post-its for the internet?

May 23, 2004 2:02 PM

Internet Sticky Notes: Does the software I want exist? [More Inside]

I’m looking for some kind of program to construct user-created pop-ups, essentially. For example, every time I look at a menu for a certain restaurant when I’m making a take-out order, the red-skinned potatoes look really good, so I order them. When I get them, I remember that they’re terrible, and they’re terrible every time. I’d love for something to pop up when I go to that web site to remind me that I hate their red-skinned potatoes. Ideally, it would have a recurring function (pops up every time I visit the site), and also a one-time only function, say for example, when I visited AskMe, a note would pop up reminding me to check for new replies on a question I found interesting. So --- anything like this exist?

posted by ferociouskitty to computers & internet (6 answers total)

This sounds a bit like Stumbleupon, which I use. Its a community site though and so any comments you leave at a website are comments that anyone can see (thats the whole point, you can also see what other people think)
posted by vacapinta at 2:32 PM on May 23, 2004

A very cool idea; just my sort of thing, but I know of none in existence.

A fudge might be use an annotated bookmark program to launch sites rather than typing the address or clicking a link. I recommend Powermarks which has changed my browsing style. If it were always open and you trained yourself to consistently use it as your site launcher, you could assign the most obvious column, perhaps the first from the left, to the "notes" section, where you could write your own reminders to yourself and see them when you go to that site.

I hope this helps. Sorry I could not magic up your dream program.
posted by suleikacasilda at 2:34 PM on May 23, 2004

there used to be a browser plug-in, years ago. sorry that's not much help - if i remember the name i'll post again. probably dead now anyway.
posted by andrew cooke at 3:19 PM on May 23, 2004

There was one a while back that let you create a post-it like note and anyone else who had that software could see what post-its you left on a site. I think it's the same one andrew cooke is talking about. I cannot remember the name either.
posted by pieoverdone at 4:33 PM on May 23, 2004

This sounds like what you're looking for: PC Mag's Web Highlighter. It's hidden behind a paid registration gate. And like an idiot, I erased my copy.

This is one of my personal obsessions. Web Highlighter is a pretty good solution but every once in a while I type "web annotation" into google and am frustrated by the lack of development.

The plugin that some seem to be referring to is probably Third Voice. The web seemed united in hating it, but I wish it were still around.
posted by stuart_s at 4:53 PM on May 23, 2004

I think the service AC and POD are thinking of is Third Voice. Here's a 2001 Wired article about its demise.

(I tried TV out for a bit not long after it came out. Its major flaw, IMO--which the Wired article doesn't address--was that it had no anti-spamming measures. Concept: Allow people to stick relevant comments on a website, that all other TV users would see. Actual use: Allow people to put unrelated ads on a website, that all other TV users would see.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:42 AM on May 24, 2004