It’s been a tremendous year for Flock so far. We just hit a really nice milestone that we’d like to share with everyone. Flock just exceeded 2 million total users on Facebook. Of total Flock users, those who are active on Facebook have grown 280% in the first three quarters of 2009. We are honored to have this many people from around the world electing to make the switch to experience the social web with Flock as their browser of choice.
We appreciate Facebook, and all of its loyal fans worldwide for helping spread the word about Flock. Flock is an independent effort, and as such we are even more critically dependent on our fans to spread the word about the Flock browser. We are humbled and honored by this vote of confidence and look forward to evolving the Flock product to continually improve the web experience for our fans.
We have listened and learned from you – our invaluable community of users. And our team is busy building and is incredibly excited about delivering an even greater experience for our users in our next version of Flock 3.0, which is scheduled for release in Q1 2010. Flock 3.0 will first be made available early next year as a private beta to those users of our current release. More to come soon on this incredibly exciting project.
As you may have noticed, the Flock integration with Flickr is not functioning properly. We've communicated with many of you individually, but we want to also provide a broader overview of the questions we’ve been receiving for the benefit of all Flock users.
Why do service outages happen?
Flock integrates with a number of services, and it detects these services when you log in. This makes it easy for you to discover and access Flock's social features.
Unfortunately, this also means that if some part of the login process changes on the service website and Flock can't recognize it, Flock thinks you're not logged in. You will have no trouble using the website, but Flock's features that integrate with that service may not work as expected.
How does Flock normally fix this?
Normally we can update the file that Flock refers to for recognizing service logins. Once we've changed this file, Flock downloads the latest version of this file automatically in the background. This usually happens within 24 hours, and thanks to our vigilant developer team this usually means 48 hours or less of downtime.
What is different this time?
This time the change made on Flickr.com was so dramatic that the changes we have to make go beyond what we can do in the file fix mentioned above. We're going to have to make additional changes to other browser files. This means that we can't fix the Flickr outage automatically over the air - we'll actually have to create a revised version of Flock.
Why do browser updates take so long?
Making an update or applying fixes to the Flock browser is sometimes quick and sometimes not. Regardless of how easy to fix, we still have to take all new versions of Flock through a rigorous testing process to ensure that we deliver stable, reliable code to our loyal community.
When our Flickr integration broke, we were already partway into the process of putting together Flock 2.5.1, which includes some key fixes: some rather troublesome Twitter bug fixes, some broken Facebook Chat functionality, and a bunch of other items that are negatively affecting many Flockstars.
At that point the choice was fairly clear: if we stopped work on 2.5.1 and created a new version of Flock that *only* fixed the Flickr integration, we'd double the amount of testing we had to do...and we would delay the release of the 2.5.1 improvements, hurting the folks who aren't affected by the Flickr issue but are affected by Twitter and Facebook Chat issues. By including the Flickr fix in 2.5.1, we're saving time and getting you a whole bunch of fixes sooner.
Ok, so when do we get the new version?
We're in the midst of testing Flock 2.5.1 now to make sure it’s a stable release, and we're hoping to have it out to you within the next two weeks. Keep your eyes here, on our GetSatisfaction page, on our Twitter account, or on our Facebook page for a notice when it is released. Please note that we will not be sending out an auto-update immediately - you'll initially have to manually upgrade by downloading and running the installer.
I hope this has given you a clear understanding of why there is no Flickr fix yet and what we're doing to ensure you have the best Flock experience possible. We're certainly not ignoring this issue - we're simply making the decisions needed to get you the latest and greatest version of Flock ASAP.
Thanks for your patience throughout this issue, and hang in there just a short time longer.
Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador evan at flock dot com
Update: One clarification I want to make based on feedback I've seen: 2.5.1 does not include any new features. We're not delaying your Flickr fix in order to get new features out the door. 2.5.1 is entirely bug fixes, which is why we want to get it out at the same time as the Flickr fix rather than delaying it.
I'm super excited to announce a brand new tool for all of you passionate Flockstars out there!
Top Flockstars is a way for you to get recognized and rewarded for your hard work telling the world how much you love Flock.
We thrive on the word-of-mouth evangelism that you all generate. The majority of our 7.5 million downloads have been generated by you telling your friends, family, and colleagues about Flock. You love Flock, you tell your friends, and therefore we are able to keep making Flock better for you. We're immensely grateful for this gift you give us, and we wanted to give something back to you.
It's pretty simple:
1. Log into Top Flockstars using your Facebook account - we'll show you which of your friends are already using Flock
2. Use our form to tell your non-Flocking friends to download Flock
3. For each person who downloads Flock and logs into Facebook, you'll get a token
4. Spend your tokens on nifty rewards!
If you're super-persuasive with your friends, you'll get visibility on the Top Flockstars leaderboard (I'm looking forward to watching the competition). You can also compete on a smaller scale with the friends leaderboard, which shows you how you're doing against your own Facebook friends. And, of course, you get the joy of knowing you've turned your friends on to an awesome browser.
This program is made possible through the power of Facebook Connect. Instead of requiring you to sign up for a new account to participate, all you need are your Facebook credentials. Simple. We're pretty sure that Top Flockstars is the first program to use Facebook Connect in this way, and psyched to break new ground by creating another interesting way to get the most out of Facebook and Flock working together.
While we often think of social media as a way to connect with our broad circle of friends, its influence has gone beyond the bounds of entertainment and communication to truly democratize information and to transform “readers” and “consumers” into publishers. Flock celebrates the diversity of human self-expression by making it simple to participate, publish and “write to the web” from your browser.
On May 4th and 5th, leading human rights advocates, journalists, and scientists will convene at The Soul of the New Machine conference being held on the U.C. Berkeley campus. The conference will look at how technology can empower human rights around the world. Conference participants will explore how new developments in science and technology can be applied to human rights evidence gathering and analysis, advocacy, and outreach. The conference participants will learn about the latest advancements in mobile technologies and new media and how these systems have already been applied to expose war crimes and other serious violations of human rights and to disseminate this information in real time throughout the world.
Flock is a proud sponsor of this event. Flock’s users reside in 192 countries and territories around the world. This diverse global community has collectively engaged in more than 400,000,000 social actions including blog posts, uploaded photos, shared images, video and information content along with a myriad of communications and people connections.
How can Flock help empower human rights? By helping our users to document their reality, expose their truth, advocate change and raise their voice! The team at Flock salutes its users who are active all around the world shaping their online experience and their community every day. We want to learn about your personal story. Let us know how Flock empowers your social action for social good. Please email your story to makingadifference at flock dot com.
If you’d like to learn more about getting involved and/or attending The Soul of the New Machine conference, go to www.newmachineconference.org. Those who are not able to attend in person can watch live video streaming and blogging of conference events on the conference site starting May 4th.
Knowledge and awareness are the important first steps in this journey. We hope you’ll join us.
Felicia Bradley, photographer of the "floatin'" photo, has won the Flocktography Photo Challenge Grand Prize with 54% of your votes!
Floatin'
All the shots in this challenge evoked powerful emotions, but clearly Felicia's fun, relaxed, and social image clearly resonated with our community of confident, fun, social Flockstars. It's a great shot, and we're very proud to have it on our homepage along with the otherfinalists.
Felicia will be receiving a "Eye-Fi Share" Wireless Memory card, which allows her to upload her photos to Flickr (and elsewhere) directly from her camera. Felicia, we hope that this only further encourages you to keep taking fantastic photos and share them with the world!
Thanks to everyone who submitted photos and voted for the Grand Prize Winner!
Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador evan at flock dot com
In 2008 we launched the first ever Flocktography Photo Challenge. We asked you, our fantastic community, to share photos of yours that you felt represented the feeling you get when you use Flock...the excitement, the sense of community, the ease of use, etc.
We received over 100 submissions to our Flocktography group on Flickr, and I have to say that I was blown away by the photos. We have some seriously talented Flocktographers here, and choosing finalists was extremely difficult. Kudos and major thanks to everyone who submitted.
All of our finalists will be receiving nifty Flock swag packs and are currently being featured in rotation on the flock.com homepage (and they look fantastic there!).
Choosing a Grand Prize Winner
Now it's your turn to vote and choose the Grand Prize Winner of the Flocktography Photo Challenge! The Grand Prize Winner will receive, in addition to the Flock swag they've already gotten, an "Eye-Fi Share" Wireless Memory Card.
We got to see Eye-Fi in action as a fellow candidate at the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal's "Emerging Tech Awards". Like us, these folks get that sharing is one of the most important interactions on the modern web. With the Eye-Fi Share, you can automatically and wirelessly upload photos taken on your digital camera to your computer or a photo sharing site like Flickr. We hope that this will help our Grand Prize Winner to continue to upload amazing photos to Flickr!
Without further adieu, the finalists:
友情長存
Floatin'
twister+bubbles
More Flocktography to come?
We really enjoyed the enthusiasm around this challenge and got some great images for our homepage. But there are certainly some things we could have done better:
Been clearer about what types of photos we wanted - We had to pass up on some great photos because they didn't really work on the Flock homepage. Butterfly and puppy pictures are adorable, but don't necessarily define the feeling of Flock. We weren't as clear as we could have been.
Been better at keeping you in the loop - I forgot to post a message when I closed entries on the Flickr group, and mightily confused a few folks.
Been faster - What with the holidays and all the hard work we're doing on the browser, this challenge managed to stretch on far too long. Next time it needs to be shorter.
What did you think about the Flocktography Photo Challenge? Would you be interested in seeing another? What could we do better in addition to the items mentioned above?
Lastly, I'd like to call out my personal favorite from the runners up:
That dog has excellent taste in browsers.
Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador evan at flock dot com
Earlier this year, Flock announced a specialized Eco-Edition of our browser geared towards those interested in environmental topics ranging from climate change to alternative energy, from hybrid vehicles to green design and green cuisine. As part of this release, we pledged that 10% of the proceeds generated from searches conducted in Flock’s Eco-Edition would be donated back to the environmental organization deemed most popular and fitting by the community of Eco-Edition users.
The Eco-Edition had a fantastic run, and was promoted by key partners such as TreeHugger, Grist, PlanetGreen, Ecorazzi, GroovyGreen and AllTop. We’re very appreciative for the great demonstration of support by all of these companies, and are pleased to announce the award of 10% of Flock’s Eco-Edition proceeds have been delivered to the Environmental Defense Fund (www.edf.org), by the choice of Flock Eco-Edition users.
Interestingly, people using Flock’s Eco-Edition conducted 80% more searches per user as compared to Flock’s overall population of users. This is a great testament to the fact that people can and will change their behavior when they believe that their actions will have an immediate and direct benefit to the world around them. For this, we’re grateful and honored to give to the E.D.F. and be part of initiating this great experiment.
Flock will not be able to continue supporting an Eco-specific Edition going forward, but we encourage everyone to customize their own versions of Flock to best suit their own unique assemblage of Feeds, Bookmarks, Friends and Media Streams to keep them informed about their own view of the dynamic world we live in.
Many Thanks,
Dan Burkhart
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
2008 was a great year for Flock. We launched Flock 2.0, added integration with MySpace, Digg and WebMail, secured new funding and received numerous awards. And we reached an important milestone: Flock has been downloaded over 6 million times. While our technical accomplishments, partnerships and kudos from bloggers and the press mean a great deal to us, the most gratifying accomplishments of the year came from you, the people that use Flock every day.
Together you‘ve made over 41 million log-ins across applications like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter. You’ve accessed nearly seven million photos and videos using the Media Bar and 25 million feeds via the Feeds Sidebar. You’ve stayed in touch with your friends by collectively loading more than 150 million people each and every month into the People Sidebar! And you’ve made almost one million blog posts using Flock. What you value inspires our direction and you’ve rewarded us by using Flock in record numbers. And by telling your friends about Flock. Your recommendations have been invaluable and, by our estimates, have contributed to more than 90% of our growth in 2008! You continue to show us that we’re on the right track.
We know what is driving your use of Flock. Your life isn’t slowing down. You’re engaged and more social than ever before. You want to know what’s going on and there’s a lot you want to share. You’ve got more friends and you want to make sure you don’t miss a thing. And sometimes that can be a bit much. No worries. That’s how we’ll continue to help, by making it easier for you to stay connected, but never tethered or walled in.
With a new year comes new opportunity and the entire Flock team is off and running to make 2009 great. We’ll continue to go where your needs take us, and we’ll do it by maintaining our commitment to innovation. While ‘traditional’ values like quality are important to us, Flock isn’t like your parents’ browser. At Flock we have a new world view of the browser and it’s all about you.
We’ll continue to innovate and find better ways to help you connect with the people, information and things you care about. But you’re the best source of inspiration for Flock, so keep visiting the site and letting us know what you think and what you need. After all, at Flock it will always be all about you.
I just wanted to remind you that (nearly) every week I hold Community Office Hours on Monday at 11am PST.
While you're always welcome to contact us on GetSatisfaction, IRC, or by email (evan at flock dot com), I am often unable to talk in real-time during the week. Things come up...meetings, brainstorms, sudden bouts of synchronized dancing and singing, etc.
During Community Office Hours I am entirely focused on and available to the Flockstar community. Ask questions, give suggestions, or just send me awesome lolcat links.
I promise that from 11am-noon on Mondays I will not multi-task or get pulled into meetings. I mayTweet if you send me a really funny lolcat. No promises there.
My contact info is always available on my bio, but I'll repost here for your convenience:
email: evan at flock dot com AIM: evanhprotean MSN: evanhamilton_protean at hotmail dot com Gchat: evanhamiltonLD at gmail dot com Skype: evan.hamilton IRC: irc.flock.com, #flock
Talk to you in a bit!
Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador evan at flock dot com
I want to clarify Flock's intentions and the new direction of the Flock extensions page, extensions.flock.com (EFC).
We haven't stopped hosting extensions, we've just simplified the back-end submission process, and content that we host. One of the great bonuses of this is our new ability to host Flock themes.
Flock still embraces extensions and themes, but we will leverage Mozilla's secure back-end hosting environment by encouraging you to get extensions from addons.mozilla.org. We’ll be dedicating our resources to responding to your needs and adding new and exciting capabilities onto the Flock browser.
The broad majority of Firefox extensions have always worked in Flock. Most Flockstars are aware of this and do not visit EFC for their extension needs. With the shift in focus to content that is Flock-specific, EFC now serves the niche that addons.mozilla.org does not: we provide extensions that enhance the many specific features that are unique to Flock.
Almost all of the developers that have their extensions removed from EFC had their extensions hosted on addons.mozilla.orgalready. We continue to support development of extensions for Flock and Firefox, and the developers who have interacted with EFC in the past continue to talk with us about the future of extensions for Flock. New developers are encouraged to check out our documentation and join us on IRC.
I hope this clarifies our position. You can still have all the feature benefits of Flock and take advantage of available Firefox extensions.
Community feedback is of the utmost importance to us and will always guide the development of Flock, our website, our extensions and our company. As always, I welcome your comments and emails.
Flock'n'roll,
Evan Hamilton Community Ambassador evan at flock dot com
The majority of our 7.5 million downloads have been generated by 
