How do I put a vTag or MyVox on the web?
What's a vTag?
A vTag is a an audio widget that you can put on any web page. You use your phone as a microphone to make a recording, which we then surround with a nice graphical audio player, resulting in a vTag. You take the HTML code for that vTag and put it whereever you want - your blog, your web page, your community site profile, your auction, whatever!
What's MyVox?
MyVox gives you a phone for your web page. You create a MyVox widget, then take the HTML code for it and put it on one or more web pages. invite you to a call, notifying you with an instant message or SMS. You and the visitor then both call the MyVox phone line and get connected to chat. Visitors can leave you voicemail messages too! They just call the phone number displayed on your MyVox, enter its unique ID, then leave you a message. You then log in to hear your messages (and other visitors can hear them too, if you decide to allow public messages).
Is it really free to use vTags and MyVox?
Yes! All of MyVox's services are completely free of charge, whether or not you have an account. We will eventually support the service through some very short ads on the phone system.
What do I get from having an account?
Lots of things. First, you need an account to create a MyVox at all, though they aren't necessary to make vTags. Second, your vTags and MyVox will be saved for future use, so you can make use of them over and over again. Third, you'll be able to choose skins for all your vTags, instead of relying on our default skin, and you'll be able to add custom text to many skins as well. And last, many of the features we'll be rolling out in the future will only be available to users with accounts.
We try to make account creation as quick and easy as possible so you can start using these features with a minimum of fuss.
Do I need to have an account to make a vTag?
Nope! You can use the service to create as many vTags as you want without signing up. However, you'll miss out on many of our best features: choosing skins for vTags, adding custom text, saving and re-using vTags and recordings, and our Tagger tool, which makes it especially easy to create and deploy your vTags.
What about MyVox - do I need an account to get it?
Yep. Accounts are necessary for MyVox so that every MyVox has an owner (you) who can listen to and delete messages. A MyVox without an owner would be a very sad panda.
What's a PIN, and why do I need one?
"PIN" stands for "Personal Identification Number". It's a number that you select as your password for the MyVox phone system, just like the one you use at the ATM if you have a debit card. It lets us verify that you are, well, you! This way, your stinky little brother or crazy officemate can't check your MyVox or re-record your MyVox greeting without your permission.
I have an idea for you guys! Wanna hear it?
Yes! We want to hear whatever it is you have to say. Send an email to comments@vtag.com; we value your suggestions, especially during this beta period.
Something didn't work, and I don't know why! Help!
Sorry! We'd love to help you out! Please send an email to help@vtag.com, and we'll take care of you - either by providing help or fixing a bug.
Some of your pages look messed up. What gives?
You are probably viewing the site on an older browser that we don't support. We recommend using an up-to-date version of Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer.
How do I choose between a Flash and non-Flash vTag? What's the difference?
Flash vTags are, well, cooler. With a Flash vTag, people who want to play your tag can do so right in the web page, without leaving it. No external audio players get opened up, and the audio starts playing almost immediately. It's like having an audio player embedded in the page.
Non-Flash vTags rely on whatever audio player is associated with the viewer's web browser to play your audio. The result is a suboptimal experience.
However - and this is a big however - some sites don't allow Flash vTags (or Flash anything) to operate on them. Others only allow Flash vTags to be used in certain areas. This is because those sites are trying to avoid certain issues with security and malicious behavior. While our Flash vTags don't do anything problematic, they get zapped by the same mechanisms that take care of problematic content.
If you aren't sure whether the site you are working with can handle Flash vTags, check below to see if we have specific instructions for that site. If so, we'll mention in the instructions whether or not Flash vTags will work. Or you can just try using one of them, and if it doesn't work, you can switch to a non-Flash vTag.
Why don't I get the chance to make a fancy vTag with graphics and text? I see other people with them.
To be able to create vTags with your choice of skins and text, you need to first create an account. Without an account, you can only create vTags with our default skins.
Can I use a single recording in more than one vTag?
Sure! You can use the same recording in multiple vTags with different skins. You can also use the Recordings Browser to see where any given recording is being used
Why isn't there a delete button next to some recordings in the Recordings Browser?
If a recording is being used in one or more vTags, it cannot be deleted, as it would break those tags. However, if you really want to remove it, you can use the vTag Browser to delete the tags it's used in, then go to the Recordings Browser to delete the recording.
How come only some skins let me add custom text to them?
Some skins are designed to have natural places for that text to show up; others don't have room, or are otherwise not designed to be text-friendly. It just depends on the look of the skin. Only Flash vTags can support custom text.
You guys have four phone numbers! Which one should I use?
Here are our phone numbers, and what you can do with each:
1-877-MYVOX-01:
The MyVox registered user line. Registered users can use this line to retrieve MyVox messages and update their MyVox greetings.1-877-MYVOX-02:
The vTag registered user line. Registered users can use this line to create new vTag recordings.1-877-VTAG-123:
The vTag unregistered user line. Unregistered users can use this line to create new vTag recordings.1-877-60-VMAIL:
The MyVox message line. Anybody can use this to leave a message on somebody's MyVox.
Can I make my vTag start playing automatically when the page loads?
Sorry, but no - at least, not yet. But we're thinking about it...
How long can my recordings be?
All recordings can be up to five minutes in length. So speak your mind!
Placing a vTag or MyVox: General Instructions
The first thing you'll always do is to copy the HTML code for your vTag or MyVox. Locate your widget, then select the text in the "HTML code" box, and hit Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac) to copy it to your clipboard.
Now, go to the site where you want to put your vTag or MyVox, and start posting your comment, writing to the forum, or whatever it is that you want to be doing. Where you would normally type a textual comment or enter your HTML code, hit Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac) to insert the code for your vTag. You can enter text and graphics too - vTags and MyVox play nice with others. Then submit your post. Assuming the site supports HTML posts/comments, your vTag or MyVox should appear with no problems. A few sites don't, the biggest culprit being Facebook. If you wish you could use vTags or MyVox on these sites, tell them! It's up to them to decide whether or not to allow services like ours to operate on their sites.
Note for vTag users: Some sites and services will allow Flash vTags, but not all, so experiment with each and see what works. If it's critical that your posting work the first time, try a non-Flash vTag.
Placing a vTag or MyVox: Angelfire
Looking to spruce up your Angelfire page? Try a vTag or MyVox! Both are a great way to get your voice (or somebody else's) onto your website.
To put your vTag or MyVox in your page, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Angelfire is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, if you aren't already on Angelfire, login there, choose the "Web Shell", pick the page where you want to add a vTag or MyVox (or to create a new one), and use the Advanced Editor to get to the HTML for that page. Paste your vTag or MyVox into your page code by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). Be sure to put your the code somewhere after the <body> tag and before the </body> tag.
Hit the Preview button to get a look at your page before you save it. When you are happy, hit Save, and you're done!
Placing a vTag or MyVox: Blogger
To put your vTag or MyVox in your post, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Blogger is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, if you haven't already started composing your blog post, go to Blogger and log in, then select your blog and hit the "Create new post" button. Click on the "New Weblog Entry" link on your page. Paste the code for your vTag or MyVox into the text box, by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags play nice with friends.
After you are done with your post, you can preview it with the "Preview" link. If you like it, hit Publish Post, and the post will be added to your blog with your vTag included.
Placing a vTag: Craigslist
Adding a vTag to a Craiglist posting is a great way to describe an item you are selling, an apartment you're renting out, a job you want to fill... or just about anything else!
To put a vTag in a posting to Craigslist, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). We suggest you use a non-Flash vTag - Craigslist is generally unfriendly toward Flash content, so using a Flash vTag runs the risk that your posting will be rejected.
Next, begin your posting on Craigslist, if you haven't already. Paste the vTag code into the "Posting Description" box, by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can still add text to your post as well - vTags play nice with others.
Hit the Continue button, and you'll see what your posting will look like. If it looks good, go ahead and finish the posting process. You're done!
Placing a vTag or MyVox: eBay
To put your vTag or MyVox on your auction, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). eBay is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag for a better buyer experience.
Next, while you are creating your auction, go to step 2, where you give the description of your item. Paste the code for your vTag or MyVox into the Item Description box, by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can still enter text about your auction item, too - the vTag will appear along with your text.
That's it! vTags are a great way to establish credibility about your auctions, and MyVox is ideal for getting communications from buyers, so get started driving more sales now!
Placing a vTag or MyVox: Geocities
Below are instructions for adding a vTag or MyVox to a new page & to an existing page.
Adding a vTag or MyVox to a new page:
To put your vTag or MyVox in your page, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). GeoCities is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, if you aren't already on GeoCities, log in there, and go to "Create & Update"; then pick the HTML editor to create the page where you want your vTag or MyVox. Paste your vTag or MyVox into your page code by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). Be sure to put the vTag somewhere after the <body> tag and before the </body> tag.
Hit the "Preview" button to get a look at your page before you save it. When you are happy, hit "Save" or "Save As...", pick a filename, and you're done!
Adding a vTag or MyVox to an existing page:
To put your vTag or MyVox in your page, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). GeoCities is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, if you aren't already on GeoCities, log in there, and go to Manage. Pick File Manager, then click the little pencil icon next to your page in order to start editing it. Paste your vTag or MyVox into your page code by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). Be sure to put the vTag or MyVox somewhere after the <body> tag and before the </body> tag.
Hit the Preview button to get a look at your page before you save it. When you are happy, hit "Save" or "Save As...", pick a filename, and you're done!
Placing a vTag: LiveJournal
Below are instructions for adding a vTtag to a post & to a comment.
Putting a vTag in a post:
To put a vTag in a post to your LiveJournal, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Be sure to use a non-Flash vTag - LiveJournal doesn't allow Flash in posts.
Next, log into LiveJournal and create a new post, if you haven't already. Paste the vTag code into the "Entry" box, by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can still add text to your post as well - vTags play nice with others.
Submit your post, and you'll see your vTag in action. You can also preview your post if you'd like to make sure you like the way your text and vTag go together on the page.
Putting vTags in a comment:
To put a vTag in a comment on somebody's else's LiveJournal, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Be sure to use a non-Flash vTag - LiveJournal doesn't allow Flash in comments.
Next, click on the "Comment on this" link for the journal you want to comment on. Paste the vTag code into the "Entry" box, by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can still add text to your post as well - vTags play nice with others.
Submit your comment, and you'll see your vTag in action. You can also preview your comment if you'd like to make sure you like the way your text and vTag go together on the page.
Placing a vTag or MyVox: MySpace
Below are instructions for adding a vTag to your profile, to a comment, and to a message.
Putting a vTag or MyVox in your profile:
To put your vTag or MyVox in your profile, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). The profile section of MySpace is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, go to MySpace and log in. Click on the "Edit Profile" link on your page. In the "About Me" box, paste the code for your vTag or MyVox by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags and MyVox play nice with friends.
That's it!
One other thought: If you have music playing on your page, you might want to set it so it doesn't automatically play when the page loads. Otherwise, people trying to listen to your vTag or MyVox greeting will have trouble hearing you over the music. You can do this by going to your "Account Settings" on MySpace, choosing "Music Settings", and checking the first checkbox.
Putting vTags in a comment:
To put a vTag in a comment, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). You can use Flash vTags when leaving comments, but the owner of the page will have to approve your comment before it appears on the page. If you want your comment to appear immediately, you can use a non-Flash vTag instead.
Next, click on the "Add Comment" link for the page you want to comment on. In the "Body" box, paste the code for your vTag by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags play nice with friends.
Submit the comment, and you're done!
Putting vTags in a message:
To put a vTag in a message, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Be sure to use a non-Flash vTag - MySpace doesn't allow Flash in messages.
Next, click on the "Send Message" link for the person you want to send a message to. In the "Body" box, paste the code for your vTag by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags play nice with friends.
Submit your message, and you're done! Note that you can do this with "Forward to a Friend" too.
Placing a vTag or MyVox: Tripod
To put your vTag or MyVox in your page, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Tripod is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, if you aren't already on Tripod, use the Build & Edit tools there to open the page where you want to add the vTag or MyVox. Be sure to use the HTML editor. Paste the HTML into your page code by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). Be sure to put the vTag or MyVox somewhere after the <body> tags and before the </body> tag.
Hit the Preview button to get a look at your page before you save it. When you are happy, hit "Save" or "Save As...", pick a filename, and you're done!
Placing a vTag: Xanga
Below are instructions for adding a vTag to a post & to a comment.
Putting a vTag in a post:
To put your vTag in your profile, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). The profile section of Xanga is Flash-friendly, so be sure to use a slick Flash vTag.
Next, go to Xanga and log in. Click on the "New Weblog Entry" link on your page. Before adding your vTag, check the "Edit HTML" checkbox; otherwise, Xanga won't read the vTag's HTML properly. Then, in the "Main Entry" box, paste the code for your vTag by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags play nice with friends.
After you are done with your post, hit Submit, and your new vTag will be posted.
Putting vTags in a comment:
To put your vTag in a comment, first copy the HTML code for your widget by selecting the text in the "HTML code" box, and hitting Ctrl-C (Command-C on Mac). Xanga doesn't allow Flash in its comments, so be sure to use a non-Flash vTag.
Next, go to Xanga and start leaving a comment, if you haven't already. Then, in the "Post a Comment" box, paste the code for your vTag by hitting Ctrl-V (Command-V on Mac). You can have other text, graphics, and so on in there too - vTags play nice with friends.
After you're done with your comment, hit Submit to save it, or try the Preview HTML button to see how your vTag looks in the comment.
How do I put a vTag in my Outlook signature?
If you are using the full version of Outlook, here's what you do:
- Copy the vTag code into a new plain text file, using Notepad or a similar text editor, then save it on your computer as an HTML file. Be sure to use a non-Flash vTag, as Outlook doesn't like Flash.
- Choose "Options" from the "Tools" menu
- Select the "Mail Format" tab
- Click the "Signatures" button
- Choose "New"
- Choose "Use this file as a template"
- Pick the file you created and saved earlier
If you are using Outlook Express, do this instead:
- Copy the vTag code into a new plain text file, using Notepad or a similar text editor, then save it on your computer as an HTML file. Be sure to use a non-Flash vTag, as Outlook Express doesn't like Flash.
- Choose "Options" from the "Tools" menu
- Select the "Signatures" tab
- Click the "New" button
- In the "Edit Signature" section, select "File"
- Pick the file you created and saved earlier
Now you have a vTag in your signature! Many other mail programs work similarly - just save your vTag as an HTML file, then tell your mail program to use that file for your signature.
Something's broken with vTags or MyVox! How do I tell you?
Yikes! vTags is still a beta, so there will be bugs and issues from time to time. Please bear with us, and send email to bugs@vtag.com to let us know. Thank you - your reports help us turn vTags into the best service possible.
Why can't I use vTags or MyVox on the [fill in the blank] website?
You might be trying to use a Flash vTag or MyVox on a site that doesn't allow Flash. MyVox requires Flash, so we can't help you there, but if you are using vTags, try a non-Flash vTag, and see how it goes. If that doesn't work, you might be on a site that doesn't allow anything fancy added to it - not even graphics. The biggest culprit here is Facebook, but there are other sites that are restrictive in this way too. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about the policies of these sites - but if you want your vTags to work on them, sending them an email to complain can't hurt!
What's the difference between private and public messages?
Private messages can only be heard or seen by you. You can get them by visiting your MyVox widget and logging into it, or by calling the MyVox registered user line (877-MYVOX-01) and logging in. Public messages can be heard and seen by everybody, through your MyVox widget. Think of them more like voice comments than voicemail.
Can people leave me messages without visiting my site?
Yes! All they need is the phone number for the MyVox message line (877-60-VMAIL) and the ID for your MyVox. Armed with these two numbers, anybody can leave you MyVox any time!
What's the point of having a voice greeting?
Your voice greeting is a good way for people to hear your voice and get told a bit about what sort of a message to leave. Visitors to your web site can click to hear your voice greeting, and anybody who calls to leave you a message will hear it after calling in.
How do I retrieve my messages when I'm away from my computer?
Just call the MyVox registered user line (877-MYVOX-01). After logging in, you can listen to messages from your MyVox.
What are my options when listening to my messages on the phone?
All of the following keypresses are available while listening to messages:
- Go to the next message
- Go to the previous message
- Delete the current message
- Replay the current message
How do I delete messages from my MyVox?
You can delete messages from your MyVox in two ways: on the Web or on the phone.
To check your messages from the Web, go to the page where your MyVox is located. On the MyVox widget itself, click on the "Sign In" button. Enter your information and press the "Login" button. Now that you are signed in, you can review messages using the "Play", "Next" and "Back" buttons. To delete any message, use the trash can icon above the "Next" button. Clicking on the trash can button will delete the current message. As a safety measure, we ask you one more time before deleting a message.
From the phone, just call the MyVox registered user line (1-877-MYVOX-01). After logging in, you can listen to messages from your MyVox. To delete any message, just press 3 while you are listening to it.
