Last Update, I Promise: Flock 2.5.2 is now available from our front door. It contains the latest Firefox security patch, the latest version of Flash, a fix for the Facebook Notifications Menu bug, and a fix for the Flickr/Yahoo! Mail conflict. Download and run the installer to manually upgrade; we'll be working on getting auto-updates out to you soon.

Update: It looks like we'll be able to have the Facebook fix (as well as the Yahoo! Mail/Flickr fix & the latest Firefox security patch) all rolled up and delivered to you as 2.5.2 sometime next week, assuming we don't run into any gnarly bugs. We'll keep you informed.

Update 2: The folks at Tabs Mix Plus have informed us that, regrettably, they do not and will not support Flock, so anyone running this extension will continue to have issues. There is already one alternative extension suggestion posted in the comments...please speak up if you have a recommendation!

Hey Flockstars,

Tabs Mix Plus, an extension for Firefox, issued an automatic update to their extension sometime in the last 24 hours. While it probably works great in Firefox, it appears they didn't test in Flock. Thus, Flock with Tabs Mix Plus v 0.3.8 installed will not load pages or show tabs..

We have and will continue to reach out to the Tabs Mix Plus team. In the meantime, to get Flock working you will need to disable Tabs Mix Plus:

1. Open Flock
2. Go to Tools>Addons
3. Go to the Extensions tab
4. Select Tabs Mix Plus
5. Click "Disable"
6. Restart Flock

We'll let you know as soon as there is an update for the extension that works in Flock.

There is also a bug currently causing the Facebook notifications menu in the lower right of the browser to show up blank. We have created a fix for this but unfortunately it cannot be sent invisibly over the air, it must be bundled in a browser update. We're working to get this fix and several others out to you as soon as possible...more info on this as I have it.

Evan Hamilton
Flock Community Ambassador
evan at flock dot com

Hey Flockstars,

Flock 2.5.1 is available today from the Flock homepage. This release fixes the Flickr issue I mentioned in my previous post as well as several other issues.

You will have to manually update to 2.5.1 at this time by downloading and running the 2.5.1 installer from our homepage. We'll be pushing out auto-updates as soon as we've had sufficient time to test the auto-update process across all platforms (don't worry: manual updating is quick, safe, and clean). Please make sure you restart your computer after installing 2.5.1.

Thanks to all of you who brought this issue to our attention. As always, if you experience any issues in the future, please don’t hesitate to let us know by posting to our GetSatisfaction page. We’ve always got our ears on.

Our endless appreciation goes out to you for your patience during this period.

Evan Hamilton
Flock Community Ambassador
evan at flock dot com

Hey Flockstars,

Update: Flock 2.5.1, including a fix for the Flickr issue, is available from our homepage as of July 28th. More info on this release.

As you may have noticed, the Flock integration with Flickr is not functioning properly. We've communicated with many of you individually, but we want to also provide a broader overview of the questions we’ve been receiving for the benefit of all Flock users.

Why do service outages happen?

Flock integrates with a number of services, and it detects these services when you log in. This makes it easy for you to discover and access Flock's social features.

Unfortunately, this also means that if some part of the login process changes on the service website and Flock can't recognize it, Flock thinks you're not logged in. You will have no trouble using the website, but Flock's features that integrate with that service may not work as expected.

How does Flock normally fix this?

Normally we can update the file that Flock refers to for recognizing service logins. Once we've changed this file, Flock downloads the latest version of this file automatically in the background. This usually happens within 24 hours, and thanks to our vigilant developer team this usually means 48 hours or less of downtime.

What is different this time?

This time the change made on Flickr.com was so dramatic that the changes we have to make go beyond what we can do in the file fix mentioned above. We're going to have to make additional changes to other browser files. This means that we can't fix the Flickr outage automatically over the air - we'll actually have to create a revised version of Flock.

Why do browser updates take so long?

Making an update or applying fixes to the Flock browser is sometimes quick and sometimes not. Regardless of how easy to fix, we still have to take all new versions of Flock through a rigorous testing process to ensure that we deliver stable, reliable code to our loyal community.

When our Flickr integration broke, we were already partway into the process of putting together Flock 2.5.1, which includes some key fixes: some rather troublesome Twitter bug fixes, some broken Facebook Chat functionality, and a bunch of other items that are negatively affecting many Flockstars.

At that point the choice was fairly clear: if we stopped work on 2.5.1 and created a new version of Flock that *only* fixed the Flickr integration, we'd double the amount of testing we had to do...and we would delay the release of the 2.5.1 improvements, hurting the folks who aren't affected by the Flickr issue but are affected by Twitter and Facebook Chat issues. By including the Flickr fix in 2.5.1, we're saving time and getting you a whole bunch of fixes sooner.

Ok, so when do we get the new version?

We're in the midst of testing Flock 2.5.1 now to make sure it’s a stable release, and we're hoping to have it out to you within the next two weeks. Keep your eyes here, on our GetSatisfaction page, on our Twitter account, or on our Facebook page for a notice when it is released. Please note that we will not be sending out an auto-update immediately - you'll initially have to manually upgrade by downloading and running the installer.

I hope this has given you a clear understanding of why there is no Flickr fix yet and what we're doing to ensure you have the best Flock experience possible. We're certainly not ignoring this issue - we're simply making the decisions needed to get you the latest and greatest version of Flock ASAP.

Thanks for your patience throughout this issue, and hang in there just a short time longer.

Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador
evan at flock dot com

Update: One clarification I want to make based on feedback I've seen: 2.5.1 does not include any new features. We're not delaying your Flickr fix in order to get new features out the door. 2.5.1 is entirely bug fixes, which is why we want to get it out at the same time as the Flickr fix rather than delaying it.

While we're still hard at work pushing Flock 2 from beta towards release, we are taking a moment to provide you with Flock 1.2.5.

Flock puts you at the center of the action, with all your tools and services orbiting around you.  It's a lot of work to string all these things together, and occasionally things break.  This has been the case with Twitter and Facebook in recent days, as they have both changed elements of their back-end (Facebook with a new design, Twitter with their feeds).  You may have noticed issues posting your status to Facebook from the People Sidebar or getting recent friend updates from Twitter in the sidebar.  These have been fixed in Flock 1.2.5, which is available now from http://www.flock.com. Auto-updates will go out next week.

Enjoy, and please continue to provide the great and timely feedback that allows us to keep Flock in tip top shape!

Evan Hamilton
Community Ambassador
evan at flock dot com

Update: Flock 1.1.1 does fix all the People sidebar issues. You should receive an automatic update to 1.1.1 shortly, or you can manually upgrade by downloading it from www.flock.com. Localized updates are slightly behind schedule because of a build server issue, but should be out in the next day or so.

Hello Folks,

We’ve become aware that some Flock users have recently been experiencing issues with their Facebook People sidebar not logging in. Even though everyone can still log into Facebook, the much loved People sidebar is not logging in as it should.

We continue to make good progress on this matter. For the broad majority of users, downloading the latest version of Flock from our homepage will provide the fix you are looking for. If you download the latest version of Flock and you are still experiencing problems with your Facebook People sidebar, we’d like to hear from you at flock-feedback2 at flock dot com.

We will be pushing out an automatic upgrade to the latest version of Flock (version 1.1.1) shortly to make sure that all those affected with this authentication problem have their lives returned to normal Flock goodness.

-Thanks for hanging in there with us

Dan Burkhart
VP of Marketing
dan at flock dot com

Update:This problem has been solved in Flock 1.1.1. To fix the sidebar issue please download and install Flock 1.1.1 from www.flock.com or by going to Help>Check for Updates. Thanks for your patience and help!

We've seen reports that some folks are logging into Facebook as usual, but the People sidebar in Flock isn't opening.  It's as if the login to the page is working, but the additional features in Flock aren't available (specifically the People sidebar isn't recognizing the login). That's exactly what's happening: for reasons we don't yet fully understand, the Facebook API is not allowing authentication in these cases.

These symptoms don't seem to be very wide-spread, but until we've determined and fixed the API issue you might see this behavior.  If you do, here's how to work around it.  With the help of some Flockstars out there we've gotten a hold of Facebook accounts that exhibit this problem, and we've discovered the following work-around: in all cases we have found that clicking the 'Accounts' or the 'Privacy' link on facebook.com will "kick-start" the API authentication, and the People bar will start working again.

If you are logging into Facebook and not seeing the People sidebar as usual, please click on Privacy or Accounts on the facebook.com page. This should make API come to life and allow the authentication you need for your people to flow into the sidebar.  If clicking either Accounts or Privacy on the facebook.com page doesn't return things to normal, please let us know (flock-feedback2 at flock dot com).

We will work with the fine folks over at facebook.com to get a permanent solution to this in the coming days.  In the meantime, please follow the instructions above, and accept our apologies for this temporary inconvenience.

Thank you

-Dan Burkhart

VP of Marketing

dan at flock dot com