On the Net
Having just gone over Time Magazine’s 50 Coolest Websites, as well as some of the related readings that go along with the article, it’s probably as easy to argue against any of those sites making the list as it is to argue the inclusion of those sites on the list. What makes the list more interesting is when you look at 2005’s list of 50 Coolest Websites,Â? and the features that are looked at on Google, Yahoo!, The Microsoft Network, and America Online, four websites dubbed as being InÂ? A Class By Themselves. Also, check out the 25 Sites We Can’t Live Without. Although all the sites on this year’s list haven’t been looked at, there are a few on the list that are worth commenting on.
It’s probably impossible to create this list without having some of the web’s major players listed.Â? YouTube, Digg, and MySpace, the dominant players in each of their own categories, were all listed in the top 50 websites. Google SpreadsheetsÂ? is a fairly big suprise as a Staying Connected website, and one must wonder why Google continues to get so much media attention over these less-than-significant releases. A suprise site listed is The 9Â? - not that the site doesn’t deserve to be on the list. Silent Rob and I stumbled upon The 9 the other day and were quite impressed. The Yahoo! property is a video blog that runs down nine things on the web, daily. Having only been there once or twice, it’s tough to say more than that, but check it out.
Of note, in 2005, fifteen blogs were listed as some of the coolest sites on the Internet. In fact, there was a whole section in that list dedicated to blogs. Although the blogging trend is continuing and the blogosphere is growing, there was no blog category in this year’s list. It probably should come as no suprise that Microsoft failed to make the list, but the Bird’s Eye maps that are included with the Live.com mapping systemÂ? are absolutely amazing and may have deserved a mention.
It’s an interesting article/list, and any of the sites are probably worth checking out, depending on what a user is looking for or interested in. Rather than try to compete with such a cool list of websites, instead I’ll throw out a few links from sites visited this week.
The Daily Pixel: An intersting way to harness the power of the blog,Â? The Daily Pixel is putting together a blog network that will cover a range ofÂ? topics from entertainment to politics to shopping. Seems like the evolution of the blog.Â? The average user will not subscribe to an RSS reader, instead, they’ll take advantage of websites like Digg, or in this case The Daily Pixel, thatÂ? essentially provide similar or analagous results.Â?
The Dragon’s Den: This website wasn’tÂ? discovered this week, but the list of potential pitchers was. This can be seen here, courtesy of Sean Wise’s blog. Individuals are given the chance to pitch their products to a panel of VC’s. If the individual is able to convince a member of the panel to agree to fund the project for the amount requested, the individual is given the money and runs with their idea. Everything from ZigTag’s new search, CoolorDrool’sÂ? pet rating, or White Cowbell Oklahoma - a band - are potential pitchers. Right now my vote is torn between the Canadian in me, wanting to support the hockey-related product, Ice Shark Blades, and the Male in me, wanting to promote The Magic Banana or K-loop.com(we’ll assume the reasons for supporting that are obvious). Note: I believe The Dragon’s Den was originally a BBC program and is featured in other countries as well.
The Good Blogs: Another attempt at harnessing the power of the blog, this seems to be an old idea applied to something new. The idea is that the group’s traffic will generate more traffic for members of the group than an individual’s traffic for their own site (the sum of the parts isn’t as great as the whole). Again, not quite a Digg, but trying to be part of the evolution of blogging. Gives new bloggers a good way to get noticed.
Aptana:Â? For the programmer, Aptana provides a robust, JavaScript-focused IDE for building dynamic web applications. Silent Rob tells me that it is one of the first JavaScript based IDE’s, and after watching some of the tours, or screencasts, it seems like an amazing product.
DabbleDB: A combination of groups spreadsheets, custom databases, and intranet web applications, DabbleDB is just amazing. Although there are no specific applications for us to use the application yet, I recommend you check out the demo that won Best IN Show at the Under the Radar conference.
BarCamp: BarCamp is a way for the masses to gather, teach each other something about something specific in the industry, and have the masses go out and spread the new-found knowledge. BarCamp will be held in a number of different cities on the weekend of August 25th - 27th, and will likely produce an amazing cornucopia of knowledge for those who attend. I will be attending BarCamp Vancouver, and if everything works out, will be Dissecting the MySpace Juggernaut.
And finally, maybe the best thing from the web this week:
Just between me and you, I probably am just looking to have a good time and would hate to do that without vibrating features. CheapÂ? AND fun? Giggidy giggidy!