Making Web Life Easier

As an avid web surfer, I typically spend an average of 3 to 4 hours in front of the computer looking up things I want to buy, people I want to connect with, information I may need for work, amongst many other things that are part of my web routine. Is three to four hours spent in front of the web too much? By the time you add the 8-10 hours at my regular job, which consists mostly of monitor staring, you are barely left with enough time to brush your teeth! It would be nice to go to the gym like the good old days. I miss those days. No...not the dial-up days....the days when I used to have a real life.

Well, being that the web is here to stay, we need to figure out a better way to maximize our time in front of the PC. We need sites that cut corners, reduce search time, and get you what you want more efficiently. And I don't mean getting "connected" with other people. Myspace and Facebook do a good job at giving you a better social life. I owe Myspace quite a few good times in my earlier days. But I am referring to sites or services that free up your time. One of the first sites that I came across while searching for this Holy grail was....

Del.icio.us


The reason it caught my attention was that it was recommended to me by a programmer I know. I checked it out and it truly did not catch my attention at first. After a while of playing with it I did like the fact that you find things based on what other people find. That is a neat idea in that it cuts your time compared to Google where you have to go through some non-sense garbage that has nothing to do with what you are searching for. I don't go through the garbage in my house looking for good stuff. On Del.icio.us you find what you want without most of the BS. My only complaint is that it is not appealing to the eye, in fact, I hate looking at it. But it saves me time, therefore, I am very satisfied for now.




Another really neat website I found that seems to be a newbie but I think is on the right track is a site called....

QuickieClick.com

This site seems to be in early Beta stage but has certain features that truly reduce web time. Also, it is quite fun as it has a very cartoonish feel to it with a very ajax oriented setup. It is what they call a visual launchpad site with a social bookmarking twist. In essence, it serves as a social homepage where you visually see your favorite sites and click away. And you organize your sites using tags. This definitely saves me time compared to going through an endless number of folders. And asking myself the horrific question..."Where did I put that site?". Another good thing is that I don't have to type any URLs anymore. This site also has neat features like programmable command lines, one click traffic reports, lottery numbers, weather reports, and most of the basic social aspects of a social network. Over the last month...this has been a total time saver.



And the last site that has reduced my time has been a site called....

Netvibes.com

This is a homepage style website where you place your favorite widgets from other sites and services on your page. It can definitely reduce time though it does take away from the overall feel of the original site you once loved. But saves time it does. It is kinda like cutting pieces of every website and putting it into one. I do like this site, though I am sure each little piece will soon be populated with ads. And that can be quite a few ads. Booo!!!! Hopefully this doesn't happen, but I am sure it will as they need to make money to support the site.

"Carpe Diem"