My Favorite Things for 2009

I guess I'm probably 4 days late in publishing my "New Year" post, but, better late than never.

Here are my favorite applications for 2009 - separated by category.

Social Bookmarking

• Diigo - I like Diigo for social bookmarking for numerous reasons. First, the browser toolbar is robust and easy to use. I like the annotation features with highlights and sticky notes. I also like the organization (tags, lists) and collaboration (groups, site communities, tag communities, messaging, conversations) features. And, the publishing options are excellent. I can post directly to Twitter, Facebook, and my blog. I can also schedule posting jobs so that every day Diigo posts all bookmarks I have tagged with "education" directly to this blog.

RSS Aggregator

• Google Reader - Google reader launched an update to their interface in late 2008. The landing page is slicker and the feeds are very easy to organize, share, and publish as cliprolls and blogrolls. Google also analyzes your feeds and suggests additional feeds with similar content.
  

Internet Start Page

• iGoogle - iGoogle also launched a much improved interface. It's easier to organize the content and feeds and the design in much slicker. It integrates with all the other Google applications I use on a regular basis, like: Google Calendar, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Bookmarks, Google Notebook, etc. With gadget add-ons I can interface with other web applications like Twitter, YouTube, and many more.

Productivity Applications

• Snipurl - Snipurl is a URL shrinker that allows users to register. Registering allows users to save and edit their snips and access usage data.
• Bit.ly - Bit.ly is another URL shrinker that use for quick access. I have a Bit.ly gadget on my Gmail page and it allows direct posts to Twitter.
  
• ShareTabs - ShareTabs allows users to shrink multiple URLs into one URL. The result is a landing page that that allows users to open each URL individually or open them all at once in browser tabs. (I used to suggest Linkbuch.ch for this function until they went offline for maintenance for a very long time without updating their blog or Twitter feed to let their users know what was going on. During this time previously created LinkBun.ch URLs failed to work.)
• TinyPaste - TinyPaste is an online pastebin that is great for sharing longer responses on microblogs, Facebook, or other similar applications.
• Drop.io- Drop.io is an service that allows users to publish media content, files, and other web links in private or public pages. The drops publish an RSS feed to make it easy for users to track new posts. This is one of the most useful collaborative applications I have used in 2008 and will continue to use throughout 2009.
• Embetit.in - Embedit.in is a service that creates embed code for all sorts of documents. It is a great application to use to enrich the content on your wiki or blog.
• Screencast-O-Matic - I love this application for creating high-quality screencasts for download and online publication. It is really easy to use.
• Google Calendar - Google Calendar is a terrific free online calendar application that you cna use to collaborate. It like how it integrates with Gmail and how easy it is to share appointments across multiple calendars to to publish calendars. This makes my life so much more organized.
• Gmail - Gmail is my favorite e-mail server. I like how easy it use and how it integrates with all the other Google applications. Using filters makes my inbox so much more organized. I like using the + Gmail addresses to forward important content to my work e-mail. The new themes also make the Gmail experience aesthetically more pleasing.
  

Wikis

• Wikispaces - Wikispaces is the first wiki engine I used, though I have worked with others like EditMe, PB Wiki, and WetPaint. I still like Wikispaces the best. I never have trouble with my embedded widgets working properly and the site is practically NEVER down for maintainence. Wikispaces has launched some major upgrades over the past year to make the user account easier to manage and the manage wiki options are slicker and easier to navigate. Just a week ago they made it even easier for teachers to create secure accounts for their students. And, in comparison to some of the other wiki engines, Wikispaces really seems truly committed to supporting educational use of their product.
  

Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations

• Google Docs - I LOVE Google Docs and the suite just keeps getting better. I use Google Docs for word processing, gathering and sorting data, and creating presentations that are made interactive with live chat. I think the Forms feature of Spreadsheets is a tremendous application.
  
• 280 Slides - I just started using 280 Slides to create presentations for online publication. I am really impressed with its design features and ease of use. From what I have heard from Mac users, 280 Slides is very similar to Keynote (which is good as I hope to convert my computing to Mac in 2009.)
  
• Scribd - Scribd publishes documents as e-paper that can be shared via URL or embedded on other websites. It is very useful and versitile. I really like that all web links are live in Scribd. So, the document is not just a static post. My one concern about Scribd is that it appears many users violate Scribd's Terms of Service and post inappropriate and offensive content and Scribd doesn't seem to catch it. This is part of the reason that many schools are blocking Scribd.
  
• SlideShare - SlideShare was one of the first online presentation publishing applications that really became mainstream. SlideShare is an excellent site not just for publishing, it is a great addition to your professional learning network as the tags, groups, and commenting options are robust. SlideShare also allows for the creating of SlideCasts, a merging of a slide show and podcast to create a self-contained presentation.
  

Networking

• Facebook - While I use many applications to connect to others in a professional capacity, Facebook is more of a social experience. I use it to connect to friends from high school and college and while I do "friend" many of my professional acquaintances.
• LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a professional networking application. While it does certainly offer some similar social features to other social networks it is really designed for professional applications. They recently began launching integrations with third-party applications like SlideShare. So, contacts can see a broader picture of your professional profile by accessing content you have published online. The groups features of LinkedIn have really begun to take off through the discussion boards and community posts.
  
• Twitter - Twitter was my first foray into the world of microblogging and I still find it to be a vibrant facet of my learning network. Lots of great Twitter applications that have launched in 2008 increase the power of Twitter and a learning tool. Check out my PLN wiki page for some great Twitter applications.
  
• Plurk - Plurk is really one of my favorite online applications. It is a microblog that is organized around conversations. It is very easy to use and I often get faster and more robust responses to queries and conversations.
  
• Ping.fm - I use Ping.fm to cross post to multiple sites, like Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, Blogger, Diigo, etc. I have a Ping.fm gadget on my iGoogle page that I use most frequently when posting content.
  
• AtomKeep - Is a service that links all your online profiles and allows you to update them simultaneously. Hands-down this is one of the most useful applications I use.
  
• Retaggr - Retagger allows users to create a digital business card that aggregates all your application profiles into one compact place that can be embedded on blogs, wikis, added to e-mail signatures, and much more.
  

Media

• Flickr - Flickr is a photo hosting site that allows users to contribute to groups.
• Picnik - Picnik is a photo editing tool that integrates well with Flickr.
• YouTube - Is the marque video hosting site. I find that the subscription, playlist, and customized players make YouTube so convenient.
• UStream - UStream is a live streaming video site that also allows users to archive their videos. Services such as Mogulus and Qik are looking to usurp UStream's prominence, but the networks I have built on Ustream is pretty vibrant and I plan to continue using UStream for the near future.
  
• GCast - GCast is a service that lets users create media channels to syndicate their own podcasts. Users can upload audio files or create podcasts with a mobile phone.
  
• CoverItLive - CoverItLive is a live blogging engine that allows users to embed video from UStream, Mogulus, or Qik into their live blogging room. The live blog can be embedded and is archived. Users can post directly from Twitter as well. It is darn useful.
  

By no means is this a complete listing of all the web apps I use on a regular basis, but it does constitute the core of my online networking and learning. I constantly update my professional networking wiki page with new applications in these categories. I would welcome suggestions for new applications that I should explore in 2009.

Internet
Web 2.0
Professional
Productivity
Networking
Technology
Turbo Tagger

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