For those of you who do not know about RockMelt, your mind is about to be blown open. RockMelt is a social networking-based browser that has been around since late 2010. The browser itself was developed by Eric Vishria and Time Howes and backed by Marc Andreesesen. Andreesesen is behind Netscape, one of the original Internet browsers. RockMelt fuses together open source Google coding and social networking into an all-inclusive web browser.
RockMelt allows you to integrate your favorite social networking sites and web sites to create an experience unlike any browser can bring you. You can social network while surfing without utilizing tabs to stay logged in and updating. RockMelt integrates sleek sidebars to make social networking part of your everyday browsing experience. Our guide will show you how to get started with RockMelt and how to get the most out of social networking and browsing at the same time.
How to get started with RockMelt
After downloading, then installing RockMelt, the installation process will guide you to get started itself.
RockMelt will check to see if you have an active Facebook connection.
You will then be asked to login with Facebook. You can opt out of this but in order to get the most out of RockMelt, you want to utilize your social networks with it.
Once you login to RockMelt with Facebook, you will ask me asked to give permission for the browser to have access to certain things in relation to your account. This is just like linking your account to other social networks and apps. Click “Allow” to continue.
Next, RockMelt will encourage you to pick more apps.
These can be social networks, news sites and even RSS feeds from your favorite web sites.
Then, RockMelt will prompt you to invite others on Facebook to give the browser a shot.
If you do not want to, you can click “Skip this step” to move on. If you want to invite friends, simply click on them then click “Invite x Friends” to continue.
Now, RockMelt’s browser will load.
You will be alerted that you are now logged into Facebook chat.
On the left hand side of RockMelt, you will notice all the apps are live that you added.
On the upper right hand side, you will have the ability to share a link with users, turn on or off quite time and begin chatting.
On the right hand side, you will see your Facebook chat friends.
Simply click on a friend to open a pop-out window and begin chatting.
You can close the chat at any time by clicking the “X” at the bottom of the window next to the person’s name.
If you head back to the left side of the browser window, you can click on any of the applications to get the latest.
You can read through entries, post yourself and even search for something specific.
Now, if you click the dropdown menu in the upper left hand corner of the browser window, you can interact with the common menus of RockMelt.
RockMelt Settings and Options
Since RockMelt is based on the Chromium engine, you will see a familiar site for the options.
You will also see something called “Edges.” Click the link.
The Edges refers to the different borders around RockMelt that you interact with, such as apps and chat. This area allows you to customize how they work when quiet time is on or off.
At any time during your sessions with RockMelt, you can opt to turn on Quiet Time. Quiet Time is a unique feature to RockMelt that lets you turn off all social networking and apps to just browse the Internet. You can click the “Alarm Icon” at the top right hand corner of the browser at any time to turn Quiet Time on or off.
Now, return to the main screen of RockMelt.
Click the “+ Icon” above your apps.
This will take you to the RockMelt App Center where you can begin adding more apps to work with while browsing.
Simply click the app to automatically add it.
Once added, it will be operational from the left hand side of RockMelt.
Just click on a new app to configure it, such as with the Twitter.
If you are visiting a web site, reading a blog or checking out a picture, you can share it at any time by clicking the “Share” link in the top right hand corner of RockMelt.
A pop-up will appear that will let you tinker with what networks you want to share it with, let you add your own information to it and even get a preview of what you want to share.
Click “Share” to share it with your social networks.
Pros of RockMelt:
- Utilizing the Chromium engine
- Lets you social network and browse in one place
Cons of RockMelt:
- Can be too much for some users
- Can run slow and crash due to apps
Is RockMelt the browser solution for social networking addicts?
If you are a true social networking addict, you know how much time it can take to post everywhere you need to when sharing something. RockMelt takes the time and energy you take to do just that and makes it simple and efficient in once place.
By utilizing what RockMelt has to offer, you can social network, chat and browser from one place without having to log in to multiple web sites, run several applications in the background and go back and forth between networks. RockMelt is an all-in-one social networking machine and if you have not given it a try, what are you waiting for?
Download RockMelt.
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