100 Online Apps and Tools to make your life easy!
3:12 PM Posted In aggregators , Applications , Monitoring , online tools , Social Media , tool , web 2.0 , web analytics , web tools Edit This 2 Comments »Below are the top 100 Online apps and tools which I have collated according to my own experience and usage. If you think I've missed on any of the tools that you've been using, then kindly mention it in the comments along with a link.
Aggregation & Collaboration
- Newshawker - one of the leading blog aggregators out there; check out the entrepreneurship section as a good example
- Basecamp - an oldie, but a goody - online project management made easy (37Signals, the company behind Basecamp, makes several online apps that you'll want to check out)
- Digsby - get your IM, Email and Social Networks all in one place, that's what Digsby is all about
- Tinychat - create chatrooms on-the-fly; BackNoise is another good one for this
- Gist - one of my favorite apps of the day, Gist helps you learn more about the contacts you've made - all in one place
- Google Apps - by far the most popular toolset with this crowd, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs all get the nod for making your life easier. Of course, I have to mention Google Reader or Google Wave in this category either
- SpringPad - one of the latest online notebooks, this one is worth a test drive
- MindMesiter - collaborative, online mind mapping; I've yet to catch on to the whole mind-mapping craze, but those that use it love it - maybe it's for you?
- Instapaper - a fast, easy, and free tool to save Web pages for reading later
- Utterli - another online chat tool you can use to start discussions via the Web or your mobile device
- Skribit - let your readers suggest topics for you to blog about, and put an end to writer's block
Monitoring & Analytics
- ConvoTrack - a bookmarklet that enables you to see the entire conversation surrounding a post (see comments from Twitter, FriendFeed, Digg, Reddit, etc.)
- TweetBeep - you've probably heard of this one, but TweetBeep is the "Google Alerts" for Twitter - monitor keywords in Twitter and receive email summaries for free
- Google Analytics and Google Alerts - I know you've heard of these, but they are among the most valuable tools for monitoring and analytics today
- SocialMention - a free, real-time social media search and analysis tool
- Monitter - real-time, live Twitter monitor - lets you monitor Twitter for keywords, similar to features in some Twitter clients
- TweetGrid - another free Twitter monitoring tool, but this one lets you decide how many windows (or active searches) you want in your "grid"
- TweetChat -allows you to create chats around Twitter hashtags - a popular tool for following #journchat discussions
- Twitterfall - my tool-of-choice for following #journchat, though it's really a more powerful Twitter monitoring tool that displays tweets in a "waterfall" window
File Utilities
Multimedia
Online Research
- Zotero - easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage and cite your research sources.
- Addict-o-matic - if I had a "super cool" category, this one would be in it - instantly create a custom page with the latest buzz on any topic
Online Journalism
- Publish2 - this one's on my "ones to watch" list now - Publish2 bills itself as the Web's largest newsroom, where journalists collaborate to curate the news
- Slinkset - this wasn't mentioned in the chat, but it's a cool tool for creating your own online news site
Research
There's no one software tool that will satisy all your research needs, but start with some of the following
- Ottobib for research paper bibliographies.
- Google Reader for subscribing to your favorite web feeds.
- Spreeder to help you do all your reading faster.
- Dictionary.com to look up definitions.
- SpellJax to make sure you're speling is grate.
- Google Video and even YouTube for some learning via web video.
Books
- Internet Text Archive: This open source site has books in American, Canadian and universal libraries.
- Google Book Search: View entire books on this site, including non-fiction reference guides, literature, fantasy, poetry and more.
- The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania's book page provides listings for over 30,000 books, including author information and special lists for prize-winners, women authors and more.
- Authorama: This public domain books site publishes free books categorized alphabetically by author last name.
- ManyBooks.net: This smart site has books that can be viewed on your iPod, PDA or eBook reader, from poetry to romance to biographies.
Public Access Libraries and Research Centers
Even if you don't live in a major city, you can take advantage of research materials and more from resources like the Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art and others.
- Library of Congress: Browse exhibitions, access educational resources, check out the American Folklife Center, copyright office, braille reading materials and more.
- Internet Public Library: Besides the reading room and reference resources, this site also has exhibits, a special collections site, and plenty of information for those interested in business, computers, science, health, government and more.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art: Art enthusiasts can access the collection database for information about over 51,000 paintings and works inside the Met.
- MIT Libraries: Browse the collections and get information on how to borrow or order materials here.
- Musee de Louvre: Check out the collections, exhibitions and other educational resources online from one of the world's most famous museums.
- PublicLibraries.com: Find public libraries in all 50 states by searching this site.
- Mayo Clinic: Learn all about diseases, symptoms, health care and more on this site.
- LibWeb: Use this tool to get connected to academic libraries, public libraries, national libraries and other centers around the world.
- Library Spot: Follow links to libraries and reference sites, or use the Library Spot to look up information, ask the experts, look up genealogy questions and more.
- Questia: This online library promises "faster, easier research." Browse by subject category or keyword to access book profiles, journals, magazines, free books and more.
Podcasts
Listen to these podcasts for academic lectures, NPR shows, speeches, interviews and more.
- iTunesU: Listen to lectures from professors at Stanford and other colleges using this platform.
- University of Cambridge podcasts: This site offers a limited number of podcasts.
- "HyperManyMedia" Platform: The WKU distance learning podcasts and videos are offered in poetry, drama, fiction and more.
- American University Washington College of Law: If you want to brush up on your understanding of American law and justice, listen to these classes.
- The Education Podcast Network: This network has podcasts in the following areas: theatre arts, computer and technical skills, music education, information skills, math, second languages and a lot more.
- OpenCulture.com Free podcasts: Check here for free podcasts from universities like Columbia, Georgetown and the London School of Economics.
- Podcast Alley: Find podcasts on virtually any subject, from the environment to health, here.
- VoIP Free Calls Guide: Use this guide to set-up free voip conferences or interviews to include in your podcast.
- Classics Podcasts: Listen to the news, get vocabulary lessons and listen to textbooks in Latin and Greek.
- Digital Podcast: Find podcasts on books, music, the news, religion, technology and other subjects on this site.
Learning a New Language
If you want to learn a new language, these web tools can help you with pronunciation, vocabulary, and even planning a trip abroad.
- StudySpanish.com: Access free resources for Spanish vocabulary, verbs, grammar, pronunciation and more, at three different levels.
- Language Homework Help: MSN Encarta's resource helps you translate, find verb tenses, spell correctly and learn about history.
- iLoveLanguages: Find links and resources for dictionaries, translators, language lessons and more.
- BBC Languages: This is a great site for learning about different cultures and planning a trip abroad. Get updated news and weather information around the world, as well as vocabulary lessons and other activities in languages like Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Greek and Chinese.
- Virtual Language Tutor: Here you can be tutored in any language from Japanese to Texan Spanish to Canadian French to Russian to Swedish.
Government Sites
For authoritative information on science and technology, U.S. history, consumer information and more, visit these government sites.
- Consumer.gov: Besides getting consumer alerts and news about recalls, health care and other issues, this website can be studied to gain insight about the U.S. economy.
- U.S. Census Bureau: Get economic and cultural information about Americans here.
- The National Archives: Find all kinds of educational resources, including a research catalog, online exhibits and U.S. Declaration page, right here.
- Science.gov: Browse scientific topics like biology and nature, astronomy and space, earth and ocean sciences, computers and communication, and others.
- USGS: Check out the interactive map to learn about the country's geologic history and more.
Reference Guides and Dictionaries
This list features a medical dictionary, historical references and facts, global information, math help and more.
- AMS Books Online: Read math textbooks and theory books on this site.
- Free Tech Books: Read computer programming and computer engineering textbooks and lecture notes for free.
- The World Factbook: Look up history references, geography, government questions, economics, transportation information and more about every country.
- Dictionary.com: This site also includes a thesaurus, encyclopedia and other resources.
- Medline Plus Medical Dictionary: Look up confusing medical terms here.
- EPodunk: Get information about U.S. cities and states, including city tours, festivals and more.
- The Original Farmer's Almanac: Get information on the seasons, weather, astronomy, gardening and more from The Old Farmer's Almanac.
- Meteorology: If you've ever wanted to learn more about meteorology, you'll find lots of helpful guides on this site.
- Specialist Online Dictionary: Find all types of resources, dictionaries and reference guides for specialties like computers, the law, religion, philosophy, word games, writing, translation and more.
- RefDesk: RefDesk compiles lists of links and references for those who want to look up history, weather, maps and atlases, the news, movie times, lottery numbers and everything else.
Reference Sites
Head to these sites when you want to learn more about poetry, the environment, gardening, or scientific research.
- Poets.org: Whether you're an aspiring poet or a poetry enthusiast, listen to poems, learn about writers and more on this site.
- Discovery Channel: Watch videos, read articles and play games to learn about history, science, health and more.
- The New York Times: Get the latest news, delve into the archives, and gain insight into the world's culture, economy and politics.
- EPA.gov: From acid rain to human health to recycling, educate yourself on environmental issues from the EPA.gov.
- PBS: PBS is another fantastic site for catching up on politics, learning about history and culture, and playing educational games.
- National Gardening Association: Learn everything there is to know about gardening, from picking seeds to planning around the seasons to pest control right here.
- NYSE: Trade and learn about stocks, read about investments, the economy and finance here.
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation: Those wanting to go back to school will find this guide to accreditation a great help.
- Wikipedia: For a quick reference on anything from Pulp Fiction to Rakhi Sawant, use Wikipedia.
- ScienceDaily: Catch up on "the latest research news" here.
As I wrote above, I might have missed on applications/tools which you think might be useful, so kindly feel free to mention them along with a link below in the comments.
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