Featuring news, TV Shows, computer software and more. The second in the series.
The following is a continuance of my previous article, Nine Websites You Should Know About, But Probably Don’t. We decided that there were still some extremely useful websites that were left out, so I’m writing a continuation article to cover these sites.
Genre: Instant messaging.
Why It’s The Best: A one stop shop for all your instant messaging clients - Meebo allows you to sign into all of your instant-messaging services into the browser window, without having to download any of the individual clients (MSN, AOL/ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber/Gtalk).
Genre: Product Reviews.
Why It’s The Best: With all the product reviews floating around the internet, it’s hard to know who’s behind these reviews. Review sites like Epinions pay their users to write reviews, so most of these reviews are written by people who never even bought or used the product.
On Buzzillions.com the majority of reviews are written by people who have been verified to have actually purchased the product, so the reviews are quality oriented, unbiased, and trustworthy. (See how the Verified Buyer system works) Also, they used a “tag based review system” where you can find products and reviews that match your user profile, needs, and interests.
Genre: Music.
Why It’s The Best: An easy to use and extremely accurate music recommendations system, all you have to do is type in the name of your favorite band or artist, and immediately the site will start playing songs which you can thumbs up, thumbs down, or skip over. The more you tell the system what you like and don’t like, the more accurate the recommendations will be. There’s no registration and no downloads required.
Genre: Community based lending.
Why It’s The Best: Prosper is a site where you can lend people money for an interest rate you set the minimum to and bid in increments of $50 to $25,000 on loan listings you select. If you’re on the borrowing side, you can list how much you want to borrow and set your maximum interest rate, and lenders can compete for the loan by lowering their offered interest rate. Lenders can easily check the borrowers’ credit grade to assess their risk. Read more under How it Works.
Genre: Local reviews.
Why It’s The Best: Yelp is the best local guide in the San Francisco Bay, Chicago, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle, and pretty much every city that matters in the U.S. You can read reviews on everything from restaurants to home services within your area, and find which places to try out and which to avoid.
Genre:Auction site.
Why It’s The Best: Etsy is essentially an eBay for all things handmade. Users can buy and sell homemade goods, promoting a vision for a better economy.
Genre: Textbook renting.
Why It’s The Best: Chegg.com is a site I randomly stumbled upon through one of the founders I met through Facebook. Chegg provides a new way of getting your college textbooks for cheap by renting them for a fraction of their cost price. Additionally, Chegg promotes an “eco-friendly” business model by planting a tree for each textbook rented. They have an inventory of over 2 million book Titles.
Genre: GrandCentral gives you “One number for life” which lets you forward all your calls from any number, and answer calls at any phone you want.
Why It’s The Best: You can easily switch phones in the middle of a phone call, screen your calls, check your voicemail by phone/email/or online, organize/store/and record calls, customized voicemails, and a lot more. For the full description and features, click here.
Genre: Sells cool stuff for cheap.
Why It’s The Best: Woot sells one consumer electronics product a day until it is sold out (which is typically very fast since they offer it at a major discount). Users can discuss the product up for sale on the forum, and they show you all kinds of stats like percentage sales per hour, quantity breakdown, revenue they incurred for that product, and so on. A very fun way to get really cheap electronics!
February 17th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Just in regard to Woot.com, my ‘excitement’ is tempered somewhat by the information given on their “What is a Woot?” page. Very neat concept. However, you should first read their answers to the following two questions so that you know fully know what you are in for. “Will I receive customer support…?” and “How do I return a defective product?” Be fully aware. Also, I love Pandora.
February 17th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Woot has a very dedicated following, I visit the site all the time even when I’m not buying, just because it’s so interesting. While they encourage returning the product to Woot as a last resort, the community forum on the site is extremely active and helpful, and it’s very easy to talk to somebody from Woot.
The ridiculously low prices are definitely worth it, and even if you don’t like the product you can sell it on ebay for a profit!
February 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I forgot to add that every single product has reviews on Buzzillions, and Buzzillion moderators review and analyze every single review written before they are added to the site to make sure only quality reviews are added. You won’t find unhelpful product reviews on Buzzillions!
February 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
9 Sites You Don’t Know About if You’ve Never Been Online Before
February 17th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Hey Katie, glad you found the article useful. Maybe you’ll spend more time online now.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:38 am
If you pay attention to google trends, a lot of people know about Woot these days. It was a big boost when Woot was the word of the year, but even before that, the product up on Woot often makes the top 10 google searches for the morning.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:40 am
for online dating I recommend SantaMatch, maybe you should include it in your next list. It’s popular and does the work for you, better than the major dating sites I tried.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:41 am
I only knew one of the sites xD
February 18th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Online dating I say Kisster.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Hey Ema. great article. I was wondering if you actually use Grand Central. If you do, could you send me an invite
February 18th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Prosper has been getting a lot of flack from lenders, may want to add http://selfmadescholar.com instead. Woot offs rule though!
February 18th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hey Jonah, can’t anyone join GrandCentral? I signed up for it months ago,, is it closed now?
February 18th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Re: Bazillions reviews are screened
The first Zune review I found says:
“The Zune 80 pwn’s the ipod AMAZINGLY!!! The zune is the best!”
That’s it. Not very helpful
Well, I’ll look some more.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:35 am
u forgt to add google and facebook to the list
February 18th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Marco - why would you even look up reviews for a Zune?
February 18th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Hi Ema,
Yes, the Grand Central website is closed now… If possible could you send me an invite at ivanpk (at) gmail (dot) com?
Thank you very much in advance
Ivan
February 18th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Ivan- sent.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Just wondering if anyone can send me an invite to grand central also? alexyyu at gmail. thanks in advances!
February 18th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Looking for an invite to GrandCentral as well. The features look amazing. My email is clnelson at gmail dot com.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:24 am
here is another site for u …..http://tallmeet.com you can find many lovely.sexy tall girls.i was there
February 18th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Arn’t you forgetting ausbeat.com? - Single site for all music videos
February 18th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Meebo does not support skype, the IM that most people use. Why do so many sites try to pump up Meebo?
February 18th, 2008 at 3:33 am
Ema, Marco looked up the zune review because he was contemplating buying one off of woot. lol.
zunes software is garbage, but 80 bucks for a 30gb media player. … id like to see apple try and top that, with their equivalent still going for well . . . a lot more than 80bucks i can tell you that.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Hi, I was wondering if any of you could send me an invite to Grand Central also. dcmacias (at) gmail dawt com. Thanks!
February 18th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Can someone send me an invite to Grand Central Station
February 18th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Just by reading the short summary I know I won’t ever need these sites.
February 18th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Last.fm FTW.
February 18th, 2008 at 6:12 am
I like Digsby now more than any other chat client…. does what Meebo does, but also keeps track of all your email accounts, as well as facebook and myspace. You can also embed it as a facebook app on your profile so that while you’re on Digsby, anyone visiting your page can chat live! I think Download Squad has invites…
February 18th, 2008 at 6:12 am
I know most of them. May be you can add http://freevideolectures.com as well
February 18th, 2008 at 6:34 am
And here is one tell-all free website for only children:
http://onlychildproject.com/
You can now start the argument about whether only children are spoiled or not!!!!!
February 18th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Thanks fof that list Ema. I’d also be interested in an invite for grand central…. I wonder if it works outside of the USA yet. Unfortunately the Pandora application doesn’t. If you have the chance could someone send an invite to grand central to phobbs (at) gmail (dot) com please and thank you.
February 18th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Warren - Digsby is a download though, meebo is a website, which is what this article was about.
GrandCentral wanters - check out inviteshare.com
February 18th, 2008 at 6:36 am
If it’s possible could I get a invite to Grand Central as well? I could use it with my non profit
Thanks! jacrook (at) gmail dot come
February 18th, 2008 at 7:43 am
I would much appreciate an invite to Grand Central. easybakejake (at) gmail (dot) com
February 18th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Yes, i’d like to try GrandCentral too please email me
techieguy live .com
Also, if anyone has invite to Sleep.FM - please send also!
I’d like my girlfriend’s messages to be my alarm buzzer!
February 18th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Yelp is bad in that it screens out reviewers that post negative comments about establishments.
February 18th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Seeker: RE: meebo and Skype
I don’t know what statistics you’ve been using, but I think Skype is far from “the most used IM” as you said. Out of a couple dozen friends I regularly chat with on IM, only a hand full of them have Skype accounts, and only one or two actually use it on a regular basis.
The problem with Skype is they are a closed system, they don’t haven’t released specs so that others can write clients for it. They are supposedly encrypted, but they won’t release their code for review so that others can confirm that their encryption is actually valid.
I use Trillian Pro for my IM when I am able to plug in my U3 flash drive, and use Meebo when I’m not able to or if I just need to jump on for a quick moment. It isn’t Meebo’s or Trillian’s fault that they don’t work with Skype, it is Skype’s fault for running a proprietary system.
February 18th, 2008 at 8:02 am
If you haven’t heard of rhokz.com, thats pretty cool too.
February 18th, 2008 at 8:09 am
If someone would be so kind to give me an invite to GrandCentral as well. maikeru16 (at) yahoo (dot) com
February 18th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Never heard of a bunch of these sites. Great stuff!
I would LOVE an invite to grand central as well if someone would be so gracious!
My email: dan at danmacaulay dot com.
THANK YOU in advance!
Dan
February 18th, 2008 at 8:25 am
great to see Etsy included in your list. Etsy’s great!
… even though its not actually an “auction site” as classified here ;P
February 18th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Hey really enjoyed the article. I only knew of 4 out of the 9. I was wondering if you would send me an invite to grand centeral: jdenniston (at) gmail (dot) com
Thanks
February 18th, 2008 at 9:12 am
http://tvshack.net TV Shack, the new TV Links
February 18th, 2008 at 9:14 am
hey anyone have a spare grand central invite? damnitkage (at) gmail. Thanks!
February 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
OMG PANDORA IS THE BEST THING EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also etsy is sweet but i especially like CHEGG now that is a great idea. EVery textboot rented is one planted tree. Coolest idea ever. All companies should take that idea up
February 18th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I think someone needs to turn off magic quotes.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
holy crap!!! nice emma!
February 18th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks Shawny, and to everyone who ‘liked’ the article. Almost 80,000 people read it yesterday, and hopefully these sites are useful to others as well.
February 18th, 2008 at 11:21 am
More excellent sites! Thanks!
February 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Hey, thanks for the links!
free iPod Touch
February 18th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I would also really like an invite to Grand Central. schneby (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you so much!
Don’t forget about Woot. If you click on the logo on the top left, you see Woot shirt and then there is Woot Wine.
I would say I can’t believe Digg isn’t on the list, but that is how I found the list ……so…..
February 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Thank you for the invite.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
cool article. very interested in grand central. Someone please send a invite…thanks! dolphins54 at gmail
February 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Most people know about Meebo, Pandora, Buzzillions, and Yelp already. The title of your blog would be more applicable if you featured websites that are unheard of (but useful) to the average computer user in America.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Just another person hoping for a GrandCentral invite:
inivex at gmail
Thanks!
February 18th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
deezer.com for music.
February 18th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
deezer.com for music.
February 18th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Pandora only works for residents of the USA
It will disable itself after a while once it detects your ISP is not located there - but while it works it is nice
February 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Pandora is pretty useless to a lot of people then…. At least we still have music-map.com
February 18th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
http://jango.com seems to be the closest thing to pandora for people living outside the USA.
February 18th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
http//BarackObamaAntichrist.blogspot.com
cool and quick updates on Barack Obama and his transformation into the antichrist
February 18th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
If you have gmail, just sign up for Grand Central and you will receive a beta invite within 24 hours.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
lastfm is way better then pandora
February 18th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
lastfm is way better then pandora
February 18th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
lastfm is way better then pandora
February 18th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Great sites.
i’d also check out listgasm.com
February 19th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Can anybody help me out with a Grand Central invite?
shawha at gmail
Thanks
-(*_*)-
February 19th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Would love an invite to Grand Central
bctripster at gmail
February 19th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Pandora and Grand Central hates Canada.
This list sucks!
February 19th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Awesome article Emma, seems like it’s extremely popular..
Can you also send me a GrandCentral Invite; stampede2006 (at) gmail (dot) com?
thanks,
oh yeah…one more thing Emma; will you marry me??
February 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
GET YOUR OWN GRAND CENTRAL INVITE: It is currently closed, but now that google bought it - it will open again. This puts you on the list - it might help to sign up with a a gmail… http://grandcentral.com/home/reserve
February 19th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
this list is freakin….. awful!!
those are all made up on the spot… like testies covered in chocolate!!
February 20th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
This is great!! Thank you so much.
February 20th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
i added u as a friend i really liked this
it is very cool
you should check out my stuff too
February 20th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I’ve been using Pandora for a while, it’s pretty good.
They use the Music Genome Project (I think there’s a link on the site) and it searches through the attributes and sounds of the band or song you searched.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
anyone with a grandcentral invite I would love one
bitt3n at gmail
February 20th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Great addition to the first article, thanks!
February 20th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
One more up-and-coming website you overlooked:
shoeboxed.com
Ever throw away a receipt, thinking “it’s not worth my time”?
Well, now you can easily upload (scan or take a pic), e-mail, forward or even get them to scan them (with the new Netflix-like Mail-in program) for little to nothing.
There are hardly any sites out there as easy and extensive as Shoeboxed’s. It is extremely practical for taxes, expense reports and insurance.
Save your receipts! Make them DIGITALLLLLL on shoeboxed
February 21st, 2008 at 1:09 pm
You just made my day by telling me about Meebo!
Now, this is the best way i can quickly close my windows without people poking into my personal business…
Thanks a lot mate!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Very well put together article. Now I’m going to ask a very silly question. DON’T ALL SHOUT AT ONCE. What is ‘Grandcentral’ and why do people want to be invited? It can’t be better than going for a meal with friends.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I mean I KNOW (from what I’ve read) what it is, but don’t still don’t understand why it’s sooo popular. Why must one have it?
February 21st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Hi Anne, it’s a great solution for anybody who has more than one number (ie. work, cell phone, etc). it links all your numbers together, and makes voicemail management extremely efficient, to say the least.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
signed up for grandcentral but it just gave me a sigh.. “we will inform you if it will be available in your country..” (help me out please.
cstpimentel(a)yahoo(dot)com
February 24th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I will be checking out GrandCentral soon. I prefer Last.fm to Pandora, but that’s just me.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for the great information!
February 28th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
You missed lootpig.com and yugster.com
February 28th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Any good search engine links that are not so well known?
March 1st, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Kijiji is also a great web site where you can list stuff for free.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Etsy isn’t an auction site, you don’t bid against other customers for items. It’s basically like… a crafts fair. Or a bizaar. You browse user made products, and you buy what you want. They’re stores, not auctions.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Its very specific. Grandcentral,pandora dont offer services in India
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
What I am missing is something new, something family orientated: “Make an online memorial of your lost loved one’s.” http://www.riverofmemories.com
June 28th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Great list. Some of it has been a little outdated.
Webapps that I love are Animoto, Squarespace, Pandora, and DropBox
There is a new useful web app directory at http://AppUseful.com
It is like yelp for web apps. The apps are ranked by your ratings. I think it definitely worth checking out.