The editors of Pandia share their favorite online tools for blogging, exploring and information management.There used to be a time when you had to install software on your computer to get a job done. Now a large number of services are available online, and can be accessed from within your browser window. We work on several computers, and being able to access the tools on a PC in Berlin one day and a Mac in Oslo the next, is a must.
Here are our ten favorite tools right now:
1. Yahoo! Bookmarks
When we wrote the article Top 5 social bookmarking services last year, Yahoo! Bookmarks did not make it into the top 5. This was partly because it isn’t really a social networking site, but also because we found it lacking in many respects.
Since then Yahoo! has launched a new version of Yahoo! Bookmarks, and we love it!. It is well designed, and easy to use. We may be old fashioned, but the possibility of using folders instead of tags, is a relief.
2. Google Reader or Rojo
In order to keep track of all the search engine buzz in the blogosphere, we need to use an RSS feed reader. Susanne insists that Rojo is the best one, while Per argues that Google’s Reader is more than good enough. If you follow a lot of blogs and new sites, and haven’t started subscribing to feeds, this is the time to get going. Start by subscribing to Pandia’s feed.
3. Stumbleupon
Stumbleupon is one of the social networking site we like best. It is quite different from the likes of Facebook and MySpace. Users of the Stumbleupon toolbar may submit sites and pages they find useful. Other Stumbleupon users will then be presented with these pages when they click on the toolbar “stumble” button.
It is a bit like TV channel zapping, but the fact that the survival of Web pages in the system depends on the number of “thumbs up” they get from the “stumblers” mean that most of the pages shown are of good quality. You may also restrict your stumbling to specific categories, a great way to explore new unknown quality sites in your area of interest.
We hate that they tricked us into sending spam emails to our contacts, though. That was very embarrassing.
4.Vox
If you are to develop a company blog, or blog for profit, you definitely need to use professional software hosted on a reliable Web host. However, if you just want to make a personal blog, or a blog for a smaller project, an “off the shelf” solution may be exactly what you need.
Google’s Blogger is all right, but Vox is better. We like the various elegant Web page designs and the social networking aspect of Vox. And it is extremely easy to set up and edit a new blog. Susanne’s blog at Vox may serve as an example of what you can do.
5. Netvibes
Another way of managing large amounts of Internet information, is to make your own portal, consisting of your favorite headlines, search tools, videos, social networking accounts (you know, like Facebook), notes, weather reports and so on.
There are many good personalized start pages, but Netvibes is the best.
6. Yahoo Mail
We are using Google’s Gmail ourselves, which is an excellent service, but we have to admit that Yahoo’s online mail service is more good looking, and easier to use. It includes an integrated calendar, notepad and feed reader, and is accessible from any browser, anywhere.
7. Facebook
Unless you have been hiding under a rock during the last year, you probably know everything there is to tell about Facebook. It is a great way to present yourself to old and new friends, and to waste a lot of time on meaningless quizzes and funny applications. We like the ability to import your own Web feeds and present them to your network.
Facebook is the ultimate proof of man being a social, and not predominantly a rational being.
8. Feedburner
Having an RSS Web feed is obligatory for any serious Web site owner or blogger. This is especially true for sites like Pandia, which have a large number of technologically advanced users. Feedburner helps us keep track of our Web feed users, and gives us detailed statistics on what they read, and when they visit our site.
9. Google Docs
We have not abandoned Microsoft’s Office package yet, but in not a too distant future, we might. Using Google docs, you can write text documents, develop spreadsheets and design PowerPoint like presentations online.
The fact that all the documents are saved on the servers of Google, means that they are easy to share with others. This makes the service a great tool for collaborative team work.
10. Flickr
We have made our last paper based photo album. Now our digital photos go directly into the Mac’s iPhoto software and out on the Web. Still, the .mac service is not an alternative for non-Mac users (and that includes most of you), so we have put up Yahoo’s Flickr photo service as our favorite. Flickr lets you share your digital photos with the whole world, and even add them to a world map.
It took us 30 minutes to put up this page. There ough to be alternative skins or Web page designs available, though. In this respect Flicks can learn from Vox.
We would also like to mention the following tool, which didn’t make it into the top 10 as it requires you to download software on your computer:
Last.fm
If you listen to a lot of digital music using iTunes or another music player, Last.fm may be the thing for you. Last.fm keeps track of what music you listen to (in our case by importing info from iTunes and our iPods), and then produces various hit lists based on what we have been listening too. It then compares this information with lists produced by other members and proposes artists similar to the ones you like.
You can also take a look at iLike, a good alternative to Last.fm.
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