The Bird That Changed the World

Twitter.  OMG.

If you’ve never heard of Twitter you’ve either a) just woken up from a lengthy coma, or b) you’re an extraterrestrial.  Even if you don’t trust it or aren’t sure what it is, there’s a 100% chance you’re curious/have been curious about it at some point in time. 

It might be a little too simple for some, especially Facebook addicts, but its simplicity is what makes it so darn addictive.  It’s especially useful for the non-casual user.  It can help businesses and their employees communicate ideas, get ideas or information, and keep up to date with worldly trends and events. 

All I can say is GET A TWITTER ACCOUNT!!  Make sure to mention @fun2last.  

Photo Phobia!

Flickr and Picasa are two very popular image hosting sites.  I’m not going to make a lengthy review for these two because I want you all to know my opinion right away. 

Flickr is very good, and millions of people use it.  It’s stable, free, and easy to use.  However, it’s Yahoo based and that’s a big no-no in my book. 

Picasa is Google based, and if you’ve read any of my other reviews you’d know that I almost always choose Google’s stuff.  I’m not a Google fanboy.  I just really like what they have to offer and how they offer it.  This time around, however, I’m not too sure Google wins.  Picasa is really nice, too, but it’s also nothing special compared to Flickr.  They both are pretty much the same and neither stands out. 

Winner:  Tie

Social Bookmarking... Kinda Similar to Bookmarking Socially

What is social bookmarking?  Well, it's fairly easy to explain.  It's the bookmarking of sites that you find interesting, and sharing them with friends, peers, etc. This is done with social bookmarking sites.  There are many of them out there; all you have to do is look.  

The two I'm going to be introducing/comparing today are Delicious and Diigo.  Cutesy names aside, they both have some seriously cool features and deciding which is better will be difficult.  

Delicious

• Simple, easy to use, and easy to share.  
• Bookmark popularity feature is cool.
• Yahoo is pretty much obsolete.  

Diigo

• Glitzy graphics, more modern looking.
• Highlighting feature is simply awesome.
• Sharing and bookmarking is a little harder to figure out.  

And the winner is...

Diigo.  Delicious is actually better in several ways, but it doesn't have anything going for it.  It's outdated looking and outdated feeling.  Diigo is like a breath of fresh air after using Delicious; Diigo even has tutorials that teach new users how to switch from Delicious to Diigo.  Kind of like the tutorials Macbooks come with that try to erase the awful memories of using blah, run-of-the-mill, boring PCs.  Delicious just isn't that delicious anymore.  Diigo is now more delicious... or is delicious the new Diigo?  We may never know.  

Tool Temptations

I was recently introduced to web 2.0 tools and their uses by a very insightful instructor of mine.  I learned of many, but only two will be duking it out today... Google Docs, the returning champion, and a rookie hoping to steal the title that goes by the name Zoho.

Both of these tools almost eliminate the need for Office software, but only one of them can do it perfectly.  Here's each competitor's strong and weak points:

Google Docs  

• Once again, Google made an awesome, easy to use tool.  What a bunch of nerds...
• Free
• It's absolutely Sharetastic!  Collaboration is absolutely a piece of cake.  Or to my vegan readers, soy cake!
• The only downside is a lack of customizable options.

Zoho

• Just as useful, if not more useful than Docs.
• Free, but not as easy to access as Docs.
• Collaboration is more complicated 
• The layout is much less "Zen" than Docs' layout.  

I was pleasantly surprised by Zoho.  I didn't think it stood a fighting chance against the superpower, but it held its ground.  Google Docs was able to deliver the knockout punch, however.  Once again, since Docs is easily integrated into a Google account it's just too much for any competitors to overcome. Zoho is nice, but nowadays it's just too much work to remember separate passwords and usernames.  Better luck next time, Zoho.  

RSS Aggregation Domination

This post is an assignment for my Advanced Computers class. I have to list three RSS Aggregators that I've used and rate them.  

I tested out FeedDemon, Google Reader, and Bloglines. Here's what I thought about each of them:  

FeedDemon

• Good Interface; intuitive 
• Adding subscriptions is fairly simple
• Subscriptions bog it down every once in a while

Google Reader

• Through Google, not a separate site; seamless Google account integration
• Speedy
• Kind of a cluttered appearance

Bloglines

• Very customizable 
• Simple to add feeds
• Well designed interface, very user intuitive
• Learning curve might be a tad steep for some

It was a close race, but Bloglines is the victor.  I really like Google  Reader because of the ease of access, but Bloglines takes the cake with its large array of personal customizations and easy-to-use interface.  FeedDemon comes trotting in at last place because of its mushy performance and lack of unique features.