[ September 4, 2008 Update: This feature is now live. View Tutorial (2mins) ]

Our next update of Sixent.com Beta is about a week away and includes three major new enhancements (and many minor tweaks and fixes) we're sure you'll appreciate.

The new features rolling out with this update satisfy important parts of our roadmap, and many of them directly address usability feedback we've received to date from our members.

The biggest additions to Sixent are:

• File item type (for personal and group pages)
• Feed Pod and Feed Reader (for any page)
• Streamlined "Add" process

I'll be writing three posts outlining these new enhancements in detail. This first post in the series highlights the new file item type feature.

File Item Type

Being able to upload and share files of any type online provides obvious value. With the ability to use Sixent to selectively share those files or make them public, you now have a winning combination.

A "File" choice will now appear alongside the existing item types (Bookmark, Blog Entry and Photo) you can add to your Sixent pages and groups. Any computer file will be accepted: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, MP3, etc.

Potentially harmful file types such as executables and scripts will not be accepted. You can however, add those items to a ZIP archive first and then upload them to Sixent.

After a file is uploaded, visitors to your personal or group pages can immediately open it in their browser or download the file. Here's an example of the file-sharing process:

Everyone will be able to immediately begin sharing files publicly and privately through their "My Shared Pages" area. Simply click "Add" from most any page, select "File" and then the desired location.

You can also collaboratively manage and update files through Sixent Groups. This capability brings an end to the "reply-all" plus countless revisions syndrome.

Start a group by clicking "Groups" in the toolbar, then click "Start a Group". You can then setup as many pages in the group as you see fit, each containing as many files as you like. For the purpose of file sharing, consider your pages to be folders. They can contain files but also any other item type Sixent supports.

So there you have it. Providing the ability to add file items to Sixent is one way we are working to create a social networking platform that offers real utility to our members. When it launches, we hope you like the file item feature as much as we do. In my next post, I'll discuss the second of our three major enhancements coming to Sixent - the addition of a Feed Pod and Feed Reader.