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Review: Scrapboy – The Orkut Messenger |
Scrapboy has been around for quite sometime now… Well for those who have not heard of it and been scrapping friends through orkut, this is the new and supposed to be popular instant messenger for orkut.
Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Skype have been great tools to be in touch with friends. But suddenly with the advent of orkut.com ‘scrap’ has changed meaning from being useless or a refuse to something much more worthy and awaited! Though scrapping, scrapbooks and other new related terminology have got popular, the feel of real-time chatting is somehow lost. That is where the instant messenger, scrapboy makes you feel home.
Scrapboy has suddenly caught all the attention and popularity in a small time span. Certainly because of orkut, than for itself. When I reviewed this software, I found that it was more of a hype, and it still has a long way to go…
After receiving an email from a friend to download scrapboy, I logged on to their website: www.scrapboy.com.
The download file size was just below 25MB. The size didn’t bother me much as I have an unlimited 256kbps connection. But for dial-up users, am sure this fact will suck big-time. They rather did wait for it to show up on their favorite tech magazine CD/DVD. And even if they do, I am sure its not worth the wait or download.
In a few minutes I had the setup on my PC which announced itself as beta version 1.0. I installed the software, after a few installation hiccups due to security warning by Norton. But no big issues. Soon, I logged in with my orkut id, it loaded my friends list, I played around with the interface, tried to search for some tweaking options (didn’t find any)… And soon I realised that I was looking at some dumb piece of software. But mind you… I do believe it has great potential.
The following is the review of the software with all the Pros and Cons listed and justified for.
PROS:
- Gives you a real-time chatting like feeling. Just like any other instant messenger.
- Can easily format your scraps. You can bold, italicize or colour your text, insert smilies and yet need not remember the codes for them.
- A scrap window immediately pops-up when u get a new scrap from some one. Actually if you have entered a yahoo id for your scrapbook notifications in orkut and your yahoo messenger online, you do get a new scrap notification anyways.
- You can also set ‘New Scrap Notifications’ for your friend’s scrapbook. And hence keep yourself updated with the latest about them.
- You need not visit the orkut profile of your friends to scrap. Also you save a considerable amount of time and effort by directly scrapping from your desktop. And no more browser refreshing to check for new scraps.
- While the best feature according to me is that it has an alphabetically organised friends list that shows all your friends in the window. So searching your friend does not take more than a few seconds. If you want to make this task easier, just click anywhere on the list and start typing your friend’s name. You will soon see it highlighted.
CONS:
Jotting down all the pros, was an easy task. Their website and testimonials helped me through. But the cons were what I knew I would have to dig for, yet were so very obvious.
- First of all it was a heavy setup to download. I would not mind if it was worth it at the end of it.
- If you visit your friend’s scrapbook through scrapboy and would like to scrap somebody else in his scrapbook, you can’t. Also there is no link by which you can reply to your friend’s scrap. You need to go back to the friends list, choose your friend and then scrap him. What a waste of time and effort contrary to the software ideology!
- While using scrapboy, you are not notified if a friend is online or not. By logging into your orkut account, there is a module that atleast gives you a clue which friends of yours were last online.
- If you have grouped your friends on orkut, scrapboy does not reflect the same. It does not allow you to make new groups either.
- There is no option to delete any scrap. If you receive any offensive scrap and would like to delete it, you need to login to orkut through your browser. If you need to delete your own scrap that u posted erroneously, again you need to login to orkut to delete that. Then why the hell do you need scrapboy!!
- If a friend deletes your scrap, and later when you view his scrapbook through scrapboy, the deleted messages still do exist. I do not see any particular use of this dumb feature.
- Also, if you are behind a proxy and need to enter some proxy settings to access net, the software does not allow you to do so. There is no such option.
- When I received a new friend request on orkut and I added him there, the change did not reflect in my scrapboy application. Also the number of friends shown was incorrect.
- The software is slow and hangs up for few seconds while downloading new scraps. In all it’s a badly written software with many bugs around too.
- The software also gives you an option to open your friends profiles, gallery, scrapbook, etc in the browser. But sadly it works only for IE. No support for Opera, Firefox, etc.
- If you still feel that this piece of software is worth it, google a little before you download it. You will find many posts around the net describing issues with the software.
SUGGESTIONS:
I hope that Scrapboy Digital Media do take all the drawbacks into consideration before they release the next version. I have a few suggestions for them, which if they package with their new version they can retain the popularity. For now I just see this popularity as a sudden spur out of interest and curiosity. Am sure they do not have dedicated users.
- If orkut does not have restrictions, the software can allow one click scrap for scrapping all friends. I know this can get a little annoying at times with nasty advertising. But afterall its your friend who scraps you and you can delete him/her easily incase of spamming. I think similar scripts are already floating on the net.
- They could integrate a timezone feature into it, that would tell you when exactly your friend scrapped you in your own local time.
- They should include birthday notifications, as they are on your orkut homepage.
- While scrapping your friend through scrapboy, instead of clicking on the smiley of your choice, you could just type a small code for the smiley as you do in other popular instant messengers.
This software does boast of a great popularity, with above 4000 members in its official orkut community, over 15000 downloads at download.com, it surely is one of the most talked about scrapping applications.
But this version is of no worth. If it does not soon come up with a promising version, am sure there are many more softwares in the making ready for the take. Infact the domain scrapgirl.com is also already registered… hehe. 8)
To summarise the whole review, in what the human mind is more trained to recept, its time for the figures to speak for themselves:
Rating: 1.5/5 (I would prefer orkuting anytime!)
My Dear Friend,
It was an interesting task to go through your Cons and I learned alot from it, some even knew from before.
One thing is that you must keep in mind that Scrapboy as you said is a betta and had launched two and a half months ago.
Therefore, it is an application in its diapers… should I mentioned that its for free so I’m not getting payed for it hence I don’t have the support of a regular startup company.
Please be patient and enjoy the software while it last and once I’ll release a new update with some fixes, I’m sure you’ll know about it.
Thanks again,
Assaf
Hi Asaf,
Yes I do agree… that Scrapboy is a very promising software and much in its infancy right now.
Looking forward to its next release… I hope not to see an ad-intensive version. That can turn out to be a major showdown. As long as its free, and not bandwidth hogging, am sure it will find place in the favourites of many.
So Best of luck to you for its next version. My expectations have already soared up.
Regrds
Aseem N
Hi man , very nice find . Never knew about it .
[…] Here’s that blog on Orkut tips, tricks, scripts software and tools so many of you requested. Now don’t complain about all the time I took, you wont believe how many sources and outside links I had to look up and verify Just so that you lazy fellows don’t end up using some password hack/spyware script or tool and obviously to see if they work. Disclaimer: I undertake no responsibility for any damage that you may suffer by using/trying any of the tips, tricks, scripts or tools given below.. use/try everything at your own risk. Let me know if a recent Orkut update made any one of these useless, which I wouldn’t be surprised to know, yeah right.. will try and find an alternative for the same but can’t promise anything, I haven’t coded anything in the past four years.. remember? Orkut messengers – overview and review: I found these two messengers for Orkut, you’ll have to have Microsoft .net framework redistributable package (ScrapBoy) and Microsoft J# Visual redistributable package (Orkut Messenger) pre-installed on your computer for these to work. NOTE: If you are not into computers avoid installing these packages unless and until you have a genuine copy of Windows installed on your computer. 1) ScrapBoy: this one notifies and displays your scraps instantly. Is resource hungry so don’t leave it running if you own a third or previous generation PC. Also, it doesn’t operate like Yahoo or MSN or AOL or whatever other messengers. If you type a reply in your own ScrapBoy scrap window the scrap is posted in your own scrapbook not your friends’, to reply to your friends in their scrapbook you have to first locate them in the list, right click on their user name, select write a scrap and then write in that window. Advantages: saves time, installs and works for everyone, notifies new scraps in friend’s scrapbook as well (good option for stalkers and suspicious spouses ), easy to use, fast notifications, good support. Disadvantages: slow, hangs a lot, no option to delete scrap, no option to setup proxy, change in Orkut friend list isn’t reflected in ScrapBoy list, AND ‘Orkut is unfriendly’, ‘OrkutCute’. Complete review: http://www.aseemn.org/posts/review-scrapboy-the-orkut-messenger (outdated now) Download link: http://www.scrapboy.com/en/download.php Support: http://www.scrapboy.com/en/support.html 2) Orkut Messenger: this one looks better, installed for me, but many people have reported problems while set-up. Notifies when there’s a new scrap in your scrapbook, allows you to reply to scrap like in Instant Messengers. Easy Orkut specific navigation. Advantages: (if you manage to install) clean, easy and functional interface, speedy notifications. Disadvantages: outdated, requires download and installation of additional software, lacks support, buggy setup process. Complete review: none Download link: http://shauryaanand.qsh.sk/OrkutMessenger/clickonce Support: http://shauryaanand.qsh.sk/OrkutMessenger […]
I think it would be good to start reassessing the cons and pros from time to time because some new features has been introduced lately such as the online/offline and the new reply way to a friend directly from his scrap form… etc.
And soon you’ll see the next version to come which will have the proxy support!
Thanks,
Assaf
BTW: I like your graphic… very talented!
Assaf
Hi Assaf… yes sure.. I will review this new software soon… M sure its impressive. Waiting for your next release…
And thanks… :)
@assaf: software need not be paid for to be great. it’s perhaps the fact that you are developing with a limited manpower is probably what is taking your infant scrapboy to grow.
btw is the scrapboy developed in .NET because orkut is in ASP.NET and is that the reason why only IE is supported?
we ffx users have greasemonkey and other extensions to rely on.
the software is good with potential but the moment i saw IE open. i shut the thing down n did uninstall…no questions asked.
Well Normal ScrapBoy provided by the site is whopping 25MB!!
Use this http://rapidshare.com/files/718028/scrapboy.zip … Its just 3.2MB! Only difference is that this file does not contain .NET 1.0 … so if you already have .NET 1.0 why waste bandwidth over 25MB download!
hi,
I have mistakenly deleted my scraps…is it possible to see those scraps ??? any idea plz.. if possible ??
if you have Scrapboy all your scraps and also the friends you chose to unblock scraps have been saved to your computer so you can ‘double click’ the friend you are interesting in his scraps to open his scrap window and choose ’show history’.
If it is your scraps that you are looking to see just click on the ‘open my scrap’ button and then choose ’show history’.
Hope it helps,
Assaf
Hey Thanks a lot Assaf for the quick help to my blog readers… You are truly expanding the definition of ’support’. Must say, your efforts are way beyond software development! Keep up the good work!
Regards
Aseem N
Latest Version of Scrapboy in 3.17MB!!
Use this http://rapidshare.com/files/13098814/ScrapboySetup.zip Only difference is that this file does not contain .NET 1.0 … so if you already have .NET 1.0 why waste bandwidth over 25MB download!
hey plz i need ur help 1 of my friend chellange me that i cant send scrap to him bcz he ignore my scraps or block me plz how can i send him above 1000’s scrap ?
regars : Hasnain
hi…
it seems like great fun to have be here. “wana be my friend??” great…. i m loving it
Hi! You just won one more regular reader ..
Good luck!
Laters!
hi i badly want to recover the deleted scraps from my orkut account! is it possible? pls help me out. its an important adress. the person who sent it to me died unfortunately in an accident. pls hlp me out.
all friends tell how to use i scrapeboy … i downlaod and install it already but when i login it. then there is only one message . unfriendly .. so pls tell me what i do. i think its not successfull messenger.
i would love to join orkut i agree for all yhe stipulations
i would likw to join orkut i accept to all terms and conditions
Scrapboy just launched its new beta2 which support photos, scraps, fans, friends approval, filtering and more (not to mention support login to MYSPACE as well.
Go download and have fun!
New Scrapboy version at http://www.scrapboy.com/en/download.html
The new 2.1 version of Scrapboy also supports Facebook (along with MySpace and Orkut) :)
i love the orkut
If you consider yourself to be a social network pro, you shouldn’t think twice and download the new Scrapboy version V2.1.5
Having Scrapboy brings your social networking experience to a new dimension. Instead of you checking your or your friends content/profile, Scrapboy will bring it all to you (photo, wall, scrap, you name it) and more importantly, Scrapboy supports the three major social networks (orkut, MySpace and Facebook) which lets you sit and relax while Scrapboy collects the information. Whether it is your girl that is getting a wall post from a good looking guy or should it be this gorgeous girl that you want to be notified when she changing her photos. Having scrapboy allows you to see information that others wouldn’t want you to. And best of all, IT’S FOR FREE. I hope you’ll take the time to try it… what do you have to lose???? If you love orkut, MySpace or Facebook it is the MUST HAVE TOOL.
Aseem,
What do you say, you and me take Scrapboy V2.1.5 for a new test drive? :) I just think it’s about time you should change the look and features Scrapboy equipped with. Thanks, Assaf.
@Assaf Koren
Very fine… Am sure you have got a lot of changes rolling for scrapboy… will do it soon. :)