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"The browser plugin Me.dium rolled out a series of features last night, with some major changes and innovations.\nMe.dium was one of the most anticipated startups of the New Year, and I was fortunate enough to be in on the initial beta testing. The tool is essentially a window into the activity going on behind a user\u2019s browser.  One of the primary features, for instance, is the ability to see what your friends are browsing, so that surfing the web can be a shared experience - that obviously brings along some privacy concerns, so features like anonymity are included.  The UI operates as a browser extension in the sidebar of Firefox currently, but IE7 and others will be supported. \nMe.dium\u2019s latest work has been focused on three main elements in this intermediate phase of development. These elements are: backend architecture advances, changes to the sidebar and feedback related bug fixes.  \nBackend Architecture\nBackend changes are essentially focused on scalability and resource allocation for users. Me.dium's server resources have been modified to improve the Me.dium matching engine, improve the data storage model and to switch to the larger and more powerful Jabber XCP chat server. The implementation to a horizontal model required the need to share matching information quickly between server blades, and now scaling can be accomplished with simple server blade additions. Added chat capability and backend server architecture allow Me.dium to get results back to clients much more quickly. This simply translates into a faster real time experience for large numbers of users. \nSidebar Clarification\nThe Me.dium sidebar modifications appear simple, but address both feedback related issues and the overall flexibility of Me.dium. The navigation bar has been moved to the upper left tool bar near the browser stop/reload buttons and background sharing options have been centralized to this button. Background and sidebar sharing have been defined into two distinct modes in order to \u201Cclarify\u201D and control how information is shared.  \nOne thing to note about background sharing is that your sharing helps Me.dium in building a real time map of the Internet. Many people were concerned about sharing some aspects of their content, but Me.dium has modified the controls so that the user has the ultimate say in what is utilized or shared. So, background sharing, sidebar sharing and live board changes have been made to allow users complete control of their experience.  \nBackground sharing allows for sharing a user location with the sidebar closed, but usernames are not apparent to anyone else in the system. This mode helps Me.dium build the real time map of the Internet for all users without revealing usernames. If a user chooses, he can disable all sharing by selecting the disable function.\nSidebar sharing is active when the sidebar is open, and users are sharing their location with Me.dium regardless of their Background Sharing setting. Visibility settings can be utilized to control whether or not user names are shared with others (ex. either everyone, just your friends, or no-one can see it). When the sidebar is closed, you appear as offline to everyone in the system, and no-one can see you. \nLive board changes include the renaming of the \u201Clive\u201D and \u201Chome\u201D tabs to \u201Ctalk\u201D and \u201Cshoutout\u201D respectively. Me.dium feels that these tags more accurately reflect the function of the buttons. Message formats have also been updated so that users can more easily read and understand the location of messages. Users knowing where they are, and being able to comment or chat there is a big part of the Me.dium experience. So, the binding of location and communication has been enhanced in this new version. \nBugs, feedback and potential\nBug fixes have been centered on user education and overall usability. Besides all the feedback centered fixes mentioned a new message notification has been toned down so the \u201Caggravation factor\u201D can be minimized, and additional controls are to be added to customize even this detail. Many smaller bugs have been ironed out from user feedback to smooth out the overall user experience. \nMe.dium is obviously in tune with the feedback offered by users and is making progress towards coming out of beta. These latest improvements make for a more fluid and enhanced experience for Me.dium users. We look forward to continued progress from the developers at Me.dium and will always keep you informed.\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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