Frequently Asked Questions
Here's a collection of questions about Thinglink that often arise. If there is something not covered here, please send us an email at thinglink@gmail.com, and we'll update the list!
What is Thinglink?
Thinglink is an open-source initiative to build a free product code and an open database for creative work. Small producers such as designers and artists can use Thinglink to identify, document and promote their work on the Internet. For others Thinglink offers an easy way to learn about people behind products and products behind people.
Here's a quick tour.
Who can add things to Thinglink?
Anyone who has signed up can add things to the Thinglink database. Designers, artists or crafters can add things they make; fans and trendspotters can add things that they like or want; collectors and curators can add things that they have in their collections.
What are tags?
Think tags as keywords or labels that you can add to a thing to make it easier for other people to find it. List as many as you like! Use simple words separated with a comma. See example.
The cool thing is that each tag or keyword automatically becomes a link that shows all items tagged with that word. This makes it possible to organize small exhibitions by tagging.
How can I follow other people?
You can follow other people in two ways. If you use Thinglink yourself, you can add people as your contact (go to their portfolio page and click "Add x as your contact") and have their latest updates shown automatically on your home page. You can also follow people on Thingllink by subscribing to their RSS feeds on the portfolio page.
What are streams?
You can bookmark things on Thinglink into four basic categories: I like, I have, I want and I make. We call these categories as streams.
A portfolio is a mixture of the four basic streams, but you can also bookmark things into one single stream. Let's say you want to create a wish list for your wedding. Just bookmark things with "I want"!
And RSS feeds, how can I use them?
You may have recognized the universal feed icon that have appeared on various spots of the Thinglink site. These icons represent content, which you can subscribe and read/watch/listen using a feed reader without having to remember to check each site manually or clutter your email Inbox. Read more about feeds and readers. Read more about feeds and readers.
Do I have to pay to use Thinglink?
You don't. Thinglink is a free service.
Who owns Thinglink?
Thinglink is a service created by a Helsinki-based company Social Objects Ltd. and its partners, 101tec GmbH and Valve Oy.
I think you're too slow fixing bugs. Can I help?
Sure you can! We have an open Jira for developers and our code is available on SourceForge.
Do you blog?
Yes we do! In English (http://ullamaaria.typepad.com/thinglink) and Finnish (http://thinglinkfinland.blogspot.com).
Why can't I sign up?
When signing up one should receive an email with a link account activation. If you do not receive this mail, please check the spam and trash folders in your mailbox: your spam filter might have accidentally blocked the mail. It is sent from the address do-not-reply@thinglink.org. The other possible reason is of course that you typed in a wrong email address to start with.
Why isn't my old password working in the new version of Thinglink?
During the release of the new Thinglink version, all existing Thinglink user accounts
were transferred to the updated platform, which requires old users to request a new password.
To fetch a new password and log into the site,
1) point your web browser to http://thinglink.org/forgot-password.html
2) enter your Thinglink username and click "Request new password"
3) check your email for a message from do-not-reply@thinglink.org containing your new password
4) log in with your username and the new password
at http://thinglink.org/login
Why doesn't the thing I just added show in my portfolio?
Sometimes it may take a couple of minutes for the things you added to appear in your portfolio. Try refreshing the page.
What image formats are acceptable?
The file format of the uploaded images should be jpg. The maximum size is 3 Mb. Please also see that the colors of the image are adjusted to RGB mode.
Can I edit things I added afterwards?
Yes you can. Go to thing-page and click edit. You can edit all text boxes and replace images.
I want to add a sound file to my object but it is in wav/aiff/amr format. What should I do?
At the moment, Thinglink only supports mp3 sound file format. It is possible to turn wav/aiff/amr (the mobile phone format) files into mp3 files by using file converter software like Switch, which can be downloaded for free at http://www.nch.com.au/switch/.