Splat

FAQ on river.li

What is river.li?
Why should I use river.li?
Does river.li replace trackbacks?
What languages is river.li available in?
How do I share a network I found with others?
What is a rvr.li link?
How do I contribute something on a river.li network?
Can I post something directly from a web page that I'm viewing?
Can I publish my contributions to Twitter and Facebook?
How do I delete a contribution I made?
How do I add my blog post or web page to a network?
How do I change my username or password?
Can I add my Twitter or Facebook profile to my account?
I can't remember my password - what do I do?
Why do I get a "Session not found" screen when trying to login?
How do I delete my account?

What is river.li?

river.li provides a way to create networks of related content & people of interest. It offers an efficient way to discover people and relevant content found on other blogs and websites. With river.li, you can also track blog and twitter conversations on the network topic.

The network is visible in a rich-media sidebar that can be opened over any connected blog post or web page. So anything that gets added to the network is instantly visible everywhere else.

Why should I use river.li?

Here are some of the reasons you may want to use river.li:

  • make your blog post visible on many other destinations
  • show you readers, right on your blog, detailed extracts of related blog posts, latest comments and Twitter mentions
  • discover people of interest, whether they are other bloggers, blog commenters, on Twitter, Facebook or FriendFeed
  • discover related content proposed by humans and not an algorithm
  • share recommendations or insights across blogs and web pages

Does river.li replace trackbacks?

If you want yes. Currently, the ways in which similar blog posts are connected is done through trackbacks. But such a trackback only creates a link between 2 web pages, each missing out on further connections the other has. river.li pools all these disparate links in a network. Connecting your page to such a network makes it visible not on just one other blog, but on many others as well. Also, detailed extracts found elsewhere is presented in a rich-media sidebar to make discovering of content, sites, and people easier and faster.

What languages is river.li available in?

river.li is available in English and French for now. The language used in the sidebar is automatically set to your browser's language. For our website, you can select the preferred language on the top-right.

How do I share a network I found with others?

Found a river that you know could interest some of your friends? Make sure to share & promote it to them!

Any network can easily be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Delicious and many more.

To do so, look for the following button:

Clicking it will open the following dialog:

This is where you will find the dedicated network rvr.li permalink (see below), as well as the well known Share menu that will automate the posting of that permalink on your preferred web service.

What is a rvr.li link?

A rvr.li is the permalink to a content network. A rvr.li will open the network sidebar on the first page added to the network, where it all started if you want. It is nice & short for easy usage on say Twitter.

How do I contribute something on a river.li network?

Anyone can contribute some insight, opinion or link recommendation to a content network, and know that it will reach like-minded people, on many different blogs and websites.

In the sidebar, look for the following button:

Clicking it will open the following dialog:

If you are not logged in, do so using an existing web identity of yours, e.g. Twitter or Facebook. Write what's on your mind and optionally provide a link. If you do add a link to your contribution, we will automatically extract the following information about it if available:

  • blog post or web page title
  • blog name
  • 300 first characters of blog post
  • blog comments (that will be updated regularly)
  • embedded object such as a YouTube video, Scribd document, Flickr photo album...

A soon as you hit Submit, it will be instantly and automatically visible on all other connected blogs and websites. It's as if you posted a comment on many different blog posts - with just one click!

Can I post something directly from a web page that I'm viewing?

Yes. Add the dedicated content network bookmarklet (found in the contribution dialog - see above) to your browser toolbar and you'll be able to share any web page to this network with just a couple of clicks. We will automatically extract title, text, video and comments (whenever we can) from any page you share!

Can I publish my contributions to Twitter and Facebook?

Yes. Whenever you make a contribution and are signed-in to river.li with your Twitter of Facebook account, you will see in the "To:" field "Your Facebook friends" or "Your Twitter followers". This indicates that your contribution will also be posted on Facebook or Twitter. You can remove that option by clicking the "x".

How do I delete a contribution I made?

To delete a contribution you made, go to your river.li dashboard, select the appropriate network, click Edit, find the contribution you want to delete, click Edit. You get to see the contribution as it is published - you can then click Delete if this is still what you want to do.

How do I add my blog post or web page to a network?

Anyone can add a related blog post or web page to a network and know that it will (with time) reach like-minded people, on other blogs and websites than your own. At the same time, offer your viewers a rich-media sidebar on which they can discover detailed extracts of related content and a list of people of interest, regardles of where they are.

In the sidebar, look for the following button:

Clicking it will open the following dialog:

Hit "Get code", copy the code and paste it on the blog post or web pages of yours. This simple act will do 2 things:

  1. it will show the content network sticker on your site, which opens the sidebar
  2. it will also extract the relevant content found on your page to present it in the sidebar, inlcuding:
    • blog post or web page title
    • blog name
    • 300 first characters of blog post
    • blog comments (that will be updated regularly)
    • embedded object such as a YouTube video, Scribd document, Flickr photo album...

Note: it is when you paste the code on an actual blog post (and not in the side column) that we can extract most information from your url.

How do I change my username or password?

You can change your username and/or password on your Account page: http://www.river.li.com/account.

Can I add my Twitter or Facebook profile to my account?

Yes. As part of your published profile, you can add your existing Twitter and Facebook profiles...as well as Blogger, Google, Yahoo and OpenID.

Go to your Account page: http://www.river.li.com/account, and look for the "I am..." section and click on "Add a new identity".

I can't remember my password - what do I do?

You can recover your password by entering the email address associated with your account. You will receive a password reset email sent to that address. If you don't receive it, make sure to check your spam folder.

Why do I get a "Session not found" screen when trying to login?

This is caused by an issue with your browser's cookies settings. Make sure your cookies are enabled in your browser's settings or preferences. You can find out how on this help desk topic: Change your browser's cookie settings.

How do I delete my account?

If you really want to stop using river.li, you can delete your account here: http://www.river.li.com/account. Look for the "Delete account" button.