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New Features: Random Button, Privacy & More

As we continue to add to WERSTARS, we’d like to stay in touch with you through our blog and social networks (@cuzwerstars) to offer a peek into how and why we do things.

This week, we’re chatting with you about what’s new. You might have noticed that there was a fresh release in the app stores. We’ve unveiled a couple of new additions to the app and wanted to share more details on the latest enhancements:

1. Random Button

This feature was conceptualized when I considered the differences between cable and Netflix.

Netflix is great if you know exactly what you’re looking for. Turn it on, make a decision and enjoy. However, the challenge comes when you’re not exactly sure what you want to watch. Sometimes you spend as much time searching as you do watching.

With cable, you have less control because it’s mostly just random, but sometimes that’s fun too. Just randomly stumble upon old shows, movies or whatever else.

That’s the idea behind the random button. WERSTARS already allows you to find things easily whether it’s by year, keyword or relationship, but sometimes you just want to browse without having anything specific in mind. Now you can do that by hitting the random button. Tap the star button in the top right and every time you do, a random moment will pop up. It’s a fun way to look through your history.

*** Note: This feature only unlocks after you have at least 20 moments saved. It won’t appear there until you have 20 moments. ***

2. Full Privacy

Although we’ve always had the option to save moments publicly or privately, we’ve had a couple of requests to allow users to completely turn their accounts private. That’s now the case when you hit the ‘privacy’ button in the app. It can be found inside the app, in the user menu, right above the logout button.

Previously, when you had that turned on, it would remove you from searches in the app. For all intents and purposes, it was pretty close to full privacy but if someone typed in your username via the website, they’d be able to see your page (they would have to know you exist). Now what the privacy button does is just complete, full privacy. When you switch it on, you won’t have a public page on the website or app. Only you will be able to see your page when you log in. You can still tag people as per usual but nobody will be able to tag you (to protect your privacy).

3. Image Rotation

Another request we’ve had from some users was a minor bug where certain portrait images would be flipped landscaped. That’s fixed now. When you upload the image, the website or app will detect whether it’s portrait or landscape, and properly determine whether it should be horizontal or vertical.

Saving Memories: How To Post Videos On WERSTARS

In the long run, it’s possible that we’ll allow users to upload videos right to the site but for now, we have an alternate, simple solution: YouTube.

If you want to save the moments – the video moments – to your Sky, here’s how to make it happen.

1. Set up a Gmail (or Google) account. Many people already have one. If so, move on to Step 2.

2. Head over to YouTube and log in.

3. Click on the video camera button to create a video or post, and then click ‘Upload Video’.

4. On the next screen, click on the big arrow and then find your video through your folders. Alternately, you can simply drag and drop your video (file) onto the big arrow and it will start uploading.

5. Next you’ll see a progress bar indicating how long your upload will take. Usually, it’s fairly quick. You can enter a title for the video, a description and then choose your privacy settings.

6. Public means anyone can find it, unlisted means your video will not show in search or on your channel and private means only those who you invite can see the video. Use ‘unlisted’ if you want some privacy or leave it as ‘public’ if you’re fine with it being possibly found on YouTube.

7. Then hit ‘Publish’ or ‘Done’, and you’ll be taken to a page where you can get a link to your video. Now that you have the link, go to your Sky on WERSTARS, create a moment and add the YouTube URL.

8. Now when you go to that moment and expand it, you’ll see the YouTube video embedded right there!

Why I Created WERSTARS, A Movement To Save The Moments Of Our Lives

My name is Dave Golokhov and I’m the founder of WERSTARS. The concept and the creation of this endeavor was spurred by some lifestyle changes that I had to make in my life. There are three main reasons why I brought this to life:

To See My Story

We live for destinations. We can’t wait to grow up, graduate, move out, get a job, get married, have kids and retire. Those are important goals but life is what happens in between those goals.

As Ferris Bueller says “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. That’s the way I live(d). I’m very ambitious and I would go from goal-to-goal, achieving different things, and I would never stop to appreciate the journey. I’d often forget about it too. I’d work really hard to achieve something and then once I got it, instead of savoring it, I would simply set the bar higher or move on to the next target.

What I eventually came to realize is that the happiness is in the journey, not only the destination. Now I focus on appreciating the moments.

To Appreciate The Moments

My mind is on a constant state of being productive. I’m very critical of myself. I’ve trained myself very well to see what’s missing. It’s a mechanism that I use to help myself improve because I believe we’re never finished products. But what I’ve learned is that a small dose of this quality guides me toward success, too much can be destructive.

I would open up social and see the cool things other people are doing and wonder why I wasn’t there. And then I’d read magazines and watch television, and see new cars and fancy watches and again be reminded of what’s missing in my life. And then I’d look over my shoulder and see someone with a nicer house, a better job and a better body. This was my default state: to look at my life, compare myself to others and see what’s missing.

As a result, my perception became reality. Instead of seeing all of the great things I did have, I would focus on what was missing. It took me a long time but I eventually realized that going down this road was a never-ending black hole that led to a lot of unproductive thoughts.

So I needed to create a tool that allowed me to see what I do have in my life. I need(ed) to see the glass-half-full and be reminded of the achievements, the moments, the relationships – the things that really shape who I am. Using WERSTARS regularly and seeing my moments became my gratitude journal. It fundamentally changed my mindset and rewired the way I look at things on a day-to-day basis.

To Be Remembered

I’ll share a sad secret with you: 100 years from now, I’ll be gone. Hard to believe, I know.

But that’s the third reason why I created WERSTARS: I want to leave a legacy. I don’t want my entire life to amount to a will and some wealth that’s left behind. When people ask who I was – whether it’s my future grandchildren or whoever else – I want them to be able to see my story. I want there to be some record that I lived, that I loved, that I made a mark on this place while I was here. The people I spent my time with…the things that made me laugh…the career I had…the places I’ve traveled…and now I can be remembered in the stars.