What is Web 2.0? "The phrase Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second-generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2)

 

"The term "Web 2.0" (pronounced "web two point Oh") was conceived in 2005 to describe a new breed of websites that use newer web authoring tools, are low learning curves (for the user) and support a collaborative environment... ... usually free and usually just all done in

 

 

 

 

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Blogs - Blogs or weblogs, are websites that diplsay the bloggers' comments in a standarized format, oldest to the newest one. Many people write about actual topics or comments about any situation or event. Some use it simply as "personal diaries". The particular characteristic of blogs is the interaction between publisher and readers, they have the opportunity to answer and ask simultaniously by just typing and posting the comment. Blogs are part of the Web 2.0 generation because the users develop the site. There are many servers that allow users to create an account and begin posting. Blogs can be useful for any kind of topics and environment (education, art, music, politics, etc.). As a matter of fact we have our own blog in class: CS1303 blogs.

 

iStockPhoto:

iStockPhoto is a website that complies user photography and videos for sale. Members pay in $1 "credits" for the downloadable picutres and movies. One credit will buy you a 300x400 (350 KB) photo, but larger resolution pictures can be purchased for prices up to 15 credits. Once downloaded onto your computer, you can print off the photos at a copy shop or from your home printer. Videos are typically artistic works (such as a seagull flying over the ocean) and can be bought using anywhere from 5 to 50 credits. Advanced search filters make this site ideal for artistic photographers who know exactly what kind of photo they want to buy. You can shop photos by dominant color, keyword or subject, or even spacing. A special grid can be used to ensure that the photo you buy will have the subject focused in any specific quadrant of the frame. Even you can upload pictures to the site, but you must first "apply" to become a photographer featured on the site. Once you get photos onto iStockPhoto, you will be paid royalties every time someone downloads your picture. Royalties are paid in credits, but can be redeemed for cash if the amount exceeds $100. Your photos stay on the site for 100 days to be downloaded by other users.

link: iStockPhoto

 

del.icio.us

del.icio.us is a website to keep track of links your favorite music, blogs, articles, stores, and more. del.icio.us can be used for research, wishlists, linklogs, cookbooks, collaboration, vacation planning, and podcasts. These bookmarks can be saved and then accessed from any computer anywhere. The bookmarks can be shared with anybody or you can set it to private and are only viewable to you. You can find other people with interesting bookmarks and add the links to your own collection. For whatever mood you are in, whether it be a new workout routine, a great dinner idea, information on a new book, or a funny you tube video, this is the site to find it. You can view other people's favorite sites and add them to your favorites too. At del.icio.us, the world wide web opens up to you with so many new possibilities. Keep the links that you like, share it with friends and family, and keep on discovering new and interesting things, that is what you will find when you use del.icio.us. It is free and easy to sign up so discover what the web has waiting for you.

 

link: del.icio.us 

 

Last.fm

"A social music revolution", Last.fm allows its users to listen to different types of music. It allows you to listen to the music you like while exploring music it thinks you might like. You can either make a radio station by simply typing in an artist you like or clicking on a certain type of music you like. For instance, they have stations made for pop, emo, rap, indie, hip-hop, alternative, metal, and so on. After it creates the station it will play artists that sound like what you chose. You can also edit what gets played: if you like something you can click on the heart and if you hate it then you can click on the X so it won't played again. You can also invite friends to join and share music with them.

 

ZOHO Creator

ZOHO Creator is a free service that makes online databases for personal businesses. The databases can be made either by importing data from a spreadsheet or from scratch, and they can be imbedded into an existing website. Data can be sorted, filtered, or searched with ZOHO Creator. Deluge is the "easy, quick, and non-messy" online scripting code that one must know to utilize ZOHO Creator. When someone from a business modifies the database (by adding or changing records) the owner of the business can receive email notification. One ideal use of this website (as seen in the user-friendly instructional video) is a small business with multiple products, and managers overseeing each of the products. Specific modifications to the database can be made, like only allowing each manager to see the records of the product that they handle.

link: ZOHO Creator

 

LinkedIn

**LinkedIn is an outline network for business professionals around the world. Any professional around the world may join the network. Once a member, you can used LinkedIn to find business clients, subject experts, and service providers. LinkIn has a place to ask questions and get answers from experts in the field. In addition, you can search for jobs and look for former colleagues. Currently, LinkedIn has over nine million members worldwide. For more information, go to:**** LinkedInSecond Life. Second Life is set up to be able to access a 3D world. It allows people to access different parts of themselves that they don't get to act out in real life; just like the name says they are able to create a second life. People that create an accout are called Residents in the 3D world. As Residents people are allowed to earn money, known as Linden dollars, which leads to people being able to contribute to the bigger economy. Residents are able to buy things with their own money (food and clothing to clothe their avatars). When you are playing you are living there! You can live in mansions or you can live in ghettos. Residents can get married, have sex, and have children. There are even major companies that are bringing their products into the 3D world. Residents are able to build their own Dell computers and they can bank through Wells Fargo. This site allows people get together and form communities over common interests over the Internet. Second Life

 

BitTorrent is a website which allows people to share documents and programs with others, also known as a peer to peer file distribution program. BitTorrent is a unique program in that recipients of a file continue to supply data to newer recipients, reducing the effort incurred by the original sharer. Users can search for games, music, movies, as well as other key words. These key words even display links to other related websites which may specialize in the field, such as term papers at www.Ivyresearchpapers.com.

 

Digg is a social-software news website that emphasises technology and science articles. Users submit articles which are short summaries of articles on other websites, with links to those pages. The main page is democratically controlled by allowing users to "dig" certain sites, meaning they like them and give them a vote. After a site has enough digs, it is moved to the front page. Users can submit news stories in 6 different "containers", including Technology, Science, World&Business, Sports, Entertainment, and Gaming. Within those broad categories, the user can tag their article in a varity of sub-categories. Digg allows users to post reports of an article that is spam, offensive, inaccurate, or "just plain lame" (which is actually one of their choices).

 

Newsvine is "just like your favorite news site, only smarter". Former employees of Disney and ESPN decided to create Newsvine to provide people with a place to interact with the news that they read. With the cooperation of most of the major news providers, especially the Associated Press, Newsvine links their site to the top stories on sites around the web. They call this linking or bookmarking of news stories as "Seeding Newsvine", and once you seed a story, you can tag it as well. Basically, you add the stories you think are most interesting so that anyone can access them through Newsvine. Best of all, you can tag the topics that are present in each news article to make it extremely easy for anyone to search for any topic instantly. This, however, sounds just like any other site with the news, right? Wrong. On Newsvine, you can become the journalist, and get paid for it! If your article "adds something to the site", Newsvine will pay you for it. If writing articles isn't you thing, you can still contribute to the Newsvine community by commenting. After you read an article, leave your opinion. You can even chat with people who happen to be reading the same article at the same time that you are. The makers of the site are sure to explain, however, that while Newsvine does have "Web 2.0" characteristics such as tags, RSS, and blog-like comments at the end of every article, it is still incredibly user-friendly and can be viewed as just a collaborative news website if Web 2.0 frightens you. Vangonotes is a website in which students can purchase audio reviews of academic subjects and download the audio files onto an Ipod or MP3 player for a farily inexpensive price. Students can buy either an individual chapter or the entire review book. Subjects range from computer science, business, law, and even student success. Prior to purchase students may stream a sample of the book so gain an idea of the substance. Although it is not a replacement for a text, it does allow for students too busy to properly prepare for an exam to get a brief overview of the main concepts and themes.

 

craigslist www.craigslist.org Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities that features free classified advertisements, personals, and discussion forums for various topics. Craigslist is the leading classified service of any medium. It is a site where you can post anything. The posts are sorted by state and category. Listed on the site is just about anything you could want. For example if you wanted to look and see what's going on in Texas you go to craigslist.org search under Texas then select which city you would like to search once you're there you can search by category. There is everything from housing and community activities to job listings and resumes.

 

Revver is a video sharing website that not only allows people to share videos, but also to make money. After someone uploads a video, they are paired up with a sponsor, or advertisement. Each time that the video is viewed after that, the person is paid. The ad revenue is split 50/50 with Revver and the ad company. Sharers earn money by helping spread Revver videos. From this, they receive 20% of the ad revenue.

 

Reddit is a site that allows its users to post links to their favorite websites. Other uses can see these links and add them to their own profile if they wish. Users are able to vote up or down on the links, making them more or less visible on the home page. The users are able to discuss the links by leaving comments.

 

Itunes U is a free service hosted by Apple. It is intended for use by universities and colleges. Teachers may post lectures and interviews, providing easy access for students. Itunes U can be downloaded to both Macs and PCs. In addition, students can download the content to their Ipod. Itunes U incorporates both video and audio, thus making learning more accessible for students. Teacher tube is a video community specially for teachers and students. The format of this webpage is very similar to another Web 2.0 site, Youtube. It is necessary to have an account and after registering teachers are able to upload videos. It is a good source for any educational topic. As you navigate through, an effort to keep it safe and exclusively educational is evident. The kind of videos you can find include lessons given by profesors about any subject, historical videos, documentaries, etc. It is a good source for teachers to spread their knowledge. Therefore, it is an excellent tool for students to investigate and learn from teachers all over the world.

Google Maps is a website that anyone can go on to find directions or a location. Say you need directions from your dorm room to a new restraunt you and your friends have been wanting to try, all you need to do is typle in your address and the address of where you need to go and Google Maps will give you turn by turn instructions. Need to find a hotel near an airport? No problem. Just type in "hotels near (insert airport here)" and Google Maps will find a place for you to stay. You can do this for any kind of business you may need to find and also get directions to them.

 

Notemesh is a free website that allows college students to share their notes with one another. The site was designed to allow students in the same classes to collaborate with each other and create a unified set of notes for a particular class. Each class has its own wiki, which the students are all allowed to edit and update. The idea of this free service is that users in the same class can put all their notes together to collaborate and create the best possible set of notes for a class. According to their website, their philosophy is students "collaborate to graduate." This service was started by four students at the University of Texas, Austin in 2006. Check out Note Mesh at: http://www.notemesh.com/notemesh.php?a=home

 

Another addition to the internet social networking world of myspace, facebook, and the ancient xanga, Ning.com sets itself out from the crowd by allowing people to connect based on common interests such as a certain television show, website, or business rather than area or school. The FAQ state that "your social network can be anything for anyone". Another defining feature of Ning: it is a platform, or a user modified software program. Individual users can format their profiles and networks as they like without having to go through the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to contact the company. For a better definition, check out the Ning weblog. Myplace is a website that contains a variety of different features including a radio that contains a mix of music and talk radio in case your radio does not work. The website allows visitors to make requests on this radio, comments, and displays a radio schedule. Myplace also allows member to post forums on the website where people can post their opinion on specific topics and receive feedback from other members. The website lets you know how many people have seen your post, who wrote each post, who has replied to your post, and when the post was last updated. Myplace also has free web hosting and a chat for all members. http://myplace.com/ :Backpack is a simple web-based service that allows you to make pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. Backpack also features a Calendar and Reminders that can be sent via email or to your cell phone at predefined times. You can keep track of things to do and places to see on your next vacation, plan a home improvement project, organzie a wedding, keep track of houses you may buy, gather information on a research product and much more. One of the great things about Backpack is that you can share your pages with other people. Just click the "Sharing" link on any Backpack page, enter someone's email address, and then they can view the page too. It's a great, simple way to collaborate with friends and colleagues. For more information, visit the website at http://www.backpackit.com/">http://www.backpackit.com/. -- Efficiency. Simplicity. Communication. Ingenuity. Organization. Practicality. Progress. Possibilities..ChalkSite is the fastest and easiest way to expand the classroom onto the internet. Teachers, students, and parents have a central point to access grading, homework, discussions, and messaging. ChalkSite makes it easy for teachers to manage their classes and their students. Each student even has his/her own account. ChalkSite makes it easy to spread messages, makes grading easier, and also makes sure each student sees their homework assignments. For more information check out http://www.chalksite.com/">http://www.chalksite.com/. Using search engines to find specific information can be difficult, nerve-wrenching, and even futile, at times--or at least so thought the makers of Trailfire, a site that directs its users to "trails," not a random array of sites. Trails are a collection of websites relating to some subject that are bound together on Trailfire to ease web searching. Instead of looking through pages of search results, choosing a single trail will suffice, and Trailfire's convenient arrows above every trail make scanning through the pages incredibly simple. Any subject can be found, but if the provided trails don't seem relevant enough, any user can create their own trail for everyone to use and benefit from. Try it for yourself: http://www.trailfire.com/ In 2004, this was the first company to introduce and make available the wiki application. Jotspot wikis provide a website that is used for collaboration of information. Jotspot allows for an advanced search, email integration, add-on applications, and Microsoft Word style editing. Hundreds of companies use Jotspot. Some of these companies include Ebay, Intel, Symantec, Sundia, and the Oxford University Press. For more information about wikis provided by Jotspot click here: Jotspot Yack Pack is a website with a mission to "help people use the power of human voice to build relationships." YackPack claims to provide the simplest way for people to communicate online. Designed by Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford University, YackPack's patented interface helps you cut through the clutter of email, VOIP, and instant messaging clients so you can finally communicate effectively with your team, class, family, or group. The WalkieTalkie Widget is YackPack's newest offering. Through the richness of voice, YackPack connects people wherever they live, whatever their language or age, and whenever they want to listen. YackPack offers four products: Voice Groups- Live voice, presence, voice and text messaging. Perfect for keeping teams in touch. WalkieTalkie Widget- Instantly connect with everyone on your blog, wiki, site -- anywhere. 1-click installation. Yackplayer- Record and embed or link rich voice messages, quickly and easily. Tag- Visitors to your webpage can reach you by voice with a single click. YackPack's website is http://www.yackpack.com Pageflakes is a site that allows you to create your own page with links to anything from your favorite news site to music videos and photos. You even add your email or personal calendar.The page can be personalized with different layouts, fonts, and colors. You can share your page with your family members, create one to share with a class, or leave it out there for all to see on the world wide web. You can find the site at http://www.pageflakes.com/ Skype is a program that allows users to use their computers to make telephone calls, using microphones and speakers. It is free to call other users who have the Skype program. Skype can also be used to call regular landlines and cell phone, but there is a small fee per minute. Skype can be used with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. When using Skype you can make conference calls, have instant message and chat room conversations, and have video conferences using a webcam. Skype is used all over the world and is even available in 28 different languages. For more information go to http://www.skype.com/helloagain.html. Classroom 2.0 is a social networking site for educators interested in using web 2.0 in their classrooms. When members sign-up, they create a profile. Members can then participate in forums and keep blogs on the website. Classroom 2.0 also includes many other useful tools, such as a wiki that includes different topics having to do with web 2.0. The website has recently started Classroom 2.0 Live. Classroom 2.0 Live is a series of workshops web 2.0. Link: Classroom 2.0Bubbl.us****

 

 

 

 

 

BitTorrent

 

 

 

Digg

 

link

 

Newsvine

 

 

VangoNotes

 

 

 

 

Craigslist-

 

 

 

 

Itunes U

 

 

TeacherTube

 

 

Google Maps

 

 

 

 

NoteMesh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ning

 

 

 

 

MyPlace

 

 

 

BackPack

 

ChalkSite

 

Trailfire

 

 

Jotspot

 

 

YackPack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skype

 

 

Classroom 2.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom Central

If you are looking for tips on child-rearing, want to discuss challenges, or just hear or share some ideas for occupying or helping your child(ren), this is a great site to reference. There are articles on a variety of topics, from an interest article on pre-baby trends to advice for weaning a baby off their pacifier to organization tips. In addition, you can search for sitters and nannies or find a tutor for your child in several core subjects. Besides articles and resources, this site links to blogs by other moms, providing a way to interact with and share the mothering experience with others. Finally, this site has multiple forums for discussing a variety of subjects related to your growing children and the challenges of family and running a home. Make this your first stop for any questions, frustrations, or joys you might have.

Link: http://www.momcentral.com/

 

Gift Girl

If you can't decide what to give your friend, this site will recommend items, like on Amazon when you buy books, they list recommended book based on what you bought before. This site would be great in case you do know the person that well and have no inside-joke gifts. All you have to do is answer some basic questions about the girl to create a profile and voila, a gift is selected.

Link: http://www.giftgirl.com

 

 

 

Gliffy

Gliffy allows you to create flow charts, floor plans and other charts. Organizing a room without moving the furniture around physically or displaying information for a presentation becomes much simpler. You can add fun colors and font to make a boring chart more interesting. The basic version is free, but for those who may need more, there is a premium package that they charge for.

Link: http://www.gliffy.com/

 

 

__Spific!__

If you enjoy using Google, but are looking for a more categorized search engine, Spific is a good web browser for you. You can search your keyword within a specific topic of webpages, for example: news/newspapers, online Q & A, dictionaries, coupons, classifieds, health, automotive, science & technology, celebrity, product reviews, price comparison, Encyclopedias, finance & investing, or cooking & recipes. It aids the user because it weeds out the unnecessary web pages that don't include what the user is interested in. (You can still search all the web normally if you aren't look for a specific category.) Spific also has a time frame option for the user. You can decided to search information from the past 24 hours, past week, past month(s), or past year. This is very valuable if the searcher needs to newest, most up-to-date information. Spific is also easy to make a default browser with only one click.

Link: http://www.spific.com/

 

 

 

Yearbook Yourself

This Web site allows users to upload a picture (of either themselves or a friend) and see what his or her yearbook picture of previous era would typically look like. The years range from 1950-2000, and the pictures sport classic hairdo's such as crimped, feathered, side-swept, beehives, blow-outs, and of course, the afro. Users can save the altered photographs and send them to friends and family for a laugh. This site is incredibly entertaining and easy to use. The user picks the gender of the person, and uploads the photo to be used (for best results, the photograph should be a close-up of the person, taken straight-on). There is an adjustment option to center the face within the model, and then, viola! You can scroll through the various years and see the humorous yearbook pictures the site offers. Try it out here.

 

 

Kerpoof

If you have an artistic side then you'll love Kerpoof! Kerpoof is designed to be used by everyone, but the website is designed for children. It was voted 2008's Editor's Choice by Children's Technology Review for Excellence in Design. The design program is backed by the National Science Foundation (NSF), BizWorld Foundation, and National Center for Women and Information Technology. The program allows a user to creat art, cartoons, and stories. You can send group messages or chat about a group picture being created. A user can also send cards and chat with friends around the world. There was a new feature added which also allows the creation of movies with editing software. The is a type of gamed that is played where you complete the drawing to win Kerpoof Koins to be used to purchase cool stuff at the online store to use in the drawings. Kerpoof is also for educators. It has online coloring sheets and art materials. It contains classroom ideas for creative lessons. The website has information on how Kerpoof can be used in lesson plans to meet the educational standards. Kerpoof is an interactive web application that has many features. Check it out here.

Link: http://www.kerpoof.com

 

Write Rhymes

 Growing up, did you ever have an assignment where your teacher required you to write rhyming poems? Was it ever frustrating to have to flip through a rhyming dictionary everytime you had a new word? Well, the 21st century has solved this problem for future generations of school children. This wiki allows you to type a story or poem and whenever you want to find a words that rhyme with something you are typing, press alt+the word you want to rhyme with. It is so simple and such a time saver! It is definitely a student friendly tool and has the potential to make poetry and creative writing a lot more fun.

Want to try? Go to www.writerhymes.com

 

 

Tired of too much junk mail? By signing up with Catalog Choice, you can opt out of receiving unwanted catalogs that just end up in the trash. This free service is easy to use. All you have to do is go to their website and fill out a short form. Tell them which catalogs you no longer want to receive and they will contact the merchant and ask them to stop sending them to you. Did you know that annually more than 19 billion paper catalogs are produced and discarded? Not only does this service help to clean up your mailbox, but it also benefits our environment by reducing the amount of paper created and just thrown out. Also, companies that distribute catalogs save money when they no longer have to mail them to use, therefore lowering production costs and helping to lower prices for you as a consumer. Everyone benefits! Check out this service and sign up to stop receiving unwanted catalogs: www.catalogchoice.org

 

iLetYou

These days it's all about renting. Buying is out. iLetYou is a rental search machine that can help you discover great products from the best rental stores around. iLetYou connects you with 65,000 businesses that want you to rent as well! The rental possibilities are endless; from dresses, tuxedos, cameras to furniture, you can find it here. This service can help you save money while also being a store platform to rental businesses large and small all over the world. So get online, find great stuff for great prices and save time! Here's the link: http://www.iletyou.com/ Happy Renting!