Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Brizzly

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Brizzly?

Brizzly is a way to view content from the social web. Right now, you can view enhanced content from Twitter and Facebook in a clear, simple way. We plan to include other social media whenever it makes sense.

How do I use it?

You use Brizzly much the same way that you use Twitter and Facebook (to read, update, star, like, comment, etc.) If you want a quick overview, check out our "Getting started" guide.

I created a Brizzly account using Twitter – how do I add my Facebook account?

Go to your Settings page and click "Add your Facebook account." You'll be prompted to authorize Brizzly to access your Facebook stream.

I created a Brizzly account using Facebook – how do I add my Twitter account(s)?

Go to your Settings page and click "Add a Twitter account." You'll be prompted to authorize Brizzly to access your Twitter stream.

How much does it cost to use?

It's free!

Did someone just send me an IM?

That's a direct message. When you get a direct message, you'll get an IM-like notification, with the option to "view" or "shh" it. "View" allows you to read and reply in a conversational format, while "shh" will ignore the message (it can still be found under Direct messages > Inbox in the left-hand menu.)

Where did these pictures, maps and videos in the Twitter stream come from?

Those are images posted to Twitpic, Yfrog, Flickr, etc., maps from Google Maps, and video from YouTube and Vimeo, linked to by people you follow on Twitter. They're automatically included inline in your Twitter feed. W also display any raw jpg, gif or png file that is linked to. If you want to see the original, you can still click the link included in the tweet.

I have several Twitter accounts. Can I add more than one in Brizzly?

Yes. You can add up to five Twitter accounts. Just go to Settings > Add an account.

How do I make a list?

There are two ways:

  1. Under "Lists" in the left-hand menu, click "Add a new list."
  2. On a user profile, click "Edit lists" You'll see an option to "Add to a new list."

How many lists can I have?

You can have up to 20 lists per Twitter account in Brizzly (each with up to 500 users).

What is "mute"?

When you mute a user, we'll hide all of their updates from your main timeline until you re-enable them from your settings page. If you have added muted users to a group, you can still see their updates in the group timeline. We do not notify users when you mute them – we keep that our little secret.

Do you shorten URLs?

Yes. We turn any URL longer than 19 characters into a bit.ly URL (unless it's on our list of already-shortened URLs like tinyurl.com, flic.kr, etc.). If you'd like to see click data for one of the URLs we've created for you, add a "+" to the end of the bit.ly link and enter it into your browser's URL bar.

What browsers do you support?

So far, Firefox 3+, Safari 4+, Internet Explorer 8, Chrome. Other browsers may work, but these are what we've tested.

Do you have any keyboard shortcuts?

Yes! Here they are:

Do you have an API?

Yes. We offer an API for Brizzly Picture thumbnails and crowdsourced explanations of trending topics through Let's Be Trends.

How do I use Brizzly's Chrome extension?

Our browser extension lets you access Brizzly in a sidebar while viewing any other web page. Install the extension and click the bear logo that appears next to the address bar in Chrome. From there, you can read your timeline, post tweets and access Brizzly the same way you normally would without leaving the page you're on.

A full house beats a four of a kind in poker, right?

Surprisingly, no.

Features (general)

Trends

These are terms that are trending on Twitter, with a little bit of explanation about why. If it's inaccurate or insufficient, click "explain this trend" to edit the content. The explanation you share will appear on that trend's Brizzly Guide page.

Clicking "search" next to a trending topic will show you search results for tweets containing that term.

Search

Search for a keyword, phrase, tag or username.

Link & media expansion

When someone posts a short link (i.e. bit.ly, tinyurl.com, etc.), we'll expand it to show you what page you're really being taken to. If someone posts a link to a photo or video on certain popular services (TwitPic, YouTube, etc.), we'll show you the picture or video inline rather than making you visit a separate page to view it.

How do I get new updates in my Twitter timeline?

Brizzly will auto-refresh your timeline if you're:

  1. idle (10+ seconds)
  2. not watching a video
  3. not writing a tweet
  4. at the top of the page
In that case, you will see new tweets populate the top of your timeline as they come in. Otherwise you can use the keyboard shortcut "r" to refresh, or click the home button in the left navigation.

Features (Twitter-only)

Tweet-level actions

User-level actions (on roll-over)

Lists

We show (and sync) Twitter lists in Brizzly. You can create up to 20 lists (formerly called "groups") of people you follow. You can group by relationship (e.g."coworkers" or "family"), content (e.g. "motorcross" or "tech"), qualities (e.g. "funny people" or "inspirational") and/or whatever you want.

To add someone to a list, just roll over their user icon and click "Edit lists." To create a new list, click "Add to a new list" and create a name in the text box. To add to an existing list, select it from the list shown.

"Public" lists are visible and able to be followed by anyone, and "Private" lists are just for you.

Direct message notifications

New direct messages (since the last time you logged into Brizzly) will appear in the upper-right hand corner of your screen. To respond, click "view" and write a response. To dismiss, click "Shhh..." You can collapse, close, or expand the DM window to experience Brizzly's chat-like interface.

Drafts

To save a draft, just start writing a tweet, and click "save draft." You can save multiple drafts, and access them from the "drafts" link in the left-hand column.

Pictures

You can easily upload and share photos on Brizzly. Click the camera icon below the update box, select a photo from your computer (jpg, jpeg, png or gif up to 10 MB), and upload. A link to the photo will be automatically pasted into the update box. Once you write some accompanying text (or not), click update to publish the tweet as usual. Brizzly users will see your photo inline, of course, and everyone else will see a link to your photo.

Note that you cannot copy and paste the picture's url from one account to another. The url is only valid after you've sent it out with a tweet. Additionally, keep in mind that anyone can view your Brizzly pics, regardless of whether your tweets are protected.

Profile

This is your Twitter profile, which includes a timeline of your tweets and links to your followers, people you follow, favorites, and people you've muted.

Mentions

This shows any @ mentions (a.k.a. "replies") including your Twitter username.

Favorites

Updates you've starred (using Brizzly, Twitter, or any other Twitter client). You can find these by clicking "Profile" and then "favorites."

Inbox

Direct messages sent to you.

Sent

Direct messages you sent.

Features (Facebook-only)

Recent Activity

"Recent activity" shows Facebook posts you’ve participated in by liking or commenting, as well as posts you’ve made that your friends have commented on or liked.

Settings

View options

You can choose to see your timeline in "wide" or "standard" view. Wide view is your default setting, but you can always switch from "Settings."

Multiple accounts

You can add up to five Twitter accounts to Brizzly on the settings page.

Change password

If you need to, you can change your password on the settings page.

Troubleshooting

I don't see anything

Try logging into twitter.com. Do you see your timeline there? If not, this is probably a Twitter issue. If you do see it on Twitter, it's probably us, so drop us a note.

I can't remember my password

Under the login box, use the "I forgot my password" link to create a new password.

I can't log in

Try resetting your password.

I did not receive my verification email.

If you did not receive your verification email, check your spam folder and see if it ended up there. We've noticed that happens sometimes with Brizzly emails sent to Yahoo mail accounts. If it's not in spam, notify us and we'll investigate the problem.