Myfabrik Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Welcome to myfabrik’s frequently asked questions section. Below you will find answers to our most frequently asked questions. Please check back often as this page will change frequently. If you have additional questions regarding myfabrik, please look through the help documentation and the How-To section. If you cannot find the answer to your question please feel free to contact our technical support team by filling out our technical support form

FAQ Topics

General Questions - This section provides general information about the company, the service, and provides answers to a few general questions we receive.

Getting Started - This section provides the information needed to get started using myfabrik and also provides system requirement information.

Account and Password Management - This section provides the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding account and password management.

Pricing and Payment - This section provides answers on how to upgrade your free account, describes the pricing structure for adding additional storage space to your account, and lists the different payment methods myfabrik accepts.

Organizing, Sharing, and Embedding your media - This section provides answers on how to organize, share, and embed your media using myfabrik

Supported Media - This section provides answers regarding the type of media you can store, share, and play in myfabrik.

Privacy, Security, and Site Policies - This section provides information regarding your privacy, myfabrik security, and myfabrik’s site policies.

How-To section - This section provides a list of How-To documentation covering some of the most used features and uses for myfabrik.

Help, Troubleshooting, Feedback, and Support - This section provides answers to some of the most common help and troubleshooting questions we receive. This section also provides contact information for feedback and technical support.

General Questions:

What is myfabrik?

Myfabrik is a new and innovative way to store, organize, and share your digital media files such as: pictures, music, videos, and documents. With myfabrik's easy-to-use interface you can transform your scattered videos, pictures, and music files into personalized digital experiences that can be shared with family, friends, clients, or anyone in the world with an internet connection! Myfabrik's simple yet powerful tools introduce a new level of flexibility and control for organizing (or managing) your files and makes sharing your files fun. Myfabrik can also be used to create picture links and media players for use in popular web sites such as Myspace, eBay, and Blogs. The best way to learn about myfabrik is to try a free 1GB account!

Why is it called myfabrik?

The word "my" denotes ownership and a personal attachment to something. The word fabrik (a play on fabric) was used because the fabric of our lives is our family, our friends, and our memories. The word myfabrik was found to be very fitting for a tool that allowed people to share the fabric of their life with others.

Is myfabrik free? Is there a free version of the myfabrik service?

Yes. Our goal is to provide a valuable, comprehensive service for users that want to get the most out of their personal media. Users can sign up for a free 1GB basic myfabrik account which is fully functional. Users can keep their free 1GB account as long as it is being used at least once a month. If you require more than 1GB of storage space for your digital files you can upgrade to a premium myfabrik account for just 49-cents per GB per month. For more information on pricing and payments, please see the Pricing/Payment section in our FAQ

What kind of people use myfabrik?

There are many types of people using myfabrik: moms, dads, brothers, sisters, musicians, photographers, bloggers, journalists, web developers, etc. With myfabrik's easy to use interface, just about anyone can use myfabrik. With the number of features that myfabrik provides, its uses are almost limitless. We love to hear how people are using myfabrik in their everyday lives, feel free to give us some feedback with your story!

What do I do if I run out of storage space?

You can always upgrade your service plan to add more storage capacity. Just login to your account and click on "My Account" to upgrade the amount of storage. For pricing please see the Pricing/Payment section in our FAQ

Do you delete my files like some services do after a certain period of time?

If you have a premium account your files stay put for as long as you like. If you have a basic account, your files stay put as long as you are actively using your account (at least once a month). Only accounts that have been abandoned are purged.

Will my files be resized or altered when I import them to myfabrik?

No. The files you upload will remain in their original state; however myfabrik will generate a number of different thumbnails for picture and image files for easy viewing.

Getting Started:

What kind of computer do I need to use myfabrik?

Since myfabrik is accessed through a web browser virtually any computer that runs Internet Explorer or Firefox will work. However, for the best experience with personal media such as video, music and pictures we recommended the following minimum system configurations:

Will myfabrik work with Mozilla's Firefox 2.0 web browser?

While we have not officially certified that Firefox 2.0 works with myfabrik.com, our users are not currently experiencing any issues when using Firefox 2.0.

Do I need a broadband connection?

Yes and no. Myfabrik can be accessed over any Internet connection. But for the best experience in moving, viewing and playing your media files we recommend a broadband connection such as DSL or cable modem.

What do I need to sign up/open an account?

All you need to open a myfabrik account is a computer, an internet connection, and a valid email address. It's that easy!

How do I sign up/open an account?

We're glad you asked. Just go to http://www.myfabrik.com and click the sign up button. Just follow the instructions on the page and you're on your way.

How do I login to myfabrik?

To login to your myfabrik account, simply go to http://www.myfabrik.com and click the login button. Enter the email address and password you used during the sign up process and hit enter on your keyboard or click the right arrow button on the page.

Will I need to download or install any special software to use myfabrik?

Not likely. Myfabrik does not require you to install any special software on your computer. The media files that you wish to play, however, may require media player plug-ins. In most cases you will already have these installed on your computer. If you'd like to be sure, here is a list of the software that will help ensure the best media experience:

Windows Media Player
Quicktime
Java
Adobe Flash Player

Do you have any demos on how to use myfabrik?

We sure do. Please visit the "How To" section for step by step visual guides on how to use myfabrik. For those of you, who would rather jump right in; sign up for your free 1GB myfabrik account now.

Why does it take a long time for the first page to load when I login?

Since we heavily use Ajax in our web application, it will take a little while to load up the first time. After the first login, it is cached locally on your system. The next time you login the page will be faster to load.

Do I have to store my media files online?

No. You can also enjoy the benefits of myfabrik offline and in the comfort of your own home by purchasing the Maxtor Fusion personal web server. The Maxtor Fusion is a perfect marriage of myfabrik software embedded in a physical hard drive unit which is connected to the internet. To find out more about the Maxtor Fusion please visit: http://www.maxtorfusion.com. If you are using the myfabrik.com service only then you must store your media online.

What do I need to create the cool slide shows, photo strips and play lists that I've heard about?

You will need a computer, an internet connection, and a myfabrik account. Once you've met those requirements all you need is some cool content and a few mouse clicks! You select the content and our embedding feature automatically generates the required html code for you to cut and paste into your personal website, auction listing or blog post.

Why are the thumbnail images of my files not displayed immediately after I import my files?

During high traffic times, it can take a few minutes for the thumbnails to be generated. If you continue to not see the properly generated thumbnails after an hour, please contact technical support.

Why does it take a long time to import files to myfabrik?

The speed at which your files are imported depends on your internet connection. Some home broadband or high speed internet services give you a fast download speed, but a slow upload connection. You can check with your internet service provider to see what type of upload speeds they allow. Also, keep in mind that the bigger the file is the longer it will take to import or upload.

Why didn't I receive an email to activate my account after I completed the registration?

The most likely reason that you did not receive an email is that the email may have been filtered or blocked by an email spam filter. If you don't find the activation email in your spam email folder, please contact us. Don't forget to include the following information: email address that you registered under, the date and approximate time of when you registered, and your time zone.

How do I upload my files to myfabrik?

Myfabrik offers two ways in which to import or upload files to your myfabrik account. The first way allows you select up to five individual files and import them at once. The second way is called "bulkload" which allows you to import many files and folders at once. For more information on how to import files please refer to "How to import files into your myfabrik account" in our How-To section.

What is Bulkload?

Bulkload is a feature that allows you to import or upload multiple files and folders at once to myfabrik. Most people prefer this method of upload because it saves time when compared to selecting each file individually and importing only five files at a time. For more information on how to import files using bulkload, please refer to "How to import files into your myfabrik account" in our How-To section.

Account and Password Management:

How do I login to myfabrik?

To login to your myfabrik account, simply go to http://www.myfabrik.com and click the login button. Enter the email address and password you used during the sign up process and hit enter on your keyboard or click the right arrow button on the page.

Can I change my password?

Of course you can. To change your password simply login to your myfabrik account with your email address and current password. Once logged in, click the "My Account" icon in your myfabrik page and choose the "Change Password" option next to the current password box..

How do I cancel/close my account?

To close your account simply login to your myfabrik account and click the "My Account" icon in your myfabrik page. A new window will open up. Click the "My Plan" tab near the top of this window. Now click the "Cancel my account" link near the bottom of the window.

What happens to my files when I close my account?

The files will no longer be accessible.

What is a host user account?

When you register for an account with myfabrik you become a host user in that you can create other user accounts called "guest user accounts" within your account. In essence you are "hosting" accounts for your friends or family members. As a host user you have the ability to create (up to 9 guest user accounts) and delete these guest user accounts.

What is a guest user account?

A guest user account is an account created by a myfabrik user. A myfabrik user can host up to nine guest user accounts within his or her "host user account." For example the father of a family, let's say Sam Smith opens a myfabrik account. Sam can now create guest user accounts for his wife Sara Smith, his daughter Sue Smith, and his son Scott Smith. Now every member of the family can upload their own pictures, music, videos, and documents. The entire family shares the storage space of one account. If the family requires more storage, the host user (Sam Smith) can upgrade the account for more storage.

What happens when I delete a guest user from my account?

When you delete a guest user from your account their content will be removed from your account area and an available guest account will open up under your account. Neither you nor the user that you were hosting will be able to access the account once it is closed.

Pricing and Payment:

Is myfabrik free? Is there a free version of the myfabrik service?

Yes. Our goal is to provide a valuable, comprehensive service for users that want to get the most out of their personal media. Users can sign up for a free 1GB basic myfabrik account which is fully functional. Users can keep their free 1GB account as long as it is being used at least once a month. If you require more than 1GB of storage space for your digital files you can upgrade to a premium myfabrik account for just 49-cents per GB per month.

What is the difference between a free basic account and paid premium account?

In the free basic account, you have all the same features as the paid account. The main difference is the storage capacity. Free basic accounts have a limit of 1GB while paid premium accounts have the ability to be upgraded for an unlimited amount of storage. The other difference is that while the free basic account gets 1GB free, the account will be closed if it is inactive for more than 30 days.

What is the pricing for premium accounts and extra storage space?

A premium account is an account that has had the storage space upgraded. There is no special pricing for a premium account; the pricing is based on storage space alone. The pricing structure for additional storage is 0.49 cents per month per GB of storage.

What type of payment methods does myfabrik take? Is there a way for me to pay for an account other than over the internet?

Currently the only form of payment myfabrik accepts is online credit card payment. Myfabrik accepts the following types of credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

Where can I go to buy the Maxtor Fusion product (myfabrik in a box)?

You can buy the Maxtor Fusion product from Maxtor at: http://www.maxtorfusion.com or you can find the product at many fine online and retail stores.

Organizing, Sharing, and Embedding your media:

What are tags?

Tags can be described as keywords or virtual labels for your files which make it easier to search and find your files. The world is your oyster when it comes to tagging your files, you can add as many descriptive tags to your files as you like. For more information on file tagging, please see "How to use tags to organize and find your content" in the How-To section.

How do I delete files?

Select the desired files and press the delete key on your keyboard, or drag and drop te files to the trashcan in the upper left-hand corner.

Can I mix different file formats in the same folder or shared file group?

Of course! That's one of the coolest features of myfabrik! Myfabrik provides a quick and easy way to set your media into other websites. You can insert not only plain photos, but you can also create slide shows, photo strips and music players. Myfabrik's embedding feature automatically generates the required html code for you! All you need to do is select the content and then cut and paste the code into the webpage that you are creating. It's that easy! For more information on how to insert, embed, or link your files to other web sites please refer to "How to insert content or players into other personal websites" in our How-To section.

Can I embed video clips into other websites?

Currently you cannot embed a video player through the myfabrik service. We are planning to support this in the very near future. We do however allow you to do that through our myfabrik lite service at http://lite.myfabrik.com.

Can the files that I share through email invitations be accessed forever?

No. The email invitation links that are created to allow guest access to the files you select expires after a selectable period of time. The default auto-expiration period is 30-days. Think of it as sending a party invitation, you list when the party starts and when the party ends. You wouldn't want your guests to stay at your place forever would you? :)

When I share files, will people be able to download them?

Yes. If you want to share a beautiful photo you've just taken, the people you share it with will be able to download that photo and see that photo in all of its glory. In the future we me add the ability for users to share only low resolution images and photos or stream media such as music and videos based on your sharing preferences. Myfabrik is designed for users to share files that they own, please respect all trademark and copyright laws.

Will my invited guests need to register or download software to access the shares that I send them?

Not at all. Myfabrik provides a frictionless method for sharing that does not require your invited guests to do anything other than click an email link. For users to play some of your media files (such as quick time video files) they may need some common web browser plugins (see below). Most of the plugins are very common and most of your guests will most likely already have them installed.

Windows Media Player
Quicktime
Java
Adobe Flash Player

If I want to share the same file through multiple shared file groups do I need to import it to each group?

No. Forget the old fashioned way of creating albums where you were forced to upload the same files over and over just to create a different share group. Once your content is in myfabrik it's ready to share - as much or as little as you like. Simply click on the files you want to share, click the share button and select the group you'd like to share those files with. If you want to share a slightly different set of files you can select those same files or any combination of files and share with a totally different group or person, you do not need to duplicate your files in different places to share.

How do I remove files from the Public Page?

Simply login to your myfabrik account and click on the Public Page category in the upper left hand corner. Navigate to the files or set that you want to remove. Highlight the file or set and press delete on your keyboard. Your files are now removed from the Public Page.

When I remove a file from my public site, is the original file still in my account?

Yes. When you share files or folders through your Public Page you are actually seeing shortcuts to the original files in your account. When you remove a file or folder from the Public Page you are actually only removing the shortcut, so your original file stays in its original location in your account.

What is my Public Page address or URL?

Your Public Page address or URL is the address where people on the internet can visit to see the files you have published. During the sign up process you picked a site name which is included in your Public Page address or URL. You can determine your Public Page address or URL in two ways: Login to your myfabrik account and move your mouse over the "Public Page" category in the upper left hand corner of your myfabrik account page. Your Public Page address or URL will be displayed. The second way to find this address is to click on the "My Account" icon in your myfabrik page. The address will be listed under the User Preferences section. You can email this address out to friends, family, clients, or even link to this address from another web site.

Do I have to pay extra for a personalized sharing URL?

No. We like to allow our users to personalize every aspect of their account so we ask users to pick a site name during their account sign up process. Your personalized site name is yours to flaunt!

Supported Media:

What media file formats can I store/share in myfabrik?

Myfabrik allows you to import, store, manage, share, and export any file type. We also recognize the most popular media file types and provide specialized features to view, play and link that content. File types that we recognize include: jpg, bmp, tif, gif, mp3, wma, wav, wmv, mpg, mov, swf, doc, xls, ppt, pdf, and xml. Myfabrik is designed for users to share files that they own, please respect all trademark and copyright laws.

What media file formats can I play in myfabrik?

As long as you have the required media player plugin installed, myfabrik allows you to play the following media types directly from your browser without the need to launch a separate application: mp3, wma, wav, wmv, mpg, and mov. Some of the most common plugins are listed below. Most likely you will already have these plugins installed on your system:
Windows Media Player
Quicktime
Adobe Flash Player

Do you support the music I bought from iTunes Store?

While iTunes files can be stored on myfabrik, iTunes music can only be played within iTunes player and the various iPods.

Privacy, Security, and Site Policies:

How secure is myfabrik?

At myfabrik, we’re serious about maintaining a secure environment for your files. In addition to following industry best practices for security, we periodically conduct third-party security assessments to help ensure the security and privacy of your content.

How secure is file sharing on myfabrik?

Myfabrik allows you to share your content with invited guests or with any user on the internet. When you choose to limit your sharing to one or more email addresses we send out an encoded link that presents only the content you want to share at that time and with those guests. While the link is secure in controlling what your guests can access, be aware that they can forward the email and link to anyone that they choose, just as they can with any other email. Anyone with the link will be able to see the shared files.

If I add guest users to my account will they be able to access my files?

No. Users that are guest cannot access their host's content or any other user's content.

How do I report a copyright infringement by a myfabrik user?

To report copyright infringement, follow the Digital Millennium Copyright Act process.

How-To section:

Video Guides

How to import files into your myfabrik account

How to find files by creation date

How to use tags to organize and find your content

How to share your content with invited guests

How to insert content or players into other personal websites

How to create folders and move files within myfabrik

How to create an experience

How to recover files from the myfabrik trash can

Help, Troubleshooting, Feedback, and Support:

Why didn't I receive an email to activate my account after I completed the registration?

The most likely reason that you did not receive an email is that the email may have been filtered or blocked by an email spam filter. If you don't find the activation email in your spam email folder, please contact us. Don't forget to include the following information: email address that you registered under, the date and approximate time of when you registered, and your time zone.

What do I do if I forget my password?

You can use the "Forgot Password" link near the bottom of the login page. An email with instructions on how to reset your password will be sent to the email address you provided during sign up. If you no longer have access to the email address on file you can click here to reset your password by answering the security questions you chose during sign up.

I was locked out of my account because of too many login attempts, what do I do?

You can contact technical support and they can unlock your account. The amount of time you are locked out of your account depends on how many failed attempts you made when trying to login. Usually if you try back the next day, it should be unlocked. You may want to change your password before attempting to log in again or you may risk being locked out again.

I just imported files to myfabrik, where did they go?

The files that you import go to the last folder that you had opened. For example, if you were in the Photo section under the folder "Birthday" and you imported files, the files will import to your Birthday folder.

I accidentally deleted a file; can I get the file back?

Of course! Please refer to "How to recover files from the myfabrik trash can" in our How-To section.

Can I make recommendations for new features?

Absolutely! As a matter of fact we encourage it. Please fill out our feedback form HERE. We look forward to hearing what features our users can come up with!

My answer isn't covered here, who can I contact for support?

You can use our technical support contact form to submit your question or problem.