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View and Share Media through the Media Bar

Using Flock's Media Bar, you can quickly preview online videos and photos, subscribe to video feeds, keep up to date on your friends' picture postings, search media files, send videos to friends with one click, and much more!

In this section:

View Media in the Media Bar

  1. To open the Media Bar, click the media icon button on the Flock Toolbar, or from the menu choose View > Minibar > Media Bar. (In Windows, CTRL+SHIFT+M is also a toggle for the Media Bar.)
  2. Flock Toolbar Media Bar Button
  3. Click the Media Streams button and choose a pre-configured stream from the drop-down list to view.
  4. Media Streams Menu
  5. Rest your cursor over any thumbnail in the Media Bar to see a slightly larger preview of the picture along with tag and source information.
  6. Click the arrows at the right or left sides of the Media Bar to scroll forward and back through thumbnails.
  7. Media Scroll Button
  8. Click the buttons on the Media Bar's own mini navigation toolbar at top left to move forward and back, reload, or bookmark favorites.
  9. Media Bar Navigation Bar
  10. Click on any thumbnail to go directly to the web page source and see the full picture or video in your browser.
  11. To change view settings, click the Media Streams button and select Settings > Show Advanced Controls.
    • The Display Mode button allows you to toggle on and off the display of additional data such as the photographer or posting date.
      Media Bar Display Mode Toggle
    • The Large View button allows you to set which size of thumbnail image you would prefer to view.
      Media Bar Large View Toggle
  12. You can move the Media Bar to the bottom of the Flock window by clicking the Media Streams button, and then selecting Settings > Move to Bottom. Select Settings > Move to Top to move it back to the top of your browser.
  13. Media Bar Settings Menu
  14. To close the Media Bar, click on the camera icon button again, uncheck the Media Bar on the View menu, click the X at the top right of the Media Bar, or press CTRL+SHIFT+M.

Search for Media Using the Media Bar

  1. Open the Media Bar (see above).
  2. Click on the website icon at the left side of the Media Bar Search Tool.
  3. Search for Media
  4. From the drop-down list select a Flock-supported media service to search, like Flickr or YouTube.
  5. Type your text search terms into the Media Bar Search Tool.
  6. Press Enter or click GO.
  7. Thumbnails of photos or videos with descriptions or tags matching your search terms will appear in the Media Bar.

Find and Favorite Media Streams

  1. Media streams are regularly updated sources of photos and videos. There are several ways to find media streams:
    • As you're surfing the web, with or without the Media Bar open, the camera icon at the left side of the Location Bar will turn orange to notify you when the web page has a media stream. Click the orange camera icon and select the media stream's title from the drop-down menu to view that stream.
    • Stream Found Menu
    • The titles of available media streams will also appear at the top of the Media Bar's thumbnail popups when you click on them. (See Post, Email and Share below for more information.)
    • Thumbnail Stream Notification
    • You can also load media from your friends on Flock-supported social networks by clicking Media on their friend profile card in the People Sidebar. When there are updates, this Media icon will then glow orange. (Learn more about the People Sidebar here.)
    • Friend Card Media Stream
  2. Click the Star icon next to the Media Streams button to make it a favorite, or click the Media Stream button and select Add this stream to favorites. While viewing a favorite stream, the option to Remove this stream from favorites will be available.
  3. Adding a Media Stream Favorite
  4. Your favorite streams will be added to the Media Streams folder on your Favorites list, as well as to the Media Bar's own Media Streams menu. When updates occur, the Media Bar icon on the Flock Toolbar glows orange.
  5. Media Update with Orange Icon
  6. The updated stream will be bolded with the word (NEW) next to it on your favorites list.
  7. Media Streams Menu New Update
  8. To remove a media stream from your favorites or to change the name and folder location for the stream, click the Star again while viewing the stream to access the Media Stream favorites dialog and click Remove Starred Stream.
  9. Favorite Media Streams Dialog

View Media in Your Own Online Account

  1. Set up your online photo or video account in the Flock Accounts and Services Sidebar. (To learn how to do that, see Activate Services.)
  2. Open the Media Bar (see above).
  3. Click the Media Streams button.
  4. Select My Accounts and then the particular account that you'd like to view. Only those accounts that you have previously set up in the Accounts and Services Sidebar will appear in this menu.
  5. Thumbnails of your own public photos and videos in that account will automatically appear in the Media Bar.

Drag and Drop from the Media Bar

  1. Click on any thumbnail you see in the Media Bar and drag it. You can then do any of the following:
    • Drop the thumbnail (or, if you prefer, the source image) into the Web Clipboard for easy saving and sharing later with your contacts through emails, blogs, forums etc. (To learn more about using the Web Clipboard, see Share Pictures, Text and Video.)
    • Drop the thumbnail into a web-based email like Yahoo mail.
    • Drop the thumbnail onto a friend's Facebook Profile Card or Profile Card from another service in the People Sidebar, and the image will be automatically pasted into a Facebook message addressed to your friend, along with a link. If it's a video, just the link and thumbnail, not the entire video, will be pasted. (To learn more about working with the People Sidebar, see Bring Your Social Network Together.)
    • Media Drag and Drop
    • Drop the thumbnail into a comment forum, a Flickr message, or just about anywhere else. If it's a Flock-supported service, the image itself will be automatically pasted in. Otherwise, Flock may paste in only the link to the image. In other cases, Flock may paste the HTML code for that part of the web page.

Post, Email and Share from the Media Bar

  1. Rest your cursor on a thumbnail in the Media Bar.
  2. Click on the white arrow which appears in the lower right corner of the thumbnail.
  3. Media Bar Thumbnail
  4. Click on Share and then Email This to send a link to the picture or video in an email.
  5. Media Bar Thumbnail Share
  6. Click on Share and then Blog This to copy the link into a blog posting. (To set up your blog to work with Flock, see Activate and Manage Blogs.)
  7. Click on Copy, and then you can choose to copy either the web address or the full HTML code that will allow you to link to the picture or video in an email, web page, or in a blog or forum post. After copying, just go to your email program, a forum or blog and select Edit > Paste.
  8. Click Mini View to instantly view a video in a pop-up window.
  9. Click the link at the top right of the frame to view the media stream of the person or company that uploaded the media.

 

Now you're ready to learn many more ways to use Flock to share practically anything and everything quickly and easily with your friends...

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