Beginners
What's Hictu about?
Hictu is a video microblogging service. Users can create their own microblog with small posts (with text, audio and video), personalize their public profiles, manage a presence-enabled friend list, meet new friends. It's easy to use, funny, effective and free.
Beginners
Why should I use it?
If you like blogging but at the same time you can't spend too much time setting up traditional blog posts, if you like video blogging but you want an easier way to create a video, if you like to meet new friends, share your ideas, promote auto-generated content, Hictu is for you!
Beginners
How does it work?
Hictu is very simple to use: just provide a valid email address, choose a nickname and a password and you are in. After logging in, you can start creating your posts and inserting your personal profile information. For videoposts all you need is a webcam: click on the "Record" button and enjoy! You can also add friends to your Hictu friend list by importing your email address book, and invite them to join Hictu with a click on the Invite button.
Registration and Sign In
How can I get a free Hictu account?
Go to the Join Now page, choose a nickname and a password, provide a valid email address, and you are in! (Any data you are providing is stored in full respect of privacy and it will never made available for third parties). You will receive a confirmation email, together with instructions to complete your personal settings and start using the service.
Registration and Sign In
How can I access Hictu?
Hictu (http://www.hictu.com) works with the most common Operating Systems and Web browsers, and it's available also for mobile devices at http://m.hictu.com.
Microblogging
How can I create a micropost?
Once you have logged in, you can see on the right a box named "Write a post". All you have to do is write down the text (limited to 160 chars) and if you want you can add an audio or video message (max 60 seconds). To start recording, click on the "record" button and stop recording clicking on "stop". Before publishing your post you can preview the audio or video message: you can decide whether to "discard" it (and record another one) or confirm the publication ("Send").
Microblogging
How can I reply to a post?
Every post has a link on the right: "Comments". Clicking on it you can create a post which will be the first comment. If a post already has comments, the link is "Reply To", followed by the beginning of the original post and a count of the comments already published.
Microblogging
How can I share a post?
Click on "Comments" or "Reply To" to go to the post page. Here you can find a URL inside a box called "Share". Copy that URL and paste it elsewhere to share it.
Microblogging
How can I embed a post?
Videoposts can be embedded, that is they can be inserted in a Web page outside Hictu. All you have to do is copy the code in the "Embed" box (available in the post page) and paste it in a personal Web page, blog, email, etc.
Microblogging
What's the "friends' posts" link?
It's a filter which shows only the posts published by your friends. This posts can also be seen in the "overview" link, which includes all the posts without any filtering.
Microblogging
What's the "video posts" link?
It's a filter which shows only the video posts.
Personal Profile
How can I modify my profile details?
You can modify your profile in every moment: click on Settings and edit the information you want to add or modify. In the Settings page you access to your avatar (a personal image), your language, your alternative email address, your IM and VoIP accounts, and settings for visibility and email notifications.
Personal Profile
What's the "feed" section?
In the "feed" section you can add your favourite feeds: Hictu will publish it for you even when you are offline. Just insert the feed URLs and that's all! At the moment RSS 2.0 is supported.
Personal Profile
Why there is a section in "Settings" where I can insert my IM and VoIP IDs?
Hictu has a presence enabled friend list which supports status indicators for MSN, Yahoo!, Jabber, ICQ, AIM, Skype, GTalk, Gizmo, Abbeyphone and Sitofono. By inserting your IDs you allow your friends to see where and how you are available on the Internet.
Contacts Management
How can I add a friend to my friends list?
You can:
- Specify an email address (go to "friends", "Add contacts", choose "Insert email address and follow the procedure)
- Specify a Hictu nickname (go to "friends", "Add contacts", choose "Insert nickname" and follow the procedure)
- Import an email address book (read "How can I import my email address book?")
- Click on "Add to my friends list" from the profile page of a Hictu user
Contacts Management
How can I import my email address book?
You can add friends by importing your email address books from Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. You can also import your MSN Live Messenger contact list. To import a .csv file containing an exported address book:
1. Go to "friends" and then "Add Contacts"
2. Choose "Import an address book" and click on "Continue"
3. Select the email client from which you have exported the address book and the exported file, then click on "Import"
4. Now you'll see the entire list of added contacts. You can select which one you want to invite and click on "Invite". An email is sent to the selected contacts, inviting them to join your Hictu network. The email is customizable as you prefer, in order to adapt the message depending on the relationship between you and the contacts you are inviting.
Contacts Management
How can I export an address book?
You can import an email address book from:
Outlook Express
Microsoft Outlook
Mozilla Thunderbird
MSN Messenger
Contacts Management
How can I export an address book?
From Outlook Express
Open Outlook Express and go to File, then select Export. Choose Address Book and specify Text Files (Comma Separated Values). Now click on Export: you can browse your directories to choose a name for the csv file and a location to save it. Now you should have your exported address in csv format on your PC. Import it from the "friends", "Add Contacts" session in Hictu.
Contacts Management
How can I export an address book?
From Microsoft Outlook
Open Microsoft Outlook and go to File, then select Import and Export. Choose File export and specify Comma Separated Values(Windows). Now click on Contacts: you can browse your directories to choose a name for the csv file and a location to save it. Now you should have your exported address in csv format on your PC. Import it from the "friends", "Add Contacts" session in Hictu.
Contacts Management
How can I export an address book?
From Mozilla Thunderbird
Open Thunderbird and go to Tools, then select Address Book to open it. From the Address Book main menu go to Tools, choose Export and select Comma Separated Values(.csv). Now click on Save. Now you should have your exported address in csv format on your PC. Import it from the "friends", "Add Contacts" session in Hictu.
Contacts Management
How can I export an address book?
From MSN Messenger
Open MSN Messenger and go to Contacts, then choose Save Contact List. Select Comma Separated Values(.ctt). Now click on Save. Now you should have your exported address in XML format on your PC. Import it from the "friends", "Add Contacts" session in Hictu.
Invites
What is the authorization request procedure?
Hictu uses a 1-to-1 authorization system to protect your privacy. In order to be added as a friend, an authorization must be granted. This can be accomplished by accepting or denying the invite in the "friends", "Invites" session.
