New Feature: Add Picasa Album, Blogger To Orkut

(Hat Tip: Rupush and Inside Orkut Brasil)

The boys and girls at Google have created a new feature that allows users to insert their photo albums or weblogs inside their Orkut profiles.

All you need is a site feed and Orkut will display your album/blog for your friends and family to see.

(Orkut Edit Feeds) Want to share your photos from Fotolog, Picasa Web Albums or Flickr? Have a blog on Blogger, WordPress or LiveJournal?

Now, you can add your blog, photos, events, bookmarks and more to your orkut profile. Add the website or RSS/Atom feed address below and orkut will automatically import it and fetch new items.

If you already use Picasa Web Albums or Blogger, Orkut will automatically discover them for you and ask if you want to add these sites to your profile.

To add a site to your Orkut profile simply find out your the site's RSS feed (simply look for the "orange square" in your browser or on the page).



Then right click on the link.



Next, visit your profile page and click on the Edit Feeds button (or click here)...



...and paste the link you copied earlier into the space next to the funky orange square.



Next, click on the add button to the side...



...and type in the correct "word" to pass Google's "are you an evil robot or happy human" test.



Finally, click the "add button" in the lower right hand corner, and if you have proved yourself to be one of the lucky creatures known as human, you and your friends will see your blog/album on your profile page.



If you click on it (say a blog) you will see your posts wrapped in blue.

Great job Google! Now if only we could get RSS feeds for forums inside Orkut, then you would attract more visitors from the US of A (hint, hint!)

Google Protecting Orkut Profiles?

I ironically came across this awhile ago while trying to capture an image of a user (to use in a post) but, believing this to be an error on my part, I simply went on surfing Orkut like any other casual user.

It was not until Devi Mahapatra informed me about this (as well as explaining the reason behind this) that I understood this a move by Google to protect our profile images.

(Ivilla) As you know it was very unsafe to upload your original photos to orkut as they were not right click protected , any one your enemy or else could save these images to there hard drive and misuse by publishing these photos to any where or creating a fake account[.] [...]

Now when the evil will try " right click then save image as " he/she find a image file has been stored in his hard drive named as " b " and yes it is a blank file .So she/he can't misuse your photos.

This is great news for girls (some of which are harassed by immature guys) as well as those who are often hassled by internet bullies.

Devi notes in his blog post that Google has not yet provided the same protection towards Orkut albums (which may be a good idea) so users may want to with hold uploading their personal photos for the world to see.

Googler Jeffrey Veen Working On Orkut

It looks like Jeffrey Veen, a Googler who has done an awesome job redesigning Google Analytics (which I'm dying to check out for myself) is now leading a team of 30 people working on improving a host of Google features, including Orkut.

(Jeffrey Veen's blog) On a personal note, I've got a much different job now that the design work on Analytics has wrapped up. I now lead a team of over 30 designers and researchers responsible for the user experience of Google's web applications. We're working on Gmail, Calendar, the Office-like tools, Blogger, Orkut, Picasa, Talk and a bunch more. And that means I get to dig into some of what I consider the Web's most interesting challenges and work with some of the smartest people in the industry.

Although I know Jeff's attention will probably be focused on Google's more prestigious tools (such as Blogger, Picasa and Calendar) I hope he takes the time to consider adding some useful features to Orkut, (such as Google Talk, RSS feeds or even Picasa Web Albums).

Note: Jeff seems to have deleted his profile on Orkut. Perhaps I am posting this to deaf ears.

New Feature: Orkut Topic Searcher

Okay, for those of you active on Orkut, this is probably old news for you, (especially if you do heavy searching on the forums) but for those of you who did not know, Google has recently added a new feature to Orkut, enabling users to search the "orkutsphere" for key phrases and words.

To access this feature from your homepage, click on the Search link above...



...which should bring you to the Universal Search page. After that, click on the Topics menu...



...then select your topic (in this case I choose banana).



After that, click the Search button, and Orkut will list every forum within its query (aka results of the search).



True to being a Google search, the cool thing about this is the ability to type in quotations around two words if you are looking for an exact phrase (like "banana rama").

Good job Google! Now if only we could have something similar for our scrapbooks...

Google (Finally) Adds Orkut To "More Page"

(Hat Tip: Danny Piccirillo)

It looks as if one of the notorious Orkut rumors will receive a death blow after this! (rumor number 7 for those wondering).

Google has (finally) added Orkut to the Google Hall of Fame page (aka the "Google More" page) which should put to doubt whether or not Orkut really is a Google service.



Orkut is listed just above the Picasa link and right below Google Groups (as you can see above).

Although listed on the international page, Orkut is ironically not listed on either the Brazilian site or the Indian site as well (which rumor has it, Orkut is more popular than Google in either country, respectively).

Now that Orkut's getting the respect that it deserves, when is Google going to add RSS feeds to Orkut? Or merge Orkut Albums with Picasa Web Albums? Or introduce mobile to the rest of the planet? Or (insert request here)?

Orkut Rumors That Must Die!

Warning: This is a very long post, which may require a few donuts to get through)



There are many types of rumors in the world. Some of them are good (potentially at least). Some of them are bad (as in really bad). But there are some rumors that seem to be taken as the truth, despite the fact that they contradict all reasonable explanations.

This post is dedicated towards these Orkut myths, which have (in my opinion) lasted far too long on the world wide web. And since most humans love the number ten (probably because that's how many fingers we have) here are ten Orkut rumors that really must die (as in today).

1. Orkut Buyukkokten is the world's richest man: This rumor comes from the assumption that Orkut gets $12 every time someone registers on Orkut, $10 every time you add a friend, $200 every time you upload a photo and a crisp $1 every time you logout of Orkut. There are more details about this rumor over here.
   
   Now with Orkut having at least 40 million users he would have to be paid $480,000,000 from Google just from people logging in. And if you add images to that figure (which would include those uploaded onto forums) he would receive $8 billion if everyone just uploaded only one photo on Orkut!
   
   If Google even considered paying Orkut half this amount, Google's stockholders would revolt (not to mention the entire company would go bankrupt).



2. Spam your friends and hit F8 (aka the "Crush List" rumor): This one seems to be traveling via Orkut mail, and goes along the lines of "if you send out an email to all of your friends, hit F8 you will see who has a crush on you." More info over here (hat tip: aniNosaintlife).
   
   Sometimes this rumor has some java code attached to it, sometimes it does not, but either way it DOES NOT work (so please stop emailing/scraping me about this).



3. If you do not send out a scrap, Orkut will delete your account: This rumor has gone down some, but when I first blogged about this people kept sending me scraps about this, despite my attempts to inform them to the contrary.
   
   It got so bad (with people emailing me about this) that I cried whined to Google regarding this problem, and they were quickly able to put this rumor to rest.



4. Google is (in the future) going to charge users for Orkut: This would not only kill Orkut immediately (as it is one of many social networks online) but would not really be apart of Google's style, which generally loves giving away free software (and sometimes a premium version as well).
   
   Google has debunked this rumor, so hopefully we will not see this rumor again in our lifetime.



5. Inside Orkut is an official blog of Google: Although this rumor causes me to laugh, I want to make it very clear- Inside Orkut is NOT an official blog of Google, but a personal fan blog started by Darnell Clayton (that being me).
   
   I think I am partially to blame for this error, when I decided to mimic the layout of the Google Video Blog. Despite the disclaimer at the bottom of the page (on the left sidebar), I kept getting questions asking if I was a Google employee, was this an official blog of Google, etc., etc.
   
   I finally decided to change the layout as the last thing I wanted was lawsuit from Google (as I hear they have some pretty fierce lawyers) not to mention the deletion of this blog.
   
   Hopefully my upgrade to the Blogger Custom domain platform (removing the blog*spot) will put this rumor to rest.
   
   Note: If you would like to check out the blog of a REAL Orkut engineer, then Beyond Satire may be the blog for you.
   



6. Orkut was bought by Google, just like Picasa, Blogger and YouTube: Actually Orkut was created by Orkut, who was (and currently is) a Google employee.
   
   Apparently it seems that Google approached Orkut to create a social networking site after being spurned by Friendster (hat tip: Marketing Vox) and although the site never took off in America, Indians and Brazilians have made excellent use of the place.



7. Orkut isn't really apart of Google because its not listed on the "More Page": Despite never making it to the Google hall of fame (i.e. the "more page"), Orkut is as much as apart of Google as Gmail, Blogger, Picasa, and even YouTube.
   
   If you still don't believe me, you can try checking out their about page (although the Google account required to login should be an obvious hint).
   
   Why Orkut isn't listed on the "more page," is something I have no clue about, but hopefully a Googler can correct this (as Orkut is no longer a red headed step child).
   
   Update (4/29): Google finally added Orkut to "the more page." See this post for details.



8. Orkut is Google's way of spying on its users: I think this rumor was spun from a post by Jeremy from Yahoo!, in which some people refuse to use Orkut which they see as even worse than Gmail.
   
   Google does collect information on its users (just like Yahoo!, Microsoft, MySpace, your own local government unless you live in Antarctica) for the purposes of serving up relevant ads alongside your searches or inside your email (and even on Orkut).
   
   For those worried about Google revealing your data to say, a hostile government should have nothing to worry about as Google defends the rights of its users, even against American courts.



9. Terrorist organizations receiving funding from the ads on Orkut: This humorous hoax was started (or at least popularized) by the Search Engine Journal and was picked up by many bloggers as fact.
   
   I at first laughed after hearing about this (even Ionut had a good time with this silly story) although others took this as another reason why Google was evil (note: ironically, many of those Google hate sites either use a Google product or host Ad Sense, which IMHO is rather odd).
   
   This isn't true because:
   
   a) Only Google makes money off of the ads on Orkut, as these ads display whether users like them or not.
   
   b) If Google even sent one dollar towards a terrorist organization, all of their assets would be frozen by international governments and the search engine king would quickly go bankrupt.
   
   Despite the logic listed above, people continue to list Google as Osama bin Laden's friend.



10. Orkut Buyukkokten is running for President in Brazil/India: No, this isn't a rumor (as I just made this one). However with Orkut popularity in Brazil, I'm pretty sure he could lick the competition. ;-)

For those of you who survived at the end of this post, you have my sympathies. But I am interested, what rumors have you heard recently (or in the past) regarding Orkut? And do you still encounter people who believe these digital tales?

Update: Corrected spelling of aniNosaintlife source link.

Happy (Belated) Valentines Day!

It seems of all the places to mention this, I ironically forgot this here!

Even Orkut remembered, to my shame.



Thanks for everyone who scrapped, emailed, called, etc. wishing me a happy valentines day. I (unfortunately) was not able to reply in kind electronically (as there are way too many forms of communication on this planet) here is something I did pull up while surfing Orkut today in the Valentines Day forum.

(AVIJIT) Shortcut to find your valentine from ORKUT
To love is good, too: love being difficult.

For this reason young people, who are beginners in everything, cannot yet know love: they have to learn it.

But learning-time is always a long, secluded time, and so loving, for a long while ahead and far on into life, is--solitude, intensified and deepened loneness for him who loves.

Are you engaged? Or not?

if you have a lover then post N-GAGE [:D] or if you don't have then post BLANK [;]

I'm not too sure if I'll post my status here (as "digital love" sounds kinda spooky to me) but for those of you seeking someone online, Orkut may be the place to find "the one."

Image Of Orkut SMS On Your Scrapbook

A huge thank you goes to Micael, who was gracious enough to provide me with a screen shot of what an Orkut SMS scrap looks like online.


According to Micael, Google is attaching the word "cellphone" (or celular in Portugese) in order to inform you that your friend scrapped you via mobile phone.

Speaking of mobile phones, when is Google going to allow us to surf Orkut on our cellphones?

Google Adds Video Playlist To Orkut

Google has recently added a new feature inside Orkut allowing users to highlight their favorite video's on YouTube and Google Video, a request IMHO has been long overdue.

(Official Google Blog) From now on, when you see that crazy video you feel is a must see for all your friends, now you can create your own video playlist on orkut to share with anyone who visits your profile. Just copy the video URL from your favorite YouTube or Google Video hosted videos, and your friends can enjoy watching your top videos through orkut. And because we know your friends will love your videos as much as you do, we've added an "Add to my favorites" button that lets you easily make your friend's favorite videos appear on your list.

To simply add a video to your playlist, simply click on "videos" link in your profile (as seen above) and then find the video you want to insert and paste it into the open field.



Click the "add" button and soon your video should appear.



Unfortunately you can not add any other video provider outside of Google Video or YouTube as you get a "Please enter a valid Google Video or YouTube url" error.

Hopefully the Orkut team will take a hint from Google Reader and open up the field to other sites as well.

Note: It looks like I'm going to be busy linking my favorite video's to my profile. If anyone else has any crazy video's let me know as I am a semi-huge YouTube fan.

Google To Take A Bite Out Of Indian Crime?

It looks like Google will be partnering with Indian police officers in order to locate (and prosecute) cyber-criminals by giving them the ability to report offences in a user friendly way.

(WebProNews) According to Google the tool will be easy to use and no special training of the Indian police will be required. The spokesperson also said "This is part of Google continued efforts to collaborate with the authorities, doing so in a way that of course balances users' interests and the need for the proper legal process."

I'm pretty sure Google established something similar in Brazil when child predators began using the forums (which caused Brazil to launch a lawsuit against them).

Although their is always potential for abuse, I am fairly confident that this system will be used to fight crime and not censor certain viewpoints.

Is Google Showing Image Ads On Orkut?

(Hat Tip: Googlified)

Breaking away from traditional Google services, it looks like Orkut is starting to show image ads on its domain.



A long time ago Google started displaying text ads, which some users found to be a bit annoying. Although I don't mind ads in general (as they help pay the bills and keep the donut errors away) I am not sure if the ads will blend in very well with the site (which might mean a revenue drop).

I think if Google allowed users to adjust their Orkut homepage, then such changes would be welcome. Although they may work well for blogs, image ads on the baby blue background in my opinion make the ads stick out like a sore thumb.

Orkut Officially Adds Birthday Reminder

I came across this feature many moons ago on Personalized Google, although I did not breathe a word about it because I barely knew of anyone who actually used personalized Google, at least in my country.

Anyways, Google has officially acknowledged its existence on every users home page, which can be quite handy for those of you who do not log into Orkut very often or are a fan of the personalized Google service.



Note: I am not sure about the first two profiles, but the last one is definitely a Googler (see his profile for comparison). It looks like Google was trying to use pseudo-names to hide their profiles, although a quick visit to the official Google forum pretty much reveals all.

Orkut And Google Talk: The Code Doesn't Lie

(Hat Tip: Googlified)

Ionut over at Google Operating System has more details over the Gtalk-Orkut integration previously posted before.

I am really looking forward to these changes, although Rahul thinks this may spell doom for Scrapboy (one of my favorite Orkut programs).

Well I feel Google can add another block on orkut home page showing friends using Google Talk the way they shows mutual friends listing on Profile Pages! [...]

This will certainly free orkuttian from using quite heavy scrapboy messenger!

Hopefully Scrapboy will be around to compete, although the new update is probably making engineers of the various Orkut hacks nervous (as every time Google updates its servers, another Orkut hack no longer works).

Orkut Takes On Old Blogger Feature

(Hat Tip: Binny)

I came across this over the weekend (but was too busy to post about it until now). Orkut has apparently introduced a feature that allows users to find other people with similar interests. Here is a screen shot that Binny provided me on my scrapbook.



Although this may be new to many users, this is an old feature from the old Blogger (as it is not in the new beta yet) as one can see here.

It seems as if Google is introducing several "networking features" inside Orkut which may be a result of Google's features, not products meeting led by co-founder Sergey Brin.

I wonder if the Orkut engineers would consider adding Gtalk to not only Orkut, but also installing it on the Orkut Friend Map as it would enable users to not only see who is online, but chat with them as well (hint, hint).

Why Is Orkut Embracing India?

Anyone who uses Orkut (at least recently) has probably noticed the colorful change on the home page.



Although the new logo reflects Google's celebration of Diwali, it probably is a hat tip regarding Orkut's explosive growth amongst India's population, which may surpass America and challenge Brazil for dominance (which has been decreasing recently).

According to Alexa (which must be taken with a grain of salt) Orkut is ranked in 11^th place worldwide.

Despite its position, Orkut is not very popular in the US. In fact it doesn't even appear on the top 100 list, as both MySpace and Facebook have left little room for any other social network (although Google's newly bought YouTube may help the search engine king in this arena).

Although failing in the US, Orkut seems to be a huge success not only in Brazil, but also in India, with Orkut.com surpassing Google India traffic wise.

This may be a good thing for Google as they are looking for qualified positions within India something they are finding to be easier said than done.

More Changes On Orkut...

(Hat Tip: Digital Inspiration)

After opening the gates, it seems that Orkut has created several more changes to Orkut (making it even better).

Dream Chaser has the scoop (with screen shots) on this one.

Google Opens The Gates For Orkut!

(Hat Tip: Mitanshu)

Thanks to Mitanshu for telling me about this! It appears that Orkut Invites are no longer needed in order to sign up for Orkut.

All you need now is a Google account and an honest heart (okay, so maybe the former and hopefully the latter).

Instead of hunting around for free Orkut invites, or buying one over priced on eBay, simply log on with your Google Account (or create one if you are not apart of the club).



Google will then ask you to create an Orkut account which will hook into your Google account (yes, slightly tedious, but you will be allowed to switch it to a different Google account later on if you prefer).

Although this removes Orkut as an exclusive club, this will hopefully bring in more traffic and eventually allow Orkut to compete with the king of social networks (at least in the US) MySpace (which is really ugly in my opinion).

Update: Also noticed this but forgot to mention it (although Mitanshu did on his blog). Google is now allowing Orkut users to choose who they can get friend requests from based on language.



Although a minor feature, this may cut down on the friend requests from Brazil (but then again, most Brazillians are friendly people and I don't mind translating their messages).

Gtalk Gets "Orkutie"

(Hat Tip: Customize Talk)

It appears the Google Talk has given users the ability to make their conversations appear "Orkutie." Since I don't use Gtalk that often (as I am waiting for them to allow group chatting) here is a screen shot via Google.



In order for users to do this they will need to click on the Settings link near the top of their chat screen, then after a window appears select Appearance near the bottom.

But the question remains, does this mean that Orkut will be including Google Talk within Orkut?

I See Google Ads...Do You?

Upon logging into to Orkut today (before it went down via donut errors) I came across a site I thought I would never see unless I moved to Brazil or India...Google Ads!



I was very pleased as to where Google put these ads, as I feared that Google would place them in my profile (which might get old after a while).

The ads seem to be showing up either at the bottom of the front page of a forum or on the right side of the discussion pages.

I did however notice that Google did not place any ads on the Orkut searches, which came across as very strange to me (as that would be the easiest way to match sponsors with customers).

I do not know if everyone is seeing ads (as Orkut was testing this earlier) but if you prefer to surf Orkut free (with donut errors to spare) you can remove them at your own discretion.

Note to Google: It looks like one of your ads inside Orkut provided some useful info that may seriously help me out in the future. Thanks!