FAQ
What's the big idea?
How does Vimu work?
How do I get started?
What is the number next to my name?
How do I add subscribers to a channel?
What is the number next to my channel?
What is a Link Sharing Channel?
Can I also use my inbox as a feed reader for my favourite blogs?
How can I get more subscribers for my channel?
How can I use Vimu to promote my blog?
How often is my blog channel updated?
How do I share a link or webpage?
How do I create a new channel?
How do I subscribe to a channel?
How do I unsubscribe from a channel?
What is my inbox for?
How do I setup the subscribe button for my blog?
How can I encourage people to share a webpage on Vimu?
Can I earn advertising revenue on Vimu?
How are friends and channels related?
Is my Friends channel special?
How do I pronounce Vimu?
How can I contribute links to an existing channel?
What are subchannels?
Can more than one person contribute to a channel?
I can't find the answer to my question in the FAQ, what should I do?
What's the big idea?
With so many new articles and videos published on the web every day there is a real benefit to having someone with similar tastes and interests recommend the best ones.
Vimu makes this easy. For instance you could use Vimu to share with your friends a funny video one day, an interesting news article on climate change the next, and then some hollywood gossip the day after. If you find an article or webpage interesting or entertaining, there is a good chance your friends will as well.
You can also create a Channel and use it to share articles on a particular topic not just with your friends, but all Vimu users who are interested in that subject. For example you could choose the best articles each day from your favorite technology blogs and then share them over your own "Best of Technology" Link Channel. This saves everyone who subscribes to your channel the time and effort of having to sift through all those posts themselves.
People can subscribe to your channels either through their Vimu inbox, or via an RSS feed.
You can also create a link channel based on your blog, or any website with an RSS feed, which will be automatically updated. This is a great way to encourage people to share your content with others and find new readers.
It's even possible to make some spare change sharing good links. You surf the web anyway, and it's quick and easy, so why not?
Get started by sharing a link or subscribe to one of the popular link channels.
How does Vimu work?
You can share any link for any webpage, image, video, music, or file on the internet with anyone who has an email address. [more]
Each link is shared over a channel, of which you can have any number. For instance you may have a technology channel for sharing technology related webpages, and a funny videos channel for sharing funning videos. [more]
Other people can subscribe to any of your channels, and you can subscribe to other people's channels. [more]
If someone subscribes to your Friends channel they become your friend and are subscribed to all your channels (unless you specify otherwise in the channel settings).
New links from your subscribed channels are listed in your inbox.
If you have a blog you can create a Vimu channel for it which is automatically updated with new posts via RSS. [more]
You can then place a Subscribe button on your blog which will allow your readers to easily subscribe. [more]
You can also place a Share button on your blog which will allow your readers to easily share your posts or webpages with others. [more]
If you have an adsense account you can earn some spare change by creating a popular channel. [more]
How do I get started?
First you need to Register.
Then click on Share in the main menu to share a link with your friends.
Then subscribe to any other friends who are already on Vimu, or invite new friends to join you.
You could also subscribe to any of the channels already on Vimu which you find interesting.
To create new Link Channel, go to your Settings page, and click on Create New Channel.
If you have a blog share it by entering it's RSS feed when creating a Link Channel. It will then be automatically updated when new posts are published on your blog.
What is the number next to my name?
It's the number of subscribers & friends you have on Vimu.
To invite someone to be your friend on Vimu and share links with you, go to your Settings page and click on "Invite Friends".
How do I add subscribers to a channel?
Go to your Settings page and click on "invite subscibers". You will be asked for the email addresses of the people you wish to invite.
They will then receive an email containing a link they can use to confirm their subscription.
What is the number next to my channel?
It's the number of subscribers that channel has.
To get more subscribers go to your Settings page and click on "Invite Subscribers".
What is a Link Sharing Channel?
A Link Sharing Channel (Link Channel, or even just Channel) is a collection of links on a particular topic which you can keep adding to over time.
For instance you may start a channel called "The best of Tech" on which you can share the best new technology related links that you find. Or you could create one called "Funny videos" which you could use to share the best funny videos which you find each day on the web.
To create a channel, register with Vimu, then click on the "Settings" link, then "Create Channel".
Can I also use my inbox as a feed reader for my favourite blogs?
To have your favourite blogs appear in your Vimu inbox do the following:
Search on Vimu for the blog you want to subscribe to. If it's already on Vimu, click on the subscribe link and you're done.
If it's not on Vimu, go to your Settings page and create a new channel which uses the RSS feed of the blog you want to subscribe to.
Click on the update link next to your new channel (on your settings page).
Go to your profile and click on the subscibe link next to the new channel.
You're done. New posts will appear in your inbox along with all the links your friends are sharing with you.
How can I get more subscribers for my channel?
The first thing you should do is subscribe to your channel everyone who will be interested in the links you are sharing. You will need their email address so they will mostly be friends, family, or colleagues. Please don't spam people you don't know!
Go to your Settings page, click on "Invite Subscribers", and follow the instructions.
Once you have a few subscribers your channel will climb up the tables and will be more noticable to other Vimu users who may subscribe themselves.
Once you've run out of people to add as subscribers, the next best strategy is to leave a comment on the webpages you are sharing along the lines of:
"Your comments about the article, whatever they may be.
-------
This page has been shared on the Vimu channel: your-channels-url"
Many webpages (especially blogs) have a commenting facility and this is a great way to get people to visit your channel and if they like what they see many of them will subscribe.
Please leave constructive comments that add to the value of the post as well as the link back to your channel. In other words please don't comment spam.
You should then just keep sharing useful, informative, and interesting links over your channel and as more and more people come across it on Vimu they will subscribe.
Sharing good links on Vimu which others then share on is another great way to attract subscribers. Each link is always credited with the first person who shared it.
If your channel becomes popular enough, a Vimu employee will contact you about placing your channel on it's own domain name.
How can I use Vimu to promote my blog?
Sharing your blog on Vimu is really easy and a great way to promote it and find new readers.
First of all you should register if you have not already.
Once you've registered and logged in, click on the Settings link.
Then click on "Create New Channel" and fill out the form, making sure to provide your blog's feed.
Then click on the "update feed" link next to your new channel (on the settings page) and you're done!
You should also make sure you have the Vimu subscribe and share buttons on your blog. This will make it easier for people to subscribe to your new channel and share your posts with others on Vimu.
If you want to invite more subscribers to your channel go to your Settings page and click on "Invite Subscribers".
How often is my blog channel updated?
Each blog channel is updated depending on how often new posts are published and ranges from once per hour, to once per week.
If you would like your blog channel updated straight away go to your Settings page and click on the appropriate "update feed" link.
How do I share a link or webpage?
To share a webpage click on the Share link in the main Vimu menu and follow the instructions. Many websites will include the Vimu share it button which can also be used.
You will need to provide the web address (URL) of the webpage you want to share. You can copy-and-paste the web address using your internet browser.
Make sure you enter the email addresses of the people you would like to share the link with, who could be friends or colleagues.
The email addresses you list will automatically be included as subscribers to your "Friends" sharing channel. In the future all you need to do when sharing a link is to select a channel and the link will be shared with all of that channel's existing subscribers.
You can also create new channels on your Settings page. For instance you may want to create one called "Technology" to share technology related links.
If you have not registered before, you will be asked to do so at the same time you share your first link.
How do I create a new channel?
Go to your Settings page and click on the "Create a new channel" link.
Why create more than one channel? Many subscribers are interested in niche topics and this provides a way for them to access just the information they are after.
An optional feature when creating a channel is to provide an RSS feed of a blog or other webpage.
Channels with RSS feeds attached are automatically updated at regular intervals, however you can also update them straight away by using the "update feed" link on your Settings page.
How do I subscribe to a channel?
Click on the subscribe link next to the channel you wish to subscribe to.
How do I unsubscribe from a channel?
Click on the unsubscribe link.
What is my inbox for?
Your inbox will display a summary of the most recent links shared on all the channels you have subscribed to.
How do I setup the subscribe button for my blog?
First create a channel for your blog which includes an RSS feed.
Once created, go to your Settings page and click on the "Buttons" link.
Under the subscription section, copy-and-paste the code for whichever subscribe button you like into an appropriate position on your blog.
That's it. Anyone can now subscribe to your blog using Vimu.
How can I encourage people to share a webpage on Vimu?
A great way to encourage people to share a webpage on Vimu is to use a Vimu sharing button.
Click on the "Buttons" link in the main menu, then copy-and-paste the code for whichever button you like best into your webpage in a prominent position.
Anyone can now easily share your webpage on Vimu.
Can I earn advertising revenue on Vimu?
You surf the web anyway so why not make some spare change sharing the best webpages on your own Vimu channel?
Vimu shares 50% of the advertising revenue earned from any channel or link page.
Channels: 50% of the advertising revenue is shared with the owner of the channel. If your channel is given a separate domain name this rises to 65%.
Links: 25% of the revenue is shared with the person who first shared the link on Vimu, 25% with the person who shared the link with the person who is reading it. If they are the same person, or either sharer has not submitted an AdSense client id, then the percentage rises to 50%.
To get your share of the advertising revenue you will need to have an AdSense account. Click here to apply if you don't have one already.
You may need to create a free blog on blogger.com and use that in your adsense application if they do not accept "Vimu.com" as the domain you will be publishing ads on. It seems to depend on who at AdSense processes your application.
Once you have an AdSense account you will need to submit your client id. Click on "Settings" and then "Edit Details". Enter your AdSense client ID and click on "Submit".
To find your Client ID login to your AdSense account, click on the My Account tab. At the bottom of the page under Property Info you will find your AdSense for Content client id.
It will look something like ca-pub-238479283742973 or pub-238479283742973.
Enter just the numbers into the form on Vimu. On some computers you may need to type in the ID by hand rather than cut-and-paste for it to be accepted.
Once you have entered your Client ID below you do not have to do anything else. AdSense instructs you to paste a snippet of code on your site, this is unnecessary with Vimu.
Don't expect to make very much to start with as you will need to have a very popular channel to generate enough traffic to make more that a dollar or two. However it takes very little time to maintain a channel and you surf the web anyway so why not?
How are friends and channels related?
You are a friend of someone if you subscribe to their Friends channel.
Being someone's friend does not mean that they are automatically subscribed to your Friends channel as well.
However if they are interested in your posts there is probably a good chance you will be interested in their's, so you may want to have a look at their profile and check out their channels.
Is my Friends channel special?
Indeed it is! Everyone has a Friends channel which cannot be renamed or deleted.
If you invite someone to become a friend on Vimu, they will be automatically subscribed to your Friends channel.
You can share links directly on your Friends channel. Any links shared on any of your other channels will also be shared on your Friends channel unless otherwise specified in your Settings, or when creating the channel.
If a channel will have lots of links shared on it, or if it's updated by an very active RSS feed, you may want to consider turning off the copying so you don't flood your friend's inboxes.
How do I pronounce Vimu?
Vee - Moo
How can I contribute links to an existing channel?
Most channel moderators welcome contributors.
If you would like to contribute to a channel send an email to vimu support (see botton of page) and we will notify the channel moderator.
What are subchannels?
If one channel is a subchannel of another, then all it's webpages will also be automatically shared on the parent channel.
This can be useful for setting up more than one RSS feed for a channel by having mulitple subchannels with one RSS feed each.
Subchannels also enable you to create "meta" channels by mashing together other channels which you or other people run.
It also allows a group of people to work together on a single channel, with one subchannel each feeding into the main one.
Any number of layers of subchannels are allowed.
To create a subchannel click on the "subchannels" link on your settings page.
Can more than one person contribute to a channel?
You can do this in two ways.
The first is to allow anyone to contribute to a channel. Click on "advanced edit" and select "Yes" for "Allow contributors". A "contribute" link will then appear on the channel's home page which will allow people to submit links.
The second way is to set up mulitple subchannels, one belonging to each contributor. This way you can control exactly who is able to publish links.
It is also possible to allow others to suggest links for a channel, without them actually being published without your approval.
To do this create a separate suggestions channel, and link to it's contribute page in your main channel's description. You can see an example of this on CinemaMad.
You can then subscribe to the suggestions channel, and any suggested links will appear in your inbox, which you can then quickly and easily share on your main channel.
I can't find the answer to my question in the FAQ, what should I do?
If you can't find an answer to your question send an email to
