Just a quick note about some enhancements we’ve made to Spokt:
Larger uploads: You can upload videos up to 2GB and documents up to 500MB.
Better SSL Security – We have improved our SSL configuration for improved security, just remember to visit https://spokt.com for the most secure connection.
We’ve made about 10 other small tweaks, bug fixes and enhancements.
We hope you have a wonderful 2017!
We deployed three new features this weekend and we’re excited to share them with you. We’re focused on continually making Spokt better for you!
Hub Avatars – Hub Avatars make it easier than ever to know which Hub you are currently using. Hub avatars also give admins a chance to personalize the group’s identity.
Advanced Search – We’ve made Spokt’s powerful search even better with advanced options to refine your searches. Can’t find that photo that Julia posted? Advanced search is here to help!
Featured Photo – In addition to the much loved Remember This? feature, pin a newly uploaded photo, or pull out an oldie from the archives and help everyone reminisce a little more.
Pokémon GO is a new mobile game. You have probably heard of it. It has had phenomenal success.
Satoshi Tajiri created the original Pokémon game in 1995. Bug collecting was the inspiration. Players collect the Pokémon, and train them by battling other Pokémon. (Pokémon is short for “Pocket Monsters”). The premise of Pokémon GO of the game is no different: Gotta catch ’em all. What is new is how players perform the collecting and battling.
In Pokémon GO players need to get outside, move around, and go to new places. The game map is a map of the real world. As you move through the real world you move through the game world. There are 3 big reasons to get outside and move. First to catch Pokémon, second for Pokéstops, and third for Gym battles.
The game gives you information about what types of Pokémon are nearby. As you move around you get closer or farther away from them. Once you get close enough you can battle one and catch it.
The second reason to get outside is for Pokéstops. These show up on the map as blue cube shaped beacons. You travel to a Pokéstop and it rewards you with in-game loot. Things like Pokéballs (monster traps), eggs, and incense (to attract Pokémon to you).
The third major game element on the map is Pokémon Gyms. The Gyms look like floating pedestals. Players go there to battle the Pokémon left there by other players. To battle at a Pokémon Gym you must reach Level 5. When you reach Level 5 you can join one of three Pokémon teams. If a you win the Gym battle your team now controls the Gym. Other players in your team can contribute their Pokémon to defend the Gym.
Watching and helping my kids play Pokémon GO has been pretty fun. The summer release of Pokémon GO has been great for most of the country. Families are going on walks together, running into other families. Here in Arizona we can’t wait for winter to play for longer than 3 minutes without sweating.
Togethera recently announced that they will be shutting down their service on August 4th. Togethera started almost 3 years ago and is loved by its users. It is always disruptive when a service you use shuts down but Togethera is trying to make the transition as smooth as possible. Togethera will create export files to it’s users that will contain photos and data files containing comments.
We intend to build an import tool that will allow Togethera “refugees” to build a new home on Spokt. The tool will import photos AND the comments. We will also offer a special price of $29 for the first year to further ease the transition. This is a price per group: one person pays and all members share the enjoyment. Our import tool will be ready on or around the Togethera shutdown date. Check this blog for more updates!
Two years ago MyFamily.com shutdown and we helped people migrate several million records to Spokt. We can do this for you as well.
We are going to perform some routine maintenance for one of our database servers Wednesday at 2AM Eastern Time. The site will be down for 1-2 hours, after that Spokt will be back and healthier than ever!
Update (3:40AM Eastern Time): Spokt is now back up. You will find that everything is peachy.
This week marks the one year anniversary of our announcement of the Mayflower migration tool. This tool was a response to Ancestry.com’s June 5th announcement that they would shut down myfamily.com. Our team worked very hard and didn’t have any time to reflect on the results of our effort. Once the dust settled after Myfamily.com shut down and after we delivered our Books and Calendar features we put together this fun infographic to commemorate the accomplishment of Mayflower. We are excited about the new enhancements currently in the works and can’t wait to share them with you once they are ready.
Thanks to the Mayflower team and thanks for those of you who believed in us enough to trust us with the task of saving your data.
Please enjoy the infographic I made to celebrate the work my mother has done for her family. A mother’s contribution to society is immeasurable and yet I have attempted to quantify some of it.
NOTE: The best way I know to honor motherhood is by honoring my own mother. This is a celebration of her life and the impact she has had on my family. This is not meant to act as a comparison to other mothers.
Of course this silly tribute doesn’t scratch the surface of the work she does. The greatest thing she did was teach her children honesty, character, benevolence, and virtue. Thank you Mom!
We are very proud of our calendar, it is beautiful, easy to use, and above all else: simple. We continue to work and improve Spokt to make it a better place for families and other groups of people to keep in touch. Watch our blog for announcments and Like our Facebook page to show your support.
Watch the video below for a tour our newest feature:
On the internet April 1st is a day full of fake announcements from companies but today we have a real one: Hub Calendars.
We have deployed a simple event calendar which will help families keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other events.
Watch for a video later this week demonstrating the features or dive right in!
Above is what you’ll see on your hub home.
My kids, aged 7 and 5, love watching Studio-C. Studio-C is a sketch comedy show (not unlike SNL), but with clean humor, so the whole family can laugh together. After you’re done catching up on Spokt, I have a few of my favorite sketches for you to watch. Enjoy!