Private
content sharing enabler Drop.io has announced a new version of its applications
suite, timed to coincide with the package?s integration with social networking and micro-blogging
platform Twitter.
Twitter
users will now benefit from ?real-time? sharing of files previously uploaded to online sharing
points (called a ?drop?) through their personalised Twitter stream. This can be done simply by visiting the
relevant drop and keying in a Twitter username and password, whereupon the
corresponding Twitter stream will be automatically updated whenever new files
uploaded to the drop. This can be done through a variety of different channels,
including Drop.io?s website,
widgets, email, MMS, phone or fax. Twitter
updates (or ?Tweets?) incorporate a direct link to the relevant content on
Drop.io.
The
new features being rolled out for the occasion include an upgraded note editor that allows for rich
text composition, as well as the ability to embed rich media content from
well-known social media sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Viddler, Seesmic
and Vimeo. Drop administrators are now
able to choose the default time zone for all views and uploads, a functionality
that comes into its own in connexion with the introduction of date and time stamping in RSS Alerts. SMS updates have also been added.
Other
enhancements are intended to improve the suite?s presentation and ease of use,
such as a new file sorting system, a photo rotation option and an optimised
version of Drop.io?s PicLens viewer.
Drop.io
chief executive officer
Sam Lessin casts the platform?s integration with Twitter as the logical
continuation of the two players natural complementarity, observing that, ?Now,
Twitter users can use Drop.io to post any sort of media into their
Twitter streams from all the Drop.io inputs. The instant ability to ?Twitter? out any
?dropped? file to an infinite number of Twitter accounts streamlines the online
file sharing experience, while giving users extended control over the
distribution of their content.?
The event illustrates the mutual benefit that
social media providers can derive from linking their respective offerings to
take advantage of each other?s core expertise.