Share Central - New Features & Tips

Now volunteers can get reminders prior to the volunteer event. When you create a sign-up sheet, select the option to send reminders to assignees and decide the number of days prior to the event that you the reminder to be sent. The volunteer will get an email with information about the volunteer event and what they signed up for.

To set reminders for existing sign-up sheets, go to the sign-up sheet and click "Edit details" to change the setting.

Now you can easily find pictures that you, your child, family or friends have been tagged in. From any of the pages where you see pictures, click on Order prints, photo books, calendar, cards, or photo gifts and you'll get the "Select Pictures" dialog. If the site has any tags, you'll find a folder called "Tagged Pictures". Find pictures of you, pictures of your child(ren), family and friends. Select the pictures you want, and click "Order". It's that simple!

"Volunteer Sign-Up" Module for Classrooms and Groups

We've added a new module called "Volunteer Sign-Ups" to make it easier for classrooms and other group sites to coordinate volunteer activities and needs. With this new tool, you can reduce back and forth emails, eliminate confusion on who will do what, and save a few trees!

Create sign-up sheets for teacher's wish lists, food for potlucks and parties, chaperons and drivers for field trips, weekly reader, or whatever volunteer need. Then invite site members to come to the site to sign up.

3) In the upper right corner of the site, click on the "Add" button and select "Add section".

4) In the "Add section" dialog, go to the "Collaborate" tab and select "Volunter sign-ups". Click the "Add Section" button.

5) Once the new module has been added, click on "Add sign-up sheet" to create a sign-up sheet. After you're done, invite site members to come sign up.

To add a new page with just the "Volunteer Sign-Up" module, follow these steps:

2) At the end of the page tabs, click "Add page" and select "Volunteer Sign-Up page" in the "Template" field.

3) Enter the name for the page and click "Create". The page will be added at the end.

Note: To change the order of the pages, click on the "Customize" menu in the upper right corner of the site and select "Edit page order".

Wedding Gift Registry

Make it easy for your wedding guests to find a wedding gift by displaying your gift registries on your Shutterfly Share site. We've added a new feature that allows you to select your existing gift registries from the WeddingChannel.com gift registry aggregator. Registries you select will appear with the logo of the retailer and link to your gift registry.

Baby Photo Journal - May 12, 2010

Ever wanted to keep a baby journal for your little one and record milestones such as first solid food, first smile, first tooth, or first steps?

Not only can you track the major milestones, but you can also capture the little moments -- yawning, sleeping, giggling, playing peek-a-boo, and many more. Keeping your baby journal on a Shutterfly Share site makes it really easy to showcase your favorite baby pictures and tell a story as your baby grows up. Your family and friends will love to follow your baby's adventures.

All newly created baby Share sites will have the new Baby Journal section pre-installed. If you have an existing baby site, you may add the section "Baby journal" by clicking the "Add other sections to your site..." link and then going to the "More" tab.

New Baby Themes and Birth Announcements - April 14, 2010

Have you recently had a baby or are you expecting? We've upgraded the baby category of Share sites so you can showcase your baby pictures and videos, keep a baby journal, and delight your family and friends with up-to-date news about your baby's growth and development.

After you create a new baby site, you'll notice a Birth announcement section that displays basic stats about your baby based on the information you provided in the setup guide. You can edit the information by using the "options" menu.

New Feature: Save and Order Tagged Pictures - April 14, 2010

Do more with pictures you've tagged! View them on the tag result page and order the set in prints, photo books or other photo gifts. To get to the tag result page, find a picture that has a tag and click on the "photos" link next to the tag.

Here's an example of how the tag result page looks. If a tag has been used in 20 or more pictures, look for the "View photo book" link on the right to see a pre-made photo book of those pictures. Use the tag feature to easily identify pictures you want to make a photo book of, for your child from their Sports Share site or Classroom Share site. Or tag family members on your Family Share site too and quickly make a photo book for mom, dad, and siblings.

New Features: Tag Pictures and Update All Picture Captions for an Album in One Step - March 10, 2010

You can now tag pictures with people on your site member list and people from the site roster, or tag it with any text you want.

So you can easily find pictures of a specific person and the person will know you've posted a picture of them on the site. The member will be sent an email notification to come check out the picture after you tag them!

You can go to an individual picture and look for the "Tag this picture" link under the picture. Or, you can tag all the pictures in an album in one screen by going to the "Edit" menu for the album, select "Edit album", and go to the "Edit pictures" tab.

Go to the "Recent Activity" section and look for entries that tell you who's been tagged. Or from a picture, under the picture, see who's "In this picture" and click the photos link to see all pictures with that tag.

Well, you decide! You can go to the "Customize" menu and in the "Advanced tab", you can decide who can view tags on your site.

If you're a site member, you're automatically set up to receive an email notification when someone's tagged you. You can change your setting by going to the "Members" menu and select "Edit my settings" and then update it in the "Email from site" tab.

After you add pictures to your Share site, you will have an opportunity to edit the picture title and descriptions all in one screen. If you don't update it immediately, don't worry, you can go back to "Edit album" and go to the "Edit pictures" tab to update it.

4 New Features - Updates to Recent Activity, Comment Notification, Import Contacts, & Facebook

1) Recent Activity Section - See updates and comments to journals, videos, photo books, & more!

We launched the NEW Recent activity section in Nov 2009 which made it easier for your visitors to find the latest pictures, add comments and mark pictures they like.

The section now includes the latest journal entries, videos, photo books, calendar events, bookmarks, weather and general site comments posted to your site. They can comment on journal entries, videos, and photo books and you'll be able to see them all in one place!

You'll receive an email immediately when someone leaves a comment on journal entries, videos and photo books that you've posted. If you reply to the comment, the person gets an email back.

If you don't want to receive these emails, it's easy to update your settings. Just go to the Members menu, select "Edit my settings", and update it in the tab titled "Email from site".

Have friends and family who want to comment on your pictures, videos, etc. who don't want to create a Shutterfly account? Now they can log in with their Facebook account leave a comment! After a visitor enters their comment and click the "Add" button, they'll get the Shutterfly Sign Up screen which has the Facebook Connect button on the bottom of the screen.

Simply click on the button, enter your Facebook email and password and you can comment on the site.

4) Import your contacts from Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, AOL, MSN, and Mac!

When you send an email from your Share site, look for the "Import Contacts" button that looks like this:

and follow the quick and easy steps to import email addresses from your address book in your email account. Choose from Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, AOL, Live, and Outlook. This will save you time from having to type each of your friends and family's email addresses!

New Recent Activity Section and Comment Notifications - November 11, 2009

Introducing the NEW Recent activity section. It brings your sharing to light, especially if you've created multiple pages on your site. We've added a "What's New" page to your site where visitors can easily find the latest pictures, and add comments or mark pictures they like; and you can also come here to see the latest comments on your pictures - all in one place.

There's more to come. Over the next two months, we'll update the Recent Activity section to show activity on videos, photo books, journal entries, and more.

You've asked, we've listened! You wanted to know when your friends and family comment on your pictures, so we've added notification settings where you'll get an email immediately when someone comments on pictures you posted. If you reply to the comment, the person gets an email back.

If you don't want to receive these emails, it's easy to update your settings. Just go to the Members menu, select "Edit my settings", and update it in the tab titled "Email from site".

Print Your Calendar, Roster, and More - October 7, 2009

You can now print a user-friendly version of the calendar, team roster, snack schedule, and player availability from your Share site. Look for the "Print view" link next to the section. Here's an example of what to look for:

Shutterfly iPhone app v2.0 Released - September 20, 2009

We've launched the Shutterfly iPhone app version 2.0 which includes improved sharing features:

1) Email sharing – Email one or more pictures from your Shutterfly account to your iPhone contacts. The recipients will receive an email invitation to view your pictures in an online slideshow.

2) Share site posting – Post one or more pictures from your Shutterfly account to your Shutterfly Share site (not just pictures from your camera roll). Note: The setting to “post all uploads to your Share site feature” has been removed.

3) Upload to any album – Select an existing album to which to upload or create a new album. Pictures no longer uploaded to dedicated “iPhone Pictures” album.

1) Picture downloads – Save any picture in your Shutterfly account back your iPhone camera roll or to a Contact.

3) Improved viewing – iPhone status bar now hidden in slideshow mode. Zoom in on photos with a pinch or double tap.

4) Improved album navigation –Albums grouped by folder, just like in your Shutterfly account. Refresh button quickly syncs album list with online account.
5) New app settings – Configure the maximum size of thumbnail cache. Turn on/off the shake navigation feature.

6) App FAQ – Answers to the most common app questions can be found on the Feedback screen in Settings.

Ready-made photo book - September 9, 2009

Ordering a photo book with the pictures on your Share site is now easier than ever! If an album has at least 20 pictures, a ready-made photo book will appear on the site. Click on the book to see what we've created for you. You can order it as-is or customize it with more/less pictures, or you can select from any one of our photo book sizes: 5x7, 7x9, 8x8, 8x11, and 12x12. Here's an example of what to look for:

4 New Modules: Calendar, Youth Team Roster, Snack Schedule, and Player Availability - August 12, 09

New Calendar Features

- Set up recurring events
- Set reminders for upcoming events
- Show icons for different event types such as game, practice, party, birthday, and more

You can also add different views of the calendar on any page on your site! For example, you can add a calendar and set it to a list view that just shows the next 5 upcoming events. Then on a different page on the site, you can set the calendar to a calendar view to see all events for a given month. To change the view setting, click on the "Options" link at the top right corner of your calendar.

School is about to start and we've added 3 new modules (Youth Team Roster, Snack Schedule, and Player Availability) that will make managing sports team communication easier. For more information about the new Youth Sports solution, click here.

1) New Youth Team Roster

Use the Youth Team Roster on your site to keep track of the list of players and their contact information, upload a photo for each player, and maintain their parents' contact information.

The parent emails are automatically added as members of the site so they can access the site to get information about other players and coaches, look at pictures shared by other parents, receive reminders for upcoming events, and more.

With a youth sports team, parents are typically asked to take turns bringing snacks to each game. With the new Snacks Schedule module, parents can sign in to the Share site and sign up themselves. Games added to the calendar are automatically listed in the module for parents to sign up.

3) Player Availability

Use the Player Availability module to keep track of which player is coming to each game. Parents can sign in to the Share site themselves to update their child's availability. Games added to the calendar and players added to the youth team roster are automatically populated in this module.

1) Log in to your Share site
2) Go to the "Customize" menu on the top right and select "Add new section to page"
3) In the "Add section" window, go to the 2nd tab titled "Collabroate" and look for Calendar, Youth team roster, Snack schedule, and Player availability. Select the module you want.
4) Click the "Add section" button and the calendar will be added to the page.

New Album View and Easy Access to Your Sites - June 24, 09

We added a new album view that allows you to showcase your most recent album in a slideshow. To change the view in your picture section, go to the "Options" menu and select "Featured Album".

1) Are you an owner or a member of multiple Share sites? If so, you can easily link them on each of your sites. In the bookmarks module, click the “Add bookmarks” link to get this dialog:

Simply click the “Add” button by each Share site you want to add as a bookmark. It will appear like this on your site. (Note: The example is shown in “Details” view. You can change your view via the options menu.)

2) You can set your individual Share sites to be viewable with your profile. Follow these steps to make your sites available:

b) In the “Members” menu in the upper right corner, select “Edit my profile” to get this screen

3) If you have multiple Share sites, you can now go to the "My Sites" menu in the top right corner of your site. You'll find a list of the sites you own, sites you are a member of, and be able to create a new site. Here's an example of how the menu looks:

Introducing Shutterfly Video - June 5, 09

You've asked and we've listened! You can now upload videos to your own, personal and private account and post them on your Share site and here's how:

1) Sign up for a free Shutterfly video account (Shutterfly members get a free basic account.)

3) Post your videos to Share site (Post videos to Facebook and Twitter from your Share site.)

1) Sign in to your Share site and look for the "Add pictures and more" button on the top right. Select "Add video" in the dropdown menu.

2) Click the "Create video account" button to sign up for a free video account. (The free basic video account for all Shutterfly members allow you to upload up to 10 video clips, maximum 300MB each/approximately 5 minutes per file. You will have the option to upgrade to an annual premium account which gives you unlimited video storage.)

3) Select the "Choose File" button to select the video file from your computer that you want to upload and then click the "Upload Videos" button.

4) After the video is done uploading, your video will be added to your Share site like this:

From the video details page on your Share site, you can easily post your videos to Facebook and Twitter.

Add a description for your album - May 28, 2009

When you add an album to your Share site, you can enter a description for the album.

To display the album description, go to the options menu in your pictures section and select "Edit section" and make sure the option for "Hide album descriptions" is unchecked.

Note: The album description will only appear for the following album views: compact, thumbnails, details, and album details view. You can change the album view in the options menu within the Pictures section.

Shutterfly iPhone app v1.0 released - April 27, 2009

Download our new iPhone app, Shutterfly for iPhone.

Shutterfly for iPhone allows you to get mobile with your memories—so you can view and share your pictures, wherever you are.

If you don't have an iPhone, tell your friends who do, to check out our app in the app store.

3 New Features - March 25, 2009

You can choose who can do what on your Share site, by following these steps:

1) Go to the "Cusotmize" menu in the upper right-hand corner and select "Edit site permissions".

2) In the "Edit site permissions" dialog, you can set separate permissions for general visitors and members of your site.

You can allow your visitors to view, comment, and contribute content such as adding pictures.

You can allow your members to view, comment, contribute content, PLUS edit and customize the site.

You can also make your site password protected.

3) You can even add your own customized role by clicking the "Add a new role" link.

4) If you want to get fancy, go to your Advanced tab to determine who can save, order, and download pictures from your Share site, images, order images; who can post content from your Share site to 3rd party sites; and who can send emails from your site.

5) Use your Membership tab to determine who can add members, who can use the email functions, and who can see your members list. You also have the option to allow visitors to your site to request to be a member of your Share site.

FEATURE 2 - Send email to friends and family

Introducing our new one-stop email feature that allows you to add members or send messages to site members from one location.

1) Click on the "Send email" link in the upper-right hand corner of your share site page.

2) A dialogue box will appear with an option to select different message types.

a. Add site members to your Share site
b. Send email asking friends/family to add pictures to your Share site

c. Tell current site members (or invite visitors) to check out updates to your site
c. Compose your own customized message

FEATURE 3 - Share photo albums from your Share site

You can now share your photo albums to your favorite social networks and blogs, like Facebook, MySpace, Bloggers, and Twitter.

1) Next to an album title, select the "Edit" menu and select the "Post to Facebook, blogs, ..." option.

2) A dialogue box will appear that lists the sites you can share to.

3) Select the site you want to Share to and you'll be prompted to provide your user name and password for the site. Follow the steps to complete posting to the 3rd party site.

Post your book to other social networking sites - Feb 26, 2009

Shutterfly now offers our new "Share It" service, which allows you to post your photo books to your favorite social networking and blogging sites, like Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, and Twitter. Follow these steps to post your photo book to a 3rd party site.

1. Go to your Share site.

2. Post a photo book onto your Share site (see here for details).

3. Click the "Edit" menu next to the photo book title and select "Post to Facebook, blogs, ... ".

4. Select the site you want to Share to and you'll be prompted to provide your user name and password for the site. Follow the steps to complete posting to the 3rd party site.

My Dashboard

Tip of the week

Share Site Video Tip - be your own Barbara Walters

Here’s an easy way to make your videos go from good to great. Be your own Barbara Walters. Whether you’re filming a Saturday morning breakfast or a milestone birthday, interview the people who are in front of your camera. The answers may surprise you! Here’s an example that illustrates how a little Barbara can go a long way.

Edit your video title

Changing the title of your Share site video is easy. Just follow these simple steps.

1) Make sure you're signed in as the site owner

2) Below the video, you should see an "Edit" menu

3) From the menu, choose the top item which is "Edit section". A dialogue box will appear. Change the text in your video title field, and click "Save"

4) The new title will now appear

How to archive your Share site content

If your Share site is looking crowded and you need to make room - but don't want to erase any of your content - we suggest you archive some of your older stuff.

To do this, simply create a separate Share site dedicated to your archived content, then move what you want to that site.

Moving content is easy. Just go into the "options" menu of any of your sections, and select "move content". Then choose your archive site as the destination. You can even move an entire page by going into your "Customize" menu (upper right-hand side of page) and selecting "move page".

Hope that helps!

Three easy ways to make your videos better

Tip #1:
Always record more than you think you should. This gives you the flexibility to include an extra moment after the action has finished. Including the extra moment gives viewers time to process what just happened and makes them feel like they're really there.

Tip #2:
Keep the camera as still as possible. Rest your arm on the windowsill, the back of a chair, or your knee. This helps viewers focus on what you're filming, not how you're filming it.

Tip #3:
If you want to film something huge, like a landscape or a building, move the camera as slowly as possible. This gives viewers time to appreciate the details.

For the more details, check out the video!

Our favorite slide show feature

One of our favorite slide show features is the random transition, which showcases different transitions for each picture in your slide show - barns, slides, checkerboards, fades, irises, slideovers, zooms, and more.

Here's how to create a slide show with random transitions.

1) Click the "Add other sections" link on your Share site page

2) A dialogue box will appear. Choose the "Pictures & Albums" option under the Share tab

3) Your new section will appear. Add your pictures to the section by clicking on the sections "Click to add pictures" or "upload new pictures" link

4) Once your pictures are added, click the "options" menu in the upper-right-hand corner of your section and choose the "slide show" option. Your album will now appear as a slide show

5) To choose random transitions in your slide show, click "Edit section" in your "options" menu. A dialogue box will appear. Choose the "Random" option in the "transition" field. Your slide show will now feature random transitions

How to show off a favorite photo

If you want to give a favorite photo the attention it deserves, show it off with a "Single Picture Frame" section.

Here's how.

1) On your Share site page, click the "Add other sections to your site" link. When the dialogue box appears, choose the "Single Picture Frame" option under the Share tab

2) Your new section will appear. Add a favorite photo to that section by selecting one from your Shutterfly account or uploading a new image

3) Once you've completed step 2, your selected image will appear in your new "Single Picture Frame" section. To make the picture taller, click "Adjust section height" in your section's options menu. To edit the title of your picture click "Edit section"

Featured pictures aren't just for your home page

Did you know you can add a "Featured pictures" section to any page on your Share site?

Here's how.

1) Add a section to your page by clicking the "add other section" module

2) When the dialogue box appears, choose the "Featured pictures" option under the "Share" tab

3) Your "Featured pictures" section will now appear at the top of your page. To customize your section, choose your layout option, and switch out the placeholder pictures for your own images

Create a collage page

Did you know you can create a collage page featuring all pictures? It's easy!

1) Click on the "Add page" link at the top of your Share site homepage (make sure you're signed in as the owner first)

2) A dialogue box will appear. Choose the collage page option and click "Create"

3) A collage page with sample pictures will appear. Replace these images with your own photos by clicking the "Change picture" link

Now you have your personalized collage, which you can easily update by hovering over each collage image until the "picture options" menu appears, and choosing "edit picture"

Change your featured pictures layout

Did you know you can change the layout of your featured pictures section? It's simple, and it makes it easier to showcase your pictures the way you want. You can choose to feature between one and five images.

Here's how.

1) Hover your mouse over the bottom left-hand corner of any image in your featured pictures section. A menu will appear.

2) Click on "layout options"

3) Now choose the layout you wish to appear

4) Your featured pictures section will now display your new layout

5) If you want to update an image in your new layout, repeat step 1, but this time choose the "edit picture" option

vacation video packing list

If you plan on taking vacation videos, a camcorder can only get you so far. Make sure you pack these extra goodies so you’re well prepared for any situation.

Tapes & Disks
It’s easier (and cheaper) to have those extra tapes and disks ready to go. You can even label tapes or disks ahead of time (i.e. family trip 2010 – tape 1) so you can keep them in order and know which have been used and which are still blank

Hard Disk Storage
Either bring some extra memory cards, or a laptop computer and external hard drive to which you can transfer the footage.

Batteries
Don’t rely on recharging at night, especially if you’re on an all-day excursion. Two or three extra batteries will save the day. If you’re traveling to a different country, make sure you have the right current adapters

Microphones
If you have any external microphones, it doesn't hurt to take them along, as they could really enhance the sound in your vacation video

Cleaning Supplies
Using a brush and a soft cloth for your lens will keep your camcorder clean and while you travel

Camcorder Bag
To deter thieves, pack the video camera in an old backpack or some other bag that doesn’t look tempting

Accessories
Lenses, filters and tripod can be helpful, but they might mean you’ll spend more time making that video, and less time relaxing

Volunteer Sign-Ups

Our "Volunteer Sign-Ups" module makes it easier for classrooms and other group sites to coordinate volunteer activities and needs. With this tool, you can reduce back and forth emails, eliminate confusion on who will do what, and save a few trees!

Follow these easy steps to add this module to your existing Share site:

1) Go to your site and sign in.

2) Go to the page that you want to add the new "Volunteer Sign-Up".

3) In the upper right corner of the site, click on the "Add" button and select "Add section".

4) In the "Add section" dialog, go to the "Collaborate" tab and select "Volunter sign-ups". Click the "Add Section" button.

5) Once the new module has been added, click on "Add sign-up sheet" to create a sign-up sheet. After you're done, invite site members to come sign up.

Here's an example of a sign-up sheet:

To add a new page with just the "Volunteer Sign-Up" module, follow these steps:

1) Go to your site and sign in.

2) At the end of the page tabs, click "Add page" and select "Volunteer Sign-Up page" in the "Template" field.

3) Enter the name for the page and click "Create". The page will be added at the end.

Note: To change the order of the pages, click on the "Customize" menu in the upper right corner of the site and select "Edit page order".

Wedding Share site gift registry

Did you know our Wedding Share sites have a gift registry?

Here's how to set it up.

1) Create your wedding Share site here (remember to choose the "Wedding" option)

FYI - Once you create your site, you'll notice that you have built-in sections, where you can plug in wedding location, site-seeing highlights, lodging information, directions, and best of all, registry information!

2) Complete your registry section

a) Click add registry in your registry section

b) A pop-up window will appear. To find your wedding registry, enter your first and last name, plus the month and year of your wedding

c) A list of results will appear. Select your registry locations from the list.

d) Your selected registries will now appear on your Share site. When visitors click on them, they will be taken to your registries

changing member information

Are you trying to change a member's email address in your profile list? Stop trying because you actually can't. No worries, though - we have an easy solution. Here's what you do.

1) Invite the Share site member to your site again, using their preferred email address

2) Once they've accepted, delete their old profile

Hope that helps!

Video lighting 101

Use these easy lighting tips to make your videos look great. No lighting kit required!

But first, some basic lighting terms.

BASIC LIGHTING TERMS

1. Key light - the light source that illuminates most of your subject
2. Fill light - the light source that comes from the opposite side of the key light. Prevents heavy side-shadows
3. Back light - light that comes from behind the subject
4. Background light - light that illuminates the background

TIPS

Tip 1 - Key light
If you're using the sun as your key light, mornings and afternoons are ideal. If you're inside, an overhead light can serve as your key light

Tip 2 - Fill light
If you're outside, a wall can serve as your fill light. If you're inside, use a light colored wall, a piece of cardboard, or poster board as your fill light

Tip 3 - dos and dont's
Your key light (main source of light) should come from the side or front
Don't point your camera at hard light sources like bright windows

Creating customized groups

Creating customized groups (or roles) comes in handy when you want certain people on your Share site to have special privileges.

For instance, let's say you only want coaches and parents to be able to contribute content (like adding pictures) to your Youth Sports Share site.

Here's what you do:

1) Click on the "Customize" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your Share site's home page

2) Select "Change site permissions"

3) A dialogue box will appear. Click on the "General" tab and add a new role to your list. In this case we've added a role called Parents/Teachers

4) Select what you will allow your new group (role) to do. In this case we've allowed the group to view, comment, and contribute to the site

5) To assign certain members to this new group (role), click on the "Members" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your Share site's home page

6) Select "Show members"

7) Assign select members to your group by click on the "role joined" link next to their names

8) A dialogue box will appear. In the "Role" field, select your new group (in this case it's Parents/Teachers)

9) Now your selected members will belong to the new group and will have the group's special permissions

Setting permissions for Share site sections

Setting permissions for your individual Share site sections comes in handy for lots of reasons.

Let's say you only want members to contribute to one of your Share site albums. Or you have a Share site photo book that you only want members to see. Or maybe you only want members to view a discussion forum on your Share site.

To set permissions in a Share site section, follow the below easy steps - for these instructions, we'll use a photo album section.

1) Make sure that your photo album is the only album in the section.

2) Click on the "options" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your section

3) In the "options" menu, choose "Edit section"

4) A dialogue box will appear. Click on the "permissions" tab

5) Edit your permissions. For instance, if you only want members to be able to comment on your album, you would de-select the check marks under the "Comment" option

6) Click the "Save" button once you have chosen your permission settings. Now only members can comment on your photo album!

Baby Photo Journal

Do you have a baby in your life?

If your answer is yes, check out our baby Share sites, featuring Baby Photo Journals.

Not only can you track the major milestones, but you can also capture the little moments -- yawning, sleeping, giggling, playing peek-a-boo, and many more. Keeping your baby journal on a Shutterfly Share site makes it really easy to showcase your favorite baby pictures and tell a story as your baby grows up. Your family and friends will love to follow your baby's adventures.

All newly created baby Share sites will have the new Baby Journal section pre-installed. If you have an existing baby site, you may add the section "Baby journal" by clicking the "Add other sections to your site..." link and then going to the "More" tab.

Video Tip: outdoor video lighting

Shooting an outdoor video on a sunny day? Here are a couple of simple lighting tips:

Key light: use the sun as your key light, or primary light source. The sun should hit your video subject at an angle, not straight on. For instance, if your subject is a person, the sun should be shining on one side of his/her face.

Bounce light: use a white piece of poster board as a bounce light. This will help you avoid heavy shadows.

If the sun shines on the right side of your subject's face, place your board on the other side of the subject, facing the sun. The sunlight will bounce off the board and lighten the shadows.

Video tip: how to focus on what's important

Want your video audience to pay attention to what's important? Here are three simple tips to keep them focused.

Record your video against a simple background – busy locations can distract
If your video focuses on a person, have him or her wear a simple outfit. Patterns, bright white, or black can make the video camera unhappy
Use a quiet space to shoot – we want to hear what your video star has to say. You might want to test some areas to see which is best for recording with sound

Choose your album cover in one click

Choosing a Share site photo album cover is easy. Here's how.

1) Go to your album details page and hover over your favorite image – the one you want on the cover. A menu will appear

2) Click the “use for album cover” option. Now your favorite image will now appear on the album cover!

Email your message board updates

Did you know you can email message board updates to your fellow Share site members? This feature makes it incredibly easy to exchange information with your Share site groups. Perfect for sports teams, book clubs, cheerleading teams, school bands, etc.

Here's how to email your message board updates:

1) In your message board thread, click "Reply to this topic" (or click "New topic" if you want to start a new thread)

2) A dialogue box will appear. Type the message you want to email to your members (note that the message will also appear in the message board thread). Now go to the options menu and check the "Send as a Special Notice to all members" box and click the "Add" button

4) Now the message will be emailed to all of your Share site members. The emailed message will give recipients the option to reply to your message on the message board, or start a new message board topic

Video tip – working with hot and cool light

Light is made up of many different colors. For instance, electric lights give off a slightly orange shade of white, and sunlight is a little blue. We don't notice because our eyes and brains compensate for the color shifts.

Video cameras aren’t as seamless though, so when one part of your frame is illuminated by blue light -- like a subject near a window -- and another is illuminated by orange light – like a lamp near the same window -- then the image may look too orange or blue.

To avoid this, don't shoot in a mixed-light situation -- or move the camera from one type of light to another while shooting. Another solution is to get two or three different shots then edit them together later.

How to arrange your pictures

An easy way to arrange Share site album pictures is simply to drag and drop. For instance:

1) If I want to move this tulip image to another location within my album...

2) I simply click on it, then drag it to a new position.

3) The picture instantly appears in its new location. Easy!

Please note that the changes you make to a Share site album don't show up in MyPictures - and vice-versa.

Five tips for Shooting Awesome Baby Videos

Here are another set of useful ideas to help you with your Share site videos. How to shoot Awesome Baby Videos

1. Keep a Camera in Your Pocket

Sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, and lots of distractions make it nearly impossible to keep track of multiple gadgets. Find a camcorder that’s small enough to fit in your pocket, handbag, or easy-to-reach compartment of the diaper bag. Having a mobile phone that shoots good quality video is also very useful. My iPhone 3GS is the one thing I always have within arm’s reach. It takes decent videos, and, in a pinch, doubles as a teething toy for Awesome.

2. Don’t Speak

When you’re shooting a video, your mouth is close to the camera’s microphone, so if you speak at a normal volume, you’ll sound LOUD. Believe me, it’s not cute to hear yourself coo and talk baby talk over a perfectly good video. Use a rattle, set of keys, or a stuffed animal to keep your baby facing the camera, and if you must speak, keep your voice low and steady -- not loud and squeaky.

3. Take Two (and Three, and Four….)

So you managed to capture your baby’s first ever bite of banana on video…but the phone rang in the middle of the shot. Or you dropped the camera. Or it was just out of focus. Don’t be afraid to act like a good director and just re-shoot the scene. Seriously, no one will know (or care) that they’re actually watching the kid’s third ever bite of banana, and in the future, you’ll be glad to have a clear, polished video of the moment.

4. Get Videos Off the Camera

To capture memories, you need memory – on your video capture device. Check your camera regularly to make sure you have plenty of space left for new video. When you shoot a video you know you won’t use, delete it immediately. Make a weekly or daily time to transfer videos from your camera to your Share site.

5. Find Easy Ways to Share

If you follow all of the above advice, you’ll probably have dozens of videos to share every week (or even every day!). I created a Shutterfly Share site when Awesome was born. It’s a secure, customized site where I post both photos and videos, as well as blog posts and updates. My friends and family can decide if and how often they want to receive email updates about the site, and they can even contribute their own photos and videos.

How to rotate photos in your Share site

Did you just upload an album to your Share site, only to discover that a few of the images are upside-down or sideways? Here's an easy fix.

1) Hover over the photo you want to rotate and choose the "rotate left" or "rotate right" option

2) Repeat until image is oriented correctly

*Please note that these changes will not be reflected in "MyShutterfly". Only on your Share site.

How to delete a Share site page

To delete a page, choose the "Delete page..." option from the "Customize" menu. This will open a window with all your pages listed as shown here:

Why two Share sites are better than one

My name is Rachel B. and I’m the Community Manager here at Shutterfly. I’m sure you know Share sites are a great way to stay connected with the people in your life. But did you also know Share sites can help you easily manage your different activities and interests? – like family, your child’s classroom, school sports teams, and your groups? Here’s the important thing to remember. You don’t need to stuff everything into one Share site. Spread out a little!

For instance, I have one Share site for my travel activities, one for my close family, another for close friends, and another for my book club. Each site has a different list of members, and each contains content that is only relevant to that activity or interest. This makes it so much easier to communicate and collaborate with each of my groups. No more worrying about setting permissions or who’s going to see what. It’s all taken care of for me! Best of all, no more trying to stuff too many pages onto one site.

So if you’re feeling a little cramped, I highly recommend expanding your Share site universe. Create a family site and an “all my friends” site. If you’ve got ten sites, add a few more! Once you start expanding your Share site repertoire, you’ll discover that two sites (or more) are definitely better than one.

Don't forget to drag and drop

Moving Share site content from one position on a page to another is easy, especially when you use the drag-and-drop method.

1) Simply click on the title of your section, and drag it to position you want.

2) The section will instantly appear in its new position.

3) You can use the drag-and-drop method to move files or bookmarks from one position to another, too.

Hope that helps!

Randomize your film strip pictures

To randomize the pictures that appear in the film strip, go to your film strip and choose the "Edit section" option in the upper right hand corner of that section.

Then choose the "Slideshow" tab and change the "Picture order" option to "Random".

Create a memorable holiday video

Ah, the holidays. The air is cold, the fire is warm, and all your relatives are crammed into your living room. It’s time to get out that video camera! Here are a few tips and tricks to make capturing those precious, priceless family moments on video as easy as a Christmas pie.

Catch the Action in Order

Your holiday party begins with people walking in the door. So get some of that action on video! Then, throughout the night, pick up the camera to check in with the crowd. Some highlights you won’t want to miss are the unveiling of the main course, any present-opening that happens, and if you’re family sings carols of any kind, get that on film. You can use it later for blackmail!

Be Your Own Barbara Walters

This is something we stress a lot here at Motionbox, but only because it makes for great video, and it takes the pressure off you. Whether you’re filming the kids opening presents, or the family get-together, interview some people for the camera. You can ask them all the same question, or different ones each time. The answers may surprise you!

Keep Family Traditions Alive

Do your family or friends have a tradition they do every year, without fail? If so, get it on video! Even if you’re in the middle of the action, put the camera on and catch your perspective. It will be a memory you’ll want to go back to again and again.

Make a Holiday Mix

You know that video you’ve been getting throughout the night, in order? Mix it into one cohesive story! You can cut out any of the boring parts, and give everyone a real feel for how the day went. That’s when those shots of people walking in the door or leaving at the end of the night will come in handy.

We hope this helps in all your holiday video endeavors. Do you have any tips of your own? We want to hear them!

Happy Holidays!!

Customize your slide show

What is a slide show?

Instead of displaying your Share site photo albums in the album or thumbnail view like this:

Try displaying them in the slide show format like this (for a more dynamic viewing experience):

How to create a slide show

Create a slide show by adding a "Pictures and Albums" section to your Share site page then uploading your pictures to it. Now go into the "options" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your "Pictures and Albums" section and select the "slide show" option.

How to customize your slide show

Once your slide show is created, you can customize it to go faster or slower, or transition in different styles, like "Iris" or "Stretch".

To customize your slide show go into the "options" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your "Pictures and Albums" section and select "edit section". Now go to the "slide show" tab and change your options.

Thanksgiving video tips

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for family, friends…and massive overeating. It’s a beautiful thing, are we right? Don’t let this year go by without capturing some of that holiday magic on video! It’s a great opportunity to share your experience with friends and family who couldn’t make it, not to mention a whole lot of fun.

One of the biggest problems at the holidays is knowing what to shoot. You have all these people you love in one room, and you don’t want to spend the whole time behind a camera, nor do you want boring shots of everyone just talking. So here are a few ideas of what to catch with your camcorder. When you’re done, you can make a mix of your favorite moments, or just share it with the whole gang!

Must-Film Thanksgiving Moments:

- Making Dinner – you’ll want to get some footage of the bird in the oven, the cooks hard at work in the kitchen, and the drinking…don’t forget the drinking.

- Family and Friends – All these people in one room! Float around and get some footage of people talking, chatting, laughing…it will look great in the middle of your mix.

- Family Traditions – Do you guys make a big deal about splitting the wishbone? Drawing names for Christmas gifts? Film it!

- The Video Poll – One of the best ways to get some great video and engage people is to interview them. Ask everyone to tell you what they are most thankful for. You’ll likely find the answers range from sweet, to silly, to awesomely hilarious.

NEW! Find tagged pictures more easily

Order Tagged Pictures of You, Your Child, or Family and Friends

NEW! Auto-Reminder emails for volunteers!

Auto-Reminder Emails for Volunteers

To set reminders for existing sign-up sheets, go to the sign-up sheet and click "Edit details" to change the setting.

Halloween video tips

Small, costume-clad kids, murky lighting, and quick, spooky scares may make for a good Halloween, but they don't always make for a great video. We often bring our video cameras out on Halloween, but either forget to take it out or forget all the fun stuff! Here are some ideas for capturing great Halloween moments:

1) Getting ready for Halloween - Don't forget to get before, after, and in between shots as you get ready with costumes and make-up!

2) Trick or Treating - Whether you're going trick or treating with your kids or staying at home giving out candy, make sure to catch all the fun on video.

3) Spookiness all around - Get all the little details on video. Spooky lights, fun decorations, weird sounds - the environment around you is what makes Halloween what it is!

4) Lastly, we know how hard it is to get a good looking video in low light settings. Since you'll be getting more than enough treats today, here are some tricks to make sure you get the best video possible on Halloween night:

a) Slow Shutter Speeds - Lets more light in, and makes better use of the light you do have.
Less Zoom - Zooming in actually decreases the amount of light getting into the camera. Move in closer!
b) Low-Tech Lighting - When in doubt, bring a flashlight with you. This way, you can be assured a good picture.

Be safe and have fun!

Create a classified ad

Share Star Roger W. came up with another great Share site tip! Create a classified ad section with our easy-to-use milestone feature.

1) Create a Baby Milestone page or section. Remember to edit the title of the milestone page or section to "Classifieds", "For Sale" or whatever you think appropriate for your classified ads

2) Add a milestone to your classified ad section or page (use the"Other" category). Each milestone will serve as a listing. Make sure to upload an image of your sale item, and include your name and contact info, the condition of your sale item, and the asking price

Here's what your classified listing will look like:

Use your Calendar page as a party invite tool

Share Star Roger W shows us how he uses his Share site calendar page as a party invite tool. Thanks for the great tip Roger!

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Create a Calendar page by clicking the "Add page" link at the top of your Share site, and choosing the "Calendar" option

2) Add an event to the Calendar

3) Add a Sign Up section to the same page and change its name to "Attendance Sheet"

4) Ask members to sign up if they intend coming and specify "attending" as their task. I have test page here which demonstrates this feature

Comment on your photos to get more visits

Commenting on your photos is another great way to get more Share site visits. A short description, or a simple thought. Even better – a question! These extra bits of information will draw people in, and they take no time at all.

How to comment on your photo

Click on a photo in your Share site album. At the bottom of your photo you'll see a comments section. Write your comment and click "Add".

Tag your pictures and you'll get more visits

A sure-fire way to get your site members to visit more often is by tagging them in your Share site pictures. It takes just seconds.

How to tag a photo

Click on a photo in your Share site album, then click on the “Add name tags” link at the bottom of your photo. Type or select a name to tag , and click “Add tag”. The Share site member you tagged will receive an automated email notification.

NEW picture views!

Have you noticed that your Share site pictures are looking better than ever? That's because we just redesigned the picture album pages to optimize your viewing experience.

Notice how the album pages highlight your images more effectively.

The views of your individual photos look more stunning too.

And our new product menu at the top of each album and photo makes it even easier for you (and your Share site visitors!) to do more with your pictures. Just scroll over the menu to start ordering prints, photo books, cards, calendars and photo gifts.

Do more with tagged pictures!

Viewing tagged pictures on your Share site helps you easily turn your favorite shots into memorable keepsakes.

Here's how.

Go to your "tag results page" to view all of your tagged pictures. To get to the tag result page, find a picture that has been tagged and click on the "photos" link next to the tag.

Create a photo book

If a tag has been used in 20 or more pictures, look for the "View photo book" link on the right to see a pre-made photo book of those pictures.

This is especially useful if you belong to a Sports or Classroom share site. The "tag results page" helps you easily identify pictures so you can instantly turn your favorites into a photo book or poster.

If you have a family Share site, you can tag family members and quickly make a photo book for mom, dad, and siblings.

Create photo gifts

You can also make other photo gifts from your "tag results page" – like cards, posters, and more.

Find Pictures Easier with Tagging!

You can now tag pictures with people on your site member list and site roster!

Why tag a picture

Tagging helps you easily find images of specific people. It's also a great way to let people know you've posted pictures of them, because members are sent email notifications when they're tagged!

How to tag a picture

There are two ways to tag.

1) Go to an individual picture and look for the "Tag this picture" link under the picture.

2) Tag all the pictures in an album by clicking on the "tag pictures" link on your album page.

How to find tagged pictures your site

Go to the "Recent Activity" section and look for entries that tell you who's been tagged.

Who can tag pictures on your site

People who can comment on your site will be able to tag the pictures.

Use Share sites to plan your party

Are you in party planning mode? Our Share site sign-up sheets make it easy to assign party planning tasks. Perfect for potlucks, beach BBQs, and more. Here's how.

Create an event on your Share site calendar and add a “Sign-up sheet” section to the page. The event allows you to create tasks for that event. The sign-up sheet lets your Share site members sign-up for tasks. You may assign tasks to your members. Or if you prefer, let members sign up themselves.

Thanks Erica G for providing the inspiration behind this tip!

How to rotate your Shutterfly video

Share site owner DebMiesen tells us how to rotate your Shutterfly video after it has been uploaded to your account. It's easy! Just go to your Shutterfly MyPictures section!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we're going to let Deb's screenshots do the talking. See below.

Thanks for the fantastic tip, Deb!

How to change the title of a Share site page

To change the tab name of a page, select "Edit page info..." from the "Customize" menu. This will open a window like the following:

Please note that it's the "Link title" which shows in the tab list. Also note that this option is not available for the "Home" page.

Cell Phones That Shoot Video

Cell phones are a unique creature in the world of videos. Their ability to record video might be overshadowed by the quality offered by ultra-compact camcorders. However, the cell phone’s ability to instantly send videos to video sharing sites such as Motionbox allows for arguably the smoothest and most rapid way to get your personal videos seen by the outside world. In the spirit of recognizing this avenue of video distribution, here are five phones that offer exceptional possibilities to the cell shooter:

iPhone 3GS - The latest incarnation of Apple’s wonderphone now adds video recording to its laundry list of features. While it offers no more raw recording quality then the other phones featured here (all offer at least 640x480 vga resolution at 30fps), it does carry forth the iPhone’s knack for slick touchscreen interfaces with its trimmer, which allows users to slide their fingers along a timestrip to select in and end points for videos. And that goes without mentioning the wealth of third party apps which may further the iPhone’s video capabilities. You can view your Motionbox videos easily on the iPhone too!

Samsung Omnia II - Those looking for a little extra cinematic flair may wish to turn to Samsung’s Omnia II. While not true HD, the Omnia gives more width then your standard video-phone, offering a video resolution of 720x480. It also offers an impressive suite of in-phone editing features including trimming, dubbing, and even custom subtitles, all features perfect for those who wish to send their videos straight to the web without wasting time editing on a computer.

Sony Ericsson Aino - Sony’s sleek multimedia phone offers a respectable VGA 30fps quality of recording. Its ace in the hole, however, is an emphasis on syncing with every item of someone’s home network. Aside from wireless computer syncing, it offers users the unique ability to sync with and access Playstation 3 systems. For someone who’s big into interconnectivity, this could be a dream product: a phone that can be effectively integrated into one’s home network.

Samsung Instinct HD - Though Samsung’s Instinct HD offers few bells and whistles in its video package, it arguably doesn’t need them. True to its name, the Instinct HD is the first cell phone capable of shooting video in dedicated 720p HD. Granted, image quality isn’t going to be beating dedicated camcorders anytime soon, but resolution junkies should take note of this initial foray into what will likely become a big trend in cell phones.

Nokia N95 - Though the Nokia N95 bills itself more as a camera-phone, many of the same features used to enhance its photographic abilities can be enjoyed by videographers. A precision Carl Zeiss lens, for instance, will make for crisp videos and photos alike, and an image stabilization system typically used for still shots is also employed in the N95’s video mode as a steady shot mode.

Give your “What's New” page a trim

Have you recently added a bunch of updates to your Share site, but don't want them to clog your "What's New" page? Or do you prefer to only show the most recent updates instead of the entire list? Here's a quick way to trim it down.

1) Go to the “options” menu in the upper right-hand corner of your “What’s New” list and click on “edit section”

2) In the dialogue box the appears, change the number in “Display up to XX most recent activities” to your desired number. Then click save.

3) Now your list looks nice and trim!

video uploading tip - don't compress!

Here is another set of useful ideas to help you with your Share site videos. Tip #6? Don't compress your videos before uploading!

While it's true that smaller videos mean faster uploads, here's our advice to you: do *not* compress/transcode/convert/re-size your videos before uploading them! Always upload the original source files. We want your personal videos to look their absolute best, and the less they're transcoded, the better.

I know uploading can be a pain sometimes. Videos are usually very big files, and who has all day? Set your videos to upload before you sleep at night, or before leaving for work in the morning.

No excuses now; don't compress your videos if you don't have to. It's less work for you this way, anyway!

Find the Camcorder that's right for you

The internet has changed the face of video forever. With sites like Motionbox making personal video sharing easier than ever, it’s not hard to see why everyone wants in on the action, as would-be internet sensations turn to cameras emphasizing portability, ease of use, and rapid uploading to the internet. Budding videographers aren’t the only people aware of the web video craze. Camera makers have raced to meet the demand for web friendly cameras, releasing a multitude of easy to use camcorders small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet able to pack an HD punch. With this in mind, here’s a rundown of some of the leading ultra-compact camcorders on the market today that’ll get you on the Internet in record time.

Flip Mino HD -The Flip camera was arguably the first serious hit in the ultra-compact web-friendly camcorder craze. Though its 720p HD sensor still needs to catch up with some of its competitors, the Flip MinoHD continues to up the ante with a smaller, yet sturdier metal frame, stereo audio, and internal memory (up to 8GB) that’s perfect for those who don’t want the hassle of managing memory cards.

Sony Webbie HD Camera MHS-PM1 - Sony’s foray into web cameras boasts a useful swiveling lens head, allowing for greater flexibility while filming. Its suite of features includes an audio recorder function, Memory-Stick PRO Duo slot for upgradable storage space, and an impressive 1080p HD resolution.

Kodak Zi8 - In addition to offering one of the sleeker designs of camcorders in its class, Kodak utilizes many features in the 1080p Kodak Zi8 normally seen in still cameras. Image stabilization, face tracking, and a macro focus setting add up to a camera that puts visual control in the hands of the user.

AIPTEK PenCam HD - For when your camera can’t possibly get any smaller, turn to the aptly named AIPTEK PenCam HD. Its small size (though more highlighter than pen) is clearly the PenCam HD’s primary draw, as its technical features are fairly standard: 720p HD video stored in 4GB of internal memory. It does hold one unusual perk, however, in an MP3 player.

iPod Nano - Yes, it shoots video too. The latest incarnation of the iPod Nano now includes video recording. The Nano’s still an MP3 player first and foremost, offering 640 x 480 resolution video with few bells and whistles outside of some filters. However, unlike other camcorders pictured here, you are getting an iPod with your camcorder, making an enticing offer for those who want an all-in-one electronic solution.

Editing your "What's new" page

Have you checked out the NEW "What's new" page on your Share site? If not, stop reading, and go here to learn more.

If you HAVE seen your "What's new" page, here are a couple of tips on how to customize it.

Delete a comment
Want to delete a comment from your "What's new" page? It’s easy. Simply click the image connected with the comment and you’ll see a delete option next to it.

Change your “What's New” permission settings
Do you only want site Members to see the latest activities on your "What's new" page? Just click the “Customize” link in the upper right-hand corner, choose “Edit page permissions”, and select who can view the page.

Take control of your permission settings

Did you know you can control your permission settings by site level, page level or even section level?

For example, you can prevent visitors from ordering images but allow members to order. You can also prevent visitors from seeing or commenting on a page or section, but allow members to see or comment on it.

This flexibility allows you to customize your site for your different audiences.

Here’s how to set your permissions at each level

SITE LEVEL PERMISSIONS (sets permissions for entire Share site)

Go to your “Customize” menu in the upper right-hand corner of your Share site page, and select “Edit site permissions”
The “General” tab allows you to set who can view, comment on, contribute, edit, or customize the site
The “Advanced” tab allows you to set who order and save photos and photo books, who can download pictures and videos, who can email or forward site content, and who can link to your Share site

PAGE LEVEL PERMISSIONS (sets permissions for a specific Share site page)

Go to your “Customize” menu in the upper right-hand corner of your Share site page, and select “Edit page permissions”
Set who can view, comment on, contribute, edit, or customize the page

SECTION LEVEL PERMISSIONS (sets permissions for a specific Share site section)

Hover over the “Options” link in the upper right-hand corner of your section
Click “Edit section”
Click on the the “Permissions” tab
Set who can view, comment on, contribute, edit, or customize the section

Hope that helps!

Team roster for BIG kids

Our Share site team talks a lot about youth sports, but we know Share sites are for adult teams too. That's why we've created a roster section specifically for High School and adult sports teams.

The "Adult Roster" option can be seen under the "Collaborate" tab when you create a new section. No parent information is required in THIS player list. Only the player name, and cell/home phone if you choose.

For a nice example of the adult team roster in use, check out the Sandite Football site.

Share site videos - do-it-yourself tripod

While tripods are great, there are some tricks you can try to do to keep your camcorder steady, even when you don't have a tripod on hand, and no matter what situation you're in. Here are a few:

1) Use your body: Make sure to keep both arms snug against your body to limit movement.Or, you can bring your elbows into your body and press the camcorder against your face.
2) Use some props: Try resting your camera on a table, a bookshelf, a tree branch, or even someone else's shoulder!
3) Lean against something: If you don't have a horizontal surface to rest your camera on, find a vertical one and lean on it yourself!
4) Kneel, don't squat: For low angles, it's best if you kneel while shooting, instead of squatting. You'll be more stable.
5) Be gentle: Whether you're zooming in or out, or getting ready to end your video or just pressing pause, make sure you press any buttons on the camera gently and take your time.

Lastly, always remember that practice makes perfect!

Message boards - deleting topics and messages

Need to delete a topic or message from your Share site message boards? See below for easy instructions.

DELETE TOPICS

You can delete a topic by right mouse clicking on the topic title (or the name of the poster) and choosing the "Delete topic" option

DELETE MESSAGES WITHIN TOPICS

If you just want to delete a message within a topic, click on the downward pointing arrow head next to "options" for the forum section and choose either "Message list" or "Message summary". Then, to delete a message, right mouse click on the message title (or the name of the poster) and choose the "Delete message" option.

FOR MACS

If you don't have a right mouse button because you have a MAC, move the mouse over the topic or the message. When you do this, a downward pointing arrow will appear on the right side of the item. Mouse over this arrow and the same menu as above appears. Choose either the "Delete topic" or the "Delete message" as needed.

Share site videos - more on lighting

For best video results, avoid shooting your subjects when the major light source is behind them, because the camera will pick up the strongest light source, making your subject go dark.

Also, if you are shooting in bright light, make sure you don’t have too much light reaching the camera. Your viewfinder should still show detail in the bright areas.

your site url - make it last

Since your Share site address cannot be changed once you create your Share site, we highly recommend you choose a url that will last you for the long haul.

For instance, if you are setting up a Sports Share site, instead of using the address cougars2009.shutterfly.com, make it cougars.shutterfly.com. That way it will apply to multiple seasons instead of just one.

Or if you're starting a baby site, instead of using babyemily.shutterfly.com, try emily.shutterfly.com, so the url will be applicable when Emily is older.

Same with family sites. Instead of bassfamilyreunion.shutterfly.com, try bassfamily.shutterfly.com. Now the site can apply to everything pertaining to the family, not just one event.

Sneak peek - instant photo book

We recently introduced Simple Path, a new easy way to get a ready-made photo book in just minutes. Find one on your Share site today. Here's how:

1) Create a new album in a Share site photo section (with 20 to 150 of your photos)

2) Click on the "View album" link

3) To the right of your album, you will see a photo book that has been automatically created for you (using the images you uploaded).

4) Click on the photo book to view (and customize if you choose). If you like what you see, it's yours to order.

Share site videos - don't forget the lighting

One of the key principles you need to remember when trying to make your video look good is adequate lighting. A well-lit video, even one shot with a basic, home video camera, generally always looks way better than a video that is poorly-lit, even if a fancy, expensive camera was used to make it! Here are some helpful tips:

Using daylight is usually the best source of light. So if you're in a room with lots of sun shining in, you're most likely already on your way to making a video you'll be happy with. If you're indoors though and don't have much natural light coming in through, you have to be a little extra careful and sometimes creative.

Try to use as many existing lights and lamps in the room to increase the room's overall light level. If there aren't too many lamps in your home, here's a quick tip: use a light reflector. Light reflectors help bounce existing light into areas that need it. They're awesome for creating highlights and eliminating shadows too!

Share site videos - try a tripod

Most people think tripods are only for professional videographers. They think, "why would I need a tripod for my home videos?" The truth is, you probably don't *need* a tripod. There are certain gadgets out there that aren't always *necessary* for good video, but sure can make movie-making easier and more fun.

Usually, most of what seems amateur about amateur video is a shaking camera. So if you've always wanted to make your videos better and didn't know exactly where to start, investing in a tripod is one idea!

A video tripod is a three-legged stand that's designed to hold your camera steady while you shoot video. It'll help you from moving the camera too abruptly, tilting it slightly, or jerking it accidentally. Tripods are widely available and are probably cheaper than you think!

Your tripod doesn't need to be pricey, but as with most things in life, when you buy a tripod, you get what you pay for. Try to get one that has strong legs and bracing, a fluid head, and isn't too heavy for you to carry around.

Migrating appointments from one calendar to another

This tip comes in handy if you want to move old Share site calendar appointments into your newly upgraded calendar module.

1) Go to the "Options" menu in the upper right-hand corner of your first calendar (you must be signed in)

2) Click on "Export calendar"

3) A dialogue box will appear. Click the "Download" button, then choose "Save file". Save the calendar file to your computer

4) Go to your second (new) calendar, choose the "Options" menu in the upper-right hand corner, and click on "Import Calendar"

5) Click the "Browse" button to find and choose the calendar file you uploaded to your computer

6) Click "import iCalendar file". The events from your first calendar should appear in your second (new) calendar

Snack schedules aren't just for sports

You may have noticed some new "Youth Sports" features available on your Share site, such as the "snack schedule".

What you may not know is that the "Snack schedule" feature isn't just useful for sports. It can actually be used for any type of event that requires assigned duties: class field trips, class parties, recurring family gatherings, etc.

Here's how to use the "Snack schedule" feature for your kind of event.

1) Create a "Calendar" section with your upcoming event or events (found under the "Collaborate" tab). Make sure you choose the "Game" option under "Event type" for each of your events.

2) Create a "Youth team roster" section (found under "Collaborate" tab) listing all event participants. If your event isn't sports related, you can easily change the name of this section to better describe your event.

3) Set up a "Snack schedule" feature, where participants can sign up for duties at each event (found under "Collaborate" tab). Again, if the event isn't sports related, you can easily change the section name to better suit your needs

Learn by example

Just created your Share site and not quite sure what to do next? Or maybe you’ve owned your Share site for awhile and need a little inspiration to spruce it up?

Check out these Share sites created by site owners just like you:

Family Share sites
Travel Share sites
Group Share sites/Sports and Classroom

Who knows…you might even make some new Share site friends along the way.

Copying and pasting into text sections

Having trouble editing the font you just copied into your text section? Here’s a solution.

The reason you’re having problems changing the look of your text, is because Share site sections always keep your text's original format.

To avoid this problem, do one of two things:

1) type the text directly into the section instead of copying and pasting.

Or

2) Copy your text into “Notepad” (Notepad is a common application that strips formatting) then paste it into your text section.

Now your copy can be easily formatted.

How to change your Share site title and address (url)

Want to change the title of your Share site or create a new Share site address? Here’s how.

Change your Share site TITLE
Just because you’ve already created your share site doesn’t mean you can’t go back and change its title. Just follow these easy steps.

Create a new Share site address
You can’t actually change the url on your existing site, but you CAN create a new site with the url you want, then copy all of your current content to your new site. Just follow these easy steps.

Create an instant page list

Do you have a lot of pages on your Share site? Then we suggest creating a page list, so you and your visitors can instantly find them. Makes it easier for you to keep track of your pages, too!

How to create an instant page list

1) Click the “Add other sections” link on the page you want to display your list. We suggest your home page.

2) When the dialogue box appears, click the “More” tab. Then choose the “Pages” option and click “Add section”

3) A complete list of your pages will now appear. To change the title of your list, click “Pages” at the top of the section and enter the name of your choice

Managing your Address Book and Members List

Managing your Address Book entries:

Sometimes you need to do some house cleaning to your address book. Maybe your address import process did not work as expected and you didn’t catch it in time, you imported the wrong addresses or you need to remove entries you no longer need.

1) On the My Shutterfly page, under the More Information section select Address Book

2) Select All Contacts from the drop down box:

You will now see list of all your contacts with a check box to the left of the name and an edit button to the right.

3) If you are deleting addresses select all the addresses to be removed and use the Delete Selected link to the right of the address box. You can also edit address entries to correct errors or update someone’s information.

Your Address Book entries are not linked to your Member List for your Share Sites so updates to your address book will not carry over to your member list. If you update an entry in the Address Book you will have to also make the changes in your Member List on your Share Site. See below for instructions on how to manager your Member List.

Managing Your Member List:

1) On the Homepage of your Share Site Select Members and Show Members List

At the Top of the Member List is Edit with a Check Box next to it

2) If you want to clear your member list put a check in the box to the left of the Edit text and it will select all your members and you then click on the Remove button right below.

3) If you are looking to only remove specific entries, place a check in the box to the left of each Members Entry and at the top of the page it will track how many members are selected. When done making your selection, go to the top or bottom of the page and select the Remove button.

Your member list is not linked to your Address Book so adding and removing entries from your Member list does not change the information in your Address Book.

If you want to re-import information from your email address book it is best to clear all the incorrect entries from your member list and then from your address book and restart the import process to your Address Book. Once that is successful, then you can Add Members on your Share Site through the Members Menu shown above.

Tip provided by Share Star Jenette K.

Copying content from one site to another

Did you know you can easily copy content from one share site to another?

This feature comes in handy when you want to create new sections or pages with content you’ve already posted. Great time saver.

The feature also makes it easy to perfect content on a “practice” site, then copy it to your regular site when it’s ready for prime time.

Finally, the copy feature is a great back-up tool. If you’re worried about accidentally clicking those “delete” buttons, we highly recommend copying your pages to a back-up share site.

How to copy a page
1) Go to your “Customize” menu in the upper-right hand corner of your share site page.
2) Click “Copy page”
3) Choose your destination site
4) Click “Copy”

How to copy a section
1) Go to your “Options” menu in the upper-right hand corner of your share site section
2) Click on “Copy section”
3) Choose your destination site
4) Click “Copy”

Notification emails for site owners and members

What are notification emails?

Notification emails provide updates about changes made to a site, and give members a way to comment on a site without visiting it directly. Both owners and members can choose how often they want to send or receive email notifications.

How to change your notification frequency

Owners

While creating a share site, you will go through some initial steps, the last one being “Keep others up-to-date”. This gives you the option to select how often your members receive email updates for your share site. The default setting is “Weekly”, but you also have the option for “Immediately”, “Daily” and “Monthly” updates.

As an owner, you always have the option to go back and change the frequency of your notification emails. Just click the “Members” tab in the top right-hand corner of your share site, then click “Edit my settings”. Under the outgoing email tab you’ll see the option for “Immediately”, “Daily”, "Weekly", “Monthly” or “Never”*.

Members

You have the option to customize your notification settings regardless of the site owner’s default setting. Simply sign in to that share site and click the “Members” option in the upper right hand corner of the site. Then select “Show members list”, or click “Edit member settings” under your name in the “Members” section. From there, select the “Outgoing E-Mail” tab and choose how often you want to be updated.

* Changing notification settings will only affect members that join your site after the change has been made. Anyone that joined before you made the change will still receive their emails at the previous setting. If you want to change your settings for existing members, go to your members list and change each member’s setting manually.

View your photo album pictures in three different sizes

You can view your album pictures in three different sizes - small, medium and large - by clicking on an album title, going to the "single album" view, and clicking on the thumbnail size that you want.

Small format

Medium format

Large format

More information about your permission settings

Quickly choose who does what on your share site, by following the below steps.

1) Click the "Change site permissions" link in your settings menu (upper right-hand corner of your share page).

2) A dialogue box will appear, which allows you to choose what your members and visitors can do. You can allow visitors to view, comment, or contribute. You can allow members to do all of the above plus edit or customize. There is also an option to create roles with customized capabilities.

3) Go to your Advanced tab to determine who can save images, order images, or share your site content to other places on the web.

4) Use your Membership tab to determine who can add members, who can use the email functions, and who can see your members list.

How to add feeds

How to add feeds from other sites

1) Click the “add other sections…” link on your share site page
2) In the dialogue box that appears, click the “More” tab, choose the “Feeds” option, and click the “add section” button

3) In your new feeds section, click the “add feed” link
4) In the dialogue box that appears, select the tab that applies to you: choosing from popular feeds, entering a specific feed’s url, uploading a feed from your files, or searching for a feed. The below image shows how to enter a specific feed’s url

5) Once you’ve uploaded and added a feed, content from the feed will automatically populate in your new section

6) To edit the look of your feed, click on the “options” menu in the upper right-hand corner of your feed section

Two ways to create collages on your share site

Create a new collage page

1) “Add new page” to your share site, and choose the “Collage page” template. A new page will be created with three rows of “Featured pictures” section.

2) Just like the normal “Featured pictures” section, you can use the options menu in the upper-left corner of each row to choose how many pictures to display in that row. To add additional rows, click the “Add section” link and choose “Featured Pictures.” (Note: “Featured pictures” section can only be added to the “top” column of a page”.) A new row will be added the collage.

3) Click on the “Change picture” links to replace the samples with your own pictures.

Add more rows to your “Featured pictures” section

1) Click the “Add section” link and choose “Featured Pictures.” (Note: “Featured pictures” section can only be added to the “top” column of a page”.) A new row of “Featured Pictures” will be added.

2) Just like the normal “Featured pictures” section, you can use the options menu in the upper-left corner of each row to choose how many pictures to display in that row.

3) Click on the “Change picture” links to replace the samples with your own pictures.

Keeping your photo albums safe

Have you ever accidentally deleted a photo album from your share site and realized you didn’t have a back-up in your Shutterfly account? Ouch!

Here are a couple simple tips to keep your albums safe, even if that “delete” button tempts you again.

TIP 1
Always upload your images to your Shutterfly account first - before adding them to your share site. This allows you to have a copy of your images as back-up. Plus, if the images are in your Shutterfly account, you’ll easily be able to take advantage of other Shutterfly products and services like photo books, cards, stationery, calendars, and more.

TIP 2
Before you copy an album from your Shutterfly account to your share site, organize your photos in the order you want them to be viewed. To make sure the image order is maintained when you copy the album to your site, clear your cache and cookies from your browser*.

Now that you've taken these precautions, should you accidently delete one of your albums, retrieving it is as simple as clicking the "Add new album" link, then copying that album from your account back into your share site.

Clearing your cache and cookies

For Internet Explorer users: Click on tools and select "Internet Options". A box will pop up with multiple tabs and you'll want to select the tab that says "General". From there, click the "Delete" tab under the browser history and wait for the hourglass to disappear; you're ready to go after that.

For Firefox users: Click the "tools" option in the menu bar and click the "Privacy" tab at the top of the box that pops up. In the middle of the box, it should say "Cookies". Click the "Show Cookies" tab and then click the "Remove all cookies" tab when that box pops up. Right underneath that section is a section titled Private Data. You can access that section to clear your cache, and once cleared, you should be ready to go.

Keeping your share site journals safe

If you have a quick finger and tend to accidentally click things that say "delete" (we've all had those days!), consider copying your journal entries as a safeguard.

We recommend copying your entries into Notepad for PC users and TextEdit for Mac users. Applications like Word for Windows are not recommended because they use code that is incompatible with our share sites.

Making copies of your journals and saving them in Notepad or TextEdit will make it easy to restore your information should any unfortunate accidents happen.

Cropping your feature pictures

Take advantage of Shutterfly's cropping and zooming features so that you capture more of the bright happy faces and less of the uninteresting backgrounds.

Before

After

How to:
1) Click on "Edit picture" in the lower right-hand corner of your image.

2) Use the "Zoom" slider to for zooming in on the image, and the drag and drop feature to move the image.

Tip provided by Share Star Melinda Y.

Managing notification emails

When you initially set up your Share site, you have the option of sending automated updates to your members on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. You can also choose to send updates on an individual basis, by selecting Immediately.

If you want to change your notification frequency after your share site has been created, go to your "Members" menu (located at the top right-hand corner of your Share site page) and select the "Edit my settings" option.

A dialogue box will appear. Choose the "Outgoing E-Mail" tab and select your preferred notification frequency. Click the "Save" button to update your settings.