deleted..." in its place? Us too. That's why we've come up with a pretty intelligent way to not display those... while also preserving the guestbook's reply pagination.


New contact imports  Actually, they're old... but new again! We're proud to welcome back our contact import tools for Myspace and Friendster. We've missed ya, ol' buddies.

Now, wasn't that both pretty soon and a lot more than you were expecting?

As always, let us know what you think of these features!

On Online Buddies

If you use Multiply, you're certainly already aware of what makes it different than other social-sharing-networking-Web2.0-addmeup sites. Instead of having a list of generic buddies or contacts, on Multiply, you specify your relationships, which makes the way you're connected to others easier to understand. (But you already knew all that. :-)

Our thoughts on the matter have always been that you should only add individuals that you know and trust as contacts. We later added the Online Buddy relationship type when it became clear that users desired a way to connect with people that they may not necessarily know as well as their "real world" contacts. For instance, when you connect to another user as an Online Buddy, their contacts don't become part of your Multiply network, and vice-versa. But we still believed that you should trust all individuals with whom you connect as contacts.


The Change

It seems that some users have different feelings on the subject. One of the most requested changes on Multiply (ever!) is a special access level for Online Buddies, a way to keep the contacts you kinda/sorta know separate from the ones you know very well.

Something like this:


So we're changing our tune a little. Coming soon, we'll be moving Online Buddies to its own category (joining "Friends," "Family" and "Professional Contacts"). As such, you'll be able to specify whether or not you want to share with Online Buddies when selecting "Contacts."


But... also!

These changes don't only apply to the content you post.

Now, we're extending this new access level to the other places on Multiply where you can already choose to whom your information should be made available, including your profile and account information, as well as the Contacts, Groups and Guestbook boxes on your homepage.

It's important to point out how these changes will affect content that you've already shared on Multiply. Anything that you've already posted for "Friends" (under the "Contacts" option) or "Friends, and their Friends" (under "Network") will no longer be accessible by your Online Buddies. You'll need to go back and edit those posts to explicitly give them access again. Content posted for your "Contacts" or "Network" will continue to be available to your Online Buddies.

Another important thing to remember... this is all Coming Soon!
We'll be sure to let you know as soon as we know when "soon" is. :-)

Regular readers of this blog (awesome, well-informed, generally good-looking individuals) may recall the new feature we recently unveiled to help administrators manage the types of content posted in their groups.

We've got another group enhancement you're sure to love.

Multiply users have asked for an easier way to identify administrators of the groups they're in. So we've gone and given you just that. You guessed it; we've gone over each and every admin of the thousands of groups on Multiply with a, um, highlighter. Yeah... a digital one. It was lots of work, and our hands are very tired, but we've done it. Just for you guys.

Let us know if we've missed any. ;-)

So now when you come across an administrator in a group (whether on the Members page, or in the Members homepage box – we did it there too!) it'll be easier to pick them out of the crowd. This should make situations where you need to contact one a lot easier.

Perhaps the most notable new feature we released last week was our new streamlined photoviewing experience.

While your experience might vary (based on the speed of your Internet connection), some really cool technologies, like Ajax, exist under the hood to make split-second load times possible on even an average-speed Internet connection.

This, basically, means photos load about as quickly as you can click. Count to zero and... well, you get the idea.

Viewing photos with unprecedented speed is all well and good, but let's not forget the other stuff you expect from the photo experience on Multiply, like adding faceboxes, full-size zoom and adding replies. They all still work as you'd expect.

If you're not seeing faster loading times, JavaScript may be disabled in your browser (this probably applies to very few people), but there's no need to worry! While you won't get the full benefit of these new features without JavaScript, you'll still be able to enjoy photo albums just as you always have.

Group administrators — and Multiply users of all kinds — that time is finally here. You know, the time at which we tell you that we have new features for you.

So now, we have... no, wait.

Now, you have...

Faster photo album browsing  Multiply has always been a great place to enjoy others' photos (not to mention sharing your own), but doing so has never been quite this much of a breeze. As you browse through a photo album now, you'll notice photos loading pretty much instantly.

Group admin content control  That's right group admins, the feature we recently announced is now available! If you run a group on Multiply, you can choose which kinds of content members can — and can't — share in the group. We really are looking to make your "job" easier. How else can we help?

Quicker replies  If you use the dedicated "reply" links that appear alongside existing replies, you already know how these make it easier for others to follow conversations. Now we've gone and made these even more of a pleasure to use; click one and your reply box will appear instantly! Write your reply, click submit, and you're back to the original post in a snap.

Guestbook pages  Are you really, really, ridiculously popular? Do people use your guestbook like a chat room? Are you sick of having to load every comment every time you view your guestbook? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you'll be pleased to know that we've made viewing your guestbook a lot easier by dividing it into easy-to-consume pages.

New e-mail alert format  If you receive HTML e-mail alerts, you may have already noticed this one; these alerts now have a fresh new look! (If you don't currently receive e-mail alerts, you can enable them by clicking "settings" followed by "My E-mail Alerts.") Be sure to keep an eye out for the new photo album alerts in particular... the new layout is really nice.

We hope that your enjoyment of these new features ranks right up there with that of your current favorites.
Be sure to let us know if it does (or doesn't), and keep us informed as to how you're using these new features!

We've recently shown you a few sneak previews on this very blog. Today, however, we bring you something a little different.

(Not previews, but actual features!)
(Not coming soon, but actually here! Now!)

We think you've waited long enough.
So now, with absolutely no further ado, here are some great new features, packed with extra goodness:

A/V

Audio/Video Replies  This new feature lets you post audio and video replies directly from your microphone or webcam, to more easily share your life with your friends. If you already own a webcam, you should definitely try out this feature as soon as possible. Seriously. There will be a test. :-)

Webcam Video Posting  It's not just for replies anymore! Easily create new video posts directly from your webcam – it's as easy as clicking "Post" and selecting "Video."

Enhanced Flash Video Player  We've made some pretty nice changes to the video player. One thing you may want to try is the little eject button in the bottom-right corner... click it to show other videos from that user.

Alerts

Easy Alert Management  Remember how easy it used to be to manage your e-mail alerts? (Please, don't answer that!) You'll be pleased to hear that it's now really, really easy to do so right here. (This is also accessible through My E-mail Alerts on your settings page.)

Better What You've Missed Subjects  'What You've Missed' alerts now contain extra information about what you've missed (and from whom you've missed it), right in the subject line.

Preset Inbox Filters  While you can still create your own filters, we've automatically added a few new ones that are sure to be helpful, including Unread posts from your Contacts, Subscribed and Personal Messages.

Imports

All-Import Page  We've created a new page listing all of our import tools, for all content types, all in one easy-to-use place!

New Contact Imports  Have friends on Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery? You now have the option of inviting them to Multiply while you import your photos!

Navigation

New Navigation Links  See those tabs at the top of any page, including the brand-new Inbox? They're sure to make navigating Multiply even easier!

Inbox Toolbox  Along the right side of your Inbox, you'll find a new "Tools" box, which brings together links to a few of our favorite features, like the Multiply Toolbar and Imports page.

Let's not forget...

Default Access Setting  If you'd like to make absolutely sure you never share anything with a wider audience than you'd intend, this is the feature for you. (Set this up under Posting Options on your settings page.) Remember, this works for all new posts going forward — even posts you import from other services — though it won't change anything that was previously posted to Multiply.

Headshot Mouse-overs  We've made these a little less easy to mistakenly activate. Now, in order to view a user's mini-profile, just click their mini-headshot, wherever it appears on Multiply.

Recipes and Marketplace  Surprise: they're ba-aaack! (If you'd like to enable these content types for your account, you can do so under Posting Options on your settings page.)

Please enjoy these new features, and be sure to let us know (perhaps with video?) what you think of them!

In addition to the Multimedia Replies and Default Access Setting features we recently announced, we wanted to give you an advance look at another upcoming feature!

Any day now, we'll be unveiling a dedicated page where you'll be able to view all of the posts to which you're subscribed for e-mail alerts. You'll even be able to unsubscribe from multiple alerts... without having to leave or refresh the page! A simple click of the small envelope () next to the post will change your alert subscription for the post.

As some users may know, it's certainly already possible to subscribe or unsubscribe from individual alerts... we're just making it easier. To do this for the time being, click the "Preferences" link on your My Multiply page and enable Show "Subscribe," "Pin," and "Remove" links for each item. This will enable envelope icons on your message board; click one to subscribe or unsubscribe from alerts for a particular post.

Multiply users surely already know about our absolutely kick-ass privacy controls. In fact, we know a lot of users chose Multiply based on these – we read your comments!

In the near future, we're going to be implementing a feature that you're sure to love: the ability to set a default access level for all future posts you make.

This means that if you want to make sure you don't accidentally share content with an audience wider than you want, set a minimum access level... and forget it! Everything you post afterwards will automatically be posted with that default level.

We at Multiply actually use Multiply for sharing with our friends and family, so we understand as well as anyone that different types of posts require different levels of privacy. While, for example, you may choose to default to "My Network," there certainly may be times when you want, say, maximum exposure for your content ("Everyone") or the privacy of just your direct contacts. All the options are still there, and after setting a default, you can still choose a different one for each new post.

Once again, this feature is coming soon – for the time being, you'll need to manually set the access level on each post for additional privacy, as "Everyone" is the default setting.

Inviting your contacts to Multiply is easy!

We have another bit of good news (previously, content imports) for Multiply users who've used Yahoo 360° in the past.

Today, we've made it possible (and easy, of course!) to import your contacts list from Yahoo 360°, and send them invitations to Multiply! Long-timer users of Multiply will be familiar with the process, but for those who aren't, it goes a little like this:

Click the Invite link at the top of any page, followed by Yahoo 360°. Then sign in to Yahoo using the form on the following page. The next page will list your contacts; select a relationship for those you'd like to invite to Multiply. (And for the ones you don't, just keep the default "Don't Invite" setting.) Add a personal message, and your 360 contacts will be sent a message inviting them to join you on Multiply! Once they join, they'll automatically appear on your Multiply contacts list.

Yep, it's as easy as that.

Consider this just a quick note to let you know that we've added a new service to our list of content imports – it's now easier than ever to move over blog entries that you've previously posted to Yahoo 360° to your Multiply site!

Update: Confused? Sorry! To try this out, click the Post link at the top of any page, followed by Blog. Underneath the regular compose entry box, you'll find a Yahoo 360° link (near the bottom of the page, where it says "Add Blog From"). Or, just click here.

If you've ever wanted both an easier way to constantly keep up-to-date with the latest from your Multiply network and a dead-simple way to post new content, it sounds like you want the brand new Multiply Toolbar.

Click that link; it's available now!



If the mention of the toolbar causes you to feel a strange sense of déjà vu, it might have something to do with the toolbar preview we showed you a little while back. Or perhaps, if you're in the MUDS group (yay!), you may already be using it, thanks to the sneak preview we posted there late last week.

One particularly nice feature is the integrated drag-and-drop photo uploader. Click the "Post" button followed by "Photos" and simply drag your photos onto the upload box -- no extra messy browser plugins needed!

As you probably already know, the toolbar works with Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers, so there's no reason to not give it a try.

We realize that this blog has been a bit thin on new... well, news as of late. We have a good reason for this – and it's not that we haven't been up to anything interesting recently. On the contrary, we have a handful of great things coming soon!

We previewed one such feature a few weeks back: the upcoming Multiply toolbar. But that's not all we've been working on.

Another cool feature currently in the works is an enhancement to the way Multiply users leave comments for other users. While it's always been possible to leave plain text (perhaps enhanced with a bit of tasteful HTML), have you ever wanted to leave someone a comment in your own spoken voice — or even better — your voice enhanced with facial expressions (in other words, with your webcam)?

In the near future, you'll be able to do both of these things, and it'll be almost as easy as leaving a text comment... maybe even easier – none of that, you know... pesky typing.

It goes without saying that your web browser is the key to checking up on the latest stuff posted by those in your Multiply network. This is only natural, being that Multiply is after all, you know... a website.

But have you ever wanted to get instant updates with what's going on in your network... even if you're on a website that (gasp) isn't Multiply?

So whether or not you ever venture elsewhere on the Web, the perfect solution is coming soon — the brand-new Multiply Toolbar! Soon, you won't have to be on Multiply to keep up to date with the people you know!

Much of what the toolbar does aims to make the things you already do on Multiply easier to do, even if you happen to not be on Multiply. But, naturally, that's not all.

The toolbar will also keep you informed of new content posted, whether by your contacts or fellow members of groups you're in. A click on either toolbar button will filter your message board appropriately, showing you what you've been missing.

Since we're all about the cross-platformy goodness, the toolbar will not only be available for Internet Explorer, but will work with Firefox as well!

Once again, we're not launching this just yet, but will be soon... so keep an eye open for an announcement when we do. Additionally, there's one more toolbar feature that you'll just have to wait and see. It's nothing earth-shattering, but hey, we think it'll make sharing your photos a little bit easier... :-)

The brief but surely unbearable wait is over—we're quite pleased to announce that it's now possible to add, as we previewed a couple days ago, Faceboxes to identify people in your (and others') photos!

But that's only part of the story... here's what's new today on Multiply:


Faceboxes are here!
Have you ever come across a group photo on Multiply and recognized some people you know... but wondered who at least a few of the others are? Well, wonder no more.

The best way to get started with Faceboxes is just to try adding a new one. It's easy—simply find an appropriate photo containing either yourself or someone you know... and click their face! Up will pop the "Who is This?" tool pictured to the right.


If the user you're Faceboxing is already a contact of yours, start typing their name or choose it from the contact list below. If they're not, feel free to add their name or, if you'd like to invite them to Multiply, their e-mail address! (Don't worry; their e-mail address won't be shared with anyone else.)

Naturally, you're able to choose who can add Faceboxes to the photos you've posted (see Posting Options under settings), and can remove boxes if someone has incorrectly identified you. As you can see to the left, you'll be notified of new faceboxes just like you are for new posts and comments.

Note: now that clicking a photo serves to allow you to add a new Facebox, you can view the full-resolution original version by clicking the linked resolution text next to the image title, e.g. Happy People (1000x750).


Post via Email enhancement #1
(New: post to groups!)
You asked for our Post via E-mail feature for posting to groups... and now you've got it! Group administrators can enable this feature, and set a secret pin for posting their groups, by editing the group's profile. Members of the group can then view the group's profile to find the secret pin.

(Note that, for security purposes, group members can only post to a group using the e-mail address they currently have registered to their Multiply account. One can double-check or change that e-mail address on their My Account settings page.)


Post via E-mail enhancement #2
(New: security options!)
You can now set a default access level for future posts you make via e-mail on your Post via E-mail settings page. Additionally, if you've never used the feature before, you can also set a secret pin (which acts like a password, though you shouldn't use your Multiply account's password as the pin!) to get started with the feature.


Moderated group posting
If you're the administrator of a large public group, you may already be familiar with the hassle of keeping, say, clearly unwanted posts from becoming an annoyance for both you and your group's members. So now, we at Multiply will be doing more to make sure these are our problem—not yours. For new group members or recent Multiply accounts, this may mean a slight delay before your post appears in the group, but this should be minimal. So while we'll be catching obviously unwanted posts, group admins should still be on top of things, removing and reporting any unwanted activity.


We hope you cotton to these improvements—feel free to shoot back with your say below.

You may have noticed that we at Multiply are all about letting you do more with the things you post, and we're always looking for new features that help you bring you closer to your contacts and (optionally, of course) other people closely connected to you.

Anything that helps you do that is a plus to us.

Here's a new, big plus.

Have you ever wanted an easy way to find yourself in the photos your friends have posted? Or what about finding specific individuals that appear in your photos–and then, see who else has photos of them? Or what about... well, you get the idea. :-)

So, starting in the very near future, you can do even more with not only your photos, but others' photos in your network. Similarly to how you can now use tags to categorize content, you'll be able to identify yourself and your contacts appearing in photos within your network. Each photo album will clearly state who's pictured within, as will each individual photo. And, perhaps most importantly, you'll be able to find other photos in which you, and other people you know, appear.

Here's an example photo with its subjects boxed (and one subject selected):

Some Multiply features represent a potentially huge shift in the way our users interact with those around them.

For instance, our (dare I say revolutionary) message board makes it possible to find out what the people close to you — your contacts and beyond — are discussing (and blogging, photographing, reviewing, and so on). Our recently-unveiled tagged content box feature makes it easy to mix and match the things you've posted, creating customized views of it, presenting it to those you know precisely the way you like.

And some features just make your life a little easier. This is one of them.

There's a new, easy way to point to other Multiply users while creating new content. If you often mention others in your posts, you can link directly to their homepage by entering a small bit of text. If, for instance, you wanted to point to the username "savvywalt," you'd enter the following text:

id://savvywalt

This will, upon posting (or previewing your post), be automatically replaced with the following linked text:

savvywalt

This can be entered while composing any new content, and in the case of blog entries, either in or out of "Edit HTML" mode – it'll work the same either way.

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FYI: We previewed this feature a couple days ago in the MUDS (Multiply Users and Developers) group. This is a place where, as the name suggests, users and developers discuss all sorts of things related to Multiply — and from time to time — get sneak peaks at features just like this one! Feel free to join the group; we'd love to see you there!