(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Pixelpipe, the multi-service file uploader and metadata management tool, has a new experimental Firefox extension out that should delight its regular users. It adds a sidebar to your browser where you can simply drag and drop digital media from your hard drive or things you find on the Web to upload directly to your Pixelpipe account.
Once you've picked all the items you want to upload, you hit a single button and it sends it off to Pixelpipe, which will instantly distribute it to all the services you have turned on by default. These can't be edited right from the sidebar, but there's a quick shortcut button that will take you to your settings page where you can turn certain services on or off.
You can also pick the privacy level of the upload to Pixelpipe itself, which can limit who is able to see what you've uploaded based on your relationship with them.
If you're a heavy Pixelpipe user this is definitely worth a download. I only hope that in future versions it will let you toggle the services you want on and off from the sidebar itself, and without the user having to visit the site. I'd also like to see it add a little microblogging tool like it has on the site, so you could use it to send out a short message or blog post to multiple services.
Previously: Pixelpipe lets you easily mass distribute media
If you liked Ping.fm you've got to check out Pixelpipe. It's a service that's been designed for lazy (yet ambitious) folks who want to send photos, videos, and audio clips to multiple services with just one upload.
Like Ping.fm and Hey!Spread all you have to do is plug in your credentials at each service and it does the work for you. There's a simple Web uploader that lets you pick as many files as you want from a memory card or your hard drive and send them on their way. Repeat users can also pick one of the cross-platform software tools that runs on its own or integrates with existing software like iPhoto and Firefox.
See where your media has gone with Pixelpipe.
(Credit: CNET Networks)No matter what uploading tool you're using it will keep track of your most recent uploads and give you a status of which services got your media including a link to the specific page where it resides (see the photo on the left for what it looks like).
In case you're worried about those racy party pics ending up on the Flickr account to which mom and dad subscribe, you can disable certain services (or "pipes") from getting the transfer. Starting Tuesday the service will be adding a tagging feature that lets you custom tailor your uploads to go to certain sets of services using small keywords instead of having to enter the settings menu each time you want to make changes.
Also coming soon is an iPhone app that will do this with photos taken on the device's camera. Creator Brett Butterfield tells me one of the benefits here is that you only need to upload it to one place, removing the need to save various upload e-mail addresses or use Apple's mail client that shrinks the photos down. It also preserves things like embedded geo-data, letting your shots get mapped to services that support it.
Openness/Invites
While I'm a fan of making it easier to push the same piece of data to multiple services, ultimately Pixelpipe is a bandage on the wound that is data portability. Services like FriendFeed and SocialThing have risen up to help sort through the mess, and Pixelpipe is a result of what happens the data you upload to one service cannot be moved to another. Sure it's handy and I think I'm going to be a regular user, but I can't help but think this would be a whole lot easier if everything were a bit more open.
That said, this is a killer tool for movie creators. If you've been paying for a tool like Hey!Spread simply to do the uploading, now you've got a free option. It certainly doesn't have the analytical prowess to see what happens to your content once it gets there, but if you're just worried about getting it out in the first place this is one of the easiest and most user-friendly solutions I've seen.
Pixelpipe is currently in private beta, although we've been given 1,000 invites to give out. To get yours just hit up this page. And as a word of advice for using any service where you're giving multiple account authorizations to, it's a good idea to make a strong password to keep someone from working their way in and mass publishing media to your various accounts.
Related: Send your viral video to 20 different video hosts with HeySpread
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