Social Software
I’m using the term “software” loosely here - many of these links are simply sites that allow you to share information, or offer a cool utility, without requiring a giant software download. This will most likely be a hodge-podge of fun, and useful, “stuff.”
All Consuming
All Consuming started off as an adendum to “43 Things,” but has quickly grown into its own. It’s what I use to list (and review) the books I am reading in the sidebar of my library and personal blogs. Fun.
Blummy
Consolidate all those widgets in your bookmarking toolbar in one tab! Pretty easy to use, conveniet result, and free!
del.icio.us
The most popular bookmark manager/tagger out there. Everyone loves it (except me). Everyone I know uses it. It’s all good.
Desktop on Demand
In a nutshell, Desktop on Demand provides users with a Linux-based online desktop that features online file storage, email client, browser, multi-platform IM client, GIMP (photo editing), file encryption, and more - and you can access your desktop, securely, from any internet computer. It's really cool. I have not played with all of the options yet, but the free gig of online storage space alone is worth taking a look at.
Feed2Js
Feed2JS (Feed to JavaScript) is another tool for adding feed contenet to your blog or site. This tool is a bit more sophisticated than Feevy, and having SOME understanding of simple code MIGHT be helpful, but all-in-all it seems simple enough (and very flexible). You can host it on their server, one of several mirror sites, or your own server, and you can style it as you like. And, I just noticed that the code was created by Alan Levine, the guy who created the Multipost Bookmarklet Tool that I have blogged about. Cool.
Feevy
Feevy is a cool tool that adds feed (rss) content to your blog or website. It's pretty much pre-fabbed in style, but that actually makes it a great tool for bloggers who don't want to go mucking with code.
Flickr
My all-time favorite photo sharing and storage site. There are tons of sites similar to this, and I’ve tried a lot of them, but this my top pick for sharing and storing your digital pics - and the “community” aspect is tremendous. I never new that so many librarians were into photography! There is free basic service, and expanded storage for a mere 25 bucks per YEAR. There’s some amazing artistic work here as well.
Library Thing
Cool. So cool. Catalog your books here. Link to your bookshelf here. Meet others who share your reading tastes here. Keep track of what you are reading here. I have vowed to spend one whole rainy day playing with this. Cool.
Linkwalla
Linkwalla is a nify little AJAX app created by a librarian, of all people. Using this will allow you to easily, and seamlessly, save your links to Linkwalla (for easy blog-listing, if I so desired), delicious, AND Magnolia. All at once. Yay. Linkwalla's "mini-blog for links" positioning is interesting in itself - check it out.
Metafilter.com
A “community weblog” that allows registered users to post to the blog, ask questions, and more. Some VERY interesting stuff here, from serious to silly. It has turned into one of the largest information communities on the internet - it's very cool.
Meebo
If you use many IM programs and want the convenience of a browser-run platform, check out Meebo. Want a nifty IM widget for your blog or site? Check out Meebo.
Multipost Bookmarklet Tool
This great little tool allows you to submit links to several bookmarking sites with one click; fabulous time-saver for those of us who use more than one.
Ning UPDATED!
Ning has changed a great deal since I first blogged about it in 2006. It went from being a place where you could create and/or clone lots of social "apps" to a place where you can create your own social network(s). In other words, you can create a network that works similarly to MySpace/FaceBook/Live Spaces, but with less hassle. I made one for my high school graduating class, and it was a piece of cake.
Odeo
A podcast addict’s dream, Odeo has millions of files (mostly podcasts) for your perusal. It is also one of the easiest interfaces for creating your own podcast - I had no idea what I was doing, and I had a recording up and running on my blog in minutes. Certainly iTunes is still the place to find the more professional or "commercial" podcasts, but Odeo is a great place to start.
Pandora
Want to find new music to listen to? Want to try out a different internet “radio” station? Then check out Pandora. Pandora uses the information from the Music Genome Project to create radio “stations” just for you based on the names of artists or songs that you stipulate. You can share your stations, rate the songs played on your station (to better “tune” the music they send you), check out the Top 20 stations…. Lots of fun!
Qumana
One of the latest entries in the personal blog editor field. Qumana is free, has WYSIWYG capabilities, and has the cool feature of adding tags directly to Technorati (or your blog), if you are so inclined. Qumana was a breeze to set up and use, and did what it said it would do. So, cool - it’s free!
Skype
I cannot say enough good things about Skype. As a life-long phone addict, this is the best thing to happen to me since voice mail. This VOIP program is easy to use, FREE to download, FREE to use (with other Skypers - or CHEAP when calling regular phones), and provides excellent sound quality. If you do not want to be tied to a corded headset, it works with Bluetooth headsets or many of the VOIP corded and cordless phones available. You can even get a phone number so that people who aren't into the VOIP thing can call you from a landline or cell phone. I dumped my landline and use Skype instead. Awesome…
SplashCast
SplashCast positions itself as adding an "online TV channel" to your blog, and it focuses on "media" content (rather than just plain text, I guess). You can use rss feeds from places like Flickr and YouTube, you can create and add your own video/pics/audio - seems like there is plenty you can do with this. I think this service would be well-suited to teen library blogs, and regular library blogs that had lots of audio-visual content to broadcast. If you have a bit of patience and can figure out how it all works, I'll bet you could do some cool stuff with it.
Spurl UPDATED!
What!? I Spurl instead of using del.icio.us? Infidel!
OK, I admit it - I love, and use, Spurl. I tried the most popular bookmark manager/tagger out there, but I just didn’t like it. I am a fan of folders, and Spurl’s got ‘em. Actually, Spurl has tagging, too,
but it remains completely overlooked. Oh, well, I love you, Spurl.
UPDATE! Spurl has been "abandoned," for some time, and while it is still functional, one of these days you may go to retrieve your links and find the site gone (unless someone decides to take it over). Be sure you are adding to another site as well, or backing up your links (and if you are looking for a service with folders, try Netvouz).
Tumblr
Tumblr creates a links "blog" rather than just a list like most of the other social bookmark tools. Tumblr's floral icon is reminiscent of Magnolia (hmmmm), and it's easy to use. Probably not for everyone, but like Linkwalla, I think the concept is interesting.
Vimeo
There’s Flickr for your photos, and Vimeo for your video clips. User-friendly, fun, free. Was completely eclipsed by You Tube. But, because I always seem to prefer the underdog, this is the site I use for video clips. In terms of speed and ease of use, I like Vimeo better than You Tube.
VoiceThread
Talk about a great way to create an oral history, a travel log, a family-oriented audioblog -- you name it. It allows you to post a picture, or group of pictures, and then narrate them with video. The best part? Other people (people in the photo, family members, friends) can also add their comments to the album. I see a million groovy uses for this.
Yedda
People have questions. People have answers. May not be the right answers, but, hey, you never know! I think sites like this have the potential to hold hidden gems of great information. You’re smart - add to the greatness.
You Tube
The most popular site for uploading your video clips. Tons of clips ranging from nearly professional to absolutely evil. I still prefer the ease of Vimeo, but this is a THE place to browse for video.
Zamzar
Zanzar is an online file conversion tool. And although there's an "email step" that the service could well do without, files are converted without too much fuss. Zamzar covers a wide variety of file formats, and since it's free and operates online and doesn't interfere with your hardward/software/security config, you might want to keep it in mind for patrons using your public access machines.
Zoom Clouds
Want a tag cloud on your blog? Your blogging software doesn’t tag? Welcome to Zoom Clouds. Zoom Clouds will add a tag cloud to your blog quickly and easily - and you can customize it to match your style. Pair it with Qumana and customize your tags.
Zotero
Zotero is a great download that works with Firefox (and Netscape Navigator 9 and some versions of Flock) to keep track of your research sources. Zotero captures citation information, allows tagging, saves searches, exports formatted citations, allows note taking, and more. It's free and open-source, so expect changes, additions, and updates along the way. It rocks.
A List of Social Bookmarking Apps
Here’s a list of the social bookmarking apps I have checked out - there’s sure to be one here for you.
del.icio.us - Easily the most widely used. One of the first to “tag.”
Spurl - My favorite. Not overly popular. Old-school organizing plus tagging and searching. Currently "abandoned," but still functional.
digg
reddit
BlogMarks.net
Magnolia - Very visually appealing
RawSugar
Simpy
MyWeb - Yahoo's latest entry
Netvouz - Has folder organization as well as tagging
Furl - One of the more popular ones
Shadows
Backflip - Folders but no tagging
Tumblr - Creates a links "blog" rather than just a list
Linkwalla - Creates a links "blog" and plays well with delicious, Magnolia, and Flickr
Connotea - Designed for “business” -
looks business-y, works like the others
Wists - Called “social shopping,” this is like a wish list on steroids. Love it.
