Sweet! Insert YouTube Directly Into Orkut Video Favorites

It looks like Google has introduced a feature on YouTube that allows users to directly insert their favorite videos from YouTube directly into the Orkut favorite video list.

(Official Orkut Blog) Have you ever been watching a funny video on YouTube and decided halfway through that you must share it with your orkut friends? Previously, you had to go to your orkut "favorite videos" page and copy-and-paste the video URL to post these clips. Now you can share videos on orkut directly from YouTube! Click on the orkut logo under the video you are watching on YouTube, and you'll be taken directly to your "favorite videos" page on orkut. The URL of the video you're watching will already be loaded, so all you need to do is hit "add video" to post. Now that it's easier than ever, go ahead and share videos with your friends on orkut.

In order to access this feature, users have to simply log into YouTube (and Google account, if they are not already connected) and click on the share button.



Next, locate the Orkut icon and click on it.



A new pop up window should appear showing your Favorite Video List page with the YouTube url already filled in.



Last but not least, simply hit the "add video" button and your video should be imported within your Orkut video favorite list.

Note: Here is a video that I have just added to my Orkut favorites list, which may be familiar to those of you who saw Steve Job's WWDC conference.





This feature is definitely a time saver (at least for me) and Orkut users will probably love this feature since half our planet is on YouTube anyways.

My only request for the Google team would be to figure out a way to insert all of our YouTube favorites within Orkut in a single click, as some users may dozens (if not hundreds) of videos listed as their favorites within their profiles.

Orkut Forums (Recommended By Google)

(Hat Tip: Ortuk)

As if Orkut was not distracting enough for everyone, it looks as if Google has released a new feature that will suggest forums for users to join (which seems based upon the communities that you and your friends have already signed up for).



Orkut will display up to three recommended forums for users, and if one desires to see more they can click the "view all" link or simply visit orkut.com/Communities.aspx?tab=5 to view the entire list.

If the communities recommended to you are not relevant, boring, lewd or down right irritating, users can simply ignore future suggestions from that forum...



...as well as find out why Google recommended the forum to you in the first place (by clicking on the "Why was I recommended this?" link.



Users can also turn off this feature (if they want to preserve "screen real estate"), although most users may find it to be quite useful in discovering new communities.

Note: I wonder when Google is going to do something similar with friends, as well as Orkut Apps?

Orkut Geolock? (Plus Nation Status Restrictions)

After logging into Orkut recently, I came across this message on my Orkut home screen:

(Orkut) New! Now you can select the countries from which you want to accept friend requests and profile visits. Your profile country is set as your default preference. To add countries, visit privacy settings or change your home country in edit profile.

Users can simply visit orkut.com/PrivacySettings.aspx and scroll down towards "my network."



Once there, users can simply select all countries (to accept friend requests from everyone, as well as profile views) or add select countries to their list by hitting the "add country or region" button (which will open up a drop menu).



While I am unsure whether or not this feature will enable users to "hide" their profiles from most of the public, the feature will allow users to only accept friend requests from users of certain countries.

Speaking about countries, it looks as if Google is only allowing Orkut users to change their nation status (or where they live) once a month, which seems to be an unusual move by Google.



While Google may have valid reasons for doing this (whether its to help keep the servers humming or to ensure that the Orkut Demographics are accurate), this move may not be a good idea for users, especially if they live inside a hostile area that is not friendly towards freedom of speech.

This is the first time I have actually seen a social network do this, as Google's rivals (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) allow users to edit their status whenever they want.

I wonder how users will react towards this?

Google Testing Orkut Status Updates On Select Profiles

It looks as if Google is selectively testing out a new feature that allows users to post their status updates for their friends to see.



(Image Credit: Pramod of Tech Alert)

This feature looks very similar to what Facebook has, with the only exception being that you can add emoticons (i.e. smiley faces, etc.) to the status bar.



(Image Credit: Pramod)

Pramod's profile seems to be the only one that I have seen this on, so if any other users are seeing this pop up on their accounts, feel free to comment below with a link towards your blog and/or image.

Note: I wonder if the Orkut team could find a way to connect this feature with Twitter, as I would hate to have to update three different sites at once.

Update (5/3): Just received this yesterday! I wonder if Google has rolled this out to the rest of the Orkut kingdom? Also, as far as somehow connecting this with Twitter, I am going to see if HelloTxt would consider adding Orkut status to their "mini updates" page, as it would make it easier to update all of these sites at once.

Belated (Yet New): Co-Ownership In Orkut Forums?

(Hat Tip: Orkut Plus)

Google has enabled Orkut forum owners to add additional owners to the forums, giving users more control over their communities.

Aside from having all of the powers of a moderator, co-owners can un-delete a forum in case the previous owner no longer desires it, as well as assume ownership of the forum if a community has been hacked.

Forum owners can add co-owners to their forums by clicking on the "add co-owner" link which they can find on their community profile (above the "add moderator" link)...



...then typing in the name of a member of the forum that they want to add...



...then hit the "search members" button after selecting the person. After that, Orkut should bring you to a new page in which you can then grant that individual co-owner status by hitting the "grant co-owner privileges" button below.



You can add up to two co-owners to each forum, which a lot lower than the 10 moderator limit set by Google. However, I would recommend users only adding co-owners to their communities if they are hosting a forum that has a history of being stolen via hackers (or at least many threats/attempts in the past).

I would also suggest forum owners only grant people they highly trust (or have met offline) with this status, as co-owners do have the ability to remove the original owners threads.

Google (Quietly) Launches Orkut For Mobile Phones

(Humorous Hat Tip: Rahul of Devils Workshop, see Note below)

After many months of waiting, seeking and pondering over whether or not Google would develop a mobile version for Orkut, it looks as if my wish has come true.



In order to access the mobile version of Orkut, users simply have to point their phone's browser over to m.Orkut.com and login using your Google account.

The mobile version includes most of Orkut's key features, allowing users to access their scrapbooks, check out their profiles, accept/deny friend requests and search Orkut via the Universal Search (adapted for mobile viewing of course). You can even flag profiles, a feature many spammers will probably loathe.

Unfortunately you can not view communities which is a bummer, as every attempt brings up the infamous "bad, bad, server" error pictured below.



Hopefully Google changes their mind in the future, as adding forums to the list would make Orkut much more fun place to surf (especially on the iPhone).

Launching a mobile version of Orkut is a smart move by Google, as it will help thwart users from having their passwords stolen by logging into a third party site from their cell phone.

On a side note, Google's launch of Orkut mobile probably explains why Orkut decided to launch a "low bandwidth" version of their site, an item that Jerry from Orkut Plus go into more detail about.

Humorous Note: I "accidentally" discovered Orkut mobile after reading this post by Rahul over on Devils Workshop regarding Orkut's low bandwidth version:

Orkut could have done this better by creating a dedicated mobile version like m.orkut.com or wap.mobile.com.

After pondering what would happen if I typed in m.Orkut.com, I was delighted to see a mobile version of Orkut instead of the dreaded donut error. So thanks Rahul, I owe you one! :-)

Update (4/16): It looks as if Google has finally acknowledged Orkut Mobile over on their mobile site (hat tip: Born to be Wireless).

(Google Mobile) Fret no more -- if you have a web-enabled phone and a data plan, just point your mobile web browser to m.orkut.com, and stay connected to your friends anytime, anywhere.

We understand that often your phone's data network isn't as fast as your computer's, so in designing orkut for mobile we focused on offering the features that are most useful when you're on the move, instead of replicating all the desktop features.

I am still waiting for the ability to surf forums via Orkut Mobile. But until then, it will hopefully save time reading the latest scraps via iPhone.

Google To Orkut Forums: HTML Formatting Now Included

(Hat Tip: Orkut Plus)

A feature request long over due, it looks as if the Orkuteers have given their blessing on allowing users to finally display video's, images*** and hyper linked text within community forums.

In order for community owners to activate this feature, they have to first click on the "edit profile" link...



...then select the option to have your forums moderated instead of allowing anyone from Orkut to join your community.



Note: Users may also notice that by allowing their forums to be moderated, Google allows members to send "mass emails" to everyone in the forum, an option I WOULD NOT recommend admins selecting.



After that, scroll down to where it says Community Feature Settings (in bold) and check mark the box that says "allow HTML posts in forums."



After that, click the update button at the bottom of the screen, and your users should be able to display video's and post hypertext words without using Orkut's funky formatting tips.

***Note: For some strange reason, images seem to be able to show up in preview mode, but not actually post towards the forum (at least with me). Is anyone else seeing this minor Orkut bug, or is it just me?

New: Google Suggest Invades Orkut

(Hat Tip: Rohit Srivastwa on the Google Blogoscoped forum)

It looks as if Google Suggest, a feature that helps users narrow down what they are searching for online has been included within the Orkut search bar at the top, which you can see from this screen shot below.



Note:Rahul's email (along with mine) were removed for obvious reasons, as neither of us enjoy reading spam).

Unfortunately Google does not include the Google Suggest feature within the general universal search bar, which is a bit odd.

Exit Question: With Google suggest being added, are Google ads on Orkut not that far behind?

Orkut Privacy Forums: Good For Users, Bad For Cops

It looks as if the boys and girls at Google have finally allowed users to create communities that are hidden from public view.

Previously users could only restrict access to who could join a forum, although the entire orkutsphere could read what was posted inside. Now it looks as if users will be able to setup their own secret forums, which may be both a blessing and a curse.

(Official Orkut Blog) Based on your feedback, we've decided to go even further to empower the owners of communities to choose whether to make their community content private or public. The additional privacy control we've added allows you to make your community an enclosed entity so that you can discuss whatever you want within its walls (of course, content must abide by orkut community standards and policies), resting assured that only members can view your discussions, forums, and events.

In order to turn on this feature, forum administrators need to click on the edit profile link...



...then look for the content privacy section and select the "bubble" (or rather circle) next to the hidden - only members can view the contents of the community text.



While the forums will be hidden from view, there is no word on whether or not these communities will be removed from the Universal Search index (note: hopefully Google will update their post regarding this).

Regardless of whether or not the forums are still indexed, these privacy settings should make it easier for orkut hacker forums to thrive as there will be no one around to report them.

On a side note however, cops will probably hate this new feature as it will allow child predators and (to a lesser extent) a few terrorist groups to thrive without being noticed (as you would have to be invited to even know that these groups existed).

Looking on the bright side of things however, schools, clubs and family members will be able to create their own private forums, which should make invites inside certain groups much more appealing.

Google Launches News Feeds For Orkut

Funny, I can't believe I missed this post yesterday! Anyways, Google is rolling out news feeds for Orkut forums which allows admins to display relevent headlines next to their favorite communities.

(Official Orkut Blog) Well, now you can stay up to date on news from within your community, because community owners can now display a news feed on that subject within the community. So while you talk to your fellow members, you can see what's in the news on the same subject, without leaving orkut.

In order to enable this feature click on the "sign up" link above your community profile...



...which will take you to your "Edit Community" page. Next scroll down to the very bottom of the page and look for the phrase "customized news" (which is the very last option on the page, right below "polls" and "events").



Since Customized News is disabled by default, you will have to enable it by clicking the circle. After doing this, a text field should appear, in which you can type in any word that you want.



Simply select the word (or words) that you want, and then click on the update button below.

Soon you (as well as your users) will be able to check out related news to your site.



Google will show you the headlines of the news item, which you can expand by clicking on the plus tab.



Google is slowly rolling out this feature to Orkut forums, so if you do not see it yet, don't worry! You probably will shortly (hopefully within a week).

Note: For those desiring to see a live example of this, you can head over to the Inside Orkut forum to check it out.

Orkut Privacy: Hide Your Scrapbooks, Feeds From Strangers Too?

(Hat Tip: Jerry from Orkut Plus)

After previously allowing users to hide their albums, video's and testimonials from strangers, Google is now allowing users to hide their Orkut scrapbooks as well.

Users can access this by visiting the privacy tab or by clicking on the link below...

http://www.orkut.com/PrivacySettings.aspx

...which will bring you to this page.



You can then select to have your scrapbook and feeds to be viewed by either just your friends--or the entire orkutsphere.

This is definitely good news for users (especially girls) although this may signal the death of software scrap programs as Google seems to be taking more aggressive measures to remove any excuse for users to log into non-Google properties.

Note: With Google finally wrapping up the last major security concern (at least privacy wise) I wonder if they will consider legally opening up Orkut to kids under 18?

Google Unleashes Orkut Scrap Alerts, Kills Off Competition

Alas, it looks as if Google's latest feature may be the death knell that kills off some of my favorite Orkut hacks such as Orkut Alert.

Called Scraps Alert, this handy feature will inform users whenever a friend (or stranger) posts a message inside your scrapbook.

(Official Orkut Blog) With scrap alerts you can be on any orkut page and find out that you have received a scrap - that very minute. You could be browsing your friend's photos, and find out "hey! I just got a new scrap." Then you can click on the "Scrapbook" link to reply on the spot. This way you'll be free to explore all of orkut, comforted in the knowledge that when you have received a new scrap, you'll know about it that moment.

Google is quickly rolling this feature out to all of its users over the next few days, so if you do not see it now, chances are you will discover it by the beginning of next week.

My only complaint about the feature is that its colors clash with Orkut's blue background, making it an eyesore.

Hopefully someone from Google will rethink the Scrap Alert's color scheme, or better yet allow users to customize their own.

Note: When is Google going to do something similar for forums? (hint, hint)

New: Hide Your Orkut Albums, Video's And Testimonies From Public View

(Hat Tip: Jerry from Orkut Plus)

Google has recently given users the ability to hide their Orkut albums, videos and even testimonies from public view. This is great news, especially for girls as it will help prevent morons from stealing their images and cloning them on Orkut.

In order to activate this users will have to visit the "Privacy Tab" which can be accessed by visiting this link:

http://www.orkut.com/PrivacySettings.aspx

Next, scroll down towards the bottom of the page until you see the "allow content to be viewed by" text.



You will notice two columns, one with drop menu's and the other simply listing the features you can hide from public view.

Simply select whether you want your albums, video's and testimonies to be viewed by friends or to the world.

This move should help keep down "image theft" on Orkut, and teamed up with the scrapbook privacy settings should make Orkut a much safer place online.

Note: I would HIGHLY recommend ladies on Orkut to make your albums, video's and testimonies private, as the last thing you want is some creep trying to figure out your fashion tastes are, not to mention what your friends say about you.

New: Formating,Smiley Faces On Orkut Community Profiles

(Hat Tip: Jerry from Orkut Plus)

Community owners rejoice! Users who own forums on Orkut will not have the ability to format text and even add smiley faces to their forum profiles.

You can see a great example of this in action over at the Orkut Plus community, who seems to be the only one thus far spicing up his forum's image.

For those of you who actually own your own forums (as opposed to moderating which is totally different) you can spice up your community profile by visiting its home page and clicking on the edit profile link...



...then scrolling down to the description section...



...and formating the appearance of the text to whatever fits your mood.

In order to make editing a little bit easier, users may want to consider installing Orkut Toolbar (review over here).

Note: I wonder whether Google would consider allowing users to add video's from YouTube to our community profiles?

Update (10/8): Thanks Jerry for catching that typo!

Did Google Increase The Album Limit On Orkut?

(Hat Tip: iWizard)

It looks as if Google has quietly increased the image limit on Orkut albums. Users can now upload a whopping 25 images to Orkut instead of 12, as this screen shot of my album shows below.



Ironically Google still lists the 12 page limit over on their help page.

Although there is no word from the official Orkut blog regarding this change, it seems as if Google is throwing users a small treat for staying on their social network.

Even though this is a welcome change, I think it would be better if Google simply removed the number restriction all together, and simply based it upon the amount of space users took up (perhaps even tying it to their "Google hard drive" service).

Note: Come on Google! You allow users to upload videos without "numerical" restrictions. Why not images as well? :-)

Google (Finally) Adds Orkut Privacy Settings To Scrapbook

(Hat Tip: MitAnshu Garg and Jerry from Orkut Plus)

Google has finally added a feature that will not only cut down on spam, but will also help some ladies out who are often harassed by losers looking for a date.

No official word from the Orkut Blog, but if you log into your home page you might see this message on your screen:



If you don't see it simply visit your privacy settings page which can be found at this link: http://www.orkut.com/PrivacySettings.aspx

Next, scroll down to the allow scraps to be written by section...



...and click on the drop down menu to select who can send you a scrap.



You have to option of opening up your scrapbook to everyone, friends of friends, or just your close friends.

After you have selected your preferences, hit the save changes button near the bottom and bask in the glory that spammers will have one less victim to harass with a useless product (not to mention girls will no longer find disgusting messages posted by desperate losers).

Note: Now the only way this could be better is if Google found a way to give everyone the ability to hide their scrapbook from strangers, sort of what Blogger has for its users, then this would be perfect.

Unrelated Note: It looks as if Google also has drastically improved the search feature on Orkut, which may put Facebook to shame. Don't you love a little competition? ;-)

New: Orkut Adds "Friend Updater," Catches Facebook Fever

(Hat Tip: MitAnshu Garg)

Google has recently added a new feature to Orkut that allows users to find out the latest updates about their friends straight from their home page.

(Official Orkut Blog) Starting today you may see a "Updates from your friends" box on the homepage where you'll get real-time updates when your friend Divya has a new address, when Priya has uploaded a new favorite YouTube video, or Amar has posted his new photos. Any changes you make will show up on your friends' homepages as well, so they can be the first to wish you best of luck at your new job, or or send you a scrap about the photo from your latest vacation.

Users can view these changes by visiting this link...

http://www.orkut.com/Notifications.aspx

...and if you receive that mysterious donut error message simply either refresh or wait 24 hours before Google updates your profile with this feature.

Here is a screen shot of what this looks like below (names removed of course):



For those of you familiar with Facebook, you will probably realize how similar this is to their site.

The only difference between the two (colors aside) is that Facebook mixes ads within its update section while Orkut seems to have removed all of its ads on its site entirely.

What would you add?: Although this feature is great, I am wondering if Google could improve upon this? One feature that I would add would be an ability to receive updates about the latest news within forums.

If anyone else has any great ideas, feel free to post them below (or if you have written about it on your blog, post a link to it below for us to check out).