Eluma Frequently Asked Questions
What is Eluma?
Eluma is a new kind of personal web organizer that lets you easily collect, organize and share any and all of the information you find on the Web, or through Eluma. With Eluma you can:
- keep all of your Web stuff in one place - favorite Web sites, RSS feeds and podcasts that you’ve subscribed to, blogs you read, etc. You can organize your favorites by creating collections or assigning tags… or both.
- share your collections of favorites with a friend, a group of friends, or with the entire Eluma community.
- discover new content, and subscribe to collections that have been created and recommended by other Eluma users.
- subscribe to real-time alerts that show up right on your desktop.
Who should use Eluma?
If you find that you can’t keep track of everything you find online as easily as you’d like, then Eluma is for you!
Do you email web sites to yourself to remember them? Do you wish you could organize and annotate web sites as you research a vacation, a new toy, or a project at work?
Then Eluma is for you!
Why should I download Eluma?
Eluma is the best way to simplify and organize your online life!
With Eluma, you can collect anything you want from the Web, organize it however you like and share it with others if you choose to. You can also discover interesting collections of information that others have created – a collection about the Red Sox, or maybe politics or dogs?!?! For more details, click here.
Why do I need to download software to use Eluma?
We’ve built Eluma as an application that gets downloaded to your computer, instead of building it as a browser-based app, for a number of important reasons.
Usability -- Browser based applications can sometimes be a bit limiting in terms of their usability, especially when it comes to organizing, managing, and browsing large amounts of information. Consider the difference between using an email client and webIf you’re using Eluma to organize lots of web information, you’ll appreciate the difference in usability.
The Browser Toolbar -- We want you to be able to grab content as you find it, while you’re browsing the web.We think the easiest way to do this is to have some buttons reside right in your browser’s toolbar, so you can collect, rate and tag the item, and even add your notes, in real time.When you install Eluma, these buttons automatically get installed for you.
It’s Always On-- With Eluma, you don’t need to have your browser open and pointing to our website to see your stuff or to use our functionality. It’s always there, at the ready, to let you find stuff you’ve already collected, organize your stuff, or discover new information.Or when breaking news happens, or new items get published by your favorite sites, you can opt to receive real time pop-up alerts, regardless of whether your browser is open or where it’s pointing.It's a great way to keep up-to-date on the information you want in real time.
Speed -- There are a whole bunch of performance related things that we can do better in an application like this, including pre-fetching information that you’ve subscribed to, and caching it so that it’s already there when you ask for it.
Offline Access -- We know that you’re online most of the time.But for those times when you’re not (like on the train on the way home, on an airplane, or on vacation at that B&B that doesn’t have wireless access), it’s a real benefit to be able to access all that information that you've organized in Eluma.
What does Eluma look like on my desktop?
Is Eluma free?
Yes, totally free.
Do I have to register to use Eluma?
You do not need to register to use most of the features of Eluma. However, a few features do require registration. You must register in order to synchronize your favorites across multiple computers, to share collections or to comment on other people's collections.
What is Eluma’s privacy policy?
Your right to privacy is very important to us. We recognize that when you choose to provide us with information about yourself, you trust us to act in a reasonable manner. To read more on our firm commitment to your privacy, please see our privacy statement.
What is an Eluma “collection”?
An Eluma collection is a group of Web objects organized around a particular topic. Collections can contain different types of Web objects – a bookmark to a Web site, an RSS feed, a podcast, a blog, etc.
Anyone can create a collection in Eluma. Anyone can share a collection with a friend, a group of friends or the entire Eluma community. Anyone can discover and subscribe to a public collection shared by others.
Subscribers to shared collections also get to participate in that collection by rating, tagging or commenting on the objects in it. Whenever the collection owner updates the collection, all the subscribers see the latest changes. All these community-oriented features make it easy for like-minded people to share their ideas around a topic
What kinds of collections can I find in Eluma?
You can find collections on just about anything from sports, to sci-fi, to astronomy, to gadgets, to animal rescue. You name it, you can find it!
What is the "Elumaverse"?
The Elumaverse is all the things that people have shared usingEluma; published collections, ratings, tags and comments on items in public collections, etc. If someone has shared it, you can find it in the Elumaverse.
Can I interact with others on a topic of interest?
YES. Not only does Eluma provide a single place for you to organize and house all of your web stuff, you can also interact with others on topics of interest. For example, if you subscribe to a golf collection within Eluma, you can interact with other golfers from around the world. Each piece of content in the golf collection can be commented on, rated or tagged by you or others in the community. You can also comment on a blog or join a forum.
You benefit from the collective wisdom of everyone subscribed to the golf collection making it easier for you to find the best and most relevant information on golf
What is a tag?
Tags are one-word labels that you can assign to items and are used to categorize items for future reference. Each item can have multiple tags. So if one of your items covers more than one topic, you can tag it with multiple labels and find it by any of those later. Compared to folders, you are not forced into picking a particular folder in which to store your items.
To watch an informative video on tagging, click here.
What is an Eluma Alert?
Eluma offers users the ability to subscribe to and receive alerts directly to their desktops. Users can receive the latest information from their favorite Web sites, i.e., news alerts, sports alerts, traffic alerts, etc. For more details on alerts, click here.
What is an Eluma Web Note?
Eluma Web Notes let you put a private sticky note directly on a Web page while you're browsing. The next time you come back to that same URL in your browser, the note will be displayed. You see all your notes within Eluma as well. You can use sticky notes to highlight key information on a page or to remind yourself why you thought the page was important.
Can I change the look or style of Eluma?
YES. Eluma can be branded or styled to match the look of your brand, organization, community or simply your tastes. For more information on how you can add your logo and/or change the color scheme, please visit our Eluma for Brands page.
Can I access Eluma from anywhere?
YES. You can install Eluma on multiple PCs and Eluma will synchronize your sessions across them. For example, any online content you add to Eluma while at the office will automatically be available to you in your Eluma at home.
How is Eluma different from other tools, like start pages and RSS readers!?
Eluma has a lot of similarities with start pages and RSS readers. With Eluma, you can:
- Collect and organize all kinds of Web content, not just RSS feeds.
- Organize your content through many convenient ways.
- Access your content while offline.
- Receive alerts directly to your desktop, even when the Eluma window is closed.
- Share your collections with another person, a group, or the world.
- Discover collections and find recommendations for interesting new content from the Eluma community.
What does my computer need to run Eluma?
In order to use Eluma software, your computer must be running Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
The optional Eluma Toolbar requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher or Firefox 2. In addition, Eluma requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. If you are running Microsoft WIndows Vista, or certain other Microsoft products, then the .NET Framework is already installed on your computer. If .NET Framework 2.0 is not already installed on your system, the Eluma installation application will ask if you wish to download and install it.
How long does it take to download Eluma?
The Eluma download is less than 3MB in size. The initial download of the application should only take a minute or so with a broadband connection. Dial-up connections will take longer.
What does Eluma install on my computer?
Eluma installs a System Tray application - a small icon in the bottom right corner of your screen from which you can launch the application or change the settings, browser toolbars for Internet Explorer and Firefox and the Eluma Desktop. Optionally, Eluma may ask you to install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 as part of the installation process. Eluma does not make changes to system files, nor does it install any other software, third-party packages, hidden adware, or spyware.
Why is the installation prompting me to install the Microsoft .NET Framework?
Eluma was developed using the Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework. This needs to be installed on your computer for Eluma to be able to run. If you are running Microsoft Windows Vista, or certain other Microsoft products, then the .NET Framework is already installed on your computer. If .NET Framework 2.0 is not already installed on your system, the Eluma installation application will ask if you wish to download and install it.