The Me.dium Sidebar

Me.dium quietly added several new features to its sidebar for both Internet Explorer and Firefox. The new features were designed to make it easier for users to access the new search functionality, more fun to surf with friends and easier to find related sites.

The first obvious thing users will notice is the search box at the top of the Me.dium sidebar. Entering a word or a phrase will execute the search and navigate the user to me.dium.com where the user can explore the search results.

The second thing people will notice are Facebook notifications. The new sidebar polls Facebook using their  API’s and visually updates the sidebar.

The first hidden feature is multi-user chat. The sidebar has been enhanced to support many-to-many conversations. Click the +  to add another friend to the conversation.

The last, and my favorite, is a mixture of old and new features all working together. First, re-size the sidebar by placing the mouse between the top view and the friends list. I like to drag the friends list to the bottom of the screen, leaving Facebook notifications visible and everything minimized. Next, click the M icon at the top of Me.dium sidebar and this will turn on the Me.dium Recommendation Engine. Magically, the Me.dium will start to suggest related URL’s based on your surfing patterns. The view is live so as people make connections to related web pages the Matching Engine will update the sidebar in real time.

If you decide to try it, add me as a friend, my user name is Robert.