Flock 1.0 Released

I haven't been doing all that many software related posts of late purely because there hasn't been anything out there that has "changed my world" for a while. However, with the public release this week of the only true social browser out there, Flock 1.0, I guess it's about time I share this specialised web browser with everyone else.

Personally, I made the switch to Flock about a month ago when the private beta testing period of v1.0 was unleashed. Already an avid fan of the Firefox engine upon which Flock has been built, I only had to read the first few added benefits of the switch to Flock to get the download and installation process underway.

So to get started, let's take a quick look at why you would even want to consider switching to a different web browser, especially one you haven't heard of before.

Flock is Firefox on social steroids...

When you think about it, there's really only one, maybe two pieces of software that you use daily without fail. I'm willing to bet that one of those applications is your chosen web browser. If you're someone who values your web browsing experience then you will undoubtedly have already made the switch from that awful Internet Explorer rubbish to the super slick, user friendly Firefox platform.

Well Flock is basically Firefox (it's exactly the same engine under the hood), with a series of tools built right into the browser to enhance your user experience when using popular social media web services such as the almighty Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, del.icio.us and more!

In fact, it has been reported that the crew at "Flock" have tweaked the Firefox engine a little to enhance the performance and stability of the program - and as far as I can tell - it's worked!

Keep up-to-date with all of your friends

Flock allows you to know instantly know when your friends on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter and other networks update their status and add items to their profile all from the one convenient side bar. You can also complete actions directly from the sidebar. Search for a specific friend and then send messages, link to profiles and more directly from the sidebar - it's so damn convenient!

Share links, photos and more with drag and drop

Found a cool link on the web you'd like to share with a Facebook contact? Simply drag and drop the link onto your contacts panel in the sidebar a pre-formatted message dialogue magically appears!

Share those awesome photos you find on Flickr with other photo-appreciating Flickr buddies. It's as simple as drag and drop, add a message and send!

Keep an eye on your favourite photographers and media publishers

Through the magic of RSS feeds, you can keep an eye on the latest photos uploaded by your Flickr and Photobucket contacts as well as be the first to know when videos are released by your favourite media sites.

All this happens right inside your browser via the cool media bar - you don't have to go looking for updates ever again!

Photo uploading has never been easier

Drag and drop your photos ready for upload into the Flock photo uploader, add titles, descriptions, tags and more to your photos one at a time or in batches and then upload them straight to your Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook or Piczo accounts with a couple of clicks.

This tool is a dream and I have used it nearly everyday since I got it!

Blog directly from within your browser

Bloggers who use any of the main Blogging services such as Blogger, LiveJournal, Typepad, Wordpress, Xanaga and more can complete formatted Blog entries with ease. Drag images, movies and other media items from the Flock media and drop them into your Blog entry. Flock takes care of all the coding for you!

An ultra handy web clipboard is included

Forget about only being able to add one image, link or passage of text to your clipboard at a time. Flock's Web Clipboard enables you to gather a bunch of items to use later - all controlled by a nifty sidebar.

Control your bookmarks and favourite sites all in the one place

Flock's seamless integration with popular social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and Magnolia allow you to keep control of all your favourite websites both locally within your browser and also on the web for all your friends to access.

Always be informed in "Your World"

Flock's "My World" feature allows you to always be informed of the latest changes on your favourite news and media sites with a built in RSS reader/notifier. "Netvibes" has received a lot less attention from me since Flock entered my world... and that's really saying something!

Of course there's plenty more awesome features that go together to make Flock easily the best FREE web browser on the market right now, but it wouldn't be much fun if I didn't leave some of them to find for yourself!

Finally, if you're a serious "Firefox Add-On" addict, never fear. My own testing proves that you will still be able to install your favourite Firefox browser extras into Flock as well as check out a few exciting new extras that have been written for Flock specifically.

With so many benefits and my own personal endorsement (not that my word counts for anything), you've got no excuse not to at least give Flock a test drive and see if it doesn't make your social browsing online life a lot simpler and more convenient.

Visit the Flock website at www.flock.com to find out more and download your own copy now!

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