As we all know, social media networks such as Facebook have taken over the internet as a means to express yourself through status updates, pictures, videos and a way to connect with friends, past and present. It’s a fascinating concept, built around every aspect of one’s life through one site. To be able to go to one site and browse friends, videos, pictures, etc.; it is quite an amazing feature to have.

One company, Intel, has gone above and beyond in order to make your Facebook status that much better. They have developed a flash site, specifically designed to put your Facebook on full display by accessing your photos, wall posts, links, friends and other aspects of your page.

Introducing the Museum of Me.

The Museum of Me gathers all of the data that you allow it to, including those features listed above and compiles it all into one giant art exhibit, beautifully displaying every aspect of your Facebook page. The site takes your data and artistically places it in what seems to be a virtual museum of your life.

Playing along with great, relaxing musical sounds, the museum will archive all of your past and present activity on Facebook.

In a world in which social media has become a mainstream journal of sorts, this type of flash website is a great twist on what you’ve already seen, but wouldn’t mind having it all show up again. Just imagine a real world museum, displaying your life. Shrink it down to a computer screen and that’s exactly what you will get.

It’s no normal site, but Intel has masterfully found a great way to promote their product through something so eye-catching that you’re almost guaranteed to see their short advertisement at the end. Of course, you’ll stay to see your entire ‘exhibit’, thus making it a very plausible event that you will see that ad which makes Intel’s marketing plan on this one a very sneaky, yet very successful method.

If you have about five to ten minutes spare, to allow time for the site to gather your data and then watch your display, this site is a must-see for anybody with a Facebook.

It won’t show everything that you’ve had on your Facebook page and leaves out some friends, but the amount of data it does compile and the interpretation they put on it is a wonderful show. You can check out the Museum of Me right here and of course connect to Facebook when prompted to on the homepage. Before long, you will be immersed in the story of your life in exhibit form allowing you to take in the sites of your Facebook in a display lasting roughly three minutes.

In terms of a flash website, this has got to be at the top of the list for one of the most entertaining and well-crafted on the internet and is definitely worth a look for anyone that does have a Facebook and enjoys a bit of art in their lives.

Whenever Facebook rolls out major change in the site (chat, ticker, and Timeline may come to mind), a handful of users always say something like “When I create my own social network I’m going to make sure that it’s not (–insert Facebook flaw here–). Of course, very few people actually go out to create their own social network. Most of us just grumble at the Facebook changes, and learn to live with them overtime.

Today though, I found a site that actually aims to serve as a Facebook alternative. It was created not so much in a competitive Google+ type of way, but in a we’re-sick-of-your-ever-changing-privacy-settings-and-layout-so-here’s-our-own-social-network kind of way.

Check out Friendio—a new addition to the social web that lets you do pretty much the same things that you can do in other social networks. The kicker though, is that Friendio enforces a strict pro-user privacy policy that will never be revised. Read the fine print below:

We know profile privacy is important today, and that’s why your profile is automatically marked ‘friends only’ so nobody can view any data in your profile unless they are a friend (but you can change these settings at any time you choose to, you can even set your profile so nobody can see it at all but you).

You can further select (in your account settings) who can see what at any time. This will never change unless you change it. Our privacy policy is never revised to make some or all of the information you mark private suddenly become public across the entire social network, or the world.

What Can You Do on Friendio?

As previously mentioned, Friendio mirrors a lot of the major features of Facebook. It allows you to connect with other users, and share information through the social network. Users can also upload content such as blog posts, photos and videos, and it even allows users to rate uploaded content. In addition, just like in other social networks, Friendio allows users to create business and brand pages, including those specifically for musicians, artists, schools, and more.

What’s special about Friendio though is that its layout and user profiles are fully customizable. For instance, if you’re missing the classic Facebook profile, you can select a Friendio theme that’s very similar to that old blue layout. Say goodbye to forced layout changes and editions, this new social network lets you be the boss.

Want to go mobile? Android users are in luck, as Friendio has already released an app for Android devices. Speaking of apps, the creators of this new social network have an open API, allowing developers to add applications to Friendio.

Who’s Behind Friendio?

The creators of Friendio come from Orlando Park IL. According to Mashable, the developers of this new social network are former Facebook users who simply got sick of the mandatory changes the Facebook imposes on its users. It was furthered that that final straw was when Facebook required all users to switch to Timeline. Doug Freitag, the president of Friendio issued a statement saying, “Friendio does not modify privacy settings, nor do we force people to create a scrapbook of their life.”

Image credit: AdamWestbrook on Flickr

Alright, lovebirds, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and now is just about the right time to finalize your Valentine’s Day plans for your significant other. However, if you haven’t even started your V-Day plans yet *gulp*, then here are five sites that could help you out.

1. Hershey’s – Of course, this brand has to be here. Hershey’s is huge when it comes to holidays that involve gift-giving, and Valentine’s Day is no different. This year, the chocolate company decided to switch the theme of their site to celebrate the day of love. Get easy access to products such as V-Day themed chocolates (why not get the one in heart-shaped box, for a change). The site also has a crafts page that teaches you how to make homemade roses, greeting cards, V-Day favors, and love bugs. You can also find tons of recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth of you and your loved one. Planning to cook? You can get instructions on how to make love-themed beverages, cakes, cookies, pies, and more.

2. Links 2 Love – This is a great site for romance, even if you’re single! Links 2 Love offers TONS of advice on just about every aspect of dating (and finding a date). Get tips on various topics, ranging from flirting to being in an actual relationship. Sweet talk each other with the site’s selection of e-cards, love letters, love lyrics and poetry. Links 2 Love even has a section on weddings that can serve as a useful resource for brides-to-be!

3. My Dear Valentine – Considered as the biggest love and romance site since 1999, My Dear Valentine can give you everything for all your couple-y needs. Need a last-minute present? Browse their online store that’s filled with romantic items. Want to romance your sweetheart with words? Check out the love poems and quotes section of My Dear Valentine. You can also checkout your horoscopes, if you’re in to that kind of thing.

4. TheRomantic.com – Can’t get enough of lovey-dovey words of love? Scoot over to TheRomantic.com, a site that provides over 10,000 creative ideas and expert advice on love, dating and romance! The site directs you to various resources on dates, romantic locations, love letters, and movies. TheRomantic.com also has free e-magazines that you can subscribe to, if you want to keep on receiving materials about love and romance.

5. Red Envelope – This site is the ultimate online store of romantic presents. If you want to class up your Valentine’s Day with sweet and shiny presents, then this should be your go-to site. Red Envelope doesn’t just offer great gift items for men and women, the site also sells items that couples can enjoy together. If you and your sweetheart are living together, be sure to browse Red Envelope’s home and garden section where you’ll see a lot of items for just about every room in the house.  Having some guests over? Be sure to check out the bar & entertaining section that features tons of cool items such as an instant wine chiller, personalized chopping boards, and more. Those expecting to bring in some little ones in this world will be pleased to know that the site also sells kids and bay items, including toys, blankets, clothing, and more!

Image credit: ^@^ina (Irina Patrascu) on Flickr

Juggling the many aspects of campus life? There’s an app for that. OneSchool, a mobile app for students and school administrators, aims to serve as the ultimate source of information for college students. It allows users to get campus news, find eateries in the area, get course information, and more. It’s also an app that’s making me wonder: Why in the world didn’t we have this when I was in college?

Features

With OneSchool, users are kept in the loop with virtually every aspect of campus life. The app has a Bus Tracker and a Map to assist students in moving around campus. The map is even searchable, allowing you to see where your next class will be and how to get there. It also has course information that provides availability, time, location, and instructor information. Additionally OneSchool offers real-time news to keep students updated with campus issues. On top of that, it helps students connect with other members of the community through built-in Wall and Chat features. If you need to find the contact information of students or professors even when you’re out and about, you can do so with the use of the Directory. Need to find a good place to eat? Scout for local eateries with the app’s Food feature and discover great restaurants and venues in the area. And of course, campus life wouldn’t be complete without sports. If you’re curious to get the latest in game schedules, team rosters, and recruiting, simply check out the Sports feature of the app.

The app is campus-specific, so students would have to register to get the info specifically to their school. The app is already available in several schools, including Penn State, Yale, UCLA, Stanford, Columbia, and more. You can find the full list of schools here.

Why It’s Good for Students

The days of bulletin boards and running around getting information from different sources are almost over, and we have OneSchool to thank for that. Students live pretty busy lives, and balancing academics, extra-curricular, and personal issues can really take a lot out of a person. OneSchool effectively addresses this by giving users a centralized source of information.

Why It’s Good for Administrators

Keeping a body of students informed can be a challenge. No matter how may press releases you put out or how many announcements you make, there’s always that one student who didn’t get the memo. Thankfully, with OneSchool, administrators can make an announcement and effectively disseminate the information using one medium. The best part is school administrators get to speak the language of students. Users nowadays are veering farther and farther away from traditional media, and sometimes, the only way to reach them is with the use of their smartphones.

How to Get It

Aside from being available on the Web, the OneSchool app is also compatible with several gadgets, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, as well as in Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices. The app is free, and the makers of OneSchool made a promise that it will ALWAYS be free.

Practically every other daily deal site out there is claiming to bring something new and unique to the table, but frankly, most of what’s out there are simply Groupon clones. However, we just discovered one site that actually puts nice twist to the daily deal business model.

Checkout DealGooder; the daily deal company that turns great deals into good deeds by sending over 50% of each deal’s revenue  to a featured charity.

How it Works

Anyone who bought an online deal before would have no trouble understanding how DealGooder works.  Just like a typical daily deal website, DealGooder features one deal from a local restaurant, spa, store or service provider, and interested people can purchase goods or services at highly discounted rates.

A deal only becomes valid if enough people purchase it, so users are urged to spread the word to their network. If the deal meets the minimum number of buys, then customers will be able to enjoy it. This is also the part where the “charity” aspect comes in. DealGooder donates 50% of each deal’s revenue to a chosen charity, making everyone—from merchants, to customers, to charitable associations happy.

Not completely satisfied with a deal? Simply contact DealGooder’s customer service department and they’ll get on it. They don’t refund unredeemed vouchers, but they do attend to customers who aren’t happy with the products or services that they received.

DealGooder is currently offering deals in select locations, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Denver. Both the deals and the charities that they feature are localized, allowing users to easily check out the merchants or charities in the area.

How to Get In On the Fun

Business owners who want to get features on DealGooder will be pleased to know that the process of getting on the site is very easy and virtually risk-free. Simply head to their website and fill out the basic information about the business, and a rep will be in touch shortly. Once a business gets featured, DealGooder sends an email to their subscribers to notify them about the deal. As previously mentioned, a deal can only be redeemed if enough people purchase it, so customers and charities alike are encouraged to spread the word. If a deal pushes through, then DealGooder donates 50% of the earnings to a featured charity. One thing to note here is that businesses will keep ALL their share of the proceeds and the 50% that will be given away will be DealGooder’s share.

Similarly, charities that want to get featured on DealGooder can also sign up through the website. Unlike businesses that get a day to be featured on the site, charities get a full week, giving them ample time to promote and mobilize members. Of course, on top of monetary donations from deals, charities also get tons of exposure and attract more volunteers.

Triple Win

A lot of businesses boast of providing a “win-win” situation for their clients, but having a genuine win-win-win model, can be pretty rare nowadays. I think that DealGooder is a great initiative that will attract various types of people, from merchants, to bargain hunters, to volunteers and do-gooders. If you consider yourself as a savvy shopper, cause advocate, or both, DealGooder is definitely worth looking into.

The internet is not just for adults anymore.

As more and more kids hit the web, parents should encourage them to take the opportunity to learn. There are plenty of websites out there that expose children to different learning methods. From studying math and spelling, to using games to learn, the internet has come a long way in becoming a friendly environment for kids, especially with parental controls intact. Here are some of the best websites on the web that your children could use to help aid their ability to learn different subjects using different types of methods.

1. FunBrain.com – FunBrain is a great website with math, reading, fun and much more that help the child learn through methods they can more closely relate to. Games such as Math Baseball, Desert Dive and Vine Time help the child (along with parents help) learn some key essentials through a fun way. In Math Baseball, they give a problem and your child types in the answer and presses “Swing”. If the answer is correct, the child will get a hit. A method of reward for success, it’s always a great technique to help as a learning aid.

2. CyberKids.com – CyberKids is a directory of sorts that also provides online tutoring, homework help, fun games and others. It’s mainly for kids 7 to 12 and is designed in a simple fashion to help the kids navigate through the site with ease. It also has stories, music, art and poetry, things that your child could use to help aid their reading abilities.

3. Funology.com – Funology allows kids to view jokes, riddles, games, facts, magic tricks and even helps with arts and crafts projects. These are things that the child can share with the parent, even including recipes into their list of fun things. The things to do on this site are endless and will keep your child entertained for hours on end.

4. PBS Kids – There are plenty of things to do on this website for kids ranging from preschool to pre-teen and they are all fun. There are games, music, stories, games and plenty more that will allow you to feel comfortable that your child is doing the right stuff online. It’s a great site with many stories, videos and of course, some educational parent tips from the wonderful people at PBS.

5. McGruff.org – There’s nobody more associated with keeping kids safe than the wonderful McGruff the Crime Dog. With a website full of games, videos and advice, McGruff is always teaching your kids all of the ways to stay safe. The games, videos and advice are all centered on what to do in certain negative situations. This site will help your children (and you parents) feel more comfortable should your child end up in a hostile situation.

Image credit: fabrice caduc on flickr

Are you and your special someone stuck in a rut? Then read on because this upcoming mobile / web app could be just the thing to get you out of it. BeCouply, a startup founded by Becky Cruze and Pius Uzamere (who are a couple, too) aims to take romantic relationships to a more Web 2.0 level.

BeCouply helps couples have “epic social lives.” It allows you and your significant other to capture and record your sweet and special moments using your phone, and it even lets you connect with other couples, should you happen to be in the mood for a double—or even triple—date.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this startup is BeCouply Dates, a service that plans monthly dates for couples.  If you and your partner are tired of having those “What-are-we-doing-tonight?” and “I dunno, what do you want to do?” conversations, then this is definitely for you.

BeCouply will be in charge of booking and coordinating the details of your dates—from transportation and venues, to food and activities, even down to tips for waiters and service providers. Couples will be picked up by a driver (ahem, black car transportation), so they’re free to have a few drinks without worrying about getting pulled over. Basically all you have to do is show up and enjoy.

TechCrunch did a feature on the company earlier this month, when BeCouply Dates first launched in San Francisco. According to TechCrunch, BeCouply charges a monthly fee of $149 per couple to cover the date of the month.  The founders told the popular tech blog that for their first BeCouply Date, “Couples will visit local food purveyors in San Francisco’s Mission District, meet the chefs, owners and industry experts while noshing on their artisan specialties.”

I have to say, I’m very intrigued with what BeCouply has to offer. I think most couples would agree that one of the most fun parts of the relationship is the honeymoon stage where you get to discover each other’s favorite places, hobbies, restaurants, etc. Once each person discovers everything there is to know about the other, that’s when other couples start to become complacent. BeCouply Dates allows couples to discover new places together and even make friends with other couples which can really put the spark back in a relationship.

On the business side of things, I believe that a lot establishments, restaurants, and service providers would be eager to team up with BeCouply because it can really give them exposure. BeCouply sends customers their way, and in turn, they provide excellent food, services, or experiences. After that, who knows? They could get a ton of word-of-mouth and returning customers in the process.

BeCouply is still on Beta mode, but you can leave your email address on their website to get first dibs when the mobile app launches and when they arrive in your city. As previously mentioned, they’ve only launched in San Francisco, but they’re also planning to take the startup to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, and more.

Earlier this month, I wrote about Search plus Your World, Google’s new search feature that allows users to get more social web results. In this new feature, the search giant delivers Google+ items specifically shared with the user, along with organic search results. And while this is indeed a pretty useful capability because it allows people to view social AND web results, the release of Search plus Your World raised eyebrows in the SEO and social media community mainly because the “social” results produced by the new feature only included pages from Google+. Twitter even publicly reacted to this move and expressed their concern over the whole issue.

Today though, Twitter, (with Facebook, MySpace and other unnamed social network companies) fight back. Over the weekend, Blake Ross, Facebook’s Director of Product along with other engineers from MySpace and Twitter developed a browser tool called “Don’t be evil.”

How it works

The Don’t be evil tool serves as a bookmarklet that transforms Google’s Search plus Your World results to include pages from other social networks. For instance, when your search for “music” on Google, you would still get organic search results; however, on the left part of the SERP, you’ll see a box suggesting the Google+ Pages of Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, and other artists. When you click on the Don’t be evil bookmarklet, you’ll see a modified version of these results. You’ll still see the box suggesting Britney Spears and Snoop Dogg, but instead of their Google+ profile, the search results will  display their Twitter accounts. Similarly, when you search for Mark Zuckerberg on regular Google, it’ll suggest his Google+ page which has been empty for months. Don’t be evil on the other hand, suggests Zuck’s Facebook page instead, which you’ll have to admit, makes more sense.

So how does the Don’t be evil tool determine which social network result to display? Simple. It asks Google. According to their website:

If Google decides that it’s relevant to surface Google+ page as a result in any of the areas where Google+ content is hardcoded, the tool searches Google for the name of the Google+ page. Then, the tool identifies the social profiles within the first ten pages of Google results (top 100 results). The ones Google ranks highest — whether they are from Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Quora, Tumblr, Foursquare, Crunchbase, FriendFeed, Stack Overflow, Github or Google+ — replace the previous results that could only be from Google+.

This is the part that gets a little technical, so you may want to view their video walkthrough to really see how the bookmarklet works.

Why “Don’t be evil?”

“Don’t be evil,” according to Google, is the cornerstone of their Code of Conduct. It’s basically about providing users with “unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services.” Search plus Your World appears to deviate from this philosophy since it only displays social search results from Google’s own social network—results that may not be the most relevant or useful to people. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and all those behind the Don’t be evil tool want to shed light on this particular issue, hence the name.

Image credit: http://www.focusontheuser.org/

The World Wide Web has opened countless doors for business opportunities, revolutions, and heartfelt moments. But let’s face it; sometimes, we all go online because we just want to waste time, and nothing more. Thankfully, the Internet is FULL of websites that allow you to be occupied and entertained for hours to no end. Whether you’re looking for hilarious images, “epic fail” moments, or anything worth sharing, these 5 websites should give you your daily fix of online entertainment.

1. Reddit – Considered as one of the top sources for viral content, Reddit provides a place where users post interesting content that can be vote up or down on by other Reddit users. The more up votes a post has, the more likely that it’ll appear on the front page of the site, which means that the links on the first page of Reddit are the most popular ones in the community (at least at the moment—the front page is always in motion). Reddit also has a convenient comment system that allows users to post comments and discussions about the links. Wondering what’s with the name? Well, according to the site, “It’s (sort of) a play on words — i.e., “I read it on reddit.” Also, there are some unintentional but interesting Latin meanings to the word “reddit”.

2. Buzzfeed – Want to know what the web is “buzzing” about? Learn all about the most hilarious trending topics on Buzzfeed.com. The site features a hodgepodge of popular things, from viral videos, to lists of hilarious items, to cat photos, to gossip.

3. 9gag – Love comical images and memes? Then you’ll love 9Gag. This website allows users to upload any interesting or funny images that they find online. Like Reddit, 9gag is also a community where users can like and comment on the posts.  9gag also makes it really easy for posts to go viral, because users can easily share posts on Facebook and Twitter straight from the site.

4. Pinterest – Similar to 9Gag, Pinterest is an image-based website that allows users to share images with the community. Unlike 9Gag though that’s exclusively for funny posts, Pinterest is all about… well, anything and everything. Whether you’re a bride who’s collecting wedding ideas, or just a typical Internet user collecting memes, you’ll be sure to find something that fits your taste on Pinterest. Each member gets his/her own Pinboards that can hold collections of images. Users can share images from their computer or straight from a website (thanks to a browser plugin). Once an image is shared, Pinterest users that see and like an image can “Re-pin” it so that it’ll appear on their own Pinboard. Additionally, Pinterest lets you follow other people, allowing you to keep track of interesting Pinboards on the site. The site is still in beta mode, but you can grab an invite from existing members or from the site itself.

5. CollegeHumor – Looking for more comedic materials? CollegeHumor has them all. The site features various types of content, from videos, to pictures, and articles all dedicated to making people laugh. Founded in 1999, CollegeHumor has amassed a huge following over the years. Currently, the site has over 15 million monthly users and over 100 million monthly page views.

Image credit: Neal on Flickr

Most of the World Wide Web is up in arms against two bills currently in Congress: The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). Stemming from the entertainment industry, these two bills aim to put a stop to piracy and copyright infringement. And while their causes are indeed reasonable and valid, the execution of these proposed laws raises several concerns among Internet experts.

There are a lot of technical details behind these bills, but the plain English version goes something like this: Should these bills turn into laws, search engines, Internet providers, and even payment services would be required to police websites that supposedly contain infringing content, while taking out website owners’ rights to a certain due process. In essence, it gives the government the overwhelming power to erase websites from search engines, prevent site owners from getting paid, and even delete entire domains, simply because someone believes that websites are pirating content.

They are very ugly proposals that threaten to censor the web and block websites on the grounds of alleged copyright infringement.

Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, Twitter, and some of the biggest names in the Internet already expressed their alarm over the proposed bills.  Numerous individuals called their respective senators in order to voice out their opinions, and several open letter to Congress and the White House were published. When GoDaddy publicized their support for SOPA, the web host lost over 70,000 subscribers. GoDaddy has since changed their stance on the bill, and published a press release stating that they now oppose SOPA.

Thankfully, all these movements didn’t go in vain. Last week, the White House published a statement voicing out concerns about the SOPA, stating, “While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet. Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.”

Additionally, congressional leaders supporting SOPA started to recant, and one of the controversial parts of SOPA and PIPA (DNS blocking) has been taken out from both bills. In spite of these small (yet significant) victories though, the battle isn’t over yet, and the Internet is still fighting back.

Today, huge websites including Wikipedia, Reddit, and Mozilla have “gone dark” as a form of protest. Countless sites such as Google, Wired, and WordPress.com have altered themselves to help spread the word about the realities of SOPA and PIPA.

Needless to say, these site alterations and blackouts are only temporary, and the natural order of things should be restored tomorrow. However, if SOPA and PIPA do become laws, then the blackouts and censorships could very well BE the “natural order of things.”

Don’ let it happen to the Internet. Do your part and contact your representative today.