I signed up for a FilmLoop (FL) invitation some time ago and yesterday received an invite to check it out. Here some pictures and description on my first experience with the program.

After installing and registering your account which asks for first name, last name, email address, age range, gender, zip code and country you’ll see the main Filmloop screen pictured above.

By clicking on the “network” link beneath the loop, a new window called Loop Organizer appears (pictured above). In this window you can search for other loops to subscribe and check out. The following top level cateogries for loops are: Public (this is where any loops you want to share publically are placed), Art, Entertainment, Humor, Interests, News, Places and Sports.

I clicked the “create” link to make my first ever loop which would come from eight pictures taken from our family vacation version 4. We visited the Enchanted Park along I-5 near Portland, Oregon.

I opened Windows Explorer and sized the window so it would make it easy to drag and drop right into the FL window. You can change the order of the pictures by clicking the picture in FL and dragging the frame to the right or left in the order you want to stream. The furthest to the left will be the very first picture in the loop and all the way to the right is the end of the loop.

Next click on the first picture and you can tag the loop and add a more descriptive title.

By default any loop created is not public, so if you want it to be available to any FilmLoop member, you need to open up the Loop Options box and check a box. The Loop Options box is accessed by right clicking and choosing “Loop Options and Members”.

To make your loop public, check the box labelled “List this Loop in the FilmLoop Public Directory.” I did that but still couldn’t find my loop in the public area. Maybe it isn’t immediately available? Moderated?

A few minutes later it appeared so submissions are either cached or it is moderated to keep inappropriate content from being publically shared.

This area is also where you invite others to view your loop. I just checked the website and don’t see any way to directly download the software yet, so the only way to “get in the loop” (their cliche, not mine) is to have somebody who is already invited send you an invite. I don’t know if you are going to end up on any lists because I’m new to FL too, so use an easy disposable email address just in case.

Also, I don’t know how many invites I’m allowed to share (don’t see any counter), but I will invite as many of you Hmm readers that want an invite for the rest of the month of October 2005, just leave a comment with your email address so I can send along the invite. If I run out of invites, it becomes November, or find out that I’m not supposed to do this when I learn more, then this offer will become void.

Those reading this in November 2005 or later, maybe they will open up downloads to all by then or perhaps you can still sign up like I did and maybe they will send you an invite directly like they did me.

Here is how Filmloop looks on the desktop, just above the Windows start bar, sort of like a stock ticker with pictures with each picture leading to a gallery.

To see only my loop I needed to unsubscribe from the default loops that come with the system. Basically any loop you view will be automatically subscribed to and when you minimize you’ll see the loop streaming across the bottom of your screen.

I’m not seeing much business usage for this program beyond perhaps networking with friends, family. Maybe sharing creenshots of applications would be a business use, or sharing inspection photos. FilmLoop is ad supported but the ads aren’t intrusive which is a plus. They sandwich the ads in the loop between each loop and when you blow up a picture in the corners. No popups.

This seems more or less a tool for play, sharing pictures with others sort of like Flickr but without the API and web based interactivity. No RSS feeds, no blog interaction yet, at least. Maybe that comes later after more members have joined and more content is added? It’s a little different spin on picture sharing, but doesn’t really wow me. Definitely could wow me if there was some website interaction, RSS feeds, perhaps even OPML of your favorite loops. Sharing within a Windows application feels like 1999, not really 2005. Grade: C+

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