What is Up2?

Up2 is Upoc taken to a whole new level. Life is mobile, and now you can let your friends in on the details of your day as it unfolds. The industry calls it microblogging. Our CEO calls it "blog storming." No matter what you call it, you get the same reliable SMS service and the same great community of friends and soon-to-be friends that longtime Upoc'ers have enjoyed, while you post quick updates on your happenings. Think of it as "Newpoc." Or don't think — just login and let us know what you're up2.

How do I get started?

To enable Up2, you must send your first post from the home page. Simply fill in the box under the title "Your Up2" with a tidbit about your day. Try to keep it short and sweet — you only have 120 characters to work with! Once your microblog is set up, you will receive a confirmation text message on your cell phone. Save this message, because you can send an update anytime from your phone by just replying to that original message.

Next, fill in your profile, upload a photo and browse for others you'd like to hear from.

How do I get someone's updates on my phone

To get another user's updates, click the "Be a Fan" button on their profile page. You can stop receiving their updates at any time by clicking the "Not a Fan" button. You can also turn your messaging from that person off by selecting "Off" from your "Manage your favs" page.

Who reads my updates?

Go to your "My fans" page to see a complete list of who's keeping track of you. If you see someone on your "My fans" page that you don't know or don't want receiving your updates, click the "Block" button next to their name. And if it's a spammer you're blocking, let us know.

What's the difference between Fans and Favs?

Fans are people who have chosen to keep track of what you're Up2. That means anytime you send an update, these people will be able to view it on their "Your Up2" page. Favs are the people that you want to keep track of. If you come across a user that you are interested in receiving updates from, just click the "Be a Fan" button on their profile and you'll start hearing from that person. They then become your Favs, or favorites. Please note that you are not obligated to be a Fan of someone who is a Fan of you.

How do I know who my Favs are?

You can see a list of some of your Favs from the "Your Up2" section of the home page when you're logged in. You can view all of your Favs from your "Manage my favs" page

Can I get updates from some of my Favs and not from others?

You are in control. Use the "On" and "Off" commands from your "Manage my favs" page. You can also use the "Remove" button for those you don't want to hear from anymore.

How much does this cost?

Up2 is a free service, but your phone's carrier may charge for you to send and receive text messages on your phone. Some carriers charge per-message and some have messaging packages, or even unlimited text. Give your carrier a call to find out their plans and pricing before you proceed. You can also send your updates from the Web site at no charge.

I'm getting too many updates! Help.

You can turn off updates for some of your Favs, without turning off all your updates. Use the "On" and "Off" commands from your "Manage my favs" page.

How do I stop getting Up2 messages on my phone?

Turn your phone updates off by going to your "Settings" page in the top nav and unchecking the box that reads, "Deliver messages to me via SMS."

Can I still see Up2 messages if I turn my updates off?

You can always view Up2 message on the Web site, from the home page or from your Fans and Favs pages.

Is it possible to revise my Up2s once they've posted?

Sorry, no. But remember, conversation is informal — no one expects you to have perfect spelling and grammar, especially when you're on the go!

What's a Nudge?

If it's been awhile since you've received an update from a particular Fav of yours, click the "Nudge" link next to their name and they'll receive a friendly notice to update their Up2!

What is the difference between Up2 and Upoc?

Up2 is strictly microblogging — sending quick updates to your fans to let them know what you're doing or feeling in the moment. Only the "Your Up2" and the "All Up2" views are part of the Up2 service. In contrast, Upoc offers both 1-to-1 messaging between members and group messaging.

Groups are communities created by members and are made up of people who exchange messages with each other. Members can send messages to the entire group or to any individual member of the group, based on the type of group it is — either chat, connection or broadcast. To read more about groups, click here.

From the home page, you'll see a section where only "Your Groups" will be displayed, and a section for "Public Groups." From the "Public Groups" view, you can click on the group names to browse those groups. If you like a group, click "Join" and you can begin sending messages to the group either from the Web site or from your phone. You can also find groups from the "Browse Groups" portion of the site — on the top right-hand side of the page.

Anyone can start their own group. Click here for more info about starting groups of your own.

How can I find cool groups to join?

On the top right-hand side of the home page, check out the "Browse Groups" section. Click on a category and then browse the groups by clicking on their names. You can also browse the groups displayed in the "Public Groups" section of the home page.

Do I have to be a member of a group to see that group's messaging?

As long as a group is public, you can view the messaging without joining. From the "Public Groups" view, click on the group names to browse those groups. If you like a group, click "Join" and you can begin sending messages to the group either from the Web site or from your phone. You can also find groups from the "Browse Groups" portion of the site — on the top right-hand side of the page.

How do I access Up2 from WAP?

After you've made your first post to your Up2 via the Web site, you can then access Up2 from WAP (Wireless Access Protocol, or, less technically, the Internet browser on your phone). To do so, just type upoc.com into your phone's Internet browser. If you are not presented with that option from the main Web menu, select "Go to URL" and type in upoc.com once the browser displays.

Once the Upoc WAP page loads, scroll down and select "Up2." From here, you'll be able to view the latest Up2 postings. You will need to log in to be able to post to your Up2, and you'll be able to view the Up2s of your favs. If you have already signed up, just enter your 10-digit mobile number (no spaces or hyphens) or your Up2 handle, as well as your password and select 'OK.' Once you're logged in, scroll down and select "Up2" again (the first two links are for Love chat and for ringtones — far be it from us to deny you these two important facets of your mobile life — but we'll stick to Up2 for the purposes of this help section). On the next screen, select 'What are you Up2?' in order to post to your Up2. Just enter a short sentence about what you're Up2 in the space provided, and then go to Options > Post.

You will see a confirmation message that says 'Thanks for updating your microblog! Tell us again ... What are you Up2?' Post to your microblog as many times as you want — share the details of your day! Also from that screen, you will be able to scroll down to view all of your previous Up2 messages. Or if you want to see what the community is Up2, scroll all the way down to 'All Up2.' To log off, go to Home > Settings and then select Log Off.

What is a Flash Widget?

A widget is another name for an application that you can use and display on your own or other Web sites. The Flash Widget section of our site (the lower-right corner) is where we showcase a popular feature you should know about. If you like it, you can even feed the information to your own site by clicking the "Put Upoc widgets on your site" link. This way, you can see the latest Up2 messages even when you're browsing other sites!

If you are logged out of Upoc, the current Flash Widget displays the latest group messages posted on the homepage. If you are logged in, you'll see the latest messages posted to the groups you belong to. Each message is tagged with a timestamp, so you can see when they were sent, and you can also check out the profiles of those who've posted by simply clicking that handle's link. It's a great easy way to find new favs!

We'll switch up the featured flash widget from time to time, so be sure to check back.