Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with web20

What was the name of the service that provided you with a free 800 number and credit card processing?

thinktwice — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:17:47 -0800

What was the name of the service that provided you with a free 800 number and credit card processing? Their model was that they took a percentage of the credit card fees and you billed your customers through them. It was a very neat way to setup a small service business with almost no overhead. Are they still in business?

Radio Fa-Fa-Facebook

almostwitty — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:23:56 -0800

I need examples (good and bad) of how radio stations, DJs or programmes use Facebook. Thank you!

I need a crash course in the current best-practice website accessablity standards.

anastasiav — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:42:45 -0800

Give me a crash course in making our nonprofit website accessible. What are the best practices/standards? What's the lingo? I'm not building the site, but I have a meeting with the developers who are, today. They are doing this pro-bono for us (we're a community nonprofit with a goodly number of disabled users). Its important to our CEO that the website be accessible, but she hired me because she doesn't really understand the web.

I get the web fine, but I've never had to deal with this particular issue before. My first meeting with the developer is this afternoon. Help me talk with them about this issue and not sound like a N00b!

What web-app should I build on the domain "vimbro.com"?

farmersckn — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:54:46 -0800

What web-app should I build on the domain "vimbro.com"? What does vimbro sound like to you?

* Project management?
* Social networking?
* The first 3rd party implementation of the Google Wave Standard?
* Dating site for robots?
* A custom linux build?

Help me out! If someone suggests a cool idea, especially one that is unique, and it is within my abilities, I will earnestly work on making it a reality!

Web App to manage client uploads???

spock — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:20:46 -0800

I'm looking for a web application (preferrably Open Source) that will help me accomplish the following: I have a service business that works on digital files for clients. I'd like to broaden my reach through web, so want to give clients/public the ability to upload files to me and for me to keep track of who those files are from, and to be able to invoice them and track when they have paid, etc. so I can return the finished file to them. I'd like it to work with Paypal. It is possible that this cannot all be done by a single application, but I'd prefer an all-in-one solution. But feel free to suggest partial solutions.

I'm an experienced server and web application admin with multiple platforms. I'd prefer a PHP/MySQL solution, but will certainly consider others. My Google-Fu is not strong today, apparently, as I'm having trouble locating this, but I'm sure that somebody has already invented this "wheel".

TIA for any words of wisdom you may have to share.

Find me some car websites - offering profiles, stats etc. Having trouble!

newformula — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:03:11 -0800

In order to find it if it's worth scratching a new web development itch, I'm looking for some links to websites that relating to cars that offer the following functionality...

Allow users to show off their car with photos, text, explanations etc - like a car profile, in a way
offer tracking of car stats, mileage, fuel economy/fill-ups
give general data about car servicing/warranty periods, service requirements
any website that you'd deem as being "web 2.0" (hate the jargon, but there we go) with functionality that allows users to log, store, and share data around their cars and driving passions with user-friendly design

So far I've come up with... mymilemarker - http://mymilemarker.com/
fuelly - http://www.fuelly.com/
http://yourgarageonline.com/
http://thecartracker.com/
This post on mashable
Most of these relate to tracking of data and servicing, which is only 1/2 of my intended search. I'm really trying to find some of the more 'social' car sites intended for people to show off their pride and joy.

Is webring technology stuck in 1998?

arielmeadow — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:11:52 -0800

I'm thinking of starting a webring, but the concept feels very 1998. Is there such a thing as Webring 2.0? I'm preparing to launch a new website that will have a distinct community/network component. Rather than include a forum (too much moderation, too much work) I'm considering having a reader webring.

That said, the whole concept of a webring feels outdated, and the tools I've looked at (ringsurf, simplering, PHP-Ring, etc) feel like they haven't really changed much in the last seven or eight years. They all seem to feature clunky interfaces and limited navigation (previous / next / view / join ).

Is there some web 2.0 evolution of the webring that I just don't know about? I'd love a hosted solution, but am exploring PHP options as well.

Where do these people hang out? Suggestions for online communities, please!

the latin mouse — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:13:09 -0800

I need to find talented people who are into both theatre writing and web technologies. They should live in Britain or Ireland. I have two weeks. Where should I look?

Travelplan2.0

mr.marx — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:59:41 -0800

Looking for a website that helps me plan a 5-day vacation in detail. A lot of travel websites out there, but all of them seem focused on either a) booking and price hunting, or b) diaries.

I'd like to think there's a site that let's me add all the restaurants, sights, shops and events I find researching an upcoming trip (NYC if it matters) so I can make a day-by-day plan, complete with maps and notes.

Is there such a website? Or do you have any other suggestions on how I could plan our trip in an easy way?

Extra points for suggestions that let's me keep a mobile version of the schedule online.

Help me be heard! ( Podcast style )

thankyoumuchly — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:18:19 -0800

Is there an application that will automatically take my ready-to-publish podcasts from my local PC, and upload them to a website and publish their links to an RSS feed? I've searched Askmefi for Podcasting advice, and found many tutorials and how-to's for recording and mixing my podcasts, but nothing that specifically says "drop your finished podcast files in your "My Music" folder on your local PC and this application will upload them to a website and publish them to an RSS feed for you".

Can anyone help? I'm very technical with audio recording equipment but the publishing / RSS feeding is greek to me. Help me be heard!

Thank you in advance!

-TM

p.s. - Free applications are preferable, but I'll take what I can get so long as the world can hear my voice :)

How to make a vertical timeline?

jfricke — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:45:41 -0800

How to make a vertical timeline? I would like to make a timeline that I can publish on my website for visualizing important events in my life (like when I went to school, graduated from university, etc). There seem to be several online and offline apps for this purpose. However, none of them allows me to create a vertical instead of horizontal timeline.

Thus, I am looking for an application (web/mac) which allows me to make a vertical timeline and to publish it on my website.

Event Planning software for DJ

lifeofthunder — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:51:32 -0800

What is a decent event planning website/software solution for a mobile DJ company? I've tried Event Planner and DJ intelligence, and quite honestly, they both (along with almost every DJ company's website I've ever seen) have the usability of a stick in mud. Aren't there any web 2.0 solutions for this kind of thing? I'd prefer something that integrates well into a website that I control- maybe something that can connect to Google docs?

Thoughts, hive mind?

Web 2.0 in Education

man down under — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:58:50 -0800

EducationFilter: How do you use wikis, blogs and social media in the classroom? I am interested to hear how educators use wikis, blogs, social bookmarking, and other forms of social media. I personally use some web 2.0 sites and applications, like wetpaint and bubbl.us but am wondering if I am missing some good opportunities?

Have any teachers had good experiences using things like MySpace (eugh!), Facebook or Twitter to provide authentic and meaningful learning?

I'm not interested in using anything just for the sake of it...Sound pedagogical input only please!

Thanks in advance, Mefites.

What topics should be covered in a "new media" class for journalists?

Lownotes — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:22:12 -0800

What topics should be covered in a "new media" class for journalists? I am putting together a class on "new media" for journalism students at the university level.

I am a journalist with lots of experience in the field of convergent/Web 2.0/new media - and that's why I'm asking the hive mind to help.

This class will be a companion to The History of Journalism, and will probably be listed as The Future of Journalism.

It will be for journalism students who have already covered all the basics - AP stylebook, ledes, nut grafs, interviewing, writing and so on.

If you were to teach or take a class like this, what do you think should be the topics covered?

Feel free to go into great detail and include links - also, if this turns out well, I'll showcase to students how I used AskMeFi to help create the class.

Help me be web-savvy again (does anyone still use that term?)

embrangled — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:25:46 -0800

I was once a teenage web design nerd. Now I'm an old-media content producer with horribly out-of-date new-media skills. What should I learn, and where should I learn it? It's been nearly a decade since I last designed a website. Web 2.0 happened while I wasn't paying attention. Clearly, the world no longer needs hand-coding in Notepad, clever onmouseovers or anything else I learned as a nerdy 14-year-old.

So as a journalist/producer who wants to stay relevant in years to come, what should I be learning? HTML, CSS, Flash, content management systems, search engine optimisation? Something else I haven't thought of? Which skills do employers love to see in their online editorial staff?

Is it still possible to learn this stuff online, for free? Bonus points if you can suggest websites that pitch their lessons at a level somewhere between "We teach you to code back-ends in 14 languages" and, "We teach aging journalists how to use Google".

What's your favorite on-line fitness tracking tool?

scblackman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:34:43 -0800

Fitness 2.0 quesiton: I'm a big fan of Fuelly. It's one of the few Web 2.0 tools that I've stuck with. I want to be as disciplined with tracking my workouts as I am my gas usage. For me, a user-friendly tool makes a big difference. Can anyone recommend a high-quality Web 2.0 fitness tracking tool (preferably a free one)? I've looked at Traineo and a couple of others, but wanted to see if the hive mind could come up with a strong recommendation. If you can let me know why you've stuck with it (or why you've dropped it, if it's a negative review), I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Social Media + Environmental Concerns?

GIMG — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:43:04 -0800

What are some social media sites that have an environmental tilt? I'm looking at both general social media sites that have sections with an environmental tilt (e.g. Facebook groups against climate change), but also social media sites specifically tailored toward environmental purposes (e.g. stepgreen.org).

Looking for ideas for a presentation on Web 2.0 and new web apps for teachers

davey_darling — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:25:42 -0800

What should I include in a presentation about new internet technology and digital media in the classroom to a group of high school teachers? I have volunteered to run two different sessions at my schools PD day tomorrow. I have a general list of topics that I would like to cover, but I'm sure that there are others that I will forget.

I am looking to get people thinking about blogging in the classroom and incorporating things such as social networking (i.e. facebook, twitter) as well as the usefullness of such things as RSS feeds and readers, and photo/video sharing

The two workshops are described as follows:

First one: Web 2.0 and the "New" Internet

Participants will be introduced to a wide variety of new internet applications and technologies, and will engage in discussions around implementing them in a classroom setting. Workshop is hands-on, and participants will have the chance to experiment with the applications of their choice.

Second one: Digital Media in the classroom

Participants will work on various types of digital media and learn how to produce and deliver electronic content to their students. Topics may include but are not limited to: Digital Images and Video, Podcasting and Vodcasting, Blogging, Wikis and various social networking applications.

I am open to ideas on both the application side (i.e. show them this, do this) and the more philosophical side (i.e. this changes how we do this, why this is important)

The sessions are about 1.5 hours each. I will be in a computer lab with an LCD projector and every participant will have access to a computer.

Thanks. I will likely show them this question and any answers as an example of how user generated content has changed the internet.

Why do some social web platforms catch-on (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia) while countless others don't?

GIMG — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:08:48 -0800

Why do some social web platforms catch-on (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia) while countless others don't? From a diffusion of innovations perspective, I'm trying to look at how certain social web platforms (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, MetaFilter, even) catch-on, while loads of others fail to. Is there any good research on the failure for certain websites to diffuse? Or on why the ones that did diffuse did?

Is there a better, more 'Web 2.0', alternative to traditional bulletin board systems?

Glum — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:09:07 -0800

Why are all web Forum/Bulletin Board systems so horrible? Is there anything that outdoes PHPBB, vBulletin etc. and adds a bit of good ol' fashioned Web 2.0 usability to the genre? Web forums are like first person shooters. The developers of both seem afraid to do anything new or different, even if it would create a better experience for the user. Has anyone created a web forum system which breaks the mould that all the others seem to stick to?

The web is now littered with sites and apps that all strive to offer the best user experience they can (Gmail and Google Reader spring to mind, but it's not just Google). Surely by now someone must have revisited the tired old Bulletin Board concept and infused it with a bit of Web 2.0 sensibility?

I know that forums have a lot to deal with - big databases, security issues etc. but surely anyone can see that clicking on a thread and being greeted with a mass of little 'page numbers' at the foot of the first page of replies does not promote user satisfaction.

Forums are horrible places to be, even if you are tech and net savvy, goodness knows what it must be like for the average person.

Interestingly AskMetafilter manages to not fall into the trap and, by stripping out almost all the features of traditional BBs, creates a 'forum' which is easier to navigate and bear. Two years ago this thread asked a very similar question and one of the last replies said, basically "there's nothing new under the sun". Is this still the case?

Operetta meets web 2.0

nax — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:46:50 -0800

I finally convinced my boss that we could manage a blog. The blog would be (in fact already is) on an existing community site with other arts organizations; my idea is to get it going, and provide links in both directions. This is at absolutely no cost to us, and I've worked out a rotation so no single person needs to write more than one entry per year. Then she started talking to her marketing guy. Mr. hidebound marketing guy has convinced her that the blog needs to be on our site directly, with no external links, and that this will be too expensive to add to the site, therefore we shouldn't do it. His belief is that putting it on the community site means we are just helping people go to other venues than ours. He seems utterly clueless about web design and the effective use of a website (ours is completely static.) Ms. Boss thinks if people know about other arts organizations online that will somehow keep them from buying tickets from us. The depth of their misunderstanding of how the internets work is awesome to behold.

I've tried all the arguments; I need articles, even blogs (short is better) that argue convincingly that connectivity is good, can increase credibility, name recognition, and ticket sales. She won't listen to me, maybe she'll respond to the printed word.

Million Dollar Homepage

kaizen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:12:01 -0800

What are some alternative business models on the internet besides selling antiques and books? I have been tasked at school with brainstorming ideas for alternative business models including revenue generating websites and internet based services. That revenue could come from advertising, AdWords, Software as Subscription, or any other alternative model. Things that quickly come to mind are: 1) Subscription based software for take-out restaurants, 2) Residential helpdesk service using GoToMyPC type software, or 3) iTunes for call centers ( Jukebox while your on hold ). If you ran a startup, what would it be? Are there a finite amount of ways to generate revenue?

Charity Collection Planning/Advertising tools

guptaxpn — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:27:39 -0800

What are your favorite/most-effective internet event planning tools? (i.e. Facebook Events, Blogging about events, emailing people about events...)

I'm currently planning a bike collection for a non-profit organization and would like some help. I'm currently planning a bike collection as an eagle scout project, and would like some help with finding tools to advertise it and get the word out.

I just can't think of any tools to actively advertise and get the word out about events.

What's a site similar to StandPoint?

PandemicSoul — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:44:23 -0800

Help me find a web2.0-ish site, similar to (the now defunct) StandPoint. I used to be an avid member of StandPoint, which was a website where people would introduce a topic, say "Abortion is wrong," and then other people would respond with their view. It would allow you to either vote up or down and then given an explanation. I know I've seen a few other sites like this in the past year or two, but as is usual, I can't ever find them in my myriad of bookmarks or on Google.

2.0 election stuff that really helps people, not just impresses them

jessamyn — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:16:11 -0800

Examples of good web/election widgets to show to librarians this upcoming week? I'll be speaking at a conference this week talking about, among other things, Web 2.0 stuff. I'm looking for some good topical examples to briefly highlight. One of the best arguments for supporting public libraries in the US is that they're necessary for a functioning democracy, that it's important that people be able to freely research topics of interest so that they can become informed voters. There's upsides and downsides to this approach but I feel it's generally solid. In the library world there's also a lot of "well I don't really think this 2.0 stuff helps us do our jobs" attitude, especially in rural areas like the one I live in.

What I'd like to do is put together a small set of easy-to-understand web-based examples of 2.0 types of tools being used to help further our democratic ideal, regardless of the outcome of this election. So I'm not so much looking for "this helps us get out the vote for Candidate X" but something like "This application lets you type in your address to find your polling place" or "this lets you get information about how much money people in your zip code spent on Candidate X versus Candidate Y"

I'm looking for simple and practical. Eye candy with little useful application won't be as great. Extra points for libraries using any of this stuff. I'll be poking around on my own but figured people here might be more up on this sort of thing than I am. Thank you.