Netted by the Webbys » Entertainment

Good Follows

Thom — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:30:33 +0000

Social media has added a new layer of rejection that we didn’t face in the analog days.

To help figure out where you stand there’s Qwitter, a notification service that alerts you whenever someone has stopped following you on Twitter.

Just sign up for a free account and add your Twitter account information. From then on, you’ll receive a daily email informing you of any followers who’ve jumped ship.

Really worried? Their premium service offers more immediate notification and shows which of your Tweets led them to unfollow you.

To continue on your path of social network domination, there’s also Be the Mayor, which aids you in earning the coveted “mayor” title for your favorite places on foursquare.

Input your foursquare account information and begin searching for the places where you’d like to reign supreme. Be the Mayor will tell you how many check-ins it will take for you to become mayor.

Who says you can’t be master of your own domain?

Good Deeds

Thom — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:30:02 +0000

It’s almost Fall, which means it’s time to start focusing on the important things again. But this needn’t be completely joyless.

To do some good while having a little fun, there’s Charitybuzz, a charity site that auctions off once in a lifetime experiences with celebrities as well as unique objects.

Start by browsing the site for any auctions that strike your fancy. Want to have dinner with Bill Cosby? Always dreamed of going to the Playboy Mansion Halloween party? Here’s your chance.

(Or, as the photo to the right indicates, backstage passes for a Justin Bieber concert are also up for grabs. Please, hold us back).

Once you’re ready to make a bid, create an account and name your price. Final prices can range from anywhere from $500 to $20,000 and up, but it’s a small price to pay for doing a charitable deed.

Charitybuzz works closely with the most reputable charity organizations to organize and execute the auctions, so you can be certain that your money is going where they say it is.

You’ll thank us come tax time.

Outward Bound

Thom — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:30:23 +0000

Hot town, summer in the city. Back of your neck getting burnt, gritty. But what if there were a way to find unique outdoor activities in your own backyard?

Enter Zozi, a new national service that offers deeply discounted deals on activities and events taking place in your locality.

Start by selecting your city–as of today’s national launch they serve New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and 11 other major U.S. metros–to find out what deal is currently available.

They offer everything from sailing excursions to fire eating lessons to racecar driving. And, in celebration of their national launch, they’re giving away $500,000 in free excursions
in the next 48 hours.
Zozi is able to offer discounts of up to 90% off by ensuring that a specified minimum number of people sign up to get the deal.

Once you sign up for a deal you can share it with your friends to make sure the minimum is met. (If not enough people sign up, you are not charged and a new deal is offered).

If you’re planning a trip be sure to check out their equally exciting vacation packages (like a 7-day kayaking trip in Baja).

Now go climb a mountain (or something like that).

Emotional Rescue

Thom — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:30:14 +0000

There are hundreds of online radio services that can sort music by genre and artist, but what if you’re looking for music to match your mood?

Enter Stereomood, a free service that provides (and suggests) music according to your mood and activity level.

To begin, visit Stereomood and select a tag from the mood cloud. Options range from general (“happy”) to the very specific (“Driving Route 66”). Your mood isn’t predictable or constant, so why should your music be?

Once you choose a mood the site will create a playlist that matches the selection. (While writing this we chose “working” and were given a list of 50 songs).

The service is free and doesn’t require an account to use. But to create personalized playlists you’ll need to sign up (which is easy).

Finally, a music site that can get you through the mid-afternoon workday blahs.

Shelf Space

Thom — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:30:36 +0000

Reading is fundamental. But budget cuts are making many local libraries less of an option for avid readers.

Thankfully, there’s Bookswim, an online book rental service that lets you compile a Netflix-style queue of books to be delivered to your door.

Simply set up an account and choose the pricing plan that best suits your reading speed (they start as low as $23.95 a month for 3 books at a time, which includes shipping and handling).

After that, begin selecting books to add to your “Rental Pool.” Bookswim offers everything from best sellers to classic literature to textbooks

There are no due dates or time limits on the books you borrow (unlike a library, you’ll never pay a late fee). When you’ve finished a book, simply pack it in the provided return envelope and send it back to receive the next title on your list.

It’s like having your own personal Dewey Decimal System.

Yankee Doodle

Thom — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:30:18 +0000

As America gears up for a soccer-filled celebration of our nation’s 234th birthday, we’ve got some simple ways to make your holiday weekend even better.

American Au Naturel: Since there’s a very good chance that you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors this weekend, we recommend Abe’s Market, an online marketplace for natural products from independent sellers around the country. Each seller has a profile that outlines their business practices and the products they sell, from coffee to cleaning products. Consider your barbeque sauce and bug spray needs covered.

Hitting the Beach: If you’re spending your weekend near a body of water, avoid the embarrassment of wearing the same bathing suit as your friend with Shortomatic, a service that allows you to make your own custom board shorts (cost: $99). You can upload your own photos and artwork or choose from a gallery of submitted one-off shorts.

Modern Pyrotechnics: If you’re stuck inside this weekend for some reason, or if your local weather isn’t cooperating, you can still enjoy the quintessential 4th of July experience with some Virtual Fireworks. A tad cheesy? Sure. But so is the real thing, often. And, at least Roman candles are finally safe for work.

We’ll be back next week with more non-nationalistic ways to make your life easier through the Internet.

Happy Fourth of July,

The Netted Team

Game Time

Thom — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:30:29 +0000

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means that summer has started. With that comes the return of seersucker, mojitos and the all-important tradition of the summer Friday.

But what to do with all that spare time? One suggestion: video games, via the gaming mecca known as Kongregate.

The site offers thousands of user-developed games, all available for free.

Those of you who are worried that today’s offerings are too complicated (we stopped playing during the Galaga era as well) will be pleased to learn that the site specializes in “casual” games that can easily be played using a computer keyboard.

Kongregate has a points system, awarded for rating games, referring friends, and winning challenges. There are plans to make these points redeemable for prizes, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.

If you do well, you earn badges and gain the respect of fellow players.

And, yes, you can add your initials if you get a high score.

Knocked Out

Thom — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:30:52 +0000

You’re at the sold out, one-night-only reunion show of your favorite band from college (yes, it’s Pavement). Your best friend has to work, but you’d like to share the experience.

Good thing you can now download Knocking Live Video, a free application that allows you to live-stream video to another phone using your cell phone’s camera.

Just download the application—it’s currently available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry—and sign up for a free account.

Then just open the app and begin sharing by sending a “knocking” request to any of your friends (they also have to be using the app).

Once another user has accepted your invitation, you’ll be able to share live video or pictures from your phone as you shoot it, giving your friends access to your memories as they’re being created.

The current version only allows for a video stream between two users, but there are plans for “Knockcast,” which will allow users to broadcast to multiple friends simultaneously.

Now you just have to find a key grip to hold your boom mike.

Get Better Soon

Thom — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:30:48 +0000

You’re great just the way you are. (And, dammit, people like you). But every now and again the urge to get better strikes.

For those moments there’s Betterfly, a new service that puts teachers and students together, all with the goal of making you better at any of 1000 different things.

To start you create an account, adding your interests, skills and things about yourself you’d like to improve. Then you look for the services you want, be it trumpet lessons or accent reduction from a linguistics Ph.D.

You can search based on the location of the Betterist, their appointment times or verified review scores. (Each Betterist is ranked accordingly, so your search results will suggest the Betterists who are right for you).

You can also use Betterfly’s Appointment Finder to search for a Betterist’s real-time appointments or see who is offering a last-minute deal.

Once you find a Betterist, visit his or her page to see what services they offer, read client reviews and even book an appointment online.

Once you make an appointment you’ll meet the Betterist in person at an agreed-upon time and locale (though some Betterists do offer lessons via videochat). You won’t have to pay the listed price until you finish.

Have a unique skill and a desire to make others better? Betterfly makes it simple to create your own page.

Radio Head

Thom — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:30:33 +0000

Your days of working with two turntables and a microphone may be over, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop spinning records (virtually speaking).

Enter Blip.fm, a new service that allows you to play DJ by creating (and listening to) custom playlists, song by song.

First, choose your DJ name and list a few of your favorite musical acts (a wide range of choices works best).

From there, Blip will compare your taste in music with data from other users. When you find users you like, you add them to your DJ homepage, which uses a Twitter-like streaming format to show updates (or “Blips”) each time a fellow DJ plays a new song.

Click on a song to play it. As it plays, you’ll also see the music video (if one is available). If you like the song, you can add it to your profile.

When you get tired of listening to the work of other DJ’s, begin selecting songs to add to your own custom playlist. You can even add messages to each blip, so others know why you’ve chosen it when it shows up on their stream.

(The sharing isn’t just limited to other Blip users, either. You can broadcast your picks on a variety of social networks, including Twitter and Tumblr.)

All the music is available for free, making Blip.fm an incredible source for listening to your old favorites and learning about new ones.

Your listeners are waiting…