Subscriber FAQs
3. What is "subscribing" and why would I want to do it?
4. How does EnjoyMyMedia actually work for Subscribers?
7. How easy is it for friends and family to receive the Channels I Netcast?
A. Does anyone else think it is easy? Read our reviews.
Netcaster FAQs
1. What is EnjoyMyMedia Netcasting and why would I want to do it?
2. What kinds of things do people Netcast?
4. How does EnjoyMyMedia actually work f or Netcasters?
6. How do I start Private Netcasting my media to my friends and family?
A. Can I include Web media (videos, photos, etc.) in a Channel?
B. What are "ratings" and "sequencing"?
C. What is "On Demand" and how does it help? What about media that is not "On Demand"
7. How easy is it for friends and family to receive the Channels I Netcast?
A. Does anyone else think it is easy? Read our reviews.
B. What happens if my computer is turned off, will my Channel still work?
9. Sounds great, but how much does Private Netcasting cost?
2. What kinds of kinds of things do people Netcast?
Pretty much any kind of "media" you want to share -- documents, images, videos, audio recordings, web page bookmarks, email, zip files, even executables -- can be Netcast by EnjoyMyMedia. Rather than sending everything individually, however, EnjoyMyMedia allows you to create Channels that contain your media organized by interest, topic, audience or any other way you'd like. Since Channels are what your friends and family actually subscribe to, EnjoyMyMedia allows you to precisely target your Netcasts to specific friends and family: Aunt Minnie can receive your Joke Channel while Uncle Moe gets your Political Blog.
Just as there are an infinite number of interests and topics, there are infinite number of possible Channels. To help you think about the kinds of Channels you can Privately Netcast, here are some popular types:
Family Channels that help you stay connected to family and close friends:
- Family photos and home movies; your children's school papers and projects; scans of their drawings and art work; family relevant Web pages, etc. The screen shot on the right shows how the Smith Family Channel appears to its Subscribers. More about the advantages of Family Channels.
My Channels that let you share your life with friends:
- Your own photos and videos; your favorite online songs & videos; your favorite Web pages, your school projects; audio recordings of that fascinating Professor; material for your study group; etc. Compare EnjoyMyMedia Netcasts to social networking "spaces".
Multimedia Blogs that animate your interests and passions:
- News, tidbits & commentary on a sports team, funny jokes, stories and anecdotes, song ideas for the band, the latest gossip for the fan club, the Excel file that details your collection of Civil War memorabilia, etc. Compare EnjoyMyMedia blogs to traditional blogs.
Multimedia Newsletters that inform, update and communicate:
- Course material Netcast by a Professor, team play videos from a Coach, a Lladro newsletter, a multimedia status report from a Teacher, helpful Web sites for planning the family reunion, etc. Compare EnjoyMyMedia newsletters to traditional newsletters.
File Sharing Channels for media that specific folks regularly need to access
- If someone only needs a file occasionally, email is great. If they regularly need access, however, a File Sharing Channel might be better: they're easy for non-technical people to use, there aren't any problems with large files or firewalls, only authorized Subscribers can get the media and they provide on-demand access. Any group of people that need to share info can benefit from File Sharing Channels.
File Sharing Channels are useful even if you're the only one in the "group". You could if you're traveling, for example, use them to get remote, Web-based access to the files on your home PC.
3. What is "subscribing" and why would I want to do it?
Subscribing is free and easy to start (and stop) and simply means you've set things up so that you can stay up-to-date on your friend or family member's personal media -- their videos, photos, documents, audio recordings, favorite web sites and whatever else they decide to Netcast in their Channel. See example channels.
Subscribing starts with an invitation from a Netcaster (to ensure privacy, subscriptions are by invitation of the Netcaster only). Luckily, you don't have to download or install anything, you simply click a link in the invitation email to add the Channel to a Receiver* you already have. You can even add it to more than one Receiver if you'd like.
From then on, everything is entirely automatic! Whenever a Netcaster adds something new or changes something, your Channel listings update on their own. You don't have to do anything except click on whatever interests you.
* Here's the current list (we're adding more all the time): My Yahoo, Google's personalized home page, My AOL, Microsoft Live, Facebook, Smart phones, Nintendo's Wii, Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox, Opera and all RSS Readers.
And don't forget to see the example channels.
4. How does EnjoyMyMedia actually work?
It's very easy. All you have to do is save files, all your friends and family have to do is click links.
To start
- Download and install EnjoyMyMedia's free Transmitter (one time only).
- Tip: Besides the Channel Console described in Step 1 above, you can also right click any Window's folder in "My Computer" or "Windows Explorer", select "Send To" EnjoyMyMedia to Netcast that folder:
From then on
Everything is automatic. You don't have to do anything special or differently. You simply treat your files as you always have. If you:
Add a new file to your folder ... a new media item automatically appears in the Channel. Delete a file from your folder ... the media item automatically disappears from the Channel. Modify a file in your folder ... the media item does not change yet, when it is clicked by
a Subscriber, the most recent, up-to-date file is transmitted.
To start
- Your friends and family receive an email from you inviting them to subscribe to your Channel. They click a link in the email, register at our site (so we can make sure only they can access your media), and choose their preferred way to Receive your Channel. Importantly, Subscribers do not need to download or install anything to receive your Channel and it is very easy for them to remove later if they want to. See example channels.
From then on
When a Subscriber sees something interesting in your Channel, they simply click it to go to the Media Page. From here, they can also discuss the item with other Subscribers, step through (Previous/Next) the rest of the media in the Channel, save it, view its ratings (popularity) and more.
5A. How does EnjoyMyMedia compare to photo or video sharing sites?
When people's lives are so obviously multi-media today, it has always struck us as strange that all the popular ways to share media are limited to just one media type: photos on this site, videos on that one, text blogs on a third. Not EnjoyMyMedia. In a single Channel you can Netcast pictures, videos, audio recordings, blog entries, documents, web pages, email, executables, ... any type of file.
Another important difference is that Private Netcasting is automatic and always on - you don't have to waste time manually uploading media to Web sites. For example, if you Netcast the folder where you normally store all your digital camera pictures, as soon as you copy new pictures from the camera to that folder, your pictures will automatically be added to your Channel and immediately available to its Subscribers.
Also, Netcasters aren't restricted by the size of the media to be Netcast. If you have a 2 GB video you want your friends to see, no problem! Premium Netcasting allows Subscribers to always view those large files with Turbo Assist.
A final critical difference is that EnjoyMyMedia Channels are private and by the Netcaster's invitation only. We are not trying to create a replacement for TV that tosses media onto the Net in the hopes of attracting mass market audiences. We are working really hard, in fact, to ensure that your personal media is always under your control and is only accessible to your invited Subscribers.
If you've made a hilarious video and you're sure it will be viewed 1,000 times by 1,000 strangers, post it on YouTube. If on the other hand, you've recorded your toddler's first steps and you're sure it will be viewed 1,000 times by 4 people - the baby's technophobic Grandparents - add it to your EnjoyMyMedia Channel.
5B. How does EnjoyMyMedia compare to social networking sites?
Social networking sites like My Space, Facebook and the rest are popular and very useful. It's nice that you can create a personal "space" and invite your friends to "visit" and check things out. Of course, not being able to control when or how often they visit means these sites are not the most reliable way to stay in touch with friends.
EnjoyMyMedia Netcasting is different. Rather than passively waiting around hoping friends visit your space, you can instead Netcast your media directly to them. This is not only a more dependable way for you to stay connected, it also easier for your friends: they don't have to continually visit all their friend's "spaces" on many different Web sites - they can simply sit back and easily view all their friend's Channels at a glance on one Receiver.
5C. How does EnjoyMyMedia compare to a traditional newsletter or blog?
In many ways they are quite similar. EnjoyMyMedia Channels are composed of media items just like newsletters are composed of articles and blog's a series of postings. Unlike primarily textual newsletters and blogs, however, EnjoyMyMedia Channels are inherently multimedia and can contain documents, images, videos, audio recordings, web pages, email, executables, pretty much anything you want to communicate.
Besides multimedia, another key difference between EnjoyMyMedia Channels and newsletters are that newsletters are published and present information at a particular moment in time; they are a "snapshot". EnjoyMyMedia Channels on the other hand are Netcast "live" and always up-to-date.
As an example, instead of a text-only newsletter published monthly, the Aston Martin auto club can Private Netcast a multimedia, always current Aston Martin Channel to its members:
One of the strengths of traditional blogs are their ability to publish original ideas. One of the strengths of EnjoyMyMedia Channels are that they are a great way to comment and annotate other Web-based media.
If you often find yourself in the following situation, EnjoyMyMedia is for you: you discover something interesting online, you save it, attach it to an email, comment on it, and send the email to your friends or family. A cascade of out of order replies follow as everyone comments on it too. The next day, you find something equally interesting and the whole messy process repeats itself. If this applies to you, you're going to like EnjoyMyMedia's Web Media capability
6. How do I start Private Netcasting my media to my friends and family?
You can be Private Netcasting within 5 minutes. Download the EnjoyMyMedia Transmitter here. Install it and follow the Channel Wizard's instructions.
6A. How do I include Web Media in a Channel?:
EnjoyMyMedia Channels are designed to easily comment on and discuss media: whether the media is stored on your machine or somewhere online... here's an example of how a YouTube video acts just like any other media in a Channel. The only (invisible) difference is the file is stored at YouTube and not on your PC.
It is easy to add Web media to a Channel. Simply click the Add Web Media button below the Channels title:
and fill in the fields on the Web Media form that pops up. Here's how the Free Hugs video above was added:
6B. What are "ratings" and "sequencing"?
Just like a television network, some of your media will be more popular than others. Ratings allows you to learn what your audience likes and doesn't like so that you can become a better Netcaster. Similarly, you can sequence the media in your Channel so that they appear in your preferred order (this is critical if you want to order your media to 'tell' a story for example).
EnjoyMyMedia's free Private Netcasting service allows Netcasters to share an unlimited amount of their personal media in unlimited number of channels with an unlimited number of subscribers. The media that Subscribers want the most—the most popular or newest media—are always available On Demand. Just like favorite TV shows that are available On Demand from the cable company even when they are not being broadcast, Private Netcasters have 200 MB of their most popular and newest media always available to their subscribers even if their computer is turned off ( Premium Netcasters have 10 GB or 40 GB!) . Further, the underlying Turbo Assist technology not only makes this media always available but also significantly speeds up its transmission.
What about media that is not "On Demand"
Wondering how the unlimited Netcasting of personal media and On Demand work together? As an example, if a Private Netcaster had a total of 20 GB in all their Channels, the most popular or newest 200 MB in them would always be available 24X7 and transmitted most quickly to subscribers. The rest of their media would still be available whenever their PC was on (and the Transmitter running) but will be Netcast more slowly (non-On Demand media's transmission speed is determined by your Internet connection's upload speed). This also means that files bigger than 200 MB will be transmitted but will not be kept in the On Demand locker. In contrast, a Premium Netcaster would be able to keep 10 or 40 GB (depending on the service purchased) of personal media On Demand and their files could be as large as 4 GB each.
7. How easy is it for friends and family to receive the Channels I Netcast?
Very easy. They receive an invitation email sent from invitations@enjoymymedia.com (which you can personalize and preview before it is sent). They click a link in the email, select a Receiver from among many popular choices (My Yahoo, Google personalized home pages, My AOL, Facebook, Internet Explorer 7.0 and many, many more) and presto chango, your Channel appears in their Receiver (though its permanently there, it is easy to remove if they want to). From that point on, whenever they see something interesting automatically appear in your Channel, all they have to do is click to get it. See example channels.
7B. What happens if my computer is turned off?
EnjoyMyMedia automatically selects your most popular and recent media and makes it available On Demand. This both speeds up its transmission to Subscribers and makes it available even if your computer is turned off. For non-On Demand media, you can create an "On Air" schedule so that anyone trying to access your media when you're "Off the Air" will see a nicely worded message advising them to check back the next time you are Netcasting.
8. How private is the media that is Privately Netcast? Can anyone "get" at my computer or its contents?
Private media
With EnjoyMyMedia, your shared personal media is only accessible from within your private, password-protected Channel (not a public Web site) and only the people you explicitly invite to subscribe can set up a password to access the media in your Channel. Even EnjoyMyMedia employees are unable to access your personal media, except under limited circumstances such as a court order.
Traditional photo-sharing sites enable consumers to send images by e-mail to family and friends. However, the e-mail can be forwarded to other non-invited people, who can access the images without constraint. Additionally, anyone who tracks down the photo-sharing site's URL (by, for example, using a search engine) can access the images. EnjoyMyMedia, in contrast, employs the stronger tactic of password protecting the Channel's media (not its URL). Additionally, only authorized friends and family can subscribe to a Channel so if an invitation is inadvertently forwarded to someone else, that recipient will not be able to subscribe to your Channel .
With EnjoyMyMedia you can even assure yourself that only the people you've invited have accessed your media: each Channel's Ratings indicate exactly who and when your personal media has been viewed.
Impenetrable computer
The very design of EnjoyMyMedia ensures that only the contents of the folders you choose to Netcast are available to your subscribers, and no other folders or files are accessible. Subscribers only have access to a standard RSS-feed, which is simply an XML file. They do not have any programmatic access to a Netcaster’s computer. RSS is by design secure: when you subscribe to a NY Times or BBC feed you have no way to “see” other files on the NY Times or BBC computers.
Furthermore, only someone sitting at the PC can Netcast a folder—it cannot be done from the Web (for example, even the ‘Create New Channel’ button on your My Channels page simply launches the Wizard on your PC). This means, therefore, that there is no way for a remote user to “get at” any of your other folders.
9. Sounds great, but how much does Private Netcasting cost?
Nothing, nada, zilch! EnjoyMyMedia Private Netcasting is:
- Free to Subscribers.:
- Unlimited private Channels
- Unlimited media in the Channels
- Ad supported
- Free to Netcasters:
- Unlimited private Channels
- Unlimited number of Subscribers
- Unlimited media in the Channels
- 200 MB of most recent and popular media are always available On Demand.
Many people find that Private Netcasting is all they need. Some, however, prefer their channels to be free of ads. Others want more media to be available On Demand for their friends & family, need remote access to their files when they're away from their PC, or want a simple way to backup and archive their invaluable personal photos & videos. For these people, there is Premium Netcasting.
