Three Intriguing Online Content Tools
I want to share three free tools that have changed the way I use the internet. First up is del.icio.us. If you don’t have an account yet – get one. Like the rest of these tools, it’s free. One of the more popular social bookmarking sites, del.icio.us allows me to quickly bookmark interesting and critical sites I use and share them with friends. There are a few key features that make del.icio.us my bookmark site of choice. Among them
1) you can store all your bookmarks in one place and they’re accessible from any computer or handheld
2) the use of metatags to allow you to find your bookmarks (ever created hundreds of nested folders? then you know why use of metatags provides such a better solution)
3) you can share your bookmarks with friends easily.
4) you can learn about others sites easily
The second is StumbleUpon. Imagine a friend sending you a random site that’s really cool, organized according to your interests. StumbleUpon does this well. And the sites are interesting. ’nuff said. Check it out.
Lastly, Digg provides community submitted content and links. The ultimate popularity contest for the web.
http://del.icio.us/
http://www.stumbleupon.com/
http://www.digg.com/
It’s The Content, Stupid
I admire the feel and smell of a good book. But recently, I must confess, I’ve started to apply the same attitude towards books that I have towards packaged music and DVDs. It’s about the content, stupid. I’ve had shelves of dusty books taking up space. I’ve bought ridiculous furniture to hold hundreds of CD jewel cases. And recently, I’ve resisted the temptation to jump into the gorgeously high definition 1080i world of BluRay Discs. Why? I think I’ve fallen out of love with traditional physical media.
The affair began innocently, with the conversion of my CD collection. I experienced the convenience of having my entire music collection at hand all the time, anywhere. Storage price began to drop precipitously. I could now download audio books using Audible.com…
…and then the Kindle arrived. It’s done the same thing for printed matter as the iPod did for music and recorded content. In a package scarcely bigger than a paperback, I can now receive (via highspeed wireless connection) fresh content, newsfeeds, blogs, newspapers and thousands of books without effort. I can purchase content at a discount and bring the equivalent of a library with me without breaking my back. And I can take this little guy everywhere – to the park, outside, in the car…it’s not as delicate as a laptop and definitely more readable in outdoor settings.
I was skeptical. I know it’s a first generation device. I know the forward and back buttons are a little awkward and require one to hold the device a certain way. But you know what? Instead of reading a single book, I now carry at least three and read them simultaneously. Instead of receiving piles of messy newspapers, I now get the Wall Street Journal and New York Times delivered to me in seconds each morning. And the Kindle allows me high speed access to the web in places I wouldn’t necessarily bring a laptop.
The Kindle has surprised me–pleasantly. I have to get back to my book now.
