Hi I'm Lea, Conduit's Head Support and QA Engineer. In this section, I answer Conduit Publishers' most burning questions of the month. Find out what's top of community toolbar publishers' minds and ask a question of your own!
1. What toolbar features do users like most?
It really depends on the toolbar and the users; different users of different toolbars like different features. However, in general terms, we find the most popular features to be the customizable components; the one that users can personalize themselves:
Email notifier - Users can add the email addresses of their choice
Weather forecaster - Users can program it with weather updates from their specific region
Radio player - Users can add their favorite stations
These have also been proven the stickiest. So make sure that your toolbar has them enabled!
2. Is Conduit planning to allow users to add bookmarks to their toolbar?
We do intend to develop this feature eventually. In the meantime, publishers who are eager to include this feature in their toolbar can develop and embed an HTML component on their own.
3. How can I add a live stock and currencies broadcast to my toolbar?
There are lots of ways: you can add it as an external HTML component, as a gadget, or (perhaps most easily) as an RSS feed. Just find an RSS feed with the info you wish to display (there are many; check out CNN business to get started), then simply paste the link it into the RSS reader or the News Ticker component.
4. Can I add my employees' company email addresses to the Email Notifier?
Your employees' company email addresses can be added to the toolbar's Email Notifier, but each employee must configure it themselves. Here's how:
Each must go to 'Email Notifier' on their version of the toolbar
Click on 'Add' to add a new email account
Choose POP3 (this option covers all non-web-based email services, such as Outlook)
Each employee must enter in their: Username, Password, Incoming Mail Server, and Port (your company's System Administrator can provide this information for each employee email account)
Each user can name their account so it's listed in their Email Notifier list, according to his/her preference.
5. Which stream formats can be added to the toolbar?
Whether you use IE or Firefox, the toolbar supports all radio stations, podcasts, SHOUTcasts and Icecasts, provided they play in Windows Media Player (WMP) and Real Player.
The best way to check if a link is supported by the toolbar is to paste the URL directly into the Media or Real Player and see if it plays. If it does, you can add it to the toolbar (be sure to choose the appropriate stream type!) and it should work.
Via a different button in the Control Panel and on the toolbar itself, toolbars also support podcasts, SHOUTcasts, and Icecasts. All you need to do is enter in a valid URL.
NOTE: Users can also upload MP3 and WAV files to their toolbar, from their own personal computer.
Do you have a question about your toolbar?
Just Ask Lea. If it's a good one, it might even get featured in next month's newsletter. Or you may find the answer you’re looking for in the Conduit Community Forum. It's also a great place to connect with other Conduit publishers just like you, and compare notes.
