Help
Spoink Overview
Spoink.com provides Podcasting and multimedia social Blogging via any standard Telephone, Mobile Phone, Web Browser, IM and Email client. All popular video and audio formats are supported including most mobile phone and desktop file formats. Users can submit audio content via any regular telephone; video, audio, pictures and text from most mobile camera phones, email accounts or web browsers.Spoink also offers multi-user social blogging solutions that enable a group of individuals to generate multimedia content within a single, private or public, account. This is significant when it is applied to social and business events such as weddings, graduations, sporting events, concerts, tradeshows and business networking events.
"Spoink provides telecommunication, online journals, email and social networking services to individuals and businesses. Their flagship product, Spoink Blog, integrates Podcasting, Blogging and Telephony into a single easy to use interface. This service enables anyone to podcast on any phone from anywhere as well as post audio, video, pictures and text via MMS, email or via a web browser."
Spoink Help Topics
- What is Spoink?
- Why do I have to temporarily unblock Caller ID?
- How does it work?
- Is Spoink free?
- What Can I Spoink?
- What's the best tool to use with Spoink?
- I have a pretty basic phone. Can I send and receive email, Pics and Video on it?
- What types of content or files can I post to Spoink?
- How can I use Spoink to do a Telephone Interview?
- What is a Party Spoink?
- How can I make my Avatar look really cool?
- Can I Block other users?
- Can I customize my pages at Spoink?
- Can I edit my messages after its publication?
- Can I follow another user?
- Can I make my Spoink Account Private?
- Can I post images via Email?
- Can I put the Spoink on my web site or other social networking service?
- Can I save messages as Favorites?
- Can I send a user a Direct Message?
- Can I stop following a User?
- Can I update my Audio Post via email?
- Does Spoink support HTML in your messages?
- How do I find my Direct Messages?
- I am receiving many messages in my in my IM or email. How do I get fewer?
- How do I know that someone is Following me?
- How do I post Audio to my Spoink Account?
- How do I receive notifications only from Direct Messages sent to me and not more than all messages written by users I Follow?
- How do I tell Spoink how I want to be notified of new messages and postings?
- There is a limit of new messages that Can I read?
- What are Public Replies?
- What does "Nudge" a user do?
- How do I erase my account and leave the Spoink?
- Is there an API for Spoink?
- What is the maximum size of my messages?
What is Spoink?
Spoink was originally designed to showcase a really cool voice-to-web solution, but has grown well beyond that goal. Today, registered users can create dynamic and multimedia blog sites with text, pictures, audio and video and share these elements with friends, followers and the public.
Using your phone (mobile or regular phone), email client, instant messaging client or web browser you can create content for your blog and instantly share it.
Let's say you are at an amazing party and you have your camera phone. You want to tell all your friends how cool this party is, so you make a toll free phone call to 1-888-8-SPOINK press 1 and then record a message. You hang up, and take a picture that you then email with some text describing the picture and your previous phone message to blog@spoink.com.
Within 2 minutes your voice, picture and text message will be live on the Internet. Anyone that follows your blog or is a friend of yours will get notified via email or IM and will be able to instantly take a look.
Need a little privacy? You got it. Simply select the option to only allow friends to see your blog posts and now your posts are by invitation only!
Why do I have to temporarily unblock Caller ID?
Using 'Spoink by Phone' service to create Podcasts is very easy, however, since this part of our service is based upon caller id you will need to temporarily disable your caller ID blocking, (if you have caller id blocking enabled), by entering *82 before dialing 1-888-8-Spoink; so your dial sequence would look like *8218888776465.
Is Spoink free?
Yes, the Spoink.com is completely free to join and use. There are additional 'optional' services that may require you pay a fee to use and/or accept some limited form of advertising.
What's the best tool to use with Spoink?
You can use any phone to post Audio to Spoink, however, a mobile phone with a built in camera and the ability to send email is best (this covers most mobile phones nowadays). With it you can record audio using your phone, snap a picture and email that picture with text to your Spoink Blog for immediate posting.
I have a pretty basic phone. Can I send and receive email, Pics and Video on it?
The short answer is Yes. All mobile phone companies assign an email address to your phone for sending SMS and MMS (pics and vid), all you need to know is figure out your cell phones' email address format.
What Can I Spoink?
What CAN'T you Spoink? The answer is any activity you want to document with audio, pictures and text can be Spoinked. A day at the beach, a walk in the park, a night out with friends or a meeting with colleagues.
What types of content or files can I post to Spoink?
Spoink accepts most common File Formats, this includes picture, audio and video produced by mobile phones and common files used on Windows, Apple and Unix computers.
Can I make my Spoink Account Private?
Yes! After you sign up for your Spoink account simply click on Settings, then uncheck the box that states 'Let my messages be visible to all users, not just to my friends' and click on 'Save changes'. Only those people you allow to be your friends will be able to veiw your postings.
How does it work?
You can add posts to your Spoink Blog in 4 ways: via a toll free call from any phone, via email, via IM client and directly via a web post at the Spoink site.
How do I post Audio to my Spoink Account?
Make sure you add the phone number that you will be calling from to Settings -> My Phones (be sure to select the check box 'Make Active" before saving). Then you can call toll free 1-888-8-SPOINK (1-888-877-6465) and select option 1 on you telephone keypad. Recording will begin in exactly 5 seconds from the time you press 1 and will continue for exactly 60 seconds or until you press #. At the end of the 60 seconds you will be prompted to send the message or re-record.
TIP: You can pause your recording for 5 seconds by pressing the 5 key once.
It takes approximately 90 seconds to appear as a post in your account.
Can I update my Audio Post via email?
Yes! Be sure to send an email from either the email account you used to register at Spoink or one that you added to My Email Addresses. Send an email with up to 160 characters in the body of the email to blog@spoink.com within 5 minutes of leaving your audio message and the text in your email will update your Audio Posting automatically.
TIP: When sending an email be sure to delete your signature line (and anything you do not wish to be posted). If left it will become part of your post!
Does Spoink support HTML in your messages?
No, for security reasons Spoink does not allow html in your messages.
Can I post images via Email?
Yes, you can take a picture with your phone, send it to blog@spoink.com (from the email address that you used to register at Spoink with) and it will be posted to your Spoink account. In fact, add up to 160 characters of text in the body of your email and it will be posted right along with your picture!
TIP: You can update an Audio post with text and a picture if you send the email it within 5 minutes of your Audio post.
How can I use Spoink to do a Telephone Interview?
Most newer mobile phones come with a 'conference call' feature. If your phone does, then you call the person to interview then dial 1-888-8-Spoink, conference the first person into the call and then press option 1. Start asking questions, when your done simply hang up.
TIP: This is a great opportunity to add text and a picture to your Phone Interview by simply sending an email to blog@spoink.com.
Can I follow another user?
Each user has a link on their My Page in the following format: "Follow + User Name." When you click on this link, you will be following this person, that is, youll receive new messages that this person posts sent to your IM, your e-mail or via this website. At the same time this person will be added to your list of Followers.
Can I stop following a User?
Login, Go to 'My Page', select 'followers', then select 'Stop Following' link next to the users avatar. He will be removed from your list of Followers and you will also no longer receive notifications of their messages.
How do I know that someone is Following me?
Login, go to your 'My Page' and click on the link FOLLOWERS. You will see all the users who are following you. You have the option to also begin Following them.
How can I make my Avatar look really cool?
Find a picture that you love, edit the picture so it is exactly 60 pixels x 60 pixels with the image contrast set for a little higher than you think looks good. Login to Spoink.com and go to Settings -> My Photo and click on "Browse...", locate the picture on your local computer, select "Upload" and finally you may need to press "ctrl + F5" on a PC to refresh the screen and display your cool new Avatar! Repeat until your are 100% happy.
Can I Block other users?
Yes! On the 'My Page' of the user you wish to Block you will find a link called "Block". After you block them, they will no longer appear in your list of Followers, their messages will not appear in your Home Page and they can no longer follow you. They will not be notified that you blocked them. This block is not irreversible, if you change your mind, you can easily un-block this user following the same steps above.
Can I send a user a Direct Message?
Yes, go to their My Page and click SEND A MESSAGE TO + User Name.
How do I find my Direct Messages?
Go to your My Page. Click "Direct Messaging" on the right side of your profile to see all the messages that you received from users of Spoink. To see the messages sent by you, click "Outbox"
How do I tell Spoink how I want to be notified of new messages and postings?
Go to your My Page and there you have the option to choose receive notifications directly into your IM, in your e-mail or only through the web.
What are Public Replies?
You can respond or comment publicly on any message in Spoink. To do this, click the "Reply" to the end of any message and the response / comment will be received by all those that followed.
Can I edit my messages after its publication?
No. You can delete them but not edit them. We may add this ability in the near future.
Can I save messages as Favorites?
Yes, you can save any public post of friends in Your Favorites by clicking on the icon in the "heart" beneath the post. To remove a message from Your Favorites go to the message and click the heart icon again.
What is the maximum size of my messages?
The maximum limit is 160 characters web. If you send a message from your IM or Email above this limit, the message will be truncated.
There is a limit of new messages that Can I read?
No, you can read as many messages you want.
What does "Nudge" a user do?
If a person has not published a message on the site in some time and you want to see them to provide an update, you can send it a "Nudge" clicking on the link NUDGE + Name on the 'My Page' for this user. A "Nudge" reaches them in an email asking him to create a new message.
Can I customize my pages at Spoink?
Yes, go to SETTINGS and then LAYOUT. There you can change your wallpaper and colors of various items of your page: boxes, borders, links and text.
Can I put the Spoink on my web site or other social networking service?
Yes! You can put the Spoink Widget anywhere that accepts Flash, JavaScript or HTML, and can even customize to fit your blog or sites theme. Go to SETTINGS and then Stickers.
What is a Party Spoink?
A Party Spoink is just like those ancient 'party lines'. Basically, the organizer signs up for a Spoink account. Then under Settings, they add their friends or colleagues email addresses and phone numbers under 'My Email Addresses' and 'My Phone Numbers'.
Why do this? It allows a group of people to contribute to a single blog via email and phone.
IMPORTANT: Please get your friends permission before adding either their email address or phone number.
Is there an API for Spoink?
We are implementing an API and expect to have it ready by August 1, 2008. You can check back by clicking on the API link at the bottom menu of this site.
How do I erase my account and leave the Spoink?
Go to SETTINGS and then REMOVE MY ACCOUNT. This action is permanent and upon deleting your account, your user name will immediately become available for someone else to use.
