LinkedIn or LeftOut?
I started using LinkedIn about a month ago and so far I’m impressed. I’m even going to bring back a nearly forgotten category and name LinkedIn this week’s Website of the Week (yeah, giving that another go in ‘07).
So in a nutshell, LinkedIn is MySpace for business. Where MySpace is bursting at the seams with garish layouts, music, videos, photos, etc., LinkedIn has just two things: resumés and contacts. LinkedIn also has nine million members and counting. That’s obviously a small fraction of what MySpace has, but LinkedIn is actually useful (at least in theory). Some people are even saying things like, “If you’re not linked in, you’re left out.” I would say the jury is still out on that one. However, while I haven’t made any serious business connections yet, I have gotten back in touch with some people I lost contact with several years ago. In and of itself, that’s useful enough for me. Any professional benefit I happen to glean from the site will be icing on the cake.
A good starting point is to read an article on CNN called A MySpace for grown-ups. If you’re interest is piqued, read some of the other articles listed on LinkedIn’s media page. If you decide to go ahead and sign up, be sure to read Guy Kawasaki’s Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. Finally, feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile. I could use some more connections…
Sphere: Related ContentRead any good banned books lately?
This week seems like a great time to celebrate freedom in light of the 5th anniversary observed on Monday. Google has just posted an excellent list of banned books. It’s so good that I’m making it the Website of the Week (yeah, I’m trying to resurrect the tradition).
You may be wondering how many of these banned books I’ve read. OK, you’re probably not wondering that, but humor me anyway. Truth be told, I’ve read fourteen of the 42 books listed (one-third of the list). Many of them I read during rain storms in Malawi while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer while others were assigned in high school or college English classes. The list even includes five of my favorite books of all-time:
- Catch-22
- Slaughterhouse Five
- 1984
- Brave New World
- Cat’s Cradle
So if you look at that list and your total is zero out of 42, make some time to read a few of them. You won’t be sorry… especially if you read Catch-22. Yossarian is waiting…
Sphere: Related ContentTake Firefox and make it your own
As we all know by now, Firefox is the best web browser in the known universe. But did you know that you can make it even better? Yeah, that’s right. As of right now, there are 1320 extensions and 190 themes available for Firefox! Okay, so most of these are basically either useless or ugly, but I can help you separate the what from the chaff when you visit Firefox Addons (this week’s Website of the Week). Read more
Sphere: Related ContentUbuntu is world’s most popular Linux
Having taken the world by storm during the past year, Ubuntu is now the top Linux distribution on the planet. Perhaps more importantly, it is this week’s Website of the Week. All right, so that’s probably not quite as important. But it’s almost as important, right? Read more
Sphere: Related ContentAmazon an online jungle of good ideas
Everyone has probably browsed it at least once and many people shop there now and then also. Yes, this week’s Website of the Week is none other than Amazon.com.
I love Amazon for a number of reasons. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentFirefox flicks a booger at IE
Yes, the much-missed Website of the Week is back! Both of my readers were clamoring for its return, so I couldn’t resist. The lucky site this week is the brand new Firefox Flicks.
Firefox Flicks is a showcase for independently produced 30-second ads for Firefox. New ones are added all the time and some of them are really funny. So check it out and let me know what you think.
Also grab the latest Firefox update - version 1.5.0.2 - by choosing ‘Check for Updates’ from the ‘Help’ menu. Enjoy.
Sphere: Related ContentDATA: Debt AIDS Trade Africa
For its commitment to raising awareness and effecting change with respect to the most important issues facing Africa today, DATA: Debt AIDS Trade Africa is this week’s Website of the Week.
DATA’s agenda in a nutshell is the forgiveness of foreign debts for the world’s poorest countries, the availability of affordable drugs to fight AIDS, and the establishment of fair trade policies that allow African nations to compete in the global arena. Here are just a few sobering statistics from the site: Read more
Sphere: Related ContentJibJab goes both ways in D.C.
JibJab, the home of some of the funniest political cartoon movies we’ve ever seen, is this week’s Website of the Week. While they do take a lot of pot shots at the Bush administration, closer examination reveals that liberals such as Clinton, Gore, Kerry, and Edwards aren’t safe from their parodies either. The only person who seems to emerge relatively unscathed is John McCain who famously “goes both ways in DC” in the cartoon “Good To Be In DC” (my personal favorite).
Other classics include “This Land”, “Second Term”, “Big Box Mart”, and the newly released “2-0-5″. All of these are hilariously set to the tunes of popular American folk songs. So the next time you’re tired and stressed out and just need a good laugh, do what I do and watch a JibJab movie… or two… or three…
Sphere: Related ContentUrban Dictionary needs more cowbell
Have you ever wished there was a website that existed for the sole purpose of cataloging all of our weird slang? Well, guess what? You’re in luck. The Urban Dictionary does just that and is this week’s Website of the Week.
Despite the title of this post, the Urban Dictionary does in fact have more cowbell, a perfect example of the kind of pop culture inside jokes that make it a great website. Read more
Sphere: Related ContentThe Onion will make you cry…
…because you’ll be laughing so hard. Yes, The Onion is this week’s Website of the Week. Whenever I need a good laugh, I head over to The Onion, click the link that says “Skip This Ad” (arg), and then read a few wonderfully satirical articles. You’ll probably notice several articles that poke fun of conservatives, but if you dig a little deeper you’ll discover that nobody is safe from their wit. It’s not for everybody and is guaranteed to offend some people, but I like it enough to write about it here.
“What’s my favorite article so far?” you ask. Great question! That would be this one. If you know me well, you’ll understand why.
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