by Orrin Konheim

Created on: December 28, 2008   Last Updated: January 11, 2009

The internet is a revolutionary invention that makes our lives easier and better, but only at the limit of the innovators who make that happen. I am constantly surprised by how the new medium of the internet is evolving and developing new ways of improving on past ideas. Some of the most innovative and impactful websites of 2008 that I will cap at 10 since it's a nice round number and keep the descriptions brief:

1. The Innovation of the year: social network bookmarking as exemplified through www.digg.com and www.delicious.com: Long before chessmater Gary Kasparov did battle with a super computer, mankind has always done battle against its own inventions. This year was a victory for man against the computer algorithims of google's search function. Digg and Delicious feature networked bookmarking in which people publicly save their bookmarked sites (in the case of delicious) or articles (in the case of Digg). In addition to allowing you to share websites that you like, a system in which the frequency in bookmarks or "diggs" makes the site or article more visible creates a user-generated search engine that is validated by the personal experience of an entire network.

Other sites (in no particular order):

2. www.Hulu.com: Finding a happy medium between how many commercials viewers are willing to put up with and how much they value the convenience of access to their favorite programs without having to resort to illegal websites, hulu.com has saved the TV industry from falling to internet piracy. And not a moment too soon! Hulu has new shows, classics, and even a handful of movies.

3. www.funnyordie.com: Founded in conjunction with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, this site has successfully carved a niche out of the online video uploading craze. The site features funny videos by celebrities such as Ferrell, John C. Reilly, James Franco, Brooke Shields, and Danny DeVito, although the site allows amateur comedians and filmmakers to upload videos and be voted and ranked alongside their idols. Some of the content, particularly videos created by the funnyordie team (Ferrell, McKay and Reilly among others), are exclusive which prevents people from bypassing the site and skipping straight to youtube. The site's bread and butter is when a video like "The Landlord" or "Green Team" goes viral and funnyordie is the only place to check it out. Additionally, the site's parent corporation has also taken the model to launch the spinoffs eatdrinkordie.com (focusing

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